Bitter but not beer!!

The bitter weather made me chicken out of going birding this weekend and think about sunny times, so I spent the day looking through some old photos.   Over the years I have been lucky enough to travel around the world with my binoculars always close to hand.   My weight and the amount of facial hair vary a lot in these photos thankfully the birds don't mind. Apologies to the two Johns who commented on my last blog but blogger wont let me reply. There will be another beer blog as soon as I find more bird related beer and the tramp was sent packing.

Mole NP Ghana

Redwoods California

Lesvos

Eating Oysters NZ

Spending a Cent

A natural born cowboy Texas

Mozzie heaven Aransas Texas

Big bend Texas

Kruger NP South Africa

Cuban cowboys eye view 

Bathing Cuban style

Foraged oysters and birdy beer

As you know I like camoflage

Heaven is a place on Lesvos

Reed Dance

The Sunday walk round Big Waters was canny, we saw a Kingfisher on the Otter bridge under the A1. A tramp wandering the fields to the south ( or was it a birder looking for Jack Snipe ) . On the lake a pair of Great crested grebes displayed.

the tramp

Wagtails and Wild Swans

 No birding at the weekend due to poor weather and time constraints. I did however manage to find some bird related beer during the week to lighten my mood.  No pictures of Grey Wagtails as pictured on the Allendale bottle, so some old digiscoped pictures of a Yellow Wagtail taken at Bishop Middleham 10 years ago, and a Pied Wagtail from last summer will have to do.  The swans both Bewicks and Whoopers were taken at Big Waters last winter.  Bottoms Up!

Sun spots?/R.I.P. Leo

 Yesterday after a long night shift I took a leaf out of the little fat blogger from Howdon and got a large latte and a sausage and egg macmuffin. Then it was off to Big Waters after snapping the sunrise (can you see what I think are sun spots or was it a dirty lens). At the watters a dead Long eared owl , it was seen alive only on Monday, shame. Four Roe deer in the mist was little compensation.

Spring like

Saturday and a trip to Big Waters in the sunshine felt like spring was in the air. The ducks were pairing up and Coots were becoming Territorial , Mute swans chased each other around the place , including a headless one. Brown hooded Black headed gulls were on show and songbirds sang. The feeding station held a couple of almost breeding plumaged Reed buntings and at least 2 Willow tit. I then went to Prestwick Carr but did not stay long due to a raging thirst. I was however able to see 2 Short eared owls hunting in the distance. The light had gone so I only managed a crap shot at 1600 iso of a bird 200 yards away. My photo's may be poor but watching these owls even at distance never fails to thrill, so I toasted them with a pint or two in the Masons Arms.

Paired off

Headless swan (sp uncertain)

Brown hoods showing