The Future's Orange!

I've been on the patch in the last few days, but haven't been able to update me blog because of drink related activity and work! Anyhoo, Thursday morning was ringing with JF before work, but by 1030 it was very bright and very breezy (from the west which is hopeless for ringing at Dru) and we had only caught about 8 birds (robins, wren, goldfinch, goldcrest, blue tit (evil little bastards), great tit) I love goldcrests, they are just soooo nice, this male had a proper punk do - check out how orange the crown is, you don't appreciate this seeing birds in the field.

Punk Goldcrest - check out the orange in the crown - mega!

A quick visit on Friday evening, nowt on the pools or the meadows of note but there were 16 red-throated divers offshore - a good count for dru.

Was working today in Seahouses, then called by to see TAC who was also at work doing a drop-in birdwatching session at Budle Bay, good chance to catch up with some folks, but little of interest ornithological. Called at Dru on the way home, JF was there, measuring up two new nets to catch tons of birds in tomorrow! yeahh....right!

We had a greenshank on the budge fields, nowt of note on the pools or the sea. I have been wonderin about the Ross's goose though, it's kinda hoverin in the edge of my list at the moment, why shouldn't it be a real bird? The bird at Hauxley four years ago still hasn't been assessed by the BOURC (and what about the hooded merganser at Woodhorn?) , if any of these are wild that one was. Why should we automatically assume wildfowl is escaped, most species of bird are kept in captivity by someone somewhere in the UK. I'll have a 'SOD IT' moment and it will go on the list I am sure.