When two idiots can outvote a genius;...
we call this democracy!
It really has become a crazy world we live in!
I was in Sainsbury's supermarket Rhuddlan this morning looking at the fruit on display and was quite shocked at the distance a lot of the fruit had travelled for our enjoyment/ consummation through the winter months.
This is just from one part section of a display on one side of 4, I never checked the veg or other fruit.
Blackberries from; Guatemala, peaches, South Africa, blueberries, from Argentina, pomegranates, Peru and Chile, grapes from Brazil, Kiwi fruit, Colombia and more locally grown, in Spain!
Spring is nearly here!
Re: Spring is nearly here!
ON THIS DAY!
17th December 1903 at Kitty Hawk North Carolina,Wilbur and Orville Wright made the worlds first powered flight in their biplane, achieving 120 feet in 12 seconds.
Another significant moment worthy of note, on this day in 1991 Boris Yeltsin, after an agreement with President Gorbachev, announced to the free world that the Soviet Union would cease to exist by New Year. No more cold war!
The twitchers were out mob-handed this morning, something important had stirred them.
Through the week we park at the back of the public library as our preferred car park at the back of the Dr's surgeries on The Roe is normally too busy to park in the week.
This morning we rolled up expecting it to be fairly empty but it was jam-packed full, with twitchers cars!
We parked farther up The Roe and saw the twitchers arrayed around the Rowans and Hornbeam trees on the child's play area with their high powered gear set out and it was obvious why.
The Waxwings were feeding lower down as they had stripped the tops clear of berries, you could have photographed them with your phone you could get so close. I spoke to one lady who told me it wasn't the Waxwings they were trying to photograph but a very rare Black Throated Thrush had been reported seen here yesterday along with the Waxwings, Fieldfares and Redwings.
New one on me!
We crossed under the stone bridge to the football pitches and there were even more twitchers there!
I counted twenty six cars parked along the service road, you'd have thought there was a football match on by the crowd gathered, but with rows of tripods at the ready, at 9.30am..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back home, intrigued by this intense interest in a little bird I looked it up, it wasn't in either of my RSPB Books of British Birds so I found it on t'internet, apparently it comes from Russia where it's not very common there either, it is Turdus atrogularis, Turdus being the Blackbird or Thrush group of passerines.
It certainly stirred the twitchers world as I've never seen so many gathered in one place here in St Asaph.
17th December 1903 at Kitty Hawk North Carolina,Wilbur and Orville Wright made the worlds first powered flight in their biplane, achieving 120 feet in 12 seconds.
Another significant moment worthy of note, on this day in 1991 Boris Yeltsin, after an agreement with President Gorbachev, announced to the free world that the Soviet Union would cease to exist by New Year. No more cold war!
The twitchers were out mob-handed this morning, something important had stirred them.
Through the week we park at the back of the public library as our preferred car park at the back of the Dr's surgeries on The Roe is normally too busy to park in the week.
This morning we rolled up expecting it to be fairly empty but it was jam-packed full, with twitchers cars!
We parked farther up The Roe and saw the twitchers arrayed around the Rowans and Hornbeam trees on the child's play area with their high powered gear set out and it was obvious why.
The Waxwings were feeding lower down as they had stripped the tops clear of berries, you could have photographed them with your phone you could get so close. I spoke to one lady who told me it wasn't the Waxwings they were trying to photograph but a very rare Black Throated Thrush had been reported seen here yesterday along with the Waxwings, Fieldfares and Redwings.
New one on me!
We crossed under the stone bridge to the football pitches and there were even more twitchers there!
I counted twenty six cars parked along the service road, you'd have thought there was a football match on by the crowd gathered, but with rows of tripods at the ready, at 9.30am..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Back home, intrigued by this intense interest in a little bird I looked it up, it wasn't in either of my RSPB Books of British Birds so I found it on t'internet, apparently it comes from Russia where it's not very common there either, it is Turdus atrogularis, Turdus being the Blackbird or Thrush group of passerines.
It certainly stirred the twitchers world as I've never seen so many gathered in one place here in St Asaph.
-
roselanekoi
- Posts: 322
- Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:38 pm
Re: Spring is nearly here!
Like you I've never heard of a black throated thrush before and had to look it up on google. One of my searches led me to this site.
https://www.birdguides.com/species/spec ... ?sp=130332
This site is posting a number of sightings in St Asaph, probably all of the same bird, which is why you saw so many birdwatchers. It must be a very rare occasional winter visiter to attract so much attention, I expect you'll see even more birdwatchers about today.
There's a very good picture of the bird on this Kuwaiti bird watching site.
http://www.kuwaitbirds.org/birds/black-throated-thrush
https://www.birdguides.com/species/spec ... ?sp=130332
This site is posting a number of sightings in St Asaph, probably all of the same bird, which is why you saw so many birdwatchers. It must be a very rare occasional winter visiter to attract so much attention, I expect you'll see even more birdwatchers about today.
There's a very good picture of the bird on this Kuwaiti bird watching site.
http://www.kuwaitbirds.org/birds/black-throated-thrush
Re: Spring is nearly here!
You were right about the twitchers out on Sunday Colin, I spoke to a lady with her son yesterday while we were all trying to get pictures of the flock of Waxwings. She told me there were so many twitchers in a row along The Roe with their tripods and paraphernalia on Sunday afternoon her husband, surprised that so many turned up, actually took a picture of them all lined up and snapping away.
What is the generic term for a group of twitchers ? 'A rabble', 'an invasion' or possibly 'an excitement' of twitchers!
We walked the dogs later at 1.30pm yesterday and actually and very frustratedly saw the bird they were all excited about, the Black Throated Thrush. It was feeding with a small flock of Starlings and flew into the top of a very tall poplar tree with them, I could see it with my binoculars, but absolutely no chance of a photo with my small camera, I did try though, believe me, around 2.00pm when I was walking back to the car and a young chap said it had flown into a hawthorn tree with some other birds, I COULD JUST SEE THE WHITE ON IT'S BELLY AND THAT WAS ALL!
Oh well, you win some.
In hindsight it looked like a white bellied blackbird in the poor light of a dull December late afternoon.
What is the generic term for a group of twitchers ? 'A rabble', 'an invasion' or possibly 'an excitement' of twitchers!
We walked the dogs later at 1.30pm yesterday and actually and very frustratedly saw the bird they were all excited about, the Black Throated Thrush. It was feeding with a small flock of Starlings and flew into the top of a very tall poplar tree with them, I could see it with my binoculars, but absolutely no chance of a photo with my small camera, I did try though, believe me, around 2.00pm when I was walking back to the car and a young chap said it had flown into a hawthorn tree with some other birds, I COULD JUST SEE THE WHITE ON IT'S BELLY AND THAT WAS ALL!
Oh well, you win some.
In hindsight it looked like a white bellied blackbird in the poor light of a dull December late afternoon.
Re: Spring is nearly here!
ON THIS DAY
21st December 1988 Pan AM flight 103 'Clipper Maid Of The Seas' was blown up in mid-air and crashed onto the Scottish town of Lockerbie killing a total of 270 people.
I was travelling back home from ICI Grangemouth on a regular round trip running drums of dye to storage at ICI Middleton.
It was in the evening about 7.30pm I had to divert through Dumfries from the blocked A74.
I only found out that night what had caused the diversion.
I travelled back to Grangemouth the following morning on the re-opened northbound A74 carriageway (1 lane) and saw first hand some of the havoc wreaked, a truly horrifying sight and etched long in my memory!
Some houses were still smouldering and yellow coated firemen were busy everywhere damping down.
The most iconic memorable site was the white cockpit section lying in a field to the north of the town close to the back of the Lockerbie parish church.
The southbound carriageway was closed for months due to damage from a jet engine!
I went on the above bird spotting sight this morning; bird guides.com/species/spec and noticed the last sighting of the Black Throated Thrush on the 19th December was at 17:41, in the dark!
Was it spotted by any chance? in the Bengal Village Indian takeaway on the High St. next to The Roe, ordering a curry and rice!
Times about right.
The shortest (gloomiest) day of the year today, from now on it just gets lighter every day. It's chucking it down with rain here but I spoke with my brother in Canada last night and he said the snow there , 'it cometh and cometh and cometh; ad infinitum!
I should like to wish-
A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS.
21st December 1988 Pan AM flight 103 'Clipper Maid Of The Seas' was blown up in mid-air and crashed onto the Scottish town of Lockerbie killing a total of 270 people.
I was travelling back home from ICI Grangemouth on a regular round trip running drums of dye to storage at ICI Middleton.
It was in the evening about 7.30pm I had to divert through Dumfries from the blocked A74.
I only found out that night what had caused the diversion.
I travelled back to Grangemouth the following morning on the re-opened northbound A74 carriageway (1 lane) and saw first hand some of the havoc wreaked, a truly horrifying sight and etched long in my memory!
Some houses were still smouldering and yellow coated firemen were busy everywhere damping down.
The most iconic memorable site was the white cockpit section lying in a field to the north of the town close to the back of the Lockerbie parish church.
The southbound carriageway was closed for months due to damage from a jet engine!
I went on the above bird spotting sight this morning; bird guides.com/species/spec and noticed the last sighting of the Black Throated Thrush on the 19th December was at 17:41, in the dark!
Was it spotted by any chance? in the Bengal Village Indian takeaway on the High St. next to The Roe, ordering a curry and rice!
Times about right.
The shortest (gloomiest) day of the year today, from now on it just gets lighter every day. It's chucking it down with rain here but I spoke with my brother in Canada last night and he said the snow there , 'it cometh and cometh and cometh; ad infinitum!
I should like to wish-
A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS.
Re: Spring is nearly here!
THE DARKLING THRUSH
I leant upon a coppice gate
When frost was spectre-grey,
And Winters dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.
The land's sharp features seems to be
The century's corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.
At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy unlimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.
So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.
Thomas Hardy 31st December 1900
I thought this rather excellent Thomas Hardy poem was appropriate for the recent postings about the Black Throated Thrush in St Asaph.
Just three twitchers were out Christmas Day at 8.30am when we walked the dogs down by the river, they were snapping the very last couple of Waxwings on the now stripped Rowans at the back of the surgery. Boxing Day saw about 9 or 10 dedicated enthusiasts gathered on the river bank at the back of the New Inn pub, I saw this morning they have posted their recent sightings of the rare thrush for the 26th and 27th December on the birdguides.com/species/spec that Colin kindly posted.
As I look back on a strange and not so good 2016, it seems to have been a particularly significant year of deaths in one way or another, losing a dear club member our lovely Sue in October, one of the nicest, kindest persons I have ever known, this was closely followed by the death of another dear friend, my brother in -law Vernon, then a week later by the untimely death of another close friend, Dominic back in West Lanc's.
The famous and not so famous musician celebrities have also fallen thick and fast this year.
There's a certain irony that Greg Lake ( one third of Emerson Lake and Palmer) died of cancer this month, Keith Palmer died, (actually shot himself) in March of this year after suffering with acute depression.
David Bowie, (not a favourite artist of mine) shuffled off his mortal coils, also, Bobby Vee, Kay Starr, Billy Paul, Frank Sinatra junior, Prince, Maurice White, of the iconic Earth, Wind and Fire, the multi-talented Glen Frey, of The Eagles, the 5th Beatle, Sir George Martin, Rick Parfitt, of The Who, Mark Fischer, from Matt Bianco, George Michael, Wham, have all died this year.
It might be just too much to ask for, but, I hope everybody I know and like stays healthy and happy and everyone I don't like (not many) can go fry!
So; be nice to me 2017: or; I stick more pins in the voodoo doll!
I leant upon a coppice gate
When frost was spectre-grey,
And Winters dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.
The land's sharp features seems to be
The century's corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.
At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy unlimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.
So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.
Thomas Hardy 31st December 1900
I thought this rather excellent Thomas Hardy poem was appropriate for the recent postings about the Black Throated Thrush in St Asaph.
Just three twitchers were out Christmas Day at 8.30am when we walked the dogs down by the river, they were snapping the very last couple of Waxwings on the now stripped Rowans at the back of the surgery. Boxing Day saw about 9 or 10 dedicated enthusiasts gathered on the river bank at the back of the New Inn pub, I saw this morning they have posted their recent sightings of the rare thrush for the 26th and 27th December on the birdguides.com/species/spec that Colin kindly posted.
As I look back on a strange and not so good 2016, it seems to have been a particularly significant year of deaths in one way or another, losing a dear club member our lovely Sue in October, one of the nicest, kindest persons I have ever known, this was closely followed by the death of another dear friend, my brother in -law Vernon, then a week later by the untimely death of another close friend, Dominic back in West Lanc's.
The famous and not so famous musician celebrities have also fallen thick and fast this year.
There's a certain irony that Greg Lake ( one third of Emerson Lake and Palmer) died of cancer this month, Keith Palmer died, (actually shot himself) in March of this year after suffering with acute depression.
David Bowie, (not a favourite artist of mine) shuffled off his mortal coils, also, Bobby Vee, Kay Starr, Billy Paul, Frank Sinatra junior, Prince, Maurice White, of the iconic Earth, Wind and Fire, the multi-talented Glen Frey, of The Eagles, the 5th Beatle, Sir George Martin, Rick Parfitt, of The Who, Mark Fischer, from Matt Bianco, George Michael, Wham, have all died this year.
It might be just too much to ask for, but, I hope everybody I know and like stays healthy and happy and everyone I don't like (not many) can go fry!
So; be nice to me 2017: or; I stick more pins in the voodoo doll!
Re: Spring is nearly here!
HAPPY NEW YEAR
To all our members and readers
Phil
To all our members and readers
Phil
Re: Spring is nearly here!
THRUSHES
Tossed on the glittering air they soar and skim,
Whose voices make the emptiness of light
A windy palace. Quavering from the brim
Of dawn, and bold with song at edge of night,
They clutch their leafy pinnacles and sing
Scornful of man, and from his toils aloof
Whose heart's a haunted woodland whispering;
Whose thoughts return on tempest-baffled wing;
Who hears the cry of God in everything,
And storms the gate of nothingness for proof.
Siegfried Sassoon.
Another nice thrush poem to start the year off as the now internationally famous 'St Asaph Thrush' continues its (temporary?)residency of the hawthorns in the paddock at the back of the New Inn pub and the many dedicated twitchers continue to congregate (should that be flocculate?) both outside and inside the pub.
Convenient!
The website Colin posted on here; birdguides.com/species/spec continues to post the latest sightings and some excellent pictures of the Black Throated Thrush, right up to this morning. The beautiful Waxwings have moved on though after clearing the Rowans of every berry on The Roe.
Back home we have our own occasional bird stars visit us in our garden, the nearby river Clwyd attracts various water birds that stray away from the river. A male Grey Wagtail entertained us over my Koi pond this afternoon, the warm sunshine had brought a fair hatch of midges out and the fairly irregular visitor to our pond was darting about and leaping up and catching them in the air over my veg, filter waterfall, such a dainty pretty little bird, unlike the noisy rooks; trying to pull the pegs out of our ground feeder!
Tossed on the glittering air they soar and skim,
Whose voices make the emptiness of light
A windy palace. Quavering from the brim
Of dawn, and bold with song at edge of night,
They clutch their leafy pinnacles and sing
Scornful of man, and from his toils aloof
Whose heart's a haunted woodland whispering;
Whose thoughts return on tempest-baffled wing;
Who hears the cry of God in everything,
And storms the gate of nothingness for proof.
Siegfried Sassoon.
Another nice thrush poem to start the year off as the now internationally famous 'St Asaph Thrush' continues its (temporary?)residency of the hawthorns in the paddock at the back of the New Inn pub and the many dedicated twitchers continue to congregate (should that be flocculate?) both outside and inside the pub.
Convenient!
The website Colin posted on here; birdguides.com/species/spec continues to post the latest sightings and some excellent pictures of the Black Throated Thrush, right up to this morning. The beautiful Waxwings have moved on though after clearing the Rowans of every berry on The Roe.
Back home we have our own occasional bird stars visit us in our garden, the nearby river Clwyd attracts various water birds that stray away from the river. A male Grey Wagtail entertained us over my Koi pond this afternoon, the warm sunshine had brought a fair hatch of midges out and the fairly irregular visitor to our pond was darting about and leaping up and catching them in the air over my veg, filter waterfall, such a dainty pretty little bird, unlike the noisy rooks; trying to pull the pegs out of our ground feeder!
Re: Spring is nearly here!
The riverbank very early Christmas day December 2016,with a small white doggy about to have a paddle.
This is the Elwy running through St Asaph city centre, hence its alternative Welsh name of Llanelwy or Elwy's church, Elwy was a Welsh saint.
You can see the flood defence bank to the right of picture that was broached in the floods of 27th November 2012 flooding lower St Asaph.
The buildings in background behind the grassy bank are the pharmacy and the two Dr's. surgeries on The Roe who were just a few of the flood victims that fateful night.
The ancient stone road bridge carrying the A525 is just behind the trees to the left of picture.
Otters range along here, Dippers and Grey Wagtails nest in the stone bridge and Goosander, Mallard and Kingfishers live and nest here also.
On a much more positive note, how many city centres look like this?
http://www.northwaleskoi.co.uk/forum/do ... iew&id=622
This is the Elwy running through St Asaph city centre, hence its alternative Welsh name of Llanelwy or Elwy's church, Elwy was a Welsh saint.
You can see the flood defence bank to the right of picture that was broached in the floods of 27th November 2012 flooding lower St Asaph.
The buildings in background behind the grassy bank are the pharmacy and the two Dr's. surgeries on The Roe who were just a few of the flood victims that fateful night.
The ancient stone road bridge carrying the A525 is just behind the trees to the left of picture.
Otters range along here, Dippers and Grey Wagtails nest in the stone bridge and Goosander, Mallard and Kingfishers live and nest here also.
On a much more positive note, how many city centres look like this?
http://www.northwaleskoi.co.uk/forum/do ... iew&id=622
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- riverbank2.jpg (67.45 KiB) Viewed 13498 times
Re: Spring is nearly here!
Elwy riverbank, the opposite view downriver from picture above to the Pont Begard footbridge. Opposite bank is where all the Waxwings, Redwings (and twitchers) were before Christmas and were the resident ( wooden) Kingfisher is placed.
- bridge2.jpg (80.33 KiB) Viewed 13492 times