Missing Ceredigion

Re Birding Group Field Trip Report for Sunday, Bob referred to the first meeting led by Hywel. I took a photo of the group which is somewhere on my PC.

I am currently in Oklahoma, with a group of us from IBERS discussing energy crops. Colleagues reckon I devoured a 16oz t bone steak like a veloraptor. The security guards that pick us up in the morning have a sidearm. I look out from my room and see a lake with Canada Geese! But I have also seen red-winged blackbird (a favorite), great-tailed grackles, dark-eyed juncos, blue jay, eastern bluebird, male cardinal, killdeer, gt blue heron, American kestrel, eastern peewee, gt white egret and a stuffed roadrunner. No scissor-tailed flycatchers as yet. Back down to Texas end of the week and then some of us are joining others in Taiwan.

Great Grey Shrike at Cross Inn Forest

Roger Merry and I had a good morning round Cross Inn forest this morning. Highlight was a great grey shrike. I note someone else has seen it this afternoon and put on Birdguides. Other birds included 2 separate male bullfinches, redwings, fieldfares mistle thrushes, goldcrest and great spotted woodpecker.

After we sojourned to the Harbourmaster for large glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, with Roger having the tasty skate and myself enjoying the spinach, perl-las and pumpkin risotto, both today's specials.

Redwing but no mermaids

Hundreds of redwings flying over as we met for the Wildlife Trust fungus foray at Hafod this morning. Beats the four I saw down the Rheidol valley yesterday, though four brent geese flew up valley but could not be found again. Thought that a big splash in the reservoir might be a mermaid but I think that those are strictly marine.

A follow-up

Following my comments on George Bush, I was amused to see a letter in The Independent saying that should investigators find that the cause of the near-calamity in the forced landing on the Hudson River was Canada geese, that it was hoped that George Bush, as a last hurrah, doesn't start bombing Ottawa.

Goodbye to George

While 20 or so Ceredigion birders were looking for hawfinches near Dolgellau, I thought how lucky we are that Bush is going. Otherwise following the bird strikes that brought down the aeroplane in New York, amazingly and mercifully with no loss of life, he would be declaring a war against birds. And then we wouldn't get green-winged teal, American wigeon or ring-necked ducks.