Birding Braunie

It’s 6.30am in Woodford Green. There is a dusting of snow on the ground and the temperature is -2ºC but it feels much colder. I’m standing at the bus stop by the Churchill statue waiting with one newly acquainted friend for a minibus driven by Daniel to take me and a group of Redbridge birdwatchers on a trip to the East Anglian coast. The bus arrives bang on time. Redbridge Birdwatching is the work of Daniel Erickson-Hull. His up-to-date recordings of bird species and numbers provides detailed information for all those interested in birdwatching in the Redbridge Borough. Now, clearly, Suffolk and Norfolk are slightly outside the normal 'watched' areas but for me and I guess the majority of the others, the most important part of this trip was that local people got together to share a passion for birds and to just enjoy the camaraderie that naturally comes through when you throw a bunch of relative strangers together. By 7am, we had collected everyone and set off to our first por...

Sorry, I couldn’t resist that. With further downfalls of snow expected and below freezing temperatures, there is genuine concern for the welfare of many of our garden birds. As the RSPB are stating, getting enough food to acquire the right amount of fat supplies to 'burn' for energy is a huge feat for birds this winter in particular. And the food and water we provide can be,in many cases, the difference between life and death. When temperatures fall below freezing, birds struggle to find the food they need to survive the winter in a strong healthy condition, needed for breeding come the springtime. Natural food is covered in snow and impossible to get to. The ground becomes too hard for birds like thrushes and blackbirds to probe, and natural food like berries, acorns and seeds is buried. The RSPB is asking people to follow a wild bird winter survival plan that will help wildlife during the harshest weather. 1. Put out feed regularly, especially in severe weather. Set up a bird...

Not working today due to heavy snow falling (still) and TFL's inability to get trains or track to work properly when the ground turns white. Not much happening bird wise from the kitchen window either apart from a pair of Blue Tits investigating the bird box, either for a new home or maybe just to get out of the weather. So with nothing much to do, my mind turned to Bill Bailey. I know, I'm weird. But, it would appear he is to front a new celebrity quiz show on Sky1 that takes place at various nature reserves around the the country with celebrities, and I use that term loosely, who will score points depending on what species they see. Not sure how much of a TV viewing spectacle this will be, but it will certainly bring the dark arts of birdwatching to the fore. So now I'm thinking, what celebrities are known for birding or are reputed to bird? Here's a list I have compiled and it makes quite interesting reading. Theodore Roosevelt Jimmy Carter Vic Reeves Cameron Diaz Da...

Today is the last day of the Christmas holidays and just a few hours before my thoughts must ferry back to all thing work-like . Nic decided a cultural trip to Stratford upon Avon would be a nice way to finish it. So, with clear skies and clear roads, we motored our way around the M25 and off up the M40 or the Raptor Road as I like to call it. I love this motorway. I. it’s fast 2. it’s very fast and 3. it‘s full of Red Kites and Buzzards. I have forgotten how many times I have nearly crashed because I get hypnotised by the grace and beauty of these reintroduced birds of prey. One of these days, I will make a special trip to Christmas Common and try to photograph them. But alas, poor Braunie , today wasn ’t to be a birding day but a Barding day. I’m not a massive fan of Bill – don’t really understand what he‘s saying and the Plain English lot would have a field day with him I suspect. However, history can be cool and the curators and presenters were interesting and terribly professio...

Seeing as how the rest of my beloved family had set their sights on a trip to Westfield by car today, I decided for the first time, to go birding by tube. The best place by far and quite near was Fairlop Waters. This is a recreational site with a golf course and an active sailing club. The reserve surrounds the main lake and spreads out into typical Essex countryside. When I arrived, it was clear that a lot of the place was waterlogged which in turn, had semi frozen. So every now and then, I would step on what looked like solid ground only to sink in up to my socks in ice cold muddy water. Trouble is, when you are scanning the horizon for birds, you can’t keep an eye on where you tread. It’s just a hazard of the hobby. Today was also the first chance I have had to field test my new camera. It’s a Samsung PL60 and well without boring you, it read well and wasn’t expensive. Anyway, I had made an adapter so that it can fit onto my scope and that was that. You can see some of the results b...

Well, this is it. A new year and a new blog. The focus of this blog is probably obvious from it’s title. My intention is to relay practical birdwatching stuff to those who care as well as adding some of the more light-hearted muses that go on in my head and my life. I suppose I should, at this point, add a suave photo of myself but that might be difficult to find. So instead, try this one for size. In the coming weeks, I will be chucking in some archive stuff – trips I’ve made and the birds I’ve seen.