Vis mig

That’s such an annoying piece of jargon, vis mig. Sounds a bit like Viz, which isn’t annoying at all, and still makes me laugh like a drain. But not as annoying as other contrived birder slang like Dick’s Pipit for Richard’s Pipit, or Fawn Yawn for a juvvy Rosy Starling. The former is always value when [...]

Infamous grouse

Hot damn, I had no idea what a close shave I had the other night. Imagine if I’d driven into that Red Grouse… forget happy dreams of grouse-on-toast for tea; the plucky little gamebird would have probably stopped me in my tracks, keyed the bonnet, and made off with the alloys, pausing only to nick [...]

Famous grouse

Driving home yesterday evening over the hill, came across an unexpected sight, and one that at first glance threw me. Having spent much of the afternoon discussing poultry, I clearly had chickens on the mind, as my initial reaction was to wonder what the hell a bantam was doing walking down the road towards my [...]

What larks

Calandra Lark today on Fair Isle, and Black Lark in Norfolk (where that?). Like my Murphy’s, I’m not bitter.
Bastards.
Sorry, that just slipped out. Oblivious to all the lark-stuff elsewhere, I was feeling pretty good about myself today. Finished planting a buggerload (technical term = “many”) of potatoes, pleasingly finding I’ve still got tons of dug [...]

Bogbumper

It’s nice to take a break sometimes from being a cynical, miserable curmudgeonly git, moaning variously about how much it hurts to do an honest day’s work, or marvelling at the depths people will plumb at the expense of the nation’s embattled birdlife.
There’s no better way of taking a break than looking at the Bogbumper [...]

Busy

Am sat at the kitchen table feeling buggered. Not literally, you understand, but frankly that probably wouldn’t make me hurt quite as much as I do right now. There’s not a bit of me that’s not feeling broken. Saturday was a day hellish activity, finishing digging the third veg patch, and then just for fun [...]

Fear the raven!

“Killer birds attack lambs and ewes”

http://www.thescottishfarmer.co.uk/search/display.var.2172799.0.fear_the_raven.php
The Scottish Farmer front page exclusive last week (April 5th 2008 ). In moderate and neutral language their correspondent reveals how “many newly born lambs have been viciously attacked and pecked to death” by Ravens, and also a “growing number of ewes… have had their eyes or insides torn to shreds [...]

Office listing

No, I’m not that sad. Missing moving into our office until after the Brunnich’s Guillemot of a couple of years back had buggered off from the water below my window always meant that I’d not keep an office list. How to unblock a bird like that? And besides, the whole listing thing always strikes me [...]

Wall

Had promised myself I’d dig the third vegetable plot this weekend, and the lack of rain might have fooled you into thinking I’d have got off my lazy arse and done it. Not so. The thought was there certainly, and I made a start. Unfortunately the wind was a wicked north-easterly, blowing strongly into my [...]

Egg collectors of all shapes and sizes

or Meet the Ebayers #2
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/7324397.stm
Good news yesterday as one of the UK’s small but disproportionately damaging band of egg collectors was sent to prison for 23 weeks. Richard Pearson, a 41 year old painter and decorator was also fined a paltry £1,500 – which given that when police swooped on his house they discovered an [...]