Facebook

It was with much pleasure that I dismantled my facebook account today.

I have felt for some time that I was not seeing much benefit from it, that its management concerned me, that younger peoples behavior on it was not too good.

With a recent murder of a young woman by someone she met on facebook, I am beginning to see more negatives than positives.

I wonder just how long I will keep blogging too, as the Google van drives past to take photos, and they ask if they can identify my location....


Perhaps the beginning of "Big Brother"? I wonder what your thoughts are on these "social" sites? Just how comfortable are you?

Snapshots of England

It's been a hectic week, and frankly having had treatment for my blood, I did not feel like posting. However I hope you will enjoy these snapshots.


View from my window at night


The village where I stayed


Inside a pub


Outside a pub


I found this beaut Landrover sitting by this shed

Roudsea Woods and bird ringing

We walked over mosses....


...passing reedbeds...


and Daffodils in bloom......



Walking under interesting trees....



To set up a ringing station....


...and mist nets....


To catch, record, measure, weigh.......


age, and ring....



A variety of birds. (tree creeper in my hand).

Another top day in Cumbria!

Tetrads

A tetrad by definition is the cardinal number of 3 plus 1. For our purposes its the researh of bird populations, over a defined area, researched 4 times. In layman's terms it means identifying birds, their behavior in a given area to determine population, breeding etc. That way we can know if populations are static, on the rise or in decline. For me its a great excuse to see the english country side and to learn more about the wildlife of the UK.

Over the 3 weeks in England we identified 114 different species of birds. Pretty good eh?!



Some of the farmland would walk to identify birds and their behavior. We covered a specific area over a specific time of 2 hours.



I liked this tree! The lakes district is simply one of the most beautiful places I have been.



Dr Jim Fowler negotiating one of the many styles we have to climb.



And the roads we walked. This is what is so enchanting- you can walk across farmland and really see and appreciate what is on offer.

Below is my bird list, you will have to scoll down to see what was my favorite bird of the trip and why....:-


01. Dunnock
02. Herring Gull
03. Mallard
04. Pheasant
05. Rook
06. Mute Swan
07. Buzzard
08. Greenfinch
09. Chaffinch
10. Robin
11. Bullfinch
12. Marsh Tit
13. Blue Tit
14. Great Tit
15. Magpie
16. Coot
17. Lapwing
18. Black-headed Gull
19. Shoveler
20. Teal
21. Pochard
22. Canada Goose
23. Greylag Goose
24. Cormorant
25. Little Egret
26. Carrion Crow
27. Shelduck
28. Gadwall
29. Tufted Duck
30. Long-tailed Tit
31. Coal Tit
32. Kestrel
33. Great Black-backed Gull
34. Pied Wagtail
35. Marsh Harrier
36. Oystercatcher
37. Lesser Black-back Gull
38. Redshank
39. Curlew
40. Woodpigeon
41. Song Thrush
42. Woodcock
43. Goldfinch
44. Chiffchaff
45. Grey Wagtail
46. Dipper
47. Blackbird
48. Collared Dove
49. Jackdaw
50. Starling
51. Meadow Pipit
52. House Sparrow
53. Raven
54. Green Woodpecker
55. Reed Bunting
56. Wren
57. Grey Heron
58. Goldcrest
59. Goosander
60. Nuthatch
61. Treecreeper
62. Swallow
63. Red-breastd Merganser
64. Snipe
65. Eider
66. Sandwich Tern
67. Goldeneye
68. Sand Martin
69. Willow Warbler
70. Little Grebe
71. Moorhen
72. Black-tailed Godwit
73. Ringed Plover
74. Common Gull
75. Great Crested Grebe
76. Skylark
77. Turnstone
78. Purple Sandpiper
79. Knot
80. Linnet
81. Wigeon
82. Twite
83. Stonechat
84. Red-throated Diver
85. Yellowhammer
86. Tree Sparrow
87. Grey Partridge
88. Fulmar
89. Razobill
90. Guillemot
91. Black Guillemot
92. Kittiwake
93. Rock Pipit
94. Stock Dove
95. Jay
96. Siskin
97. Wheatear
98. Grey Plover
99. Pintail
100. Great Spotted Woodpecker
101. Tree Pipit
102. Blackcap
103. Black Grouse
104. Red Grouse
105. Avocet
106. Ruff
107. Whooper Swan
108. Redpoll
109. Osprey
110. Banacle Goose
111. Sparrowhawk
112. Dunlin
113. Sedge Warbler
114. Red-legged Partridge



Green Woodpecker! Why? Well these guys love to peck steel power poles and make enourmous sounds, each trying to outdo the other! Brilliant!