A MEGA in Norfolk.
Now I'll need to be careful here as this is well outside my range in terms of knowledge and I'm putting myself in danger of being shot out of the sky by the professionals if I say too much and don't proceed with caution.
The pager news this morning was of a Empidonax Flycatcher at Blakeney Point in Norfolk. Early news suggested the bird to be either a Willow/Alder or Acadian Flycatcher but is now considered to be a presumed Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. What I do know about these birds is that they are known to be 'notoriously scary' when it comes to separation for ID and perhaps the earliest report naming three of the species and ending up with the current 'presumed' one is a clear indication of this. Apparently the best feature is the song of the bird which I'd suppose is one nobody is going to hear on Blakeney Point in Norfolk but I was impressed with the video above.
Then at 6.23pm comes the news of a Northern Parula on Tiree, Argyll. This one follows a bird at Brownstown Head in Co Waterford, Ireland on Sunday 5 October 2003, the bird was eventually caught, ringed, released, and was never seen again.
The Bad and the Ugly....Tragic in fact.
Malta has been shamed yet again by its illegal bird hunters who have blasted a number of Spoonbills this week which were passing through the islands on migration from Europe to Africa. Only nine of an original twenty two birds have escaped the attentions of these hunters and were able to continue their migration to Africa. Dr Andre Raine of BirdLife Malta said....'the targeting of protected birds during the night invariably takes place every time rare species roost on the islands, this is clear indication of just how ridiculous the illegal hunting situation is in Malta, and its about time the Maltese government accepted that here we have a serious conservation problem'....A polite and diplomatic man if you ask me.
I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!
Then at 6.23pm comes the news of a Northern Parula on Tiree, Argyll. This one follows a bird at Brownstown Head in Co Waterford, Ireland on Sunday 5 October 2003, the bird was eventually caught, ringed, released, and was never seen again.
The Bad and the Ugly....Tragic in fact.
Malta has been shamed yet again by its illegal bird hunters who have blasted a number of Spoonbills this week which were passing through the islands on migration from Europe to Africa. Only nine of an original twenty two birds have escaped the attentions of these hunters and were able to continue their migration to Africa. Dr Andre Raine of BirdLife Malta said....'the targeting of protected birds during the night invariably takes place every time rare species roost on the islands, this is clear indication of just how ridiculous the illegal hunting situation is in Malta, and its about time the Maltese government accepted that here we have a serious conservation problem'....A polite and diplomatic man if you ask me.
I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!
I wont pollute your blog with tirade of foul language pete.I think you know all the words i'm thinking these ''hunters'' can be described with.
ReplyDeleteCertainly do know all the words which I won't pollute the bog with either Warren.
ReplyDelete