Talk, Diver, Blackbirds, Crow stuff.

Tricky thing, giving a talk. I know I've made a pig's ear of it sometimes. I'm best when I just chat to folk and don't over-prepare. I'm never really sure whether what I do is much good, but I get asked back so it must be okish, I guess. I've been to three recently, all online. One was a stinker, indeed beyond bad, it wasn't even that thing when it's so bad it's funny. It wasn't funny, it was just grim, and embarrassing - so Resurgence a rethink required. We've paid for two more in the series, hopefully they'll be better, surely they can't be as bad. Supposedly about plants, actually about a load of tosh. The second one, was ok but lacked focus, it was rather like watching some holiday snaps of someone you don't know; for quite a long time. So it goes; as I said it's not an easy thing. However, the third was a gem. I don't usually go to Scottish Ornithologists' Club events, the ones I have been to the speakers have been top, so I don't know why really. Anyway we had to go to this one as Louise once worked with Tim Birkhead, as a student, and has a paper published with him. This is how to "do" a Zoom talk. It was managed as a conversation, so rather like a podcast (no pix or PowerPoint) and the other participant, whose name I don't recall, was very good at steering the conversation. This was really a book promotion for Tim's new book, Birds and Us, if the book is half as good as the talk well worth a few quid outlay I would suggest. I think the talk will be put online shortly, I'll post the URL if it is.

Any reader, might be aware that I'm partial to a tune or two and also blog about music. Click over to my Many Days blog. I came across the Moderat album MORE D4TA recently and have been playing it a bit. Some good stuff, although I don't like the male vocals much. The two best tracks have a diver song/call sequence Drum Roll and Neon Rats but I'm not sure of the species of diver. I think it's Great Northern (G. immer) but I may be wrong, could it be White-billed (G. adamsii)? If anyone can put me out of my misery comment is welcome, below. There's some excellent music using bird song and calls, Kate Bush (Woodpigeon, and others), Virginia Astley (Tawny Owl and others), Beta Band (many), Orb (Swifts), Dr Rubberfunk (Skylark), an idea for a new music blog series, maybe.

Album by Moderat.

 I've been counting Blackbirds. As I mentioned in an earlier post I've broken the number record for the  1km sq patch. 37 were counted the other week when there was an influx.

Blackbird by the Hawthorn Hedge.

It's now very hard to tell what's going on with Blackbirds here, except that there are a lot of them about. Today there were 36 on the patch, at least, plus another 13 or more just a few metres to the north of the boundary, 49 in total and there's one area inside the patch I didn't visit. I suspect that the birds that arrived the other week have recruited a few more migrants and are now wintering here, there's lots of food. They congregate in loose flocks of up to twenty in field corners, in the stubble, the sheep field by The Shunan, the field behind the gardens and the horse fields north, up by the gorse, where I'm thinking many roost.

Amongst them are Redwings, Fieldfares and the occasional Song Thrush. A Mistle Thrush or late Ring Ouzel would be nice. A Black-throated Thrush even nicer.

Meanwhile in crow world the Ravens are getting playful and the Hoodies have settled to eyeing up territories.

Raven playing with Common Buzzard.

Croaking.

 

Hoodie in the Hawthorn.