scrape on day three

Its getting there !

Scrape creation

Spent the last two days turning a wet field into a wader scrape at Buckton, courtesy of a Natural England stewardship grant and a very cooperative farmer. More pics when it is finished, complete with sluice system, viewing platform and interpretive board. What a way to spend a few days off !

Norman and Nicely!

A canine/feline encounter !

white hart - good fortune around the corner !

Saw this amazing white hart Fallow Deer whilst out and about today. Said to be 'rare and revered' in equal measure and a lucky charm, bringing about a life changing event ! mmmm.....

Happy Birthday Sir !

Charles Robert Darwin FRS (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist who realised and demonstrated that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and much of the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of the process of evolution in the 1930s, and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory. In modified form, Darwin’s scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, providing logical explanation for the diversity of life.

At Edinburgh University Darwin neglected medical studies to investigate marine invertebrates, then the University of Cambridge encouraged a passion for natural science. His five-year voyage on HMS Beagle established him as an eminent geologist whose observations and theories supported Charles Lyell’s uniformitarian ideas, and publication of his journal of the voyage made him famous as a popular author. Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage, Darwin investigated the transmutation of species and conceived his theory of natural selection in 1838. Although he discussed his ideas with several naturalists, he needed time for extensive research and his geological work had priority. He was writing up his theory in 1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay which described the same idea, prompting immediate joint publication of both of their theories.

His 1859 book On the Origin of Species established evolutionary descent with modification as the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature. He examined human evolution and sexual selection in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, followed by The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. His research on plants was published in a series of books, and in his final book, he examined earthworms and their effect on soil.

In recognition of Darwin’s pre-eminence, he was one of only five 19th-century UK non-royal personages to be honoured by a state funeral, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to John Herschel and Isaac Newton.

snowbatics

Make mine a double !

United 1 Wednesday 2

Tommy Spurr opens the scoring for Wednesday after just 40 seconds !


Marcus Tudgay's 25 yard wonder strike wins the Sheffield derby at Bramhall Lane and gives Wednesday their first double in 95 years !


Wednesday til I die!

WATCH IT HERE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUSakZRWrFI
(pics SWFC)

Darwin's millenium finch

Caught this Redpoll in the garden today with Richard Hearn, although I extracted it I didn't look at it properly as the net contained lots of Yellowhammers (50 ringed in last two days). However when Richard measured the maximum wing length we took more of an interest !

It had a wing of 77mm, the range for Lesser Redpoll being 68-73.5 male, 67-71 female. Common Redpoll having a range of 70-78 male and 68-76 female.

As the photographs show it did have clean white wing bars and a partially frosty appearance on the mantle and rump but we hadn't fully appreciated this until measuring the wing and it is by no means a classic individual.

In this evolutionary period the bird will go down as a Common (mealy) Redpoll but if we retrap it in another couple of thousand years then its taxonomy may well have changed - such is the nature of Redpoll evolution at the present time.

Twice Bittern

On Monday February 2nd whilst feeding my duck traps at Willington GP I flushed a Bittern at about 6ft range, it was totally unexpected although for at least the past 6 years I have been saying 'There has to be a Bittern here this winter'. Its the first site record and I had brill point blank flight views. The bird dropped back into the reeds and despite trying twice since I hadnt seen it again.... Until this evening when in freezing conditions I stood on raised ground near the settling lagoon and at 5.25pm it flew from one part of the reedbed to another area to roost. The light wasnt great but the fact that Willington has a wintering Bittern is !

Essex bound

Picture by Lea Roberts

Received some great news over the weekend, the Waxwing I caught in Biggleswade on January 5th was resighted at Lakeside, Thurrock, Essex (50 miles SE) on January 27th in a flock of fourteen birds, not only that but the superb image above was taken of the bird by Lea Roberts - leaving no doubt it was white, white, red !

Will he get seen again ?