That Pine Bunting!

Good numbers of Fieldfares arrived today

  In the last two days, I've had a few emails asking me if I'm going to tick the Pine Bunting? Well that's an easy answer. No, of course not. Although I know a few people who would of done.
  On the views I had, flying away from me, it could of been a number of species of bunting. However, listening to the call of Pine Bunting, over and over again, like I said before on my blog, it's spot on. When it flew off, instead of waiting for everyone, I should of just gone in and looked for it. But I didn't, because I wanted everyone to see it. By me walking up to where it had just landed, well I might of flushed it again. I know what to do next time, if there is a next time. Also, and quite rightly, the BBRC would not accept on what I observed, if anything at all. But that call of the bird, leaves me in no doubt that it was a Pine Bunting and one that got away.
 
  I guess it doesn't also help when the ISBG don't even put the sighting of the bunting on the sightings page on their website. That's how much confidents they've, or maybe someones, got in me.  I think it's kind of sad really, behaviour like that is petty and doesn't help the situtation at all. Anyway, I don't believe it's a question of confidence. It makes me feel like, if I find a good bird again, is it worth telling anyone?
  Do I need a sound recording, photograph, video or do I have to shot the subject to prove that I've seen it? Of the former, I would of had a sound recording of the bunting calling, if my bloody camcorder had not packed up a few days ago. If I had only heard the Great Reed Warbler at Lower Moors, on the day of the bunting, then would anyone believed me? After all, I had never heard a GR Warbler call before, not even a recording. Was it believed, because it was in the area already? What would happen if it had never been seen before and I was the only one to hear it call? Also, if I didn't get a recording of the 2 Night Heron that I heard at night over Porth Hellick this spring, then would anyone believed that? Would they put it on the Scilly bird sightings page? I don't know and I don't care.

  I found a Blyth's Reed Warbler in late October, a few years back. I only saw it briefly, but it was calling like a Blackcap. It stayed for 3 days and the some of the locals and a few birders that remained on the islands, saw it. However, as far as I know, none of them noted down the imarginations on the wing, but the bird showed well and was always located by it's call. And why didn't I get anything on it? Because I was working my ass off and had no time to go and look at it when it was on show. So what I'm trying to say here is that, you have an 'acro' warbler calling like a Blackcap, but because you didn't get the important features on the bird, then it will never be accepted. If you have experienced a Reed Warbler calling like a Blackcap for long periods of time, then can you please let me know? Then let the BBRC know about it as well. Of course the BBRC have got to be careful about records of Blyth's Reed, more so if the record comes from me, but if an 'acro' is calling like a 'sylvia' then what else can it be?
 
  It's been over 5 years now since I've sent any of my records off to the BBRC. This is because, as I discovered, certain people poach the birds off you that you have found. That's upsetting when that happens and I also know that it's happened to a few of my friends and they too, were not very happy about it. But like me, they let it go, because they just don't need the hassle and can't be bothered if they get their name on the bird or not. While other people do, although they didn't find the bird. That's pretty sad, don't you think? Especially when they know what they are doing or, maybe, their head is so far up their own ass that they don't know what they are doing! Perhaps their reputation is more important than the truth.

  What birdings all about, is having a good time and sharing it with other people. However, it seems to me that others feel that birds are more important than hurting peoples feelings. And this also links me onto bird forums. What's it all about slagging each other off? Most of the people that are in the slagging match about someones sighting, have never even seen the species. In some cases, maybe they don't even know what the species is. Am I slagging off now the very people that like to slag off others? I think it's a sad case when people have nothing else to do but to sit behind a computer and put other people down. Don't they ever think that the person that they are talking about, just might be reading everything that's going on the forum about them? Don't they think that they might be hurting their feelings? Or do they really care?
  Well, I have now come to that stage where I don't really care what people think or say, because I've tried to do everything I can to get it right and still people put you down and call you names. It's not a good feeling when it happens to your face and they just don't understand or they don't want to understand, because to them, birds are more important than hurting peoples feelings. By me putting my trust in certain people, that I thought were my friends, I've been shit on too many times and I'm going to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Many times I thought of giving up birding or just going it alone. What happened on the day of the bunting, has made me think that again. I feel that I would get a lot more enjoyment out of birding, if I went alone and then no one can slag me off behind my back or to my face.

 
  If you were in my position, then what would you do?

Also small flocks of Lapwing came in

  On the birding front, this morning it was overcast with a SE breeze. In the garden there were 9 Fieldfare and overhead, 35+Lapwing with 2 Skylark. This was shortly followed by 21 Lapwing and a few Redwing. I arrived at work and high up, over 250 Fieldfare flew from the east out to sea south-west. On the football pitch there were a few Fieldfare, 1 Golden Plover and 4 continental Song Thrush.

Over 100 Fieldfare were at Higher Moors

Only a few Skylark were seen

Male SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF singing at Porth Hellick

  More Fieldfare were at Higher Moors including a flock of 100+. Nearby at porth Hellick there was a singing SIBERIAN CHAFFCHAFF. At Green Farm there was a single Lesser Redpoll with a flock of 4-500 Chaffinch. Also small numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings. I only heard the YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER at Newford Duckpond.

2 Grey Heron can be seen daily at Newford Duck Pond

 

  Later in the afternoon at the airport there were over 300 Fieldfare, 2 Woodcock, 3 Swallow, 6 Golden Plover and the 32 Lapwing. Earlier on, Graham had 25 Golden Plover on the airfied. There was also an increase in Starling including 350+ on the airfield.

  This morning on St Agnes Graham also saw the RUDDY SHELDUCK, that he found yesterday at Porth Killier, the female GREEN-WINGED TEAL, Lapland Bunting, Jack Snipe and the ASIAN LESSER WHITETHROAT were also all still present.. While he was on St Mary's he got the SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF, NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and WILSON'S SNIPE all at Lower Moors. Also seen at the latter site was the GREAT REED WARBLER.
  Nothing new in on the rareties front, but with these prolonged SE arriving over the next few days then it's looking.....
 
...Pretty good, not bad, I can't complain, but actually everythings just about the same - John Prine

Springsteen reckons that John Prine is one of the best American songwriters around and Kris Kristofferson discovered Prine in a bar and got him signed to a recording contract. They didn't have an upload of Prine singing  'Pretty Good' A great song and a very good cover by the Dawes.

Hey, I think I'll stick to the music. At least I have more postive comments on that subject...