I'm in the West Bank!

A protest in Bili'n that I took part in today

  Via Rome, I finally made it to the country that is controlled by Israel, Palestine. ISIS is just up road from where I am in Syria where we and other countries are bombng innocent lives. I only booked to come to Palestine less than two weeks ago. This was a place that I've been wanting to visit for a long time and I'm not here for the wildlife.
  My purpose for being here is to hopefully observe and talk to both sides about the conflict that's goin on down here. I arrived in Tel Aviv early yesterday morning and later on in Jerusalem, just before crossing the border. I spoke to an Israeli mother and son about the troubles and as expected, they just want peace with the Palestinians. Of cause they do, but how is there goin to be peace when your government continues to bulldoze Palestinian homes replaced by Israeli settlements deep into Palestinian land, taking their olive plantations and all the time also in croaching onto their land. The list goes on and on. They didn't mention anything about this. However, their argument was Hamas have got to stop sending missiles from Gaza into Israel then there might be a better chance of peace. The impression that I got was that they don't know the real truth of what Israeli are doing in Palestine. Like the BBC, it's probably propaganda on Israeli news and only show you what they and the government wants you to see and that ain't the truth.

  We were in the Old City of Jerusalem and looking at the Dome of the Rock, when a man approached us asking for his photo to be taking with the building. It turned out that he was Palestinian from Hebron and we all were engaged in talking about and wishing that there was peace between the two countries..
 

The Dome of the Rock and surrounding area. 

Palestinian from Hebron talking about peace with the Israeli's I was hanging out with. 

Preying at the western Rock

Pilgrims along the path where apparently Jesus walked with the cross on his back

Now the path is used by men armed with guns

 I followed the path that apparently Jesus'stook and made my ways to Damacus Gate where I got on a bus through the apartheid wall towards Ramahalla in Palestine where I planned to stay for the night. The rest of my days I have no idea what I'll be doin or staying.The first night in Hostel D was spent with a few us gathered together, including Muhammad, the owner, and talked about the situation of what's happening to Muhammad's country. Only Sweden recognize Palestine as a country. The rest of the world treat it as a observer state. Only being a member of some of the UN bodies. However, they can not participate in the conferences. I had already met Robert from Norway who was an Internationalist staying at the hostel. With other internationalist, he is protecting Palestinians that are being attacked from Israeli settlers in their village. Also in the group were an editor from the Guardian and a human rights worker on slavery. I was very tired from travling but managed to stay awake to listen to everyones views on the sitution. I think we all came away with certain things we didn't know before. Like, my dogs name and the colour are my socks! There was so much to talk about and we went on well into the early hours of the morning.

My first glimpse of the apartheid wall from the bus towards Ramallah  

 

  

Streets of Ramallah

They've also got a Sabway. Down the road they've got a Stars and Bucks. That's not Starsbucks owned by pro Israeli Howard Schulz who gives a penny for everytime you buy anything from their outlet! I stopped goin there when I discovered that they weren't paying their taxes,  

   
  Today I was driven Twenty minutes down the road to Beli'n. There I was involved a peaceful protest that takes part every Friday afternoon since 2005. However, there not always peaceful and can turn pretty violet and Palestinians have been taken away to never be seen again and also shot at and killed!. I ran away from the soldiers twice when we were charged at. There were only about twenty protesters and half of them were Israeli! The reason why the Palestinians protest is to voice themselves and show the Israeli's that they are still here. The Israeli soldiers stand there ground and in a line stop the protesters from passing them as the wall is just around the corner. It gets heated a little sometimes with their passion coming out and one of the protesters was arrested. after half an hour it all died down and we returned the otherside of the valley and I was invited to one of the locals house. Here I continued talking with Israeli's and discovered a lot more about what the Israeli government is up to and got some very good food down me neck! It was an experience, not the food, the protest and in a few days I'll be goin to Hebron. The street that we were protesting on was called 'Freedom Street'

This Palestinian got arrested

Holding a picture of a Palestinian that was arrested and has never been seen again

I had the wrong lense and the sun was always in front of me when taking pics of the protest

He needs to go to Specsavours 

The Jay, Laughing Dove and Yellow-vented Bulbul were all over the shop

Palestine Sunbird

Played this on my blog before by Steve Earle

Long-tailed Duck at Ellesmere

1st winter male Long-tailed Duck at Ellesmere was only my forth for Shropshire

  Two years ago I left Scilly in November on the day a Long-tailed Duck was discovered in me parents back garden, Trench Pool! You can see the pool from the house. Deja vu! Another Long-tailed Duck was found by John Morris on the day I left Scilly two days ago! This one was a 1st winter male on my old local patch, Ellesmere and I went to have a look at it today. Before that, I hit Venus Pool this morning to try and connect with the male Hen Harrier that's been in the area for the last week but only bird of interest was a single Black-tailed Godwit.

Black-tailed Godwit

Male Reed Bunting

  I arrived at Ellesmere in the afternoon in the drizzle and had an adult Yellow-legged Gull and immediately got the 1st winter male Long-tailed Duck almost in the center of the mere. Great! However it was no near as far as the Scaup I discovered at the far end of Whitemere. Also had a personal record of  110+Cormorant including 87 at the latter site. 100's of Fieldfares also in the area. Before going to Venus this morning, I was deciding if I should go and twitch up road for the male Hen Harrier and 2 Great Grey Shrike at Whixall Moss but I reckon it would be better when the sun is out. 2 male Hen Harrier and a single Great Grey Shrike were seen on the moss today!

A much better looking Long-tailed Duck than the Trench Pool indervidual. However, the Trench bird was showing down to a few meters while this one stayed out in the middle of the mere.

I hope someone can get a better pic of the Scaup on Whitemere.

This partially leucistic Lapwing was at Woodlane

Very small numbers of Common Gull on the meres

Just as I was leaving to catch the plane from Scilly, Dave came down and then followed me all the way to the petrol station and landed on the nearby roofs. (That's as far as he follows me) With a tear in me eye, I said goodbye and carried on to the airport. Hopefully you will be waiting for me when I return next year Dave! 

Tindersticks are an English alternative rock band, formed in Nottingham in 1991. They released six albums before singer Stuart A. Staples embarked on a solo career. The band reunited briefly in 2006, but more permanently the following year. The band have recorded several film soundtracks.

Greenland White-fronted Goose at Pelistry

Female Greenland White-fronted Goose ringed in Wexford in 2015

  Martin Goodey did some great detective work on the goose and contacted the ringing scheme. It was ringed in South east Ireland in 2015, stops off in Iceland to refuel then presumably heads up to Greenland to join thousands of others to breed. She spent last winter back in Wexford but this year seems to have over-shot. I produced the guesstimated map which shows she could easily have flown over 3,500 miles and all powered by weeds and grass! 

A map of the movements from the goose

  The goose has been feeding in a weedy field just south of Pelistry Riding Stables for the last two days. Higgo and I decided to twitch it and on the ways got 2 Yellow-browed Warbler at Newford Duckpond and the Rook opposite the stables before seeing the White-front.

The Rook was hanging out at the riding stables

Female Greenland White-fronted Goose

Jim trapped 2 Lesser Whitethroat at Porth Hellick last week

With what's goin on the USA, no I don't mean the corrupted elections between two candidates who don't give a damn in human rights and are both a threat to world peace, but how the Native Americans are trying to protect their water and sacred land from the oil barons supported by high street banks. As a result they are being brutality attacked by Obomba and the military police with pepper spray and plastic bullets at Standing Rock, Dakota. I thought this song 'firlthy Dirty South by the amazing 'Rising Apallachia' was appropriate for the crap that's goin down there! 

2 Night Heron over my digs!

I saw up to 6 Siberian Chiffchaff feeding in the warm sunshine today 

 In the early hours of this morning, Higgo and I heard Night Herons over St Mary's. Before anyone gets any ideas of why Higgo and I were together so early in morning? Well this is what happened. Higgo contacted me at 24.30 telling me that he was sure he just heard a Night Heron over town. I was just up road at home outside listening to the large numbers of Redwing and Song Thrush overhead and after three minutes, directly above me was the sound of a loud frog. I could make out that the heron was circling just above me and was joined by another. 2 Night Heron! Both birds were very vocal and flew off south. Later Graham Gorden told me that Andy Carroll heard a Night Heron a few hours before at 21.30 over St Agnes. I thought, what does Andy Carroll know about Night Herons? He's a footballer! I can just see him running into the house 'Why aya man! I've heard a Night Heron! Aya, it was a Bobby Dazzler! Now calm doon. al mek a cuppa'

  First light and Redwings were dropping out of sky in small numbers. As David Wilson had a Richard's Pipit fly over Peninnis yesterday, I thought I would go and check the fields up there. No sign of the pipit but 4 Black Redstart, 13 Skylark and a late Wheatear. Higgo called to say that Jim had trapped another Barred Warbler at Porth Hellick. Me wagon was left at work, so I continued towards Lower Moors where I got 5 Siberian Chiffchaff, 6 Yellow-browed Warbler and a single Firecrest. A single Siberian Chiffchaff with 2 Yellow-browed Warbler were also at Porthloo.

A late Wheatear and 4 Black Redstart were at Peninnis

5 Siberian Chiffchaff were at Lower Moors all located by call

With this single at Porthloo

i didn't go far today but still saw 40+Chiffchaff altogether

This Chiffchaff seemed to be feeding well despite the problem with it's foot

Redwing and Song Thrush were heard in large numbers overnight

Yesterday afternoon this Marsh Harrier flew high east over town

No sign of any of the Olive-backed Pipit yesterday but the Tree Pipit was still at Normandy

  Also yesterday Graham Gorden got a surprise on St Agnes when he discovered a Red-eyed Vireo in the Parsonage and it was still present today. On Tresco there were 2 Little Bunting at Borough Farm.

 

Sébastien Schuller (born 26 August 1970) is a French singer, songwriter and film score composer living in Philadelphia. His film scores include Toi et Moi , Notre univers impitoyable, Un Jour d'Été, One O One and High Society.