Promoting observation, free range exploration, sense of place and citizen science, through the field notes of a naturalist.







Wednesday 13 October 2010

A gaffe and I don't mind admitting to it


Its part of my therapy that I recognise my weaknesses and learn to live with them. Back in mid September some of you eagle eyed GOS sightings page watchers will have no doubt clocked an entry from yours truly of 30 fieldfare on the Blorenge. As I write with quaking hand I now feel it necessary to put on record the erroneous nature of this report. Why, you may well ask should a relatively experience naturalist make such a basic identification mistake?

The mistake goes like this:
  • Early start en route for a ringing session at Llangorse.
  • Nice clear morning so stopped to take landscape photo of Usk Valley.
  • Encountered group of about 30 thrushes overhead.
  • Not seen a party of mistle thrushes of this size for ages.
  • Thought I picked up the characteristic 'chucking' call of fieldfare.
  • Returned after ringing and uploaded record.
  • Subsequent days and weeks awaiting a flurry of other fieldfare records in Gwentland, but alas.
I've learned by this error and will ensure I don't jump to conclusions again. So see above photo of a blue tit in celebration of my my new found caution and therapeutic admission.

A 10/10/10 jolly around The British in the hope of a late ring ouzel didn't produce the goods. However did clock a nice group of Richard's pipit or were they meadows? Earlier and in the cloud cover of the morning did note a black throated thrush or was it a redwing?

2 comments:

  1. Dominus noster Jesus Christus te absolvat; et ego auctoritate ipsius te absolvo ab omni vinculo excommunicationis (suspensionis) et interdicti in quantum possum et tu indiges. Deinde, ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

    As penance read the following verses from the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 6 twice a day over the next week:

    25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the fieldfares; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than fieldfares?

    Father Ted.

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