Tuesday 18 January 2011

Down on the Beach

After the excitement of the Northern Long-tailed Tits at Dymchurch on Saturday I was amazed to get a call from Jack to say that Nigel had found two of these little beauties at Kingsdown.

I did hope that my luck would change I would get some good photos but they were quite elusive and although good views were occasionally had I failed pretty miserably with the camera. Brendon and Gerald managed much better and their pictures are on the Bockhill pages of the KOS website.

These weren't the only Long-tailed Tits of interest. At least one seemed to show a clean broad white stripe, and reduced black on the sides of the head, as well as much cleaner white ear-coverts and flanks that are characteristic of the sub-species europeaus.

Sam is having a couple of days with us at the seaside and we came down to Kingsdown Beach. I left him with Pam to count the stones on the beach while I had a look for the tit flock.

Sam seemed to have a good time, but I failed to connect with any Long-tailed Tits today, although I did meet Steve Ray who saw and photographed one yesterday.

A good lunch was had at the Zetland Arms, and I was surprised to find they had John Smiths on draught.


9 comments:

Derek Faulkner said...

Tony, enlighten me on why John Smith's on offer was a surprise, I'm intrigued. Presumably you would rather have a good Kentish ale.

Tony Morris said...

Derek, only because it is a Lancashire beer, and one that I acquired a taste for during my time at university. I have to say it didn't taste like it did in my days in Manchester. I suppose it is the difference between being in wood with proper pumps and being in Kegs.

Anonymous said...

John Smith's Tony???????
You've changed!!!
Nigel Parsons

Anonymous said...

oops! Wrong Tony Morris!
Sorry!
Still a rubbish beer though.

Tony Morris said...

Sorry to disappoint! The beer was average. In the 60's, in Manchester it wasn't a bad pint.

Anonymous said...

My apologies Tony! I wasn't old enough to drink beer in the 60's so at that time it may well have been OK then. This thread seems to be heading towards being hijacked as a beer thread so let me get it back on to the subject of birds. I know nothing about them but I saw an exotic looking specimen in my garden. I was looking up my old university friend Tony Morris who is a researcher at the RSPB. I came across your post and made the wrong connection. He was a real ale enthusiast. Anyway, I researched the sighting on the internet and I think it was a green woodpecker. I hear woodpeckers when cycling through Southampton common on the way to work in the morning but I never thought I would see one in my garden. It seemed quite brave and was rooting around in the soil for some time. Can woodpeckers be as brazen as this? I live close to the commen.

Tony Morris said...

Green Woodies can be very confident. One regularly feeds on my Lawn. Was your friend Tony Morris from Sheffield? I used to often get e-mails meant for a birder with the same name from there.

Anonymous said...

I don't think he's ever been based in Sheffield.
http://www.reading.ac.uk/caer/student_tony_morris.html

Anonymous said...

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