Gonna break some records in the month of May

Here are the results of the May bird list challenge panel:

May 3
Black swan (Brockholes)
Skylark (")

May 4
Song thrush (Bowness-on-Windermere)
Common gull (Lake Windermere)

May 5
Yellow-legged gull (Lake Windermere)
Housemartin (Windermere village)

May 6
Reed bunting (Brockholes)

May 11
Dipper (Uppermill)

May 13
Swift (Leeds University)

May 19
Ring-necked parakeet (Sefton Park, Liverpool)

May 28
Blackcap (Mossley)

Year total: 75 species

A couple of rather unlikely additions in there, together with a couple that I might have expected to have ticked off earlier. I'm fairly certain that I've heard blackcaps several times over the last few weeks but had not managed to see one and wasn't 100% confident in my ability to identify the song. So it was a relief to finally get this one ticked off at the end of the month with some decent views.

A couple of stops at Brockholes reserve near Preston on the way to/from the Lakes proved fruitful (despite our daughter not allowing us to spend much time exploring the wider reserve), and I certainly wasn't expecting to see a black swan. The Swedish blue duck is definitely not a species that I was aware of, and it's thanks to Akira and Fiona's efforts on internet search engines that we achieved this group tick.

The big bonus for me though was the ring-necked parakeet as I wasn't expecting this to feature in my list this year, unless I could engineer a trip to London at some stage (although I believe there are some knocking around South Manchester). It turns out that there is a small population that regularly gather in Sefton Park.

A week in Norfolk beckons so I'm hoping for a few more to boost the tally further. Looking over the full list, I think I'm now pretty much at my upper limit for what I might have expected at the start of the year. I've certainly got all of the regular visitors to the garden and local area.

Non, je ne egret rien

Time for an update on the 2013 bird challenge. Would a visit to Cambridgeshire bear fruit?

April 2
Nuthatch (Greenfield)

April 5 (all Ely- Earith)
Kingfisher
Rook
Great crested grebe
Oystercatcher
Teal
Little egret

April 6 (Earith - St Ives)
Green woodpecker
Wigeon
Fieldfare

April 7 (St Ives)
Herring gull

April 13
Jay (Mossley)

April 14
Chiffchaff (Uppermill)

April 28
Swallow (Delph)

UPDATE:
April 30
Willow warbler (Mossley)

A decent month then, in large part due to my three days cruising down the Great Ouse. A couple of summer migrants from the middle of the month and I'd expect to pick up at least another 3 of those in May (swift, housemartin, blackcap).

Ought to be an interesting weekend next week too: we're in the Lakes together with competitors Akira and Fiona. Anyone know where I can obtain a stuffed hoopoe to place on the lawn?

New total: 64 species

I'm like a swan / I only love once

Here's my March update for the 2013 bird challenge.

March 12
Goosander (Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Diggle)

March 23
Lapwing (M60, Oldham)
Red kite (Calverley)

March 29 (Mossley/Hartshead Pike)
Lesser black-backed gull
Meadow pipit
Pheasant

March 30
Mute swan (Lowry)


Relatively slim pickings then with only 7 new spots for the month, making it 49 in total. The highlight probably being the Goosander which I managed to spot from a moving train:

Why the pointy-face? (pic courtesy of Wikipedia)

April ought to see some more action with summer migrants returning, plus I've high hopes for some bonus spots with a weekend boating on the Fens at the start of the month...

The birds / are the keepers of our secrets

Time for the monthly update in the 2013 bird list challenge. January saw a tally of 32 species (+1 for the dubious goals panel). Here's what February brought:

Feb 2 (Binn Green)
Treecreeper
Siskin
Great spotted woodpecker

Feb 3
Kestrel (Northwich)

Feb 9
Grey wagtail (Salts Mill, Saltaire)

Feb 10
Buzzard (M60 Bredbury)

Feb 17 (Stamford Park, Ashton-under-Lyne)
Grey heron
Greylag goose
Cormorant

Feb 18
Bullfinch (Mossley)

New total: 42 (+1)

All the way from the slums of Shaolin...

Where is the best place in New York to get cholesterol-lowering drugs?

Statin Island

When large DIY store ad campaigns look like album covers, no. 74

B&Q ad in Saturday's Independent:

Amazing Grace by Spiritualized:

This isn't the first time that Spiritualized albums have popped up in these pages.

Tick tick boom

I've previously mentioned the concept of the 'Big Year' here. At the turn of the year, I was challenged by Akira to a UK bird list battle. Always up for a contest, I agreed. Thinking about it, while I've kept records of birds spotted in the garden for the last couple of years, I've never maintained a year list. I'm not sure why. Possibly a suspicion that down that route only further obsession lies, and continual efforts to increase the tally each year. Only time will tell...

Anyway, to the task at hand. Akira and Fiona are maintaining their lists here and here. I've not got around to setting up a Pinterest account yet so for now am listing my January sightings below:


1 Jan
Woodpigeon (garden)
Jackdaw  (")
Blackbird (")
Magpie (")
Robin (")
Dunnock (")

2 Jan
Mistle thrush (Mossley)
Blue tit (Millennium Square, Leeds)
Carrion crow (Leeds city centre)
Feral pigeon (")
Long-tailed tit (Leeds University)

3 Jan
Great tit (Leeds University)
Waxwing (Huddersfield town centre)
Redwing (Hyde Park, Leeds)

4 Jan
Goldcrest (Leeds University)
Goldfinch (Leeds University)

5 Jan
Tufted duck (Alexandra Park, Oldham)
Moorhen (")
Coot (")
Black-headed gull (")
Mallard (")
Canada goose (")
Tawny owl (Mossley)

6 Jan
Starling (Mossley)

9 Jan
Coal tit (Hyde Park, Leeds)
Chaffinch (")

15 Jan
Pied wagtail (Millennium Square, Leeds)

16 Jan
Sparrowhawk (Hyde Park, Leeds)

23 Jan
Greenfinch (Hyde Park, Leeds)
House sparrow (Moorland Road, Leeds)
Redpoll? (not 100% sure so better not count this)

25 Jan
Wren (Leeds University)

27 Jan
Collared dove (Scouthead)


So 32 so far (+ 1 question mark).

Altogether now, "CASSOWARY....DOWITCHER...":

Bird list (Michael Nyman)

Quick! Some photos kicking about on my mobile!

Could do with one of these outside my house:

Best name for a cafe, ever:

Nothing wrong with this you might think...

...the thing is, I took it in AUGUST.

Happy Christmas!

The truth is out there

A few weeks ago on my way through town my eyes were drawn to a handwritten notice:

 

It's powerful stuff (zoomed image below). As if that wasn't thrilling enough, the following day I realised that there was more, much more, on the other side of the pillar:

Here it is in full. There's not much to add. Just sit back, take it in and BE EDUCATED.

I particularly like the way 'Jimi Carter' is split over two lines, briefly giving the impression that the smug, tax-minimising, gagmeister is in conspiratory cahoots with Messrs Mubarek, Musharref and Shirak (and so on).

Whoa. This is dynamite!

Ok... one Ethopian man do sex with his aunts...you're beginning to lose me now...

I hope this guy's ok - he seems to be in mortal danger! Somehow surviving attacks by poisoning, helicopter gunships, and, most impressively of all, having heavy weights dropped from a war jet. It's also helpful of our hero and truthteller to pinpoint precisely where the plane attack took place in August. Presumably because there's now a heavy weight lying smashed into the road.

So there we go.

Why you so nasty?

Quality graffito in Hyde Park, Leeds c.2004

Read, mark, learn and inwardly digest

A recent selection from the local library unexpectedly revealed the source of some popular lyrics. Turns out that it wasn't a rhyming dictionary but this book that is evidently required reading in the Hewson household:

"...digging up my soul now, going down, excavation".
Brer Taupe, hard at it, yesterday.

Skip to ~1.40 if you can't stomach the whole thing (but you'd be missing out on The Edge's amazing acting talent):

You've got red on you

Important public service information: walking around while reading stuff on your phone is a risky business.

That road sign was definitely positioned too low though

Whit? Whoo!

Another fab night at the Whit Friday bands. Sadly I missed the Swedish band playing 'Dancing Queen' while trying to get a drink but here's a taster of some of the highlights.

The all-conquering Brighouse and Rastrick, with their big, shiny trophy:

And they've brought security!

Up there with the best ever:

Glad you can't hear me getting confused and excitedly shouting 'Superstition' :(

Could have done without the water pistols but full marks for the outfits and synchronised moves:

Same time next year then: May 24, 2013!

Whitting my appetite

That time of year again folks: Whit Friday tomorrow! It's like a second Christmas Eve! It's not just me either - earlier today at Uni I overheard the following conversation:

"The rain had better stop tomorrow"
"Why?"
"It's Whit Friday brass bands! Best day of the year!"

Damn straight.

A couple of clips from last year to get in the mood...name that tune!

Maniac Monday

Since January, there has been a disturbing window display in one of the houses in my locale. Hastily grabbed pic:

That plant could do with some water

This is in the front window, facing out onto a busy road [edit: it disappeared in April]. In case you can't work out what's going on here, it's three dolls (Barbara Millicent Roberts, plus two close friends) that have been attached together using bandages and then stapled down to the windowsill. They have been joined in a line, presumably in some kind of whacko tribute to this film, which is most definitely not one that will be appearing on my DVD rental queue any time soon.


I'm not going to say any more as there's a fairly high chance of me actually bumping into the creator of this ornamental piece while on my way back from the shop. And who knows what they might end up doing to me.

Until tomorrow Venn

After pondering further my amazing Venn diagram from earlier in the week, I realised that with some slight tinkering I could fill that elusive central section:

Venn-us as a boy: seems my circle drawing skills are at only 66%

I wonder if he remembers that afternoon at Mumps roundabout as fondly as I?

Situation vacant

Race for the prize

You may be aware that for the last couple of years a few of us have had a 'Death Race' game on the go (I invited 2011 entrants here). The 2011 game is of course over now, it being 2012 and all, and for months I've been planning to make a prize for the winner. While my trophy concept remains in my head only (basically an Action Man in a black cowl, holding a scythe and glued to a base) I have this week devoted my efforts to a more subtle method of honouring the winner. I recently made the extremely useful purchase of a badge maker so that I could make this:

Check out the craftsmanship on that!

Pretty impressive, I'm sure you'll agree. Hats in the 'off' position then, to two-time champion and disturbingly accurate death predictor, Stephen Willis! Expect him to be proudly showing the badge from his lapel next time you see him in Tesco.

Just another prick on the wall

The culmination of another X-Factor is all very well, but what everyone's really talking about this morning is who will win the Only Connect Wall Night special this evening. Go knitters!

Let me take my chances on the wall of death

Yo! People who like seeing me failing to do 'banter' on the telly, rejoice! I'll be doing it again in a week or so.

In the meantime, here's an exclusive backstage snap from filming. Can you guess what show it is?

From the Ritz to the Rubber room: No idea why it was called that