Galana's fourth effort. "Never mind the quality feel the width".

[Galana]

So. The sun was shining and the outside temp in high 40s. What was to keep me in?

2019 can wait a while as I kick start my humble effort for 2020.

Put some in the Bank. "Never mind the quality feel the width", was a TV show that British members may remember if they are as old as me.

So here we go....

001. Oystercatcher.  Ramsey. IOM

 

002. Rook. Ramsey. IOM.

 

003. Common Pheasant. Bride. Isle of Man. Introduced by the Romans to Britain and still with us. (Unlike the Romans.)

 

004. Stonechat. Point of Ayre.  IOM. A bird of our heathland.

 

005. Herring Gull (Silver Gull in parts of Europe I am told.). Anyway this one was at Dog Mills in Isle of Man.

 

And so it is official. At 15.34 GMT on 3rd Janaury 2020. Galana was in the lead!

[TonyQ]

 @GalanaGood to see you starting so well, and racing into the lead!

[Kitsafari]

congrats on taking the lead already and getting a headstart for the new season!

[Tdgraves]

Ooh er missus!

[michael-ibk]

Congratulations to taking the lead straight away. With Uganda coming up I fear it might stay that way. But good to see our most experienced birder back!

[mvecht]

great start. Keep them coming.

[Galana]

@TonyQ

@Kitsafari @Tdgraves @michael-ibk and @mvecht

 Thanks all. A brief moment in the limelight but our Austrian friend overhauled me although with the Time zone he did have an extra hours start.

Uganda? I have found that I spend so much time making sure my guests get the bird that I often leave it too late for myself. With three of em to cope with I fear the worst. Only kidding. I have bought some wooden spikes for my elbows and if that fails it's strange what a magnet will do to an SD card!

[xelas]

Selfishly I hope that this year will not be your humble effort , @Galana. I wish you passing by #300 by the end of February !

[PeterHG]

Two years to work on at the same time! Good to see you starting here, too.

[Galana]

11 hours ago, xelas said:

I wish you passing by #300 by the end of February !

It is often better to travel hopefully than to arrive.

Edited January 4, 2020 by Galana
spelling.

[Galana]

Went to the shops this pm and as I crossed the river I got two more into the 2020 Bank.

 

006. Mute Swan. Ramsey Harbour.

 

007. Mallard. Ramsey Harbour.

 

 

 

[Soukous]

Good to see you're not wasting any time sir.

But honestly, I could have survived without the video. (can't find a vomiting emoji)

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

(can't find a vomiting emoji)

A gap in the market?

[Zim Girl]

On 1/3/2020 at 3:34 PM, Galana said:

So. The sun was shining and the outside temp in high 40s. What was to keep me in?

That made me look twice until I realised you were talking in old money

Great start.

 

[Galana]

Old money = Old men. Old Dogs don't have the final say on Old tricks!

[Galana]

So what was it in Celsius, Centigrade today? About the same 9C?

But the light was grim when the sun failed.

 

But nil desperandum.This year's title applies.

 

A trip to the recycling centre (the wine bottles were almost blocking the FireExit.) brought forth a due reward.

 

008. Eurasian Wigeon. Glascoe Dubh.  (A Dubh is a sort of a natural farm pond, Glascoe being the farm)

 

009. Greylag Goose. Glascoe.

 

010. Greater Black-backed Gull. Ballavair. It was doing the foot tapping to attract worms.

 

 

[Galana]

More pre Brexit sunshine got me out west for a couple of hours to check on our Wintering Whoopers.

Not in their normal field so access was harder and no close ups.

 

011. Whooper Swans. Ballacrye.

Then a fruitless search for off shore Divers before heading home where I caught a sole extra bird.

 

012. Black-headed Gull.  Andreas.

 

 

[elefromoz]

@Galana, an attention grabbing title.Doubt there will be anything humble about your effort...

[Galana]

Well the wind has dropped and the sun tempted me out today.

Lots seen but only the Blue Tit was friendly enough to pose high in the trees.

But at least it is not on a Fat ball or table.

 

 

And that was about it for the afternoon but as I retraced my steps I scored my first Wallaby of the year.

"If you go down in the woods today you can be sure of a big Surprise."

 

Indeed.

Too cold for a picnic.

 

 

[elefromoz]

@Galana, that is plain odd...the Wallaby I mean

[Galana]

8 hours ago, elefromoz said:

that is plain odd..

She don't think she is odd at all. Lived here all her life. Her ancestors arrived 70 years ago.

At first there were about 20 but now over 400 is a good estimate. Not universally popular but darned cute.

[pedro maia]

They roam free without fences?

[Galana]

Yes. They are wild and raid Vegetable gardens for food.

Here is some footage I took one evening two years ago.

 

[Galana]

On with BY.

Today we were scheduled to lose our electricity supply for several hours for maintenance So I headed out to see if I could boost my score.

Here is my humble effort. Some quality issues as

a, the tide was out so I needed a long reach and

b. the sun was not ideal.

But remember the title for this year.......

First two 'product enhancements' from earlier.

10. Greater Black-backed Gull.

 

12. Black-headed Gull. In flight too.

 

Now for the new ones.

14. Brent Goose. Pale bellied race.

A good year for these winter visitors. I counted well over 70.

 

15. Eurasian Curlew. Derbyhaven.

 

Two for the price of one.

16. I will take this as the Ringed Plover.

 

17. Now we can count the Dunlin.

 

18. Bar-tailed Godwit.

 

Very hard to split these. Now there are three to choose from.

 

or two

 

19. But we get one on its own eventually. Well it was actually not on its own but sharing the rock with #28

Ruddy Turnstone.

 

20. Sheldduck.

 

On the Golf links I found

21. Eurasian Starling. Castletown Golf Club.

 

And on Langness, scene of two mighty battles the former involving our Viking ancestors, the latter involving a TV celebrity who bought a prominent landmark as holiday home and then pleaded 'privacy' to close footpaths. He lost much more than the court case.

 

22. (Eurasian) Common Teal. Stinking Dubh. Dubh is a pool and the stink is caused by rotting seaweed.

Our Yanqui cousins in Boston, Ma. a fateful place for other reasons, want to call this the Green-winged Teal and their version "Teal". No way Bud. We had it first before you lot even founded the place in 1777. Upstarts.

(no offence to my many friends over there.) Should I spell that Offense?

 

23. Hooded Crow. Western race. The two races are divided by the Carrion Crow across central and western Europe. Interbreeding does occur.

 

25. Little Egret. We have several pairs now. Believed to have bred.

 

25. The 'true' Pied Wagtail of Hibernia and Britain. Ssp. Yarelli  Peel. The island's only true City.

 

26. Black-legged Kittiwake. Peel Harbour.

 

27.  Jackdaw, Peel Harbour.

and finally my piece de Resistance for today..

28. Purple Sandpiper. I had a feeling I would find one, two, in Peel on the rocks by the castle.

Two targets found, Brent and Purple Sandpiper.

Two dipped. Red-billed Chough and Common Eider. (found females but wanted a nice male in Spring colours.)

 

[TonyQ]

That was a very productive outing, well worth having the electricity cut off