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

[TonyQ]

Sorry about your Scotland trip

[Galana]

2 hours ago, TonyQ said:

Sorry about your Scotland trip

Thanks @TonyQIt is a great disappointment.

[Soukous]

14 hours ago, Galana said:

Sadly I cancelled yesterday.

 

  Very sorry to hear that. Sad news. I thought you might risk 3 hours on the motorway. 

[xelas]

Not good news indeed. Next year, then. 

[Tdgraves]

Sorry to hear yet another casualty of lockdown 2.0

[shazdwn]

Sorry to hear of another trip ruined by this bl*#dy virus. I’m starting to feel like we are going to have to rule out travel for next year as well 😭

[Galana]

3 hours ago, Soukous said:

Sad news. I thought you might risk 3 hours on the motorway. 

Thanks everyone.

I gave this some thought but the 'rules' for UK are quite specific in that ALL non essential travel is banned and without getting into a bate about devolved administrations for me UK is the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

In addition our Chief Minister has 'asked' that nobody travels to "England", his words not mine, for non essential purposes.

As he and his team have kept us safe since March I felt I owed him that.

[Soukous]

1 minute ago, Galana said:

Thanks everyone.

I gave this some thought but the 'rules' for UK are quite specific in that ALL non essential travel is banned and without getting into a bate about devolved administrations for me UK is the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

In addition our Chief Minister has 'asked' that nobody travels to "England", his words not mine, for non essential purposes.

As he and his team have kept us safe since March I felt I owed him that.

 

Sorry our shambles spoiled impacted your plans. 

An interesting difference seems to be that when your Chief Minister 'asks' people not to do something they do as asked. I guess his advisors have not been blatantly flouting the rules and thumbing their noses at the public.

[Galana]

Hmmm. This is not the forum for such comment but, yes, our Government took and takes a firmer stance than others in the archipelago. We don't fine transgressors. We throw them in jail. You may have read of instances in your press.

 

No Government epidemiologist breaking the rules for a quick trip to his Mistress, no MPs taking the train from Glasgow to London and back when positive, no 'raves' or as in today's press daft horse owners driving 300 miles to see her horse.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-54793920

 

A free country offers a simple choice. 14 days self isolation in your own home or 28 days behind bars in one of ours.

I commend it to you.

[Soukous]

15 hours ago, Galana said:

No Government epidemiologist breaking the rules for a quick trip to his Mistress, no MPs taking the train from Glasgow to London and back when positive, no 'raves' or as in today's press daft horse owners driving 300 miles to see her horse. 

 

not to mention trips to Castle Barnard to check your eyesight. 

[Galana]

2 hours ago, Soukous said:

not to mention trips to Castle Barnard to check your eyesight. 

Could that be what is meant by an 'Oversight?'  If he had not made it who would have known?

 

This list could be longer than the darn Pandemic. Lets do birds. I see there is Avian 'flu in Kent.

[elefromoz]

Too bad about the trip, hopefully next year. The sausage rolls look good, all sorts popping up on TBY lately..

[Dave Williams]

Guess who's birthday it is today!!!! hope you have a great day Fred, the sun is shining over the Isle of Man so you might get lucky and find something good!!

[Kitsafari]

Have a happy birthday @Galana

[Galana]

Very kind of you. Thanks.

Especially as at this moment we should be on the Ferry to celebrate the day hopefully with Badgers and birds in Scotland.

I will try and use the sunshine this afternoon to add a point or two.

In the meantime as I cannot find the genuine article outside Scotland I baked myself some Scotch Pies for a birthday tea.

To reassure purists who do not know this delicacy they are meant to look like that!

[PeterHG]

You have many talents! A happy birthday even though celebrations are limited!

[Peter Connan]

A very happy birthday Fred!

[Dave Williams]

The Scotch Pies look the business!  Very nice indeed!!

 

[TonyQ]

Happy Birthday!

[Galana]

Thanks for the kind comments everyone.

The weekend went well. Even the Tide came in further than normal to wish me well and cause a bit of flooding.

Then today I went off looking to increase my meagre list and got a three in one.

 

First by the harbour I was trying for an elusive Black Redstart but failed and had to settle for a very nice Robin.

 

Further afield I stopped for a party of Greylag Geese to check for straggling 'foreigners' with no luck when I noticed in the background a good Candidate for not only BY, but EBC and 'Name that bird' too.

Eh?

Is it??

 

Yup!

384/IOM90.  Peregrine Falcon. Nice to get one sitting even if not in focus. That'll do for me. Thank you Geese. Take care now.

[elefromoz]

@Galanagreat luck with the Peregrine, I would walk over hot coals to see one sitting like that. The Pies look good too. Hope you managed a bit of birthday cheer

[Galana]

2 hours ago, elefromoz said:

great luck with the Peregrine, I would walk over hot coals to see one sitting like that.

Me too. Only the second time in 30 years to get that close. The first time I had no camera as it perched on a roadside pole. This time I had the camera but the focus could not see the bird.. Next time? 3rd time lucky!

The pies were excellent and yes thanks I managed a drop or two of birthday cheer.

[michael-ibk]

Sorry Fred I´m late - belated happy birthday, hope it still counts! Very sorry to hear about your cancelled Scotland trip.

[Galana]

19 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Very sorry to hear about your cancelled Scotland trip.

Thanks @michael-ibk

As to the Scotland trip perhaps it was  a blessing in disguise?

We would have been there this week and today has been the only decent day. Saved me some money for another day and today at home I got two more ticks anyway. See below. Of course I was looking for 50 in Scotland but.....

[Galana]

Well as revealed today I had to go to the shops and 'just happened' to walk by the site where the Black Redstart was known to lurk. Who could resist the sunshine??

 

No luck at first but I did catch a glimpse of a Grey Wagtail which is better than nothing and keeps the score moving.

385. IOM 91.  Grey Wagtail. Harbour Steps. Ramsey.

 

Having waited a while with several false alarms with Robin, Grey Wagtail and a bejwelled Rock Pipit...

Rock Pipit dressed for display.

I was about to give up when suddenly there he was. Not as smart as in Spring but it will do for me.

 

386BY/ 92 IOM. Black Redstart. A non breeder but we get a few each winter. Always this site. I think they like the Boulders of the harbour wall. It may remind them of the Alps.

Note the blue sky AND sunshine. Nowhere nicer.