The Euro in your pocket

The current Economic crisis is hitting hard but there are a few intereting developments.

When the Euro was introduced Eurosceptics laughed when it fell to about 68p against the pound and decried it as a weak currency. This laughter must be ringing a bit hollow now that parity is looming.

Curiously the frontline between the pound and the euro is not in the European parliament or the City of London its between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Apparently lots of Irish citizens are crossing the border to buy their shopping in the North. The Asda store in Enniskillen has 60% of its customers from South of the Border and its the 6th busiest store in the Wal-Mart empire. The Asda in Strabane had sales up 54% compared to the same week last year.

Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan recently tried the patriotism card:

When you shop in Northern Ireland, you're paying Her Majesty's taxes, you're not paying taxes to the state that you live in.

But shoppers seem to be ignoring this and are heading North, where VAT rates were cut to 15% recently whereas in the South they were increased to 21.5%.

Northern Irish shops are accepting and giving changes in Euro.

Personally I've always felt the pound will disappear eventually, with the globalisation of the world and the amount of travelling people are doing within Europe who want to keep changing money paying fees on it and accepting a currency risk.

Bet that upsets someone!

A morning at Barnes

I met up with Trish at Barnes this morning. As usual we walked around one side and then back via the cafe and on to the side part of which has the collection.

At the cafe I had intended to have a cup of tea (it was 11:30) but Trish was keen on brunch so I joined her.

Birds seen? well it was a bit quiet but highlights included Little and Great Crested Grebe, Green Woodpecker, Siskin, Snipe, Stonechat and Goldcrest. The Bittern didn't show to us and we never saw the Jack Snipe hey ho.

The light wasn't ideal but here is a mix of wild and collection birds.

Ring Necked Parakeet.





Grey Squirrel


Pair of Tufties



Little Grebe



Long Tailed Duck (collection)


American Wigeon (collection)


Pair of Eiders (collection)



Marbled Teal (collection)




White Headed Duck (collection)


Shovelers






Goldeneye (collection)


Female Smew or red head if you prefer (collection)


drakes not being obliging (collection)


female Smew again (collection)



Australasian Shoveler (collection)

Its my blog and I'll quack if I want to

Well the weather was much better this week so I took dad out for a ride. We picked up a few bits and pieces and I got a new pair of wellies! The old ones had developed a leak, not much use in a pair of wellies.

Dad cooked me Gammon Steak for tea.

Didn't go anywhere you haven't seen many times before but a pair of ducks! Don't you think the drake Mallards bill is rather yellow?

Well well

I read a heart warming story today.

39 years ago a Sheffield man Jim Webb lent an impoverished Australian backpacker £5. Recently, while Mr Webb was out, a card and £200 was delivered to Mr Webb by Gary Fenton, to repay the money he borrowed when they met in Ostend, Belgium.

The note read "To Jim Webb, a good man. From Gary Fenton, a tardy payer of debts."

Isn't that an amazing story? A yorkshireman lending someone money!!!

The End of an Era

The modern world marches on and alas another anachronism from a bygone age seems to have gone.

I read on the net that Nikon have stopped producing there last film SLR the F6. I suspect this was actually stopped a while back but after reading of its demise I noticed that warehouseexpress have removed it from their site this week.

The F6 was introduced in 2004 when digital was well on its march to dominance. The last of a long line of Nikon F film bodies.

I am new to photography only owning a dSLR but part of me knows that I'd have learnt alot from shooting film. With digital you don't need to think so much point click ad check screen. Oh delete and if its still wrong when you download have fix with a tool like photoshop.

With film each shot is money so you have to get it right.

I read that a dSLR has better image quality than film but I'd be interested to know how a good film camera like the F6 would compare to a Nikon d300/d700 or a Canon 50d.

I guess now film can't compete with digital but it does seem sad.

Fish & Chips

I was sitting in the office yesterday when suddenly the aroma of Fish & Chips wafted under my nose. Now there is something about the smell of Fish & Chips from a Chip shop that worms its way into my stomach and says EAT ME!!

Regretabbly Fish & Chips is no longer as popular as it once was. In Britain today we're more interested in the latest ethnic trend. "OOH Tarquin there's a very nice Bolivian takeaway opened in Esher."

Anyway my colleague couldn't finish it and offered it around. Naturally I WANTED it but being the good boy I am I resisted, but it was interesting to see the person volunteering to finish it off was Moroccan and he said he loved Fish & Chips.

To me Fish & Chips is best eaten in the paper and the flavour is enhanced by sitting in a car or on a bench to eat it.

Alas I don't eat it much these days, my last time would have been at Hunstanton with Dave & Joy two years back or on a trip to see the Puffins at Bempton Cliffs. There is someting about sitting in your car looking out to see eating Fish & Chips.

The Greater Mekong

The WWF are reporting that over 1000 new species have been found in the South East Asia's Greater Mekong region.

These include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad. Greater Mekong comprises the six countries the Mekong River flows through which includes Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan. It is estimated that thousands of new invertebrate species were also discovered during this period.

You can see a few photos here and here.

EU vote for Cormorant Management

The Irish Times is reporting that the European parliament has voted 558 - 7 to support a pan-European Cormorant Management Plan.

European Angling groups have long complained that cormorants are causing widespread devastation to fish stocks and as a result affecting the quality of angling in Europe.

I do wonder why people are surprised, if you artificially stock a lake with fish then naturally that'll attract predators. In the same way you see many for Gulls in towns nowadays, why? Well the amount of food thrown on our streets, birds aren't stupid if they can get an easy lunch they will.

Walking the Coast

In 2004 two teenagers got stuck in the mud in Weymouth Harbour. This provoked a search involving a coastguard helicopter, a Dorset Police helicopter, two coastguard land-based teams and two RNLI lifeboats costing some £20,000.

Now we could put this down to a pair of idiotic teenagers but 4 years on one of the pair has made some amends. On Feb 1st Seb Green set off with his border collie Flash to walk 5,821 miles (9,367km) around the coast of Britian.

In doing so he has raised more than £20,000 for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and Starlight Children's Foundation,

You have to admire him for it.

A spot of local birding

Well after the non-stop rain of yesterday, today it's just a dull grey.

I wandered down to Amwell Gravel Pits for the first time for a while. No sign of any Smew but there was a nice male Goldeneye to join the regulars. There was also a big flock of Siskin around (I never spotted a Redpoll). A Buzzard flew overhead.

From the viewing there were two Water Rails showing and one was taking a bath!! and a Chaffinch chased a Blackbird, well odd!!

Anyway a few pictures. The light by the feeding station was AWFUL.

Blue Tit


Male Chaffinch



Robin


Great Tit


Blue Tit




Great Tit


Male Great Spotted Woodpecker




Long Tailed Tit




Male Chaffinch