Notice Board: the Honey-buzzard Season in Northumberland 2020 as it happened – Nick Rossiter

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This is the current blog for the 2020 season, updated daily, giving recent activity.

Significant events in the Honey-buzzard season as it unfolds in Northumberland are given here. Seeing Honey-buzzard in their breeding areas is facilitated by reading about their jizz, knowing their calls and digesting the three BB papers updating Honey-buzzard identification (bottom of page). Listen to these wise words from a former prophet: “to try and identify them from plumage I think is a loser to begin with ... you’ve got to identify Honey Buzzards from their shape and structure”. The Honey-buzzard is rapidly increasing as a migrant in Britain with particularly major movements in 2000 and 2008. The analysis cited indicates that a continental origin for the migrants is very unlikely, with various studies on the continent all indicating that the Honey-buzzard is not susceptible to drift while on migration. Focus is now on the significance of orographic lift in the choice of migration routes for birds from more northerly areas where thermals are weaker. The breeding status of the Honey-buzzard in Britain is surely less controversial than it was. Migration totals in the UK have risen in the past decade and attempts to attribute these movements to a Scandinavian origin are in conflict with both 1) the underlying physics of broad-winged raptor migration, and 2) the actual details of the movements. However, migration movements are generally thought to be understated because so many observers struggle with the identification of juvenile Honey-buzzard. The status of Honey-buzzard in the UK has been highly politicised, as in the climate change debate. A close examination of the Honey-buzzard review performed by the Northumberland County Records Committee is in progress: start with part 1 and follow the links through to later pages. A worrying development in early 2015 was the modification of migration data in a Scarce Migrants paper in BB; while the Editor has promised not to repeat the manoeuvre, erroneous data in the literature is extremely difficult to erase. Fear is the path to the dark side; fear of not being able to identify Honey-buzzard leads to anger; anger leads to hate of those that can; hate leads to suffering in the UK birding community (with apologies to Star Wars!). For full details of the 2012 season see the study area Report 2012 with hyperlinked Appendix containing all field observations. Full details for other seasons are contained in the annual blogs, cited above, with an overall summary in Population of the Honey-buzzard in SW Northumberland.

Some recent publications provide strong support for the thesis above. Forsman (2017) provides detailed information on the prevailing Misidentification of Juvenile Honey-buzzard. Maybe unwittingly the last report on Scarce Migrants in Britain by White & Kehoe (2016) admitted that in general migrant Honey-buzzard in Britain are locally born and bred, finally bringing to an end the idea that they were Scandinavian migrants. Therefore Honey-buzzard Migrants are British Born and Bred. Finally from central Scotland an exceptional breeding season Honey-buzzard was reported by Shaw et al (2017) in 2016, suggesting a continued expansion of numbers in northern Britain (Scotland).

The pattern of fieldwork will continue as in 2019 Season 2019– Summary for the Display phase. The nest site visits are rested this year, concentrating on national Honey-buzzard survey, looking out from vantage points. The book is still under consideration with a catch up on much earlier material underway.

March 8th: this Notice Board is now closed. The Notice Board for the new season is available here.

March 14th: Updated Honey-buzzard page with migration data for SW Northumberland in 2020 (Population of the Honey-buzzard in SW Northumberland).

Table 40 shows the migration picture for Honey-buzzard in 2020. Numbers were back to normal with better coverage, with 4 adults seen in spring and 17 birds in autumn, comprising 4 adult male, 4 adult female, 9 juvenile, departing in that order as expected. Productivity was low in Northumberland this year at 1.17 young/successful brood but no failures were noted. BirdGuides counts showing an unusual departure of Honey-buzzard nationally in the first half of August suggest more failures in the country as a whole. My one significant absence was in late September and early October, which would have affected juvenile totals in particular. However, even if the total of 9 juvenile is an underestimate, It seems improbable that a good breeding season in Scotland was indicated as in 2014, 2016 and 2017.

Table 40: Visible Migration Movements noted for Honey-buzzard in SW Northumberland in 2020

March 7th: dull and raw in morning, then amazing turnaround at 13:30 with bright sunshine, max 7C, min 2C, light W breeze. Did complete records for 16/1, including Gongoni salt pans and Mambrui. So update is:

Kenya running totals: 157 species from 319 records, 11 complete lists, 17 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 25, gulls 6+2 subspecies, terns 6, raptors 30, herons/storks 18. Includes Tsavo East safari park records from days 1,3 of 3, 11/1 (day 2/3) to do as final main step. Add 4 types from Ethiopia for trip running total with groups: raptors +2. So in all that's 161 bird-types with raptor-types 32.

A snippet from David Attenborough's Life in Colour broadcast tonight was very interesting. It dealt with why Painted Snails in Cuba are so varied. It's thought that it's to confuse predators who like to prey on particular models. So is that why the Honey-buzzard is so variable in juvenile plumage: to present many different models to confuse predators who otherwise might focus on a particular model with high mortality for the Honey-buzzard in their hazardous first-winter in Africa. The Honey-buzzard in Africa is very poorly studied: plenty of scope for another winter there while finishing off the book. Maybe for a month go to the Kenyan Highlands as a new area and the Kenyan coast for further study, perhaps at Lamu, using Malindi Airport as a local base.

The sudden turnaround in the weather had a striking effect on me and the birds; spirits definitely uplifted after several days of gloom. Was in Sele when sun broke through; quickly back home at 14:00 watched Devil's Water from road and had 5 Common Buzzard up together at Peth Foot, a male Goshawk displaying very high-up over Slaley Forest NW, a Red Kite to W near Blackhall Mill and, first migrant of year, a Sand Martin flying N. Then onto music: cello do was late in starting at 15:30, which was a pity; loved the harmonies and atmosphere in the Arvo Pärt piece but at 15:58 switched to next appointment from St Mary's, Perivale. This was on time! I love the Dora Pejačević Piano Trio in C: has a lot of cohesion and the theme that drives the piece to a close is very catchy!! Playing throughout by AR, LB, DG, was brilliant and the plug for the BAF came over well. Donated 0.1k + GA and had a very grateful email from HM, who sent me the HD link. May tune in to the string quartet concert on Thursday but next stream is ON tomorrow evening. It took longer than expected doing final sort of Kenyan records for 16/1 so no major changes in NB today. Impressive: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

March 6th: some bright intervals but pretty raw out still, max 4C, min 0C, light NE breeze; temperature will start rising later in night as front moves in. Not out today except to clean some of the French Window exteriors in the front, which have caught some debris over the winter, mainly from wind-blow from a decaying grass-cutting + shrub-cutting heap, which have also tidied up. Worked hard today completing labelling, uploading and indexing of piccies from Gongoni Salt Pans on 16/1. Will do final check and add to BirdTrack tomorrow morning. There is the late lunch stop between Gongoni and Malindi to do and a few sightings on the road; don't really want to be reminded of the lunch, toughest chicken I've ever had! May move to new NB tomorrow; will rewrite introduction to reflect the upcoming book, which intend to draft over the spring and summer, when the birds are actually here (and more vivid!). There will even be a section on Honey-buzzard in Africa – seen them in Morocco, RSA, Ethiopia, Kenya. Will be out at lunchtime b4 concerts: best of luck to the players, who will get my strong support!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

March 5th: dull, cool spell persisted, max 4C, min -1C, cloudy all day except for little brightness in morning, light N/NE breeze. Made HEX4shop but long queue outside W on arrival so went to C4c4l, Sele Park 4 TA, I4minishop, then back to W where queue small to complete big shop! Met GB from Discovery Museum in car-park for good chat, SD of course! tmsuo looked gr8!! Just getting home when P pulled up: shall we have a short walk in 'Shire? Agreed so we went out to Steel at 14:00 in his car for walk towards Dukesfield and back through Staples. All went well: I was needed for all gate handling so quite busy! Had 20 bird species, including a Common Buzzard displaying, 600 Starling up in 2 flocks, and in Steel pond area: 10 Mallard, 8 Greylag Goose, 4 Canada Goose, 2 Teal, 1 Magpie. Dropped off at 15:50 and just got organised when realised it was 15:59, 1 min to weekly Skype with N/D. So sent them a quick email and had flying lunch joining them at 16:20 just as 'phone rang: Kate from ON thanking me for my donations! We had good Skype session, plenty to talk about. Since fortunes are aligned with OPEC's had good week at +33k, making gain on ytd 219k gross (17.7%), 207k net. Ftse 100 and 250 had good start to week but tailed off, leaving ytd +1.6%, +4.2% respectively. Unusually was up and busy at start of trading on LSE (08:00) spending the last of my HUR proceeds while markets had an uncertain start. Am now in top 1% of UK population on net worth, a measure which excludes your home property bloomberg-how-much-net-worth-it-takes-to-join-ranks-of-wealthiest. Other than the 'forced' HUR sale, am not attempting to trade the rise. PoO Brent is now $69.5 a barrel; you can buy some for storage in your bath! So not much else done; booked up Globe4cello on Sunday at 15:00, will make Ealing in virtual mode at 16:00 and ON next day at 19:00 for Breaking Barriers: The Many Faces of Women in Opera, last 2 events for Women's International Day! Looking forward to it all: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

March 4th: perishing today, moderate NE breeze, max 4C, min 0C, hardly any sun, rain in morning. Did make Quayside for same walk as last week, very good exercise; Kittiwake are returning rapidly with 103 counted, including 30 seen flying upstream in groups as if coming back for first time; the timing of their return will be set to some extent by the conditions in the western Atlantic, off Newfoundland, where many spend the winter. Did get 10 bird-types, including 90 Feral Pigeon, 4 mating Mallard, 2 Mute Swan adult, 2 Cormorant adult, 7 Black-headed Gull adult, 5 LBBG adult, 66 Herring Gull (46 adult, 6 2s, 14 1s), 6 Crow, 1 Blackbird. Had a Common Buzzard soaring at Shilford at 12:30 and a Sparrowhawk female at Wylam at 12:35. Was keeping a watching brief on the bimonthly OPEC meeting notionally in Vienna, which started on Zoom at 13:00 GMT. Outcome was very positive for PoO: Oil Soars As OPEC+ Sources Suggest No Production Increase, by Tsvetana Paraskova

The U.S. oil benchmark, WTI Crude, jumped early on Thursday to above $64 a barrel, soaring by more than 5 percent, after OPEC+ sources began telling reporters that the coalition may be close to agreeing not to increase their collective oil production in April. WTI Crude prices were surging by 5.06% at $64.21 as of 11:18 a.m. ET on Thursday. Brent Crude prices jumped above $67 per barrel, to $67.17, up by 5.10%, after OPEC+ sources started to leak insights from the ongoing OPEC+ ministerial meeting. According to delegates, the discussion is now about a rollover of production for all members except for Russia and Kazakhstan, “which will be allowed to boost output by 130k and 20k respectively,” Amena Bakr, Deputy Bureau Chief & Chief Opec Correspondent at Energy Intelligence, tweeted. https://oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Oil-Soars-As-OPEC-Sources-Suggest-No-Production-Increase.html

The OPEC meeting's progress, supposedly confidential from start to finish, seems to be quickly reflected in markets! That sheikh from a little-known emirate in heavy robes might be a Goldman Sachs dealer! Noticeable also that Russian oil shares rose sharply after an hour of the meeting: Alexander Novak was evidently brandishing his smart 'phone as he went in! The wider market in the US, particularly tech stocks, is falling sharply so no room for complacency.

Did process some of the Gongoni piccies in the evening, labelling some of the waders and the flamingos, and indexing the scenic photos of the Salt Pans. The day had even better climaxes: she's fabulous: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

March 3rd: updated Honey-buzzard page with breeding data for SW Northumberland in 2020 (Population of the Honey-buzzard in SW Northumberland).

Table 39 gives a breakdown of the numbers of males, females and juveniles in each part of the season. The male:female ratio declines in the season from 25:18 (1.39) in display to similar levels of 8:7 (1.14) in the rearing period and 16:14 (1.14) in fledging. Males appeared to leave later this year than in a typical year, perhaps connected to the difficulties of raising young in 2020 with its relatively low productivity levels. It may be that the males depart when the success of the brood appears to be secure. No gangs of juveniles, gathering before departure, were noted in late September as the observer was in Portugal at the relevant time.

Table 39: Number of Male, Female and Juvenile Honey-buzzard found in each phase of breeding season in 2020

So some satisfaction now having completed the breeding results; still need to do the migration data but it's on to the Kenya salt pans now! New Ag spoon arrived (well antique really, George I, dognose pattern dessert spoon by Samuel Wilmott, Plymouth, with Exeter marks for c.1723, engraved contemporarily 'Rachel') so spent some time fondling that and checking its provenance – all fine, will pay Daniel tomorrow. Early spoons have doubled in price in the last 12 months. But did label the scenic shots at Gongoni, resize them and upload to server; so on my way! Cleaner S came today and threw me out so off for walk at Dipton Wood E towards Prospect Hill, in the gloomy conditions, misty, max 2C, min 0C, calm, from 15:00-16:30. Only got 11 bird-types, including a single Common Buzzard perched on a hedge at 16:20. Quite a lot of youth out, presumably enjoying the escape before school starts again; didn't know so many young people lived in the area! Earlier had chat with P on 'phone; he's got a private hernia op next Tuesday; we agreed to go for a walk on Quayside when he's recovered. Also met M after coming down to N4c4c; we agreed to meet in his garden asap. Something was definitely stirring!! Delighted to hear that Ealing, where big sis lives, has some gr8 entertainment coming up on Sunday; will be there virtually!! 2moro it's NCL in familiar style: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

March 2nd: sunny again but cooler, max 6C, min 1C, dry, light E breeze. Completed day 3 of safari in all aspects, including addition of records to BirdTrack, so new position is:

Kenya running totals: 151 species from 288 records, 10 complete lists, 15 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 24, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 6, raptors 30, herons/storks 15. Tsavo East safari park records from days 1,3 of 3, 11/1 to do; also outstanding is Gongoni Salt Pans 16/1 to complete the coast. Add 4 types from Ethiopia for trip running total with groups: raptors +2. So in all that's 155 bird-types with raptor-types 32.

Next up is Table 39 for further details of Honey-buzzard breeding in Northumberland as can then publish the annual report with migration totals to follow after starting new Noticeboard for 2021. From Kenya will complete Gongoni (c130 piccies) before embarking on the middle full day of the safari, where have 560 photographs, including the Lion kill and a number of Honey-buzzard. So plenty to do! Did make HEX for normal circuit, buying some more bird food: they're still very hungry! Someone looked very good! Funds are +3k on wtd; expecting a pullback after strong rise over last 4 weeks, particularly as there's an OPEC meeting on Thursday. Almost got caught in HUR where had accumulated 500k shares over last few weeks, averaging down in attempt to recover loss. Was expecting an RNS in February but none appeared so did some research, in particular finding at last a publication of the bond price; horrified to see it was 26.6% of par (for 7.5% bond, redeemable 2022, ytm loads!) as bondholders normally have inside info and anyway are mainly professional investors. So liquidated the lot in 8 sales yesterday afternoon making a tiny profit overall on 19k proceeds. This morning HUR dropped 15-20% on another disappointing RNS (Regulatory News Service), which would have cost me 4k; another benefit of sale is have funds to use if prices do soften a bit. So moral is: always follow the bonds and if RNS is late, fear the worst as bad news travels more slowly! Would now be more interested in buying the bonds but they're not available for retail holders; will keep an eye on them though at https://www.boerse-frankfurt.de/bond/xs1641462277-hurricane-energy-plc-7-5-17-22. So hope the lovelies are keeping super-fit: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

March 1st: sunny again but feeling nippier with wind round to light E, dry, 9C max, -1C min with frost at dawn. Did quite a lot on Tsavo Voi 12/1, completing run through of bird piccies and labelling and uploading them for indexing tomorrow; have 3 Honey-buzzard records, a female in flight, a bleached juvenile perched and another standing on top of a large mound. Attended R meeting at 12:30; some gasps when they learnt I'd been in Kenya for 3 weeks! Talk was on the history of Electric Vehicles (EVs) going right back to the 19th century so the current ideas are far from new; some useful leads and background were given. Did make C4c4t and Sele for a change!! Much later out for a break, which was very rewarding, getting 2 Tawny Owl, a Barn Owl, 4 Roe Deer: lok2tmbo!!!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 28th: again another beautiful sunny and mild day for the time of year, 9C max, 0C min, light SW breeze, dry, slight frost coming up tonight. Cut the front roadside hedge around lunchtime, using 80m of cable to reach the furthest bits to W with the mains-powered electric hedge trimmer. All went OK: it's a widely appreciated activity in the 'Shire, keeping the roads wide and avoiding scratches on paintwork so plenty of smiles and waves! Took me 2 hours non-stop so into HEX to make C4c4ll and the Sele Park for recovery. Had decent walk around and back up to Elvaston where left car. Find walking is a good thing to do after heavy hedge trimming, loosens everything up but still feeling a little knackered! In evening got up to date with local records for February: current status on BirdTrack for UK 2021 is 71 species in year, 67 in February and 37 in January, when largely away. Did a little on Tsavo 12/1, adding 5 bird records, 3 of which for raptors, from the Sala Gate end of the visit. No new species; will start on the Voi list tomorrow from earlier in the day, plenty of interest there. And also will work on Table 39 for Honey-buzzard results for 2020 in UK. So plenty to do: very relieved that lockdown is finally over!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 27th: yet another beautiful sunny and mild day for the time of year, 9C max, 3C min, light W breeze, dry. Completed text account below to go with Table 38 (Honey-buzzard breeding totals in 2020); have to add one more table (Table 39) for breeding details and another for migration totals; once have added Table 39 will publish results on main web page, leaving migration totals for a few days more. Also did index animal piccies from safari on 12/1; animal = mammal in reality! Made C4c4l where very pleased 2 c tmsuo!! Drink in Sele was actually very pleasant in the sunshine. Then back to Letah Wood from 13:30-14:50 for a short walk. Letah Wood is close to home, on the West Dipton Burn and is managed by the Woodland Trust. Used to be one of the few places where Lesser Spotted Woodpecker could be seen and today was amazed to record one, drumming weakly for 30 min from 14:00-14:30 in mature woodland on NW corner of wood, where bred a long time ago. Drumming was weaker than Great Spotted Woodpecker; it was persistent maybe very 2 minutes. Some of the drumming was recorded. Did get a glimpse of its barred back and saw it once in flight with broad wings, size smaller than a Starling. Other birds were 3 Common Buzzard up together at 14:22) in total of only 8 types but was focused on the woodpecker. Also had a Peacock butterfly and a large bumble bee flying around at Letah Wood. Hope they're not too early: winds are going more E on Monday and max 5C, min 0C, are on the cards for later next week. Suggest NCL for Thursday next week!! Watched Sleeping Beauty ballet from ROH tonite, cost £3 with £20 donation. Very colourful – how do they keep smiling so convincingly – and music by Tchaikovsky is very lively. I've now got loads of tunes floating around in my head! Yesterday was very stimulating: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 26th: beautiful sunny and mild day for the time of year, 8C max, 1C min, light to moderate W breeze, dry. Did make NCL on the train -- on nodding terms with the Travel Security Officer! Had great walk along Quayside to the Ouse, crossing the Tyne over the Millennium Bridge and walking back past the Sage and over the HLB. Had 3 new gulls for the year on the Tyne: a Kittiwake adult (just one, first of many no doubt, lovely to see), an adult Mediterranean Gull and 4 LBBG adult, looking frisky already. LBBG is very scarce in NE England in winter; they move S/W to milder climes, including southern and western England, W France, Portugal, W Spain and Morocco, basically all the way along the Atlantic flyway. Total for Quayside was 10 bird-types, including additionally: 114 Feral Pigeon, 43 Herring Gull (34 ad, 5 2w, 4 1w). 27 Black-headed Gull adult, 7 Crow, 5 Mallard (2 mating!), 11 Woodpigeon, 2 Great Tit. 15 Herring Gull were on factory roofs near Derwenthaugh, a breeding site with LBBG. From the train had a Goldeneye drake at Newburn and 7 Tufted Duck, 2 Grey Heron and 2 Oystercatcher at Merryshields GP. Did some work on Tsavo East 12/1, resizing the animal piccies and uploading them to the web server for indexing tomorrow. Main work today was compiling the overview table for breeding Honey-buzzard in Northumberland in 2020 as below; will add some explanatory text and discussion tomorrow. Funds climbed well this week in spite of worries about rising bond yields spooking the market. The ftse 100 fell 2.5% today, 2.1% on week and 0.7% on ytd; yesterday the NASDAQ tech index fell 3.5% and Tesla is 25% off its recent highs; think EVs are terribly over-hyped – will elaborate soon. The ftse 250 has held up better, but is now just 4.0% up on ytd. PoO has been resilient, closing at $64.5 for a barrel of Brent. Watching closely the CV trends with increases in Brazil, France and Italy but mainly declines elsewhere. India is worth watching as it's a big oil consumer; the monsoon season starts in May, some time ahead still but anyway the current CV does not seem as seasonal as colds; in Brazil for instance it goes on and on. In Germany the states have started opening up after Merkel moved the goalposts again. Own funds were +19k on week, -11k on Thursday's level after today's bloodbath. Gain on ytd is 186k gross (15.1%), 174k net. Today donated £50 to ON in review of one-to-one and £100 to RNS for yesterday. Had good chat with N/D on Skype, straight after return from CRB! Highlight of day was undoubtedly the rendezvous: she's so gorgeous: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

The overall results for the 2020 Honey-buzzard breeding season are given in Table 38.

The study area was broadly maintained at its 2019 level but nest site visits were replaced by frequent visits to a subset of sites in line with the National Honey-buzzard Survey, organised by the Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP). To maintain proper comparisons between seasons, relatively intensive coverage continued in two parts of the study area, as a control: Devil's Water and Tyne Valley W. In these two areas the number of sites was unchanged at 14, suggesting in conjunction with earlier results a stable to slowly increasing population overall. The ten sites selected for frequent visits were in four areas: Tyne Valley W (3), Tyne Valley E (3), Devil's Water (2), Derwent (2), representing the eastern part of the study area. The National Survey results, also tabulated in Table 38, show intensive observational activity, mainly in July and August, with in 49 visits (4.9/site) finding 20 adult and 12 juvenile. The timing of the National Survey for July/August would not have been my choice as certainly in July the species can be elusive. Indeed in 17/49 visits no birds were seen though admittedly I made shorter visits, typically 2 hours, than the 4 suggested as I have found on some days the birds never come into view, making long visits frustrating. My visits occurred from 21/6-1/9 with one site visited as late as 9/9 to confirm fledging. The National Survey provided a novel view of the season's progress, with complete data for the second part of the season, and it is intended to cover the western part of the study area in a similar way in the 2021 breeding season.

In terms of successful nests the results of all my survey work was similar to that in the previous year with 33 occupied sites (30 in 2019) and the number of confirmed breeding pairs at 24 (24 in 2019). But there was one major change: a drop in productivity with only 4 pairs raising 2 young each (12 in 2019) and 20 pairs 1 young or more (12 in 2019), giving a minimum fledge of 28+ juveniles (36+ in 2019). In terms of known successful nests, 24 pairs raised 28+ young, that is a minimum of 1.17 young per pair (in 2019, 32+ young from 20 nests, 1.60+ young per pair). Further the intensive field work this year in July and August confirmed that the great majority of pairs had only fledged one young. Wasp numbers were very low, perhaps due to the dry spring as recorded below in the weather reports. It is likely that pairs were able to switch to alternative prey such as Woodpigeon squabs, which results in success for one juvenile but not nutritious enough for the fledging of 2.

Weather report for England 2020 (from the Met Office https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/summaries/index ):

April. Much of April was fine and settled, though with some shorter spells that brought rain. High pressure was located in the vicinity of the UK for much of the time, often to the north, and so easterly winds were a regular feature. Less settled spells came from the 1st to 6th, the 11th to 13th, and most notably a cyclonic spell from the 27th onwards. Plenty of sunshine generally allowed daytime temperatures to rise well above normal on numerous days, whereas minimum temperatures were barely above normal and in fact northern and eastern Scotland had several late frosts. Rainfall was well below normal quite widely, with only central southern counties of England having near-average rain totals.

May began with a shallow area of low pressure which brought cool showery weather, but high pressure built from the north-west between the 2nd and 4th, turning the weather more settled. There was plenty of warm sunny weather for most between the 5th and 9th, but showers broke out in places from the 7th onwards. Northerly winds brought a cold snap from the 10th to 15th, with wintry showers for the north and east of Scotland, and some overnight frost. There was a more changeable spell from the 16th to 23rd, but with plenty of warm sunshine at times in the south. High pressure dominated from the 24th bringing generally dry, sunny and warm weather.

June. The very sunny and warm weather of late May continued into the start of June, but a cool northerly type became established from the 3rd to 7th, bringing showers and some longer spells of rain. After a brief settled interlude, it turned wet almost everywhere by the 10th. Around mid-month there was a spell of warm, humid, showery weather with thunderstorms especially in central, western and southern areas, and persistent low cloud along the northeast coast. There was a hot sunny spell especially over England from the 23rd to 25th, which triggered a thundery breakdown in places. The last few days were cloudy and windy with showers and longer spells of rain, with especially persistent and heavy rain in parts of Cumbria.

July began with low pressure dominating, giving mainly cloudy weather with showers and longer spells of rain. It continued unsettled and mostly cloudy until the 9th. Between the 10th and 22nd, high pressure often ridged into southern parts of the UK, bringing dry sunny weather to southern England, and from the 10th to 12th and 19th to 21st, the high moved further north bringing more widespread fine weather, but central and northern counties otherwise remained unsettled and often cloudy. It was generally changeable from the 23rd to 29th, but a brief hot southerly incursion on the 30th and 31st brought unusually high temperatures to many parts of the UK, locally reaching 37.8 °C (100 °F) in the southeast.

August started off with low pressure and showery, mostly cloudy weather. Between the 6th and 13th the weather turned warm or hot and sunny in most regions, with some thundery outbreaks, and temperatures widely exceeded 30 °C in the south and locally 35 °C in the south-east. The weather turned more unsettled mid-month with showers and longer spells of rain. From the 19th to 28th the weather was often wet and windy with depressions heading in from the west, and Storms Ellen and Francis brought especially wet and windy weather to most of the country on the 20th-22nd and 25th. It turned cooler and quieter during the last few days.

September began with a ridge of high pressure, but westerlies dominated from the 2nd until the 12th bringing areas of rain interspersed with brighter showery weather, though high pressure increasingly influenced the south at times. It turned hot in places, especially south-east England, around mid-month, and the 16th to 21st was settled with high pressure and plenty of warm sunshine for most parts of the UK. The weather turned much cooler and more unsettled from the 22nd, and it was very wet and windy in Norfolk on the 25th. With clear skies and slackening northerly winds further west from the 25th to 27th, frost developed overnight in some places.

October began very unsettled, with Storm Alex bringing rain and strong winds to much of England and Wales on the 2nd, and a very wet day followed for much of the UK on the 3rd. From the 4th to 13th it remained unsettled with rain or showers, and from the 8th winds changed to a mainly northerly or north-westerly direction. It was more settled from the 14th to 18th with easterly winds, though many places were rather cloudy at times. The weather turned very wet and windy from the 19th onwards, with mainly westerly and southwesterly winds, and rain belts crossed the country at frequent intervals, with some brighter showery weather in between.

November began mild, wet and windy, but briefly turned colder and more settled around the 4th-7th with a ridge of high pressure. Southerly and south-westerly winds blew frequently from the 7th to 18th, bringing mild weather with wet and windy spells. It continued mostly unsettled and mild until the 25th, with a very brief northerly outbreak on the 19th. It turned settled and colder from the 26th to 29th with high pressure and variable amounts of cloud with widespread fog, then further rain spread southwards on the 30th.

The overall impression was of a very dry spring extending into early June, followed by more changeable weather through July and August. September was mainly dry and sunny, particularly in the middle part, but October and November were wet and unsettled. Spring was particularly dry in the UK in eastern England with NE England having under half the average rainfall for this period from 1981-2010; sunshine totals and temperatures were both above average in NE England, particularly the sunshine figures. Summer and autumn in NE England were close to average with respect to temperature, rain and sunshine.

Survey effort was maintained throughout the breeding season owing to the Covid pandemic restricting overseas and national travel. Studies of the autumn migration season in Northumberland were affected by a 13-day trip to the Algarve from 22/9-4/10; this trip did though provide an opportunity to study the passage of juvenile Honey-buzzard through south-eastern Portugal towards Gibraltar. No new sites were found this year in the Study Area but a new site was found to the NE of Throckley in Tyne Valley E at Prestwick Carr 10km from the centre of Newcastle, with a female present on 3/6; an orbital ring containing Prestwick Carr, Throckley N, Ryton Willows, Dunston Hill Head around the Tyneside conurbation is indicated by studies over a number of years. These edge-land sites are normally productive so it was surprising that Ryton Willows was apparently unoccupied this year.

Table 38: Results for the Honey-buzzard Breeding Season in SW Northumberland by area in 2020

National Survey: S sites, V visits, A adults, J juveniles

February 25th: mild and sunny, a rare combination in February, 8C max, 3C min, moderate W breeze, dry. Got stuck into Honey-buzzard returns for 2020, checking the provisional results against the base data; did find a male had been missed from the earlier results so corrected that. Working on table for overall results, which should finalise tomorrow. No work on Tsavo today. Cleaner S came mid-afternoon so into W4bigshop £62, C4c4t and walk down to Tyne Green. Did spy tmsuo and tblfg!! Tyne Green from 16:00-16:50 was good for birds: 5 Oystercatcher, 12 Herring Gull (6 adult, 1 2w, 5 1w) and a magnificent male Peregrine flying high to NW, back to an inland breeding site presumably, from the coast. Fitness is increasing every day with the exercise! More Zoom sessions: Cobwebs hosted a * to good effect; RNS hosted a chat by 2 gurus, TB (chorus director) and MG, under NH as chair. Bought a spoon in the Finial (Silver Spoon Club) auction today: a westcountry George I (1721) dognose silver spoon for £218 (including costs, a bargain!). 2moro it's NCL, same as last week!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 24th: mild but damp all day, max 10C, min 5C, moderate SW breeze, no sun. Went for good walk in the damp from 16:00-17:00 from home, by the Devil's Water at Peth Foot. Decided if going to get fit cannot stay at home when it's raining! Restored water to outside tap, as hard frosts probably over, and filling up slowly far pond for frogs. Signs of spring: a Curlew calling, 1400 Common Gull adult flying to roost at Derwent Reservoir, 3 Song Thrush singing, to add to yesterday – single Song Thrush and Blackbird, both singing at Hexham; total was 17 bird-types. Two Tawny Owl were again calling from my field at night; think they're setting up territory in the trees surrounding it, marvellous! Did a lot of work on Tsavo East 12/1, labelling the animals and some of the birds. Loved the singing in one-to-one from Opera North, being given 3 folk songs by Amy, in the Chorus at ON, for 15 minutes over Zoom. Admire all in the Arts keeping up momentum if at all possible! Hopefully back to live concerts soon. More action tomorrow evening: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 23rd: very mild again by day with max 11C but cooler early morning at 4C min, sunny intervals in morning with showers, becoming wetter later-on, fresh SW breeze. No fieldwork today but did have decent walk in Hexham, down from Elvaston and back in late afternoon, calling in at C4c4t to meet tmsuo!! Completed processing day 1 of Safari as immediately below and put whole clip of the West Dipton Honey-buzzard (12/8 10070) up on vimeo, releasing more disk space on my BT account for additional Kenya material. Next vital task is producing Honey-buzzard breeding totals for last year, obviously available in draft on my home page but to be re-worked from scratch to confirm the totals and published on an area basis as for say the Red Kite. Might get close to that tomorrow as in full flow at moment. Funds continue to rise on better energy outlook: +10k gross in first 2 days of week. Have aria tomorrow, concert and RNS on Thursday evening b4 welcome relaxation on Friday!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

Completed processing Tsavo East, Voi, 10/1, on BirdTrack. Kenya running totals: 144 species from 254 records, 9 complete lists, 15 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 23, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 6, raptors 30, herons/storks 15. Tsavo East safari park records only from day 1 of 3, 10/1. Add 5 types from Ethiopia for trip running total with groups: raptors +2. So in all that's 149 bird-types with raptor-types 32. Now processing Tsavo East safari, day of return, 3 of 3, 12/1.

February 22nd: mild again by day with max 8C but cooler in evening down to 2C, wet morning was followed by glorious afternoon with bright sunshine on moderate W breeze. Had another good walk, determined to get fitter, making Dipton Wood S from 14:10-15:40. Some more signs of early spring with 3 Common Buzzard up, 2 in active display, over the SW corner of the wood at 15:25, a Raven flying high overhead to N, 4 Stock Dove displaying and 2 Lapwing territories in progress. Total for the trip was 21 bird-types. The large flock of Common Gull near Ordley had reached 1800 at 17:00. Keeping an eye out for Goshawk but just the one seen so far yesterday near home. Have completed running through all the piccies for day 1 of safari (10/1), including uploading and indexing them. So just need to add to BirdTrack now, which doing in the morning. Not that happy with the slow opening up of pubs and theatres. Have created a new folder 'Spain May 2021': looking for investment opportunities in property in Andalucia, after I've had jab 2 in late April. Watched Red Sparrow tonite on Film 4; thought it would be about birds but it was a spy thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence!! Lovely to see the piccies of Budapest; her apartment there, its entrance and lift, were not that different from ours when there for the Wagner Days. It was indeed Wagnerian in length but did maintain the tension, with Russian torture techniques prominent! PoO over $65 this evening for Brent and major rotation (by others) from tech to commodities. Do hope someone is super-fit: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 21st: mild with 11C max, 6C min, light to moderate SW breeze, dry, sunny. A great day weather-wise with first watch over Devil's Water from road outside home from 11:30-12:00. Had good range of raptors here with 2 Red Kite at Blackhall Mill, single Common Buzzard at Peth Foot and Juniper, and a male Goshawk over the fields to E, hunting low-down. Also had 65 Fieldfare and 1 Siskin near the Water. Went straight out to Kings Law on the edge of Hexhamshire Common from 12:25-13:50 where could see some signs of spring: a Curlew calling, a flock of 25 Lapwing with 2 further birds in territory already, 5 up-for-it Red Grouse, 210 Common Gull, 30 Black-headed Gull and best of all 5 Black Grouse as a Black Cock and 4 Greyhen in display at a lek; 15 bird-types were recorded at the moorland site. On way back had 20 Teal on Steel pond. Made Hexham from 16:20, going to C4c4t, seeing the early spring run of (Norwegian) Common Gull already under way with 500 on fields at Ordley, building further from 250, 2 days ago. The young Kestrel again roosted in my arch at 18:00 (making a fine mess!) and 2 Tawny Owl were calling outside at 21:00. So that's 5 types of raptor today: 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Red Kite, 2 Tawny Owl, 1 Kestrel, 1 Goshawk. Tech-wise completed transferring video clips 640 to vimeo and completed labelling and indexing of raptors at Voi Lodge on 10/1. So still need to do 'other birds' at Voi on 10/1; delayed a little today by resumption of fieldwork. Really enjoyed the concert – a great tonic with its brilliant programme and performance!! Have some friends going to Centre for Life for jabs on Tuesday and aria on Wednesday; was thinking of Friday for NCL this week!! Have just heard that final version of paper Physical Sounds as Co-limits in the Topos under Monad Control has been published by ANPA; my copy's in the post. Grenville (editor) adds the comment: Happy memories of a few beers in your company! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 20th: continuing very mild, 11C max, 6C min, but very wet today on moderate SW breeze. Indeed stayed in! Working hard on safari day 1 at Voi Lodge (10/1) with all landscape and animal shots fully processed now; completed most of raptors and some of the other birds. Expect to finish tomorrow, including addition to BirdTrack. Will then move onto last year's Honey-buzzard breeding season and day 3 of safari (12/1), back from Voi to Sala Gate. Am converting another series of videos, id 640, from 18/06/2010 to mp4 on vimeo; these are in wmv format on my pages and, while still playable, do not score high on compatibility compared with mp4 so decided to go back to the original mts (very high quality, AVCHD, Sony camcorder) and convert them to mp4 for the web. This series 640 contains some very clear and loud alarm, anger and whimpering calls from Honey-buzzard at the local site. Again the converted series will be available from this site as before but also directly through vimeo. Looking forward to concerts tomorrow afternoon and on Thursday: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 19th: updated Red Kite page with very encouraging results for SW Northumberland in 2020 (Other Raptors/Population of the Red Kite in SW Northumberland).

More details of the very successful Red Kite breeding season for 2020 are available in Table 14:

Table 14: Breeding Data for Red Kite in SW Northumberland by area in 2020

No visits were made to the upper South Tyne and fewer visits to the Allen and lower South Tyne owing to the way the national Honey-buzzard survey was conducted with emphasis on the eastern part of the study area this year. Coverage was concentrated this year therefore on the Devil's Water, Tyne Valley W and Tyne Valley E with systematic visits elsewhere mainly to the area to W and NW of Derwent Reservoir. The number of sites found to be occupied climbed strongly to 61 with confirmed breeding at 20 and probable breeding at 24. Quite a number of sites were found occupied in the spring before the Honey-buzzard returned, many holding displaying pairs. The Honey-buzzard survey from July-August concentrated effort on 10 key sites in Devil's Water, Tyne Valley W, Tyne Valley E, Derwent, but obviously reduced the scope for coverage elsewhere so it was not possible to check many of the Red Kite sites found in the spring. Since breeding success was high in the sites actually visited in August, it is likely that many of the sites in the probable category also did go on to breed successfully. The Red Kite has recolonised very successfully much of the lowland habitat in the eastern part of the study area. Next season the Honey-buzzard survey moves to the west of the study area so it will be interesting to see how the Red Kite is faring there in more upland habitat.

Red Kite does appear to be a migratory species in most of Northumberland. Numbers are very low in midwinter in the Tyne Valley and the Devil's Water. In the Derwent area to the E of Derwent Reservoir, numbers are, however, maintained in winter and there is a suggestion that Northumberland birds are a short-distance migrant to County Durham and other areas to the S in winter. Visible migration was observed this year as follows: in spring, 3 NW at the eastern end of Slaley Forest on 31 March, 1 NW at the western end of Slaley Forest on 1 April, 1 W at Ordley (Devil's Water) on 2 April; in autumn, 3 S (2 adult, 1 juvenile) at Bywell on 15 October, 1 adult S at Styford on 15 October. The spring movement may have been detected at Carterway Heads where six birds on 23 March (N&TBC Bulletin).

As in 2019 records were included from the bulletins of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club from March to October 2020. These added 2 sites to Lower South Tyne, 1 site to Allen and 8 sites to Derwent, these last along the Durham border to E of Derwent Reservoir, which I had not visited. So 11 sites in all were added from the bulletins to the 49 sites that I found from my own observations.

The sharp increase in numbers in Northumberland is accompanied by continued success in the species' original area in County Durham as reported by FoRK. Firstly the 2019-20 Winter Roosting survey “produced a fantastic result, a record best ever count of eighty-five kites was achieved, providing further optimism that the fortunes of red kites in the north east are changing for the better. The majority of the kites were noted at the two main roost sites: Forty at Pontburn Wood and forty at Gibside. The UK numbers will be collated and contributed to the European Roost Count held on the same weekend.” https://friendsofredkites.org.uk/2019%2F20winter-roosting. Secondly the 2020 breeding season: “Red kites had their best breeding season ever this year. A minimum of forty two chicks were known to have fledged from nineteen nests with a further five nests that had progressed to the incubation stage, sadly failing. ... The summer’s breeding success continued the story of a steady improvement in our regions red kites' fortunes over the last couple of years. With last winter’s encouraging roost numbers and a significant increase in the number of kite sightings outside the Derwent Valley, FoRK remain optimistic, even though it is disappointing that our birds are still suffering from persecution, that this will continue and look forward to witnessing the spectacular sight of large numbers of these birds coming into roost from September onwards and throughout the autumn and winter.” https://friendsofredkites.org.uk/2020-breeding-summary.

So the FoRKers are doing a lot better in being positive about the success of the Red Kite in the North East. Not sure where the NRG are with their work on Red Kite in Northumberland; their web site appears to be out of date with, for instance, no reference to the death of Brian Little MBE https://funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/LITTLE%20(MBE)/4883160, who was one of my mentors in the early 1980s. I've not mentioned the mixed pairing with Black Kite male x Red Kite female in Prudhoe, which raised one young; that needs to go somewhere in the Red Kite report. At this stage didn't want to distract from the simple Red Kite message: they're thriving. Funds consolidated their good week at +29k after 3.5k of withdrawals. On ytd gain is 167k gross (13.5%) and 156k net, compared to 1.5% for ftse 100 and 4.6% for ftse 250. Energy is the top-performing sector in the US on ytd after being the worst sector last year. Obviously Covid knackers fuel demand so the recovery should be strong once the adverse effects of Covid are mitigated. Some institutions are reluctant to buy oil shares because they're now so woke but are going to be laggards in the performance tables if current trends continue. Have bought some Russian oil shares – Lukoil! Had a real morale-boosting incident in the Sele today while drinking my TA from C4c4ll. A voluntary policeman asked if I'd seen a man who'd got dementia and gone missing, gave his name as Edward and described him. I said no! Five minutes later a voluntary policewomen came along and said: are you called Edward? Had good chat with N/D on Skype: relations fully harmonious now after lapse while in Kenya! Missing my Friday nites at the Welly: Covid is in steep decline now everywhere in the World except apparently in Brazil and France. Even Wales and Scotland are reopening schools for all 3-7 years old from Monday. England needs to get moving! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx xx

February 18th: mild, max 8C, min 4C, moderate SW breeze made it feel cool, a few showers. Busy day with supplies, making W4bigshop £56 net after using 4 coupons sent me yesterday, receiving 250kg of ovoids (smokeless fuel) and 150kg of small doubles (coal for lighting purposes) for £154, buying peanuts and seed for birds in Shambles for £10. Did try to make C4c4l but closed for maintenance so it was N4c4l for a change, still drank in the Sele where many people out with their kids and dogs! Much later had cabin fever and went for drive, getting a Badger at Houtley and a Barn Owl at Ordley: very invigorating!! Have completed run through of Red Kite data and it's a most encouraging picture with (provisionally) 60 sites occupied in S/SW Northumberland (37 last year) with 20 pairs (17 last year) known to have raised young. Top areas are Derwent, along the border with Durham where reintroduction took place, and Hexhamshire (my home area). 49 sites were found in my studies with a further 11 (8 along the Durham border to E of Derwent Reservoir) coming from N&TBC Bulletins. With the concentration of fieldwork in the E this year with the national Honey-buzzard survey, only 5 sites were noted in areas W of Hexham. Expect to publish the final report tomorrow. It was my granddaughter's birthday yesterday, her 6th; sent her a monster personalised card through Moonpig and 1.5k via FPO towards her school fees. Here's the happy duo! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 17th: mild, max 8C, min 5C, light SW breeze, sunny around midday, dry. Moving into spring survey mode now, visiting Stocksfield Mount from 13:05-14:55 while cleaner S at home. As expected Common Buzzard were already active with 3 birds up displaying over Bywell Cottagebank at 13:46, going very high, 1 pale bird up with a Red Kite at 14:23 and 2 flying low-down over Stocksfield Station to N at Bywell Castle as left at 13:50. Star bird was the Red Kite up over Cottagebank with another paler Common Buzzard at 14:23 so raptor totals were 6 Common Buzzard, 1 Red Kite, in total of 17 bird-types. Sightings included 8 Siskin, 6 Greylag Goose W, 27 Herring Gull SW (11 adult, 2 2w, 14 1w), 1 Nuthatch, 1 Greenfinch. Bought some kindling at Stocksfield Garage, £3.10 for 2 bundles, compared to £12.90 in Hexham garages; too many posh people in Hexham are running twee stoves for effect, rather than heat! Completed indexing Jilore piccies (24/1) as below, taking overall totals up slightly to 118 for Kenya. Now onto Voi Lodge safari 10/1 and Red Kite report for Northumberland for 2020 with raw total 1 of 1 species from 104 records, 42 complete lists, 50 places. So enjoying my walks but we surely don't have to wait until April/May for pubs and entertainment to open. With so many people in the main risk groups vaccinated, we should be opening up everywhere on 8/3, when the 3 weeks for antibody build-up have elapsed: get on with it! So satisfying yesterday: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 16th: mild again in Hexham with 9C max, 3C min, some brightness, moderate S breeze, heavy shower late afternoon. Did make NCL for great ½ day out. More people travelling by train and extra staff on trains: Safe Travel Officer, Welfare Officer, … just like the Stasi, everyone employed non-productively means ruin for the economy eventually. Had bracing walk along Quayside where plenty of people out but quiet away from there. Do have a bird list! Watch was from 13:00-15:25 and count was 8 types: Mute Swan 2 adult, Feral Pigeon 47. Black-headed Gull 30, Herring Gull 31 (26 adult, 3 1w, 2 2w), GBBG 1 1w, Common Gull 1 adult, Crow 4, Magpie 1. On Tyne on way in/out had 16 Goosander (8 Newburn, 8 Wylam E, 9 male, 7 imm/female), 5 Cormorant adult, and, at Merryshields GP, 14 Oystercatcher, 90 Greylag Goose, 6 Moorhen. Watched return of European soccer on BT Sport in evening, none of my favourite eastern European sides left so watched Leipzig play Liverpool in Budapest. Leipzig is certainly one of the most cultured cities in the world. I'm all set for camping there for a month when they play all of Wagner's works there, originally set for May 2022; Wagner was born in the Jewish Quarter of the City in 1813; JS Bach, Schumann, and Mendelssohn are among other great composers from there. But their football side are a load of bruisers and it was good to see Liverpool prevail 2-0. Funds continue to prosper at +26k in 1st 2 days of week. Sentiment is improving towards oil. The chaos in Texas is not helping renewable energy which, because of the laws of physics, should not be allowed to rise above 40% in the energy mix as it is unreliable:

Texas Freeze Raises Cost Of Charging A Tesla To $900. The electricity shortage in Texas amid the cold snap has sent spot electricity prices soaring so much that the surge in power prices equals a cost of $900 for charging a Tesla. The typical full charge of a Tesla costs around $18 using a Level 1 or Level 2 charger at home, according to estimates from The Drive. This estimate is based on an average price of $0.14 per kWh of power. However, the extreme winter weather this week has sent Texas spot electricity prices soaring, as the wind turbines froze in the ice storms and reduced the wind power generating capacity in the Lone Star State by half. Spot electricity prices at the West hub have soared above the grid’s $9,000 per megawatt-hour cap, compared to a ‘normal’ price of $25 per megawatt-hour, FOX Business notes. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) called early on Monday for rotating outages across the state as extreme winter weather forced wind power generating units offline, while electricity demand set a new winter peak record. At the same time, freezing cold and ice storms cut offline almost half of the wind power capacity in Texas. https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Texas-Freeze-Raises-Cost-Of-Charging-A-Tesla-To-900.html

Texas forced to have rolling black outs. Not from downed power line, but because the wind energy turbines are frozen. https://community.oilprice.com/topic/22677-texas-forced-to-have-rolling-black-outs-not-from-downed-power-line-but-because-the-wind-energy-turbines-are-frozen/

So all set for a good sleep: great to resume relations: she's so gorgeous: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 15th: Updated Hobby page with inconclusive results for SW Northumberland in 2020 (Other Raptors/Population of the Hobby in SW Northumberland).

More details of the Hobby breeding season for 2020 are available in Table 15

.

Table 15: Breeding Data for Hobby in SW Northumberland by area in 2020

Coverage was reduced for the Honey-buzzard, and hence for the Hobby, in the upper South Tyne, Allen and Derwent areas, which have been strongholds for the Hobby in woods adjacent to the heather moors. In my own studies 4 sites were found occupied, including Bywell and March Burn in Tyne Valley West, and Prudhoe E and Ryton Willows in Tyne Valley E. As with the Red Kite and Goshawk, additional records were taken from the Bulletin of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club (March-October 2020 searched) with 2 records noted: an adult bird flew over the observer's head at Causey Hill Caravan Park (Hexham) on 20 July; a probable female was at March Burn on 7 August. The area Devil's Water/Tyne Valley W/Tyne Valley E was covered well this year with concentration on the eastern part of the study area for the national Honey-buzzard survey in 2020. Significant effort is required in 2021 to check that the Hobby is still breeding in the western part of the study area and this should be facilitated by the move in fieldwork to this area for the national Honey-buzzard survey next year.

Weather in the US goes from bad to worse with Texas particularly badly affected with power supplies collapsing with wind turbines seizing up with ice. Siberia has also had a very cold winter, even by its standards:

Winter Weather, Record Cold Grips Much of Central-Southern US. More than 150 million people in the central and southern United States were under winter storm warnings or advisories Monday, with record-breaking cold temperatures gripping the nation from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. The south-central state of Texas may be taking the worst of the winter weather. Hit by ice storms last week that led to a deadly, 100-vehicle pileup on a freeway, on Sunday much of the state saw snow, more ice and unusually cold temperatures. The thermometer at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport early Monday read -8.3 degrees Celsius, the coldest temperature there in 32 years. Officials in charge of the state’s electricity grid said the storms and frigid temperatures locked up wind turbines on Sunday, reducing power output. Meanwhile, the cold weather created excessive energy demand prompting electric companies to implement rolling blackouts. https://www.voanews.com/usa/winter-weather-record-cold-grips-much-central-southern-us

Cold snap from coast to coast. Below freezing temperatures are forecast to affect more than 245 million people in the lower 48 states over the next seven days, with more than 50 million Americans expected to experience temperatures below zero. The cold air is so widespread that you could travel nearly 2,000 miles from the Rio Grande on the Mexican border to the St. Lawrence River on the Canadian border entirely in winter storm warnings or watches. There is the potential for more than 240 cold temperature records to be broken by Tuesday evening, and some records have already been shattered. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/15/weather/winter-storms-weather-monday/index.html

Peat Fires Smoulder in Siberia Despite Bone-Chilling Temperatures. Siberian peat fires have continued to burn after a year of record-setting wildfires in and around the Arctic Circle despite temperatures below minus 50 degrees Celsius, The Siberian Times reported Wednesday. Footage showing smoke rising from the snow in January and November offers physical evidence of the “zombie fire” phenomenon, which describes summertime blazes that continue smouldering through the winter, eventually igniting new fires. European scientists have voiced concerns that “zombie” fires could be causing earlier-than-normal wildfires. The republic of Sakha, Russia’s largest and coldest region, is in the midst of one of its coldest winters in years with mercury slipping below minus 59 C. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/01/27/peat-fires-smolder-in-siberia-despite-bone-chilling-temperatures-a72747

Much milder today in Hexham (Racecourse for forecasts) with 9C max, 4C min, bright sunshine in afternoon, light SW breeze, dry. Ground underfoot was greasy with a residual frost layer affecting drainage. Had a Common Buzzard over the road at Loughbrow at 13:40 and from 13:45-15:50 was in Hexham, though some of that was going to C4c4ll; walked along Tyne Green in energetic exercise, seeing a female Sparrowhawk and a Common Buzzard over Hermitage, plus 2 feeding Oystercatcher on the old bunker site, soon to be Travelodge/Lidl, in total of 20 bird-types! Have sorted Hobby records as above; next up is Red Kite in a few days after completing Jilore piccies; these piccies won't affect the running totals for Kenya as have already added the data to BirdTrack. Full list for Tyne Green was made, to be added shortly. Donated £0.5k to RNS as regular 3-monthly payment for pp to MG! 2moro it's CRB ex 12:20, NCL ex 15:23. Looking forward to the big city again: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 14th: max 5C, min -2C, rapid thaw setting in after rise above freezing exactly as predicted at 11:00 but with raw fresh SE breeze, perhaps 5cm of slush by late evening on the grass with the blades, snowdrops and daffodils coming through. Still a lot of snow around on higher ground and could be some floods in the valleys. Star bird was a Jack Snipe at 12:30 , flying over my field, have had them here before in very cold weather; think they retreat from the edge of the moors. Also had in garden a male Bullfinch, 3 Fieldfare, 6 Long-tailed Tit and 8 Tree Sparrow, all very hungry! Have completed processing Hobby breeding data for 2020; final draft will be reviewed in morning before publishing. Made Hexham, visiting a ghostly-quiet C4c4t and a not much busier I4shop at closing time. Planning walk tomorrow along Tyne Green, Hexham, and on Tuesday a trip into NCL by train. Disk space getting tight on my BT site, where have 99 GB stored; it's supposed to be unlimited but think there are some quota limits to serve as warnings (to them!). I'm moving some videos to Vimeo where have a contract for 5 GB a week in uploads, starting with my Wagner fanfares at Müpa, Budapest, in 2018-19 (410 MB). Vimeo handle videos better than my BT site, with facility to add metadata and smooth replay, so it's a good move really. I still have the links on my website, they now just point to Vimeo. Heard from Devon M who's been very poorly with Covid-like symptoms but he's keen to collaborate on a paper for a conference in Gdańsk, Poland, in June, on quantum processing. Very pleased to hear from someone who's gorgeous: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

Completed processing Tsavo East, Sala Gate, 10/1, on BirdTrack. Kenya running totals: 116 species from 205 records, 8 complete lists, 14 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 23, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 6, raptors 21, herons/storks 13. Tsavo East safari park records only from Sala Gate on arrival on 10/1. Add 5 types from Ethiopia for trip running total with groups: raptors +2. So in all that's 121 bird-types with raptor-types 23. Now uploading wader piccies from Jilore on 24/1 to web site with indexing directly.

February 13th: max -2C, min -3C, moderate SE breeze, sunshine early on becoming cloudy, dry, snow blowing around, level depth 8cm but a few deeper drifts. Not out today. Tomorrow at 11:00 temperature rises above freezing point for first time in 8 days: marvellous!! Birds very hungry with 6 Long-tailed Tit passing through back garden. Did much work on Kenya records, completing labelling and indexing of piccies from Tsavo East, Sala Gate, 10/1. Will add records to BirdTrack tomorrow and sort Hobby for 2020. Bought a ticket for Globe for forthcoming concert for £20: looking forward to it!! Extreme cold weather continues:

UK weather: Another record low February temperature in England as more snow and ice warnings issued. Temperatures in North Yorkshire dropped to -15.3C (4F) overnight - as the Met Office issues snow and ice warnings for the weekend. Temperatures in Ravensworth dropped to -15.3C (4F) overnight on Thursday [11/2], having previously recorded an all-time low of -13.1C (8F) on Wednesday night [10/2]. https://news.sky.com/story/uk-weather-another-record-low-february-temperature-in-england-as-more-snow-and-ice-warnings-issued-12215875

'Snow apocalypse' blankets frozen Moscow, MOSCOW (Reuters) - Heavy snowfalls have buried Moscow in massive snow piles, disrupting transport, delaying flights and making it tough to get around for pedestrians braving strong winds and temperatures of minus 15 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit). By early Saturday, snow depth in the city reached 56 centimetres (22 inches), Fobos said. This was close to exceeding a record high of 60 cm for accumulated snow on a Feb. 13, it said. On Friday Moscow saw record snowfall for a Feb. 12, breaking the previous record set for the date in 1973, Russian news agencies reported citing the national meteorological service. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-weather-moscow-snowfall-idUSKBN2AD0DC

Part of River Thames freezes amid sub-zero temperatures. Section of river at Teddington Lock, west London, transformed into an ice skating rink for local bird life. In scenes reminiscent of the Great Freeze of 1963, part of the River Thames froze over as temperatures in Britain plummeted to sub-zero temperatures this week. The bitter chill from the Baltic led to the river at Teddington Lock, south-west London, partially freezing over, becoming a skating rink for local birdlife. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/12/part-of-river-thames-freezes-amid-sub-zero-temperatures

So do remember what day it is tomorrow: lok 2t gorgeous ones!! Breaking out this coming week!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 12th: max 0C, min -7C, light E breeze, bright sunshine most of day, little snow melt even off trees, occasional very light snow showers, accumulation snow moderate 10cm. So cold spell continues and lasts for one more day when absence of sun and strong SE wind will give an extreme chill factor. Not out today. Interesting birds in front garden: 2 Fieldfare, 2 Bullfinch (both female), 6 Tree Sparrow, with a Common Buzzard displaying for 1st time this season over Linnels at 11:30. Working hard on Tsavo East safari day 1 (10/1) in Sala Gate area: brings back the lovely memories! Just labelling piccies at the moment but should upload many images to server tomorrow and index some of them, maybe completing task by adding records to BirdTrack on Sunday. Next task is then sorting Hobby records in SW Northumberland for 2020, which will not take long, before returning to Voi Lodge records on 10/1. Had long chat with N/D on Skype: much more harmonious today now I'm not on holiday! Opera North are very chatty at the moment! Funds had a good week at +10k, giving gain on ytd of 135k gross (10.9%), 127k net. Ftse 100 is +0.9% ytd and ftse 250 +4.6%. PoO now up to $62.5, but oil/gas shares are still only a little off their lows. Thinking of selling some of my large holding in ENQ1 next week after PIK received; need to rebalance the portfolio after big gains in the bonds. May buy some Russian oil stocks; they're thought by some to be positive on the long-term future of oil! And balance them with more European oil majors which are now becoming more ESG compliant. Looking forward to more fun next week: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 11th: updated Goshawk page with best results for SW Northumberland in 2020, for 10-15 years (Other Raptors/Population of the Goshawk in SW Northumberland).

More details of the Goshawk breeding season for 2020 are available in Table 14.

Table 14: Breeding Data for Goshawk in SW Northumberland by area in 2020

The revival continued in the study area with the highest number of sites occupied since 2010 and the highest number of broods since 2005. In the core area of the study area in the Devil's Water and Tyne Valley W 6 sites were occupied. Further single sites were occupied in Tyne Valley E and Derwent. No visits were made to the upper South Tyne and fewer visits to the Allen and lower South Tyne owing to the way the Honey-buzzard survey was conducted with emphasis on the eastern part of the study area this year. The Bulletins of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club were searched from February-October 2020: no additional records were found. Four juvenile were seen at 4 sites, with 2 in Tyne Valley W and singles in Devil's Water and Tyne Valley E. However with no young noted at 4 sites where display was recorded in the spring, there are no grounds for complacency.

Max -1C, min -9C, light E breeze, bright sunshine all day, little snow melt even off trees, dry, accumulation snow moderate 10cm. Temperature dived at dusk, car showing -6.5C as drove home at 16:45 and soon after -9C reported for Hexham before rising to -7C at 22:00 and falling again to -8C at 01:00 (12/2). It's very cold over much of North America and Europe:

If You Think It's Cold Now, Just Wait Until Valentine's Day Weekend. Parts of northern Minnesota and North Dakota had wind chills colder than minus 50 degrees. If that doesn't sound cold enough, a reinforcing blast of cold air will surge southward through the Plains late this week into Valentine's weekend. And this time, the cold may smash scores of daily record lows and cold highs, especially by Valentine's Day and Monday. Subzero lows could occur as far south as parts of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Teens below zero are possible deep into Kansas and minus 20s are possible as far south as Nebraska. [temperatures in Fahrenheit] https://weather.com/forecast/regional/news/2021-02-09-arctic-outbreak-valentines-weekend-record-cold

Snow chaos continues in Germany amid temperatures as low as -20C. Arctic polar air continues to cause problems for many people in Germany, as temperatures stayed as low as -20C. Continued cold front. It remains frosty in Germany. "On the edge of a weather front over northern Europe, very cold Arctic polar air is being directed to Germany with a northeasterly flow," the German Weather Service reported Thursday. At the edge of the Alps, an Italian low will initially still provide snowfall. During the day on Thursday, there would continue to be widespread light to moderate permafrost between -1C and -10C around Germany, they said. https://www.thelocal.de/20210211/below-freezing-temperatures-continue-to-hit-germany-hard

Temperature of -23C in Braemar is UK's lowest in 25 years. BBC weather presenter Simon King described the temperatures in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, as "incredible". It was the lowest February temperature since 1955, and the UK's coldest night since 30 December 1995. Mr King said cold air from Siberia and the Arctic - known as the Beast from the East - had sent temperatures "plummeting" over the last week. "While we've all experienced the cold wind, it's over the last couple of nights the temperature has got really low, especially in northern Scotland," he said. "There are three reasons for this: thick snow on the ground, clear skies and light winds." A Met Office yellow snow and ice warning is in place for large parts of the country until 12:00 on Friday. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-56022387

Found this site useful giving masses of information on sea temperatures. Medium-term changes are not so clear-cut as is popularly made out, particularly when looking at troposphere (lowest level of air above the surface). Worth keeping an eye on as it's updated daily. https://www.climate4you.com/SeaTemperatures.htm#Recent%20sea%20surface%20temperature

Cleaner S came out today and I went into Hexham from 14:50-16:50. Made C4c4t where very pleased to meet tmsuo again!! Then out for some birdwatching, getting 21 types, including a Little Grebe and 2 Grey Heron on the Tyne and best of all 2 Oystercatcher around Waitrose roof, where they breed, a sure sign of late winter! Also had 2 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Redwing. Definitely getting hardier in walk down to Tyne Bridge over the River. Had 110 people on Sele toboggan slopes, including 65 kids, 45 adults. Kids went up and down the steep slope, adults chatted, gr8 to see!! In evening attended a quiz from Opera North on Zoom between 2 seasoned teams of opera professionals: difficult questions, got some right and leant a lot; donated £100 towards their funds. So happy to hear from someone: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 10th: max -1C, min -5C, persistent heavy snow showers right up to early evening, accumulation moderate 8-10cm, light NE breeze, some bright sunny intervals but less sunny than yesterday. Thought as roads OK yesterday that weekly mega-shop would be OK today but snowfall got a lot worse and had to wait until 13:20 before ice on road had softened up. So quickly made W where spent £60, coming out to blizzard conditions so no dallying, straight home with climb out of Hexham slippery but new car is very good in the snow, generally autocorrects from wheelspin with its drive controls and ABS. The Beast from the East was in 2018 so that's 2 bad winters out of the last 4. Looks as if there will be a good thaw from Sunday so will soon be out on the fells soon like last year, enjoying the returning waders and kite. Will be going W more this year for part 2 of Honey-buzzard survey. Did cook a mega spag bol (6 portions, 5 for freezer), tasted lovely, much better than ready meals!

Here's the live entertainment from Wasini Island, Mida Creek (19/1):

Then followed the Wasini Island dance troupe in live performance. Here's clips of the preparation and the dance/song with additional stills 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9. Here's my dance with the troupe in a skirt: clips of the invitation (insistence!) and the actual dance plus some stills 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9. As sole traveller I was the only funder of the dancing and purchases from the jewellery tables: I did my best, donating in all guises 4k KSh (£30) to local funds.

Some people will think I've gone nuts but have become interested in Tchaikovsky 1812 (full title The Year 1812 Solemn Overture). Did ask Alexa for Tchaikovsky music and over the next couple of hours, 2 versions were played, one with a chorus, one without. Checked Wiki and Tchaikovsky's original does not have a chorus. The tune in question is an Eastern Orthodox chant so does lend itself well to a chorus. The musician credited with introducing a chorus is Herbert von Karajan, the conductor of the Berlin Phil. Here's the story:

In his 1966 Deutsche Grammophon recording, Herbert von Karajan scored the first 02'43" (or 36 bars) for voices instead of strings at the start and the subsequent dialogue between strings and woodwind, adding the Russian Orthodox plainchant God Preserve Thy People text to the melody and slightly rearranging the texture to suit voices rather than instruments. The American conductor Igor Buketoff, son of a Russian Orthodox priest, went a stage further on his 1960s RCA Victrola recording with the New Philharmonia Orchestra. Not only did he deploy voices for the opening chant but he also had a children’s chorus sing the folk tune By the Gates and brought the choir back to bolster the chant and the Russian Imperial national anthem God Save the Tsar!.[Wiki]

You can hear Igor Buketoff's version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypEJb0HI2kM. The Jerusalem Academy Music and Dance. Mendi Rodan Symphony Orchestra. The Jerusalem Academy Chamber Choir. Conductor: Eitan Globerson. IMHO the chorus makes the work sound much grander with a fantastic climax in the final chant. A certain German composer, much admired by von Karajan, would have liked this! Going to start final reports on the 2020 season for the local raptors as important to get them out the way before the next season starts, which it will very soon for Goshawk. Will also be visiting Toon next week with better weather (by car). xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 9th: max 0C, min -4C, moderate E breeze, bright sunshine most of day, heavy snow showers overnight 8/2-9/2 and late on 9/2, accumulation moderate 5-6cm. After C4c4ll TA, went for walk around Sele where a few cm of snow had accumulated overnight. About 40 kids were out tobogganing, not sure whether it's legal but they were having a great time. Also noted Sele First School where quite a few kids as children of key workers. Must be a nightmare for teachers with 3 strands: children of key workers on the premises, children with digital access off premises and children without digital access off premises who need to deal in paper form. Think primary schools should be back 22/2 in the interest of the children, their parents and their teachers. The sun was so bright: staring at it is so good for the optic nerve and feeling of well-being! Don't ask about the latest quarantine rules for travellers: absolutely crazy and the 10-year prison sentence for lying is more than for robbery with firearms, sexually offending with minors and most manslaughter. Laws such as these should be passed by Parliament, not forced on us. Have processed the dancing at Wasini Island, including 4 clips: will publish tomorrow!!

Kenya running totals: 100 species from 179 records, 7 complete lists, 13 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 23, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 6, raptors 16, herons/storks 13. No records from Tsavo East safari park are included yet. Add 5 types from Ethiopia for trip running total. The dancing doesn't add any birds!!

Did watch on livestream the Gulls play at home against Wealdstone; our injury list continues to grow and the conditions were bad with strong, gusty wind. We did battle though and after going in 0-1 at half-time finally equalised 1-1 at 90+1 and nearly got the winner 2 minutes later! Our lead at the top is cut to 8 points, over Hartlepool. Opera North are running one-to-one arias in 10-minute slots on Zoom. I signed up for 1 on 24/2, donating £100 + gift aid. Funds are +7k on week to date; PoO continues to rise (Brent $61.11) and Manchester junk bonds have edged up a little. All commodities have risen recently; this is going to be a problem for countries not paying their way, such as the UK. Strong Chinese buying is the main spur. Inflation is likely to rise. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 8th: max 0C, min -4C, moderate ENE breeze, some sunny intervals, heavy snow showers, accumulation low 2-3cm by late afternoon, 4-5cm by 23:00. Much warmer in house with the sun out more! Did not go out today with wind-chill -6C; also road has some ice on it even though being gritted twice a day. Completed indexing Mida Creek 19/1, quite a task, good thing that had labelled many piccies from here while still at Watamu. Need to make minor changes to BirdTrack record, then process the dancing girls (and me!). Think then have done all trips where did the processing while away, except 1st day of safari 10/1 which is next task. Also added records from the RSPB Garden Watch for Ordley (30/1, 24 types). Expecting to make Hexham 2moro at lunch-time when sun at maximum power! Wind is dropping a little 2moro so should be pleasanter. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 7th: snow overnight didn't come to much, 3cm on car, 1cm on yard. Although it's staying cold the normal Valentine's effect looks likely with the longer days and higher angle of the sun beginning to be noticeable. Birds very hungry in raw moderate E breeze, max 0C, min -2C. Spotted the young Kestrel coming to roost in my arch again at dusk, being careful not to disturb it by getting coal in early. Completed processing birds on outside of Mida Creek on 19/1; uploaded results to server but not indexed yet. Finished indexing all piccies from Watamu Marine Reserve on 19/1. Did make Hexham mid-afternoon to avoid cabin fever, making C4c4ll and Sele Park for the TA. Had a Common Buzzard sitting on top of a pole on way in. Someone's very motivating: tmro: fabulous!!! Had good chat with son and daughter and younger granddaughter on fb video chat: good to keep up! No real reaction to jab today, long dreamy lie-in was the cure! To bed early, want to be up for the markets at ko!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

February 6th: mild in morning at 4C but getting colder as day wore on with snow settling a little by late evening at 1C; E wind moderate. It's going to stay very cold until Valentine's Day at least. Had jab, AZ variety, at 11:30, a little late but they were processing an enormous number of people with much record-keeping, in a friendly style. Then went to C4c4c and I4shop; someone is very alluring!! Processed Watamu piccies for 19/1 leaving the much large volume of Mida Creek outstanding; still need to index the Watamu ones but limited progress. Watched the livestream of Southport vs the Gulls, FA Trophy round 5, and we won 2-0, similar game to the Barnet one with us scoring early and late and some nervous moments around ½ time. Southport are NL Northern league and did say they were very pleased with the livestream figures, with plenty of Gull fans tuning in. We're in the quarter-finals, last 8, now. Watched the Martian on Film 4 in evening; have seen it before, interesting watching how Mars might be colonised and exciting in places, particularly the rescue of the guy trapped on the planet. Have arm ache and fatigue as go to bed! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 5th: heavy rain in afternoon, max 5C, min 2C, moderate E breeze, rapid thaw at higher levels. Completed processing Mida Creek 8/1, Watamu 9/1 and Addis Ababa 6/1. Results are below:

Final totals from Ethiopia: 8 species from 8 records, 1 complete lists, 1 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: raptors 2. 5 species not found in Kenya visit.

Running totals from Kenya: 97 species from 176 records, 7 complete lists, 13 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 21, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 6, raptors 16, herons/storks 13. No records from Tsavo East safari park are included yet. Next up is final compilation and indexing of boat trip off Watamu to Mida Creek and Wasini Island (plus dancing clips!!) 19/1.

Combined totals from Kenya/Ethiopia: 102 species from 184 records, 8 complete lists, 14 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 21, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 6, raptors 18, herons/storks 13.

Isolation day 10/10, not out today, jab in 1: liberation approaches!! Had 100 min Skype session with N/D – bit subdued – feel they need to get out. Catching up on a bit of music – Mahler 8 (Symphony for a thousand [voices]), Tchaikovsky 1812 with full choral (Jerusalem Academy), good for the soul! Think the government is becoming ever more nutty: quarantine hotels should have been introduced a year ago, not now, when we've got more cases than almost anyone else; but surpassed by the idea of pubs reopening without alcohol. Funds did have a good week, reaching new high of +125k gross (+10.2%), +117k net, on year to date with gain on week alone of 38k. Ftse 100 is -0.6% on ytd, ftse 250 +4.7%. Lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 4th: again damp with rain in morning, max 4C, min 2C, snow melting at higher levels, wind E moderate. Joined in Opera North's From Couch to Chorus Taster Session on Zoom for patrons; did the actions and the singing but probably for the best that we were all muted! Good atmosphere, led by the bubbly JS of the Choral Delivery Team with charming KH as lead administrator and RM doing the introduction as General Director (and ducking the actions!). Cleaner S threw me out at 15:00 until 17:00 for emergency hygiene operations so went into Hexham, walking around, making C4c4ll where pleased to meet Ra/K from the G; we had good chat in the shelter of the Shambles! Then did tour of Sele with my bins, keeping a bird list, getting 12 bird-types, including 6 Herring Gull and a Mistle Thrush. Not feeling the cold now, back to normal! Everything sparkling clean and sterilised on return. Have uploaded to server all piccies from 8/1 and 9/1 (Mida Creek/Watamu) and indexed about ½ of them, rest to do tomorrow. Up early at 07:00 to study results from ENQ and RDSB; former were good, latter were terrible but ENQ equity affected by a deal being struck for a purchase; the same deal benefited ENQ1 the bond, which is my largest single holding (215k nominal) rising c7% to 85 offer. I bought masses in March from 28.50-45 when the oil market went negative. Am waiting for extra PIK bonds (3.5%) to be credited on 15/2 before selling some. PoO now up to $59, so petrol prices will continue to rise. Funds reached record level today. Day 9/10 for isolation, jab in 2. xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xxxxxxxxx

February 3rd: very raw, wet day, with surface water in back garden. But milder than of late with max 2C, min 1C, on moderate E breeze. These piccies show house at Ordley with no snow 1, view to S towards Dukesfield 2 where snow settling heavily at 200m asl, view to SW towards Hexhamshire Common 3 where heavy snow and fog, up to 500m asl. Snowdrops are coming out in my back garden 4  5  6; daffodils are budding well along front wall 7. Flushed a 1w Kestrel at a meter's distance by gate between front and back gardens; here's the signs (poo 1) and this is where it's sheltering 2. Must have taken up residence while I was away. Had a pair of Oystercatcher on the roof at Waitrose, a sign of late winter! Think I've acclimatised back again now, not feeling cold any more, even when outside! Isolation day 8/10, jab day in 3. Cleaner S is coming 2moro.

Completed processing Sabaki Estuary records 16/1. Kenya running totals are: 96 species from 174 records, 7 complete lists, 13 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 21, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 6, raptors 16, herons/storks 13. No records from Tsavo East safari park are included yet. Next up is final compilation and indexing of Mida Creek 8/1.

Had to repeat emergency big shop at W for £49 (can't starve) plus emergency buying of bird food, peanuts and seed, £10 (obviously vital), plus C4c4l (?). Very pleased to meet tmsuo again: she did not realise I would be away so long: absence makes the heart grow fonder (or something!!). Think it was the something in this case! Getting hardy again having TA in the Sele.

How tough do our travel restrictions need to be before the fundamentalists are happy? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/tough-do-travel-restrictions-need-fundamentalists-happy/ . A very good article: there are so many restrictions already in place that surely no more are needed. Travel is reckoned to account for only 1% of cases nationally with hospitality just 3%. The puritans have acted swiftly to take advantage of the pandemic! Delighted that the ever-so-apt opera might be in the offing!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 2nd: 5cm of snow at 08:00 but melted during day after heavy sleet; Ordley at 150m asl once again avoided a heavy snowfall with the major fall occurring at 200m asl and above. Max 2C, min 1C, moderate E breeze. Isolation day 7/10, in all day! Last Malarone taken – pleased at that as don't like being on drugs. Uploaded to server and indexed many piccies from Sabaki 16/2 with some still to do. Funds have had a good 2 days at +18k on rise in Ag shares and in PoO; gain on year to date is 105k gross. Pleased at news that AZ vaccine offers good protection against transmission; that's the most positive news for a while with the alarm over the variants dominating recent news. Over ½ cake eaten and almost out of rw!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

February 1st: bright again, 3C max, -3C min, calm, hard frost early-on. Isolation day 6/10. Emergency shopping at Shell garage for kindling for fire (can't freeze to death!), at Waitrose for washing powder (have to keep clothes clean!) and at C4c4ll (??). Had last-named in the Sele Park. Did enjoy seeing the sights of Hexham!! Have vaccination appointment on 1st day out of isolation at Sele Practice, Hexham Hospital, on Saturday 6/2 at 11:00: all arranged by automated system using SMS on Android: impressed! Had long chats on 'phone with both sisters: good to keep in touch!! Big sis says I'll be given the Pfizer jab as it's being done in a hospital: we'll see! Completed indexing of piccies at Hell's Kitchen 16/1 and went through all Sabaki piccies 16/1 with preliminary assignment already made; now need to check unlabelled piccies just to check not missed anything. Appreciate Reddit turning their attention from GameStop to physical Ag; do have some significant interests in Ag mines and more!! Steadily eating the cake, now with rw: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 31st: bright again, 3C max, -2C min, light SE breeze, longer daylight is very noticeable now with sunset 62 min later than at solstice. Isolation day 5/10. Went for walk around field and for short distance outside towards Juniper. Still feeling chilled outside but inside is getting comfortable now: stone houses takes ages to warm up but also ages to cool down, once up at healthy temperature. Pressed on strongly with Kenya records: finished indexing Malindi 22/1, compiled bird/animal totals for Hell's Kitchen 16/1 and Watamu 14/1; uploaded Hell's Kitchen piccies to server and indexed some of them. So:

Kenya running totals are: 95 species from 168 records, 7 complete lists, 13 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 21, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 5, raptors 16, herons/storks 13. No records from Tsavo East safari park are included yet. Next up is final compilation and indexing of Sabaki 16/1.

Tomorrow will attend Rotary meeting at 12:30 on Zoom. Funds earmarked in next month are for Festival 1.5k (2/2), Opera North 0.25k (11/2), RNS pp 0.5k (15/2), older granddaughter's birthday, now 6 (!), 1.5k (17/2), RNS survival fund 1k (28/2). Completely out of ps!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 30th: snow on car in morning but rapidly melted, bright today, 3C max, -2C min, light E breeze. Am beginning to acclimatise back again but still feeling the cold if go outside!

Kenya running totals are: 91 species from 156 records, 6 complete lists, 12 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 21, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 5, raptors 17, herons/storks 13. No records from Tsavo East safari park are included yet. Processed some records from Arabuko and Makongeni to/from Tsavo safari and at Msabaha on way to Malindi; uploaded Malindi piccies to server, indexing many of them. A much more productive day than yesterday, interleaving compilations with the football.

Did RSB Garden Birdwatch today from 09:30-14:00, getting 24 species in all, including 8 Chaffinch, 4 Siskin, 2 Yellowhammer, 1 Tree Sparrow, 1 Redwing, 1 Nuthatch, 9 Blue Tit, 1 Kestrel 1w.

Isolation day 4/10, still obeying the rules (almost!) but once get past day 5, think risk of carrying inwards infection is much reduced. Should have vaccination 1st jab soon after end of isolation on 5/2 (Monday, 8/2?); the Sele Practice, Hexham, are aware that I'm isolating on return from Kenya (they rang me up in Watamu!). It's Garden Bird Watch Day today, organised by RSPB; put out plenty of food and duly counted the visitors: results soon! Watched plenty of football today: Everton vs the Toon on BT Sport at 12:30 (Toon won 2-0, much more enterprising, great performance by Callum Wilson); Barnet (bottom) vs the Gulls (top) livestreamed at 15:00 (Gulls won 2-0, now 10 points clear of Hartlepool in 2nd place). The Gulls scored early on and then seemed content to sit back until the last 20 minutes, when we upped the tempo, found hectares of space and finished them off! Delighted to meet someone: she's gorgeous: cake and ps delicious: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 29th: max 4C, min 0C, occasional drizzle, dull, light NE breeze. Had long chat on Skype with N/D: bit more relaxed now I'm back in the UK! Watched Sage/RNS annual review on web link; a bit subdued but trying hard to be positive: the Thomas Tallis clip at the end was a good idea, showing a lot of creativity in use of digital media! Not too much done today: still feeling a bit cold; taking Malarone tablets for 7 days after return as per instructions: a bite on the last day could lead to parasite development several days after return; don't suffer any obvious side effects but will be relieved to be off them next Wednesday. In mosquito risk areas, such as Ethiopia, they keep open all the lockers and spray with insecticide the whole plane and passengers before departure to the UK! A terrible week for markets with ftse 100 down 4.3%, giving fall of 1.9% on year to date. Ftse 250 is still 0.6% up on year. Own funds fell 25k but still +87k on year to date gross (+7.1%), +79k net. Have realised 65k cash for trickling back into resource stocks and bonds; bought some of latter today to rebalance portfolio. Think it's a correction, not the start of a major slide; patience is required as the jabs get given out! Going to bed early: still on EAT: will be thinking of someone: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 28th: max 2C, min 2C, snow before dawn settling but melting in morning, light E breeze, gloomy. Put out bird food again and soon got some customers, including 4 Goldfinch and a female Brambling. House is a lot warmer. Daughter sent up an M&S pressie, comprising Belgian chocolates, a bottle of red wine and a miniature rose plant – late birthday present, timed well and very nice! People have asked me how much my 3-week trip cost: at least 4k, probably nearer 5k if everything included. But it was well worth it: an ambition realised to see African wildlife in many different beautiful and varied habitats in our winter, when our summer visitors, including the Honey-buzzard, are there in numbers. The Kenya people are such wonderful hosts! The weather is dry, hot and reliable! Watched Spurs vs Liverpool on my BT Sport sub, very entertaining, pleased Liverpool won 3-1. In long wait at Addis Ababa watched from 22:00-24:00 on my laptop the Gulls draw 0-0 with great promotion rivals Sutton on the free WiFi; we went down to 10 men shortly after ½ time so result was OK, keeping us 9 points ahead of them, though they have 3 games in hand. Been busy selling shares this week in a worrying week for the rapid end of the pandemic; the ftse is down on the year now; have 80k cash after taking some serious profits! But trend in funds is down. Have started the serious task of sorting out the piccies from Kenya and publishing them, starting with Jilore (see below 24/1 for the actual photos).

Kenya running totals are: 80 species from 136 records, 6 complete lists, 10 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 20, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 5, raptors 12, herons/storks 13.

So just 8 days of isolation left: had a text message from the UK government reminding me of my duties, which didn't get after Portugal! Will get vaccinated against Covid soon after end of isolation. The long journey back temporarily affected my hearing; think my seat being just behind the wings near the engines (noisy), and the restricted breathing through a mask for so long (increasing congestion), may have been the cause. Anyway back to normal today after 10-hours of knock-out sleep and plenty of Vicks! Hope for sweet dreams tonite: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 27th: max 6C, min 0C, dull, drizzle, light E breeze. Made it!! It was 29.5 hours door to door, starting at 12:00 26/1 EAT in Watamu, finishing at 14:30 27/1 GMT (EAT-3) in Ordley. London was not so chilly but really felt the cold in Newcastle and Hexham with lower temperatures here, and big winter coat in the car, obviously not taken to Kenya. Journey went well, landing early at 06:09 at LHR; had reasonable sleep with 2 empty seats next to me: could lie on them and get feet off the floor. Got through passport control quickly. I had my phone with the locator form and my certificate all ready in the queue and was instead diverted by an officer to the automatic gates with no checks -- must have looked honest and of course he could see I was ready to present. Everything went smoothly except for the Heathrow Express where a new train broke down for 45 min! All the officials I met everywhere were friendly and supportive, no snide remarks or hassle. Kept Underground to a minimum just doing Paddington – KGX on Circle Line. To NCL, had 1st class seat on train for £48 and travelled on the new Azuma series for the first time, impressive acceleration. I managed to get my car from the airport at Newcastle, even though the airport was closed at the time: it started 1st time in the cold and damp. Finally did a big shop at Waitrose for £70. First thing back home was to light the big fire, which did but still feel cold. But think the house will be really warm after keeping the fire in overnight. So I'm in isolation for 9 more days, shall not bother with 5 days release as attractions are closed. Will undoubtedly crash out tonite: was a gr8 reunion with the fancied one: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 26th: max 30C, min 24C, sunny all day, light NE breeze, dry. Up at 9 for last breakfast, same every day of fruit juice (mango/water melon/pineapple), fresh fruit (mango, watermelon, banana, pineapple), Spanish omelette with bacon, tomato and toast, black coffee: my favourite meal of the day out here. Soon back to Shreddies with milk, ½ a grapefruit, cranberry juice, tea with fresh lemon, followed a little later by Marmite on toast and coffee. Fond farewells to all the staff at Villas Watamu; settled my refreshments bill for items not in half-board deal for $360. Had taxi with George from 12:00-14:30 to take me from Watamu to MBA, in very smooth drive, cost $65, plus 2k KSh tip. At MBA you go through security first, then checked-in, having to present my UK locator form on 'phone in the Downloads section (don't rely on WiFi connection!) and my PCR Covid test certificate. Both accepted and boarding cards issued. That was far faster than expected so 2.5 hours to wait in departure area for lift-off MBA-ADD at 17:30 EAT, with no WiFi but did find a cafe, Kwaheri, where spent last 1k KSh. Currently at ADD at 21:25 EAT waiting for 9-hour flight to Heathrow: all going well!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! 09:30 ex-KGX

Birds noted in Kenya today included: at Kilifi, 12 Bee-eater (European) feeding actively around a clump of trees and 7 House Sparrow; NE Mombasa 2 Fork-tailed Drongo; Mombasa Airport 2 Swallow (ours!), 4 Feral Pigeon, 6 House Crow.

January 25th: max 30C, min 24C, sunny after early morning haze, light NE breeze. Bit of a tense day waiting for Covid test results, which hadn't materialised by 18:00, so contacted manager who 'phoned clinic, retrieving results on WhatsApp in 3 minutes! Results were 'somewhere in the system'! Good thing I asked! Test result was -ve , dated for Sunday. Found pan-African test registration system unusable but gather printed certificate will do. Completed passenger locator form for UK but couldn't check-in for Ethiopian Airlines flights: software problems(in retrospect, blocked as want to see locator/PCR forms). Computers are being used evermore to control us but they don't work well: chaotic interfaces (without proper testing outside of the development team), uncertain reliability (often very poor transaction design), poor focus, mean we'd be better off without them in many cases, and this is from a computing professional. Completed processing of Jilore piccies, getting 27 bird-types, and added results to BirdTrack.

Kenya running totals are: 73 species from 123 records, 6 complete lists, 8 places (all species assumed countable). Groups: waders 20, gulls 5+2 subspecies, terns 5, raptors 9, herons/storks 13. Wader total is going to be remarkable!

Gave out some gratuities to the staff – 3k to head waiter, 2k to cook, 1.5k to cleaner; more to go tomorrow: 2k to reception for arranging James, further 0.5k to favourite cleaner E. Tuned in at 22:00 EAT for the big event: very impressed with the acting and the story line. Such drive to keep the Festival going in this 'impossible' year! Return starts from the hotel at 12:00 EAT: looking forward to it surprisingly enough!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 24th: bit cooler today and noticeable, max 30C, min 24C, sunny after early morning haze, light NE breeze. Up at 05:55 for start of trip at 06:30 with James; we drove out Tsavo-way up to Jilore Lake 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19, a large natural lake, for a walk around about 1/3 of it up until 10:30. It was pretty testing, up and down the sides of the lake in the heat, but coped very well. James had brought a chair in case I keeled over but no need: did sit on it for photo of me against the lake which has come out well 1; he was amazed at my fitness!! But am of course used to walks off the beaten track; ants were a problem, learnt new Swahili term haraka haraka (quick quick) when you're standing near a boiling red-ant nest; had a few bites, even up my shorts (!) but am used to wood ant in the Tyne Valley, which are probably more threatening! Added plenty of good wetland species and also found a perched Honey-buzzard (adult female) and 2 flying kite. Much more to follow from a great morning's fieldwork in wild African countryside, outside the parks, cost £100. So finished on great terms with James: he's added a lot to my holiday! He'd wisely employed a local guide from the village to help; gave him 1k KSh; if locals see how people value their wildlife, they'll take more interest in maintaining it. No more trips planned; expect to get test result Monday pm and depart hotel Tuesday lunchtime. Best of luck for the gorgeous one with the great event: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

All times on the time-stamped photos are in GMT. EAT is GMT+3.

Full bird list today for Jilore was 35 types: 1 Little Grebe, 1 Black Crake 1  2  3, 35 Spur-winged Goose 1  2  3  4  5  6  7, 3 African Pygmy Goose (pair plus single 1  2), 1 Glossy Ibis 1, 1 Black Kite 1  2, 1 Yellow-billed Kite 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13, 1 Honey-buzzard (10330 adult female 1  2, a female perched in a 'dead' tree briefly then flew off towards ground), 20 African Darter 1  2  3  4, 5 Intermediate Egret 1  2  3, 12 Cattle Egret 1  2, 1 Black-headed Heron, 17 African Open-bill 1  2  3  4, 1 Squacco Heron 1, 4 Greenshank, 4 Ruff 1  2  3 (last one, 2 birds), 10 Wood Sandpiper 1  2  3  4  5, 4 Three-banded Plover 1  2, 3 Kentish Plover, 1 Ringed Plover 1, 4 Spur-winged Lapwing 1  2 (distraction display), 12 African Jacana 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9, 1 Common Tern, 2 White-browed Coucal 1, 1 Lilac-breasted Roller 1, 4 House Crow, 4 White-throated Bee-eater, 1 Northern Carmine Bee-eater 1  2  3, 2 Emerald-spotted Wood-dove 1  2, 7 Pied Kingfisher, 20 Swallow, 1 Yellow-headed Wagtail 1 (Yellow Wagtail from the Volga, lutea), 12 Village Weaver, 1 Eastern Golden Weaver, 34 Yellow-fronted Canary.

On route had some raptors on the link rough road between Gedi and Tsavo at Arabuko from 10:30-11:00, a Long-crested Eagle up in commanding style over some woodland, a Lizard Buzzard giving great close-up views on some wires 1  2  3  4, and a Red-necked Falcon perched on the wires. So 38 bird-types for trip.

January 23rd: max 31C, min 24C, sunny after mid-morning, light NE breeze. Processed records from yesterday completely, including labelling all piccies and adding to BirdTrack. The gulls were very interesting with heuglini, cachinnans, fuscus. Today had 2 White-rumped Swift up over my hotel at 13:30, together with a Village Weaver in the trees. Have another trip out tomorrow morning, early-on at 6:30 to a lake at the back of Sokoke Forest with James, returning as soon as it gets hot! So it's early to bed, plenty of room in my 4-poster 4 fun: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

Running total from smallish subset of records fully processed on BirdTrack for Kenya to 21/1: 53 species from 81 records, 4 complete lists, 6 places (all species assumed countable), with groups waders 16 types, gulls 4, terns 4, storks/herons 10, birds of prey 9.

Ethiopia totals for 6/1 may be the final ones as, on return, arrive there and leave at night. 7 species from 7 records, 1 complete lists, 1 places (all species assumed countable), with groups birds of prey 2 types.

January 22nd: max 31C, min 25C, more cloud extending up to early afternoon before strong sunshine, UV rating here is usually 12 around midday – avoid exposure, light NE breeze. Had nose and throat swabs taken at a clinic in Malindi at 09:20 as part of returning Covid test. Cost £91, compared to that at NCL £99. The samples go to a Wellcome laboratory at Kilifi for analysis with result Monday afternoon by email. If -ve then complete online Kenya exit forms and UK entry forms. Driver George (airport driver) took me and we went on a tour of Malindi afterwards, visiting Vasco de Gama Pillar 1  2  3  4 commemorating his visit in 1498 on a Portuguese boat. I remembered this pillar from earlier visit as a good way to spend 500 KSh to get a great view of the coast both to N and S 1  2  3  4  5  6. Some fishermen were hauling in a net to N, 'helped' by 10 Heuglin's Gull heuglini adult from Russia and a Caspian Gull cachinnans 1w 1  2  3  4  5  6 from eastern Europe (classical structure, as found at Grindon Lough in Northumberland!), plus a LBBG 3w fuscus from northern Scandinavia with SE migratory path. Delighted to see the Heuglin's Gull, from Siberia, mentioned as the main winter-visiting large gull in my guide (Stevenson); they have a more LBBG profile than the Steppe Gull, which are more like Caspian. Here's the piccies for Heuglin's: group of 6 adult with LBBG 3w fuscus 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 (the LBBG is the smaller, more attenuated individual with black tip to bill); group of 3 adult 10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24 (11 shows Lesser Crested Tern and Sooty Gull in flight, 11, 15, 23 shows Lesser Crested Tern in flight; 24 shows bird with wings open and 2 others calling); group of 2 adult 25  26  27  28  29 (25 shows an adult with wings open, 27 shows the Caspian Gull 1w and Lesser Crested Tern in flight, 28,29 show 3 adult Sooty Gull); single adult 30  31  32 (31 shows the bird taking off, 32 shows a distant perched bird with 10 Lesser Crested Tern). Also had great views of the local Sooty Gull (16 adult in all 1  2  3  4  5) and a Tawny Eagle up over the bush at Msabaha as drove N. I also visited the Vasco de Gama Chapel 1  2  3  4  5, built before 1542. Malindi is quite smart in the centre with many boutiques, bars and restaurants, and thriving night life. I had a cappuccino and croissant at a trendy cafe Karen Blixen, where people were sitting around socialising, just like I used to do in Hexham and Newcastle: how nostalgic!! Malindi is dominated by Italian businesses and tourists; the population is mainly Muslim but all kinds of Christianity exist. Cost to driver for 4 hours was 4.5k KSh (£32), including 0.5KSh bonus. Had 1 hour on Skype with mates N/D; they are so sour on my presence here but since both have been housebound now for 11 months, think they've become like institutionalised prisoners. In spite of a faltering in the optimistic outlook for recovery, particularly in air travel, funds did well at +14k on the week, reaching new peak today, +112k gross on year to date (+9.1%), +104k net, compared to ftse 100 +2.5%, ftse 250 +2.4%. Have quite a lot invested in Falklands oil prospects, which are booming thanks to Premier Oil's takeover by Harbour; Harbour has much deeper pockets than Premier and is more likely to advance Premier's Sea Lion prospect, opening up additionally other areas in the region as the infrastructure is developed. Don't hold any airlines or domestic UK stocks. I'm looking forward very much to some aspects of return: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

Bird list from Malindi today 09:20-12:00: 16 Sooty Gull adult, 10 Heuglin's Gull adult, 1 Caspian Gull 1w, 1 LBBG fuscus 3w, 12 Lesser Crested Tern, 1 Caspian Tern, 1 Grey Plover, 4 Curlew Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, 2 Marsh Sandpiper, 1 Turnstone, 1 Grey Heron, 50 House Crow, 1 Pied Crow, 1 House Sparrow, 4 Feral Pigeon, 3 Common Swift (ours!). That's 17 types, added to BirdTrack. Birds at Msabaha on way N to Malindi at 09:00 included the Tawny Eagle, 2 Greater Blue-eared Starling, 6 House Crow, 4 Feral Pigeon.

January 21st: max 32C, min 26C, sunny afternoon, cloudy in morning with few spots of rain, light NE breeze. A second day at base enjoying the sunshine, food, drink and setting. Have completed work on boat trip records – pleased with that, all listed below, including another Honey-buzzard juvenile skulking in the mangrove swamp. Have drunk the hotel out of Guinness, now onto Tusker Light! Cannot travel on BA on 27/1 from LHR-NCL as no flights that day so back on train!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 20th: max 32C, min 26C, sunny afternoon, cloudy in morning, light NE breeze. Chill-out day by the pool! Had a flock of 8 (European) Bee-eater over hotel at 17:00 calling loudly.

January 19th: max 33C (hottest to date), min 24C, sunny all day, light NE breeze, dry. Had a great day out in the private boat trip (base cost £120), seeing c40 dolphins, doing a close-up tour of the shore of Mida Creek from the seaward-side, having lunch with (yes!) live entertainment and dancing, including yours truly out there in the heat!! Day started inauspiciously with stomach ache followed by the inevitable, so was out with the Imodium, taking 3 capsules in a few hours, which worked so well that was able to do justice to the lunch (steak and kingfish, with rice and toast) and join in the dancing. Now using rehydration techniques – Guinness and some blackcurrant rehydration sachets, made up from tap water with purification tablets added. I have a bag full of medical supplies, including Malo (anti-malarial capsules, one per day), a mosquito repellent cream, vitamin D capsules, Ibuprofen, plasters. The bed is enclosed by a net all round at night and all the windows are covered on the outside by metal gauze. Have the odd cosy visitor though: tree frogs, which hop around the place, and a gecko, which catches flies brilliantly off the lights in the evening. I did put one tree frog outside but think it came back the next day with a few friends (whose place is this really, mate!). Off for breakfast now (09:00 EAT) – more later!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

The Watamu Marine Reserve 1  2  3  4 is fantastic with wide sandy (coral-generated) beaches and a mangrove swamp all along the edge in Mida Creek. The scenery was stunning, including the beech and the sea towards the coral reefs. The team was James (guide), me and catering manager (!). We first sailed c09:30 to the S end of the Reserve where c40 Bottle-nosed Dolphin, same species as at Cromarty in Scotland but different race (Indo-Pacific), were performing well for 4 boats that were out. Here's a clip and some stills 1  2  3  4  5  6; the watchers have their attractions too 1. There were very few seabirds around from 09:30-11:00 but did have an Osprey (sitting in a tree overlooking the harbour 1  2  3  4  5), a Wedge-tailed Shearwater, 7 Lesser Crested Tern, a Sooty Gull, plus 2 House Crow on the beach. A popular sport is kite surfing, particularly with Italian men 1  2  3.

On the outside of the creek we had a flock of 28 Grey Plover (1-6 standing 7 in flight) 1  2  3  4  5  6  7, 2 Kittlitz's Plover (see 3, 7 Grey Plover), 2 Saunder's Tern 1  2 and a Whimbrel (see 7 Grey Plover): every holiday in Africa I see a Whimbrel, even though they are a high-latitude breeder from the frozen N. Also in this area 1  2  3  4  5 we had 3 Little Egret 1, 2 Great Egret 1  2, 4 Intermediate Egret 1, 2 Grey Heron, 5 Sacred Ibis 1, 1 Yellow-billed Stork. So that's 10 types. Inside the Creek we made Wasini Island, where we collected lunch in pans from a hotel and sailed to a beach with covered area, where we had lunch of chicken/rice (course 1) and steak/kingfish/toast (course 2). Lunch is always a very relaxed, sociable and long-drawn out event in Kenya: pole pole (pronounced poley poley) is a very popular saying in Swahili: it means slowly slowly! Then followed the Wasini Island dance troupe in live performance. Here's clips of the preparation and the dance/song with additional stills 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9. Here's my dance with the troupe in a skirt: clips of the invitation (insistence!) and the actual dance plus some stills 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9. As sole traveller I was the only funder of the dancing and purchases from the jewellery tables: I did my best, donating in all guises 4k KSh (£30) to local funds.

Birds in this area, well inside the Creek 1  2  3 away from the sea, included: 4 Greenshank 1  2  3  4  5, 1 Marsh Sandpiper, 40 Sanderling (in 4 flocks, going out towards sea-coast 1), 1 Little Stint (with Greenshank, see 5), 2 Woolly-necked Stork 1  2  3  4, 1 African Fish Eagle (adult), 1 Yellow-billed Kite juvenile, sitting in middle of canopy in a mangrove tree, refusing to budge, keeping wary eye on us 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11 plus another in flight 1, 3 Black Kite, 2 Pied Kingfisher 1, 6 Whimbrel 1  2, 1 Curlew 1, 2 Grey Plover, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Saunder's Tern 1, 6 Black-headed Heron 1  2  3  4, 4 Grey Heron 1, 7 Little Egret 1, 1 Great Egret 1  2, 1 Sacred Ibis 1, 40 Crab-plover 1  2  3  4  5  6  7, 2 Intermediate Egret 1, 2 Yellow-billed Stork 1  2, 50 Red-billed Quelea (2 flocks of 30 and 20 1  2). Total for all of Mida Creek was 24 bird-types.

Have changed return plans: now coming straight home on 27/1 by BA flight (very tight) or train; so going to isolate, not visiting daughter! Funds -2k in 1st two days of week, just a little profit-taking, fundamentals remain good. xx

January 18th: lazy day, max 32C, min 25C, cloudy all morning, sunny afternoon, dry. Felt quite hot in afternoon though only 1 degree up! Completed processing of Sabaki piccies, putting 31 species through to BirdTrack, as below: very pleased with that! So little demand for boat trips at present but offered by James £120 private trip tomorrow to see dolphins and visit desert island; so taken up and hope lunch is better! Also got Covid test in Malindi at 09:10 on Friday for return to UK; very pleased with that removal of uncertainty after hotel manager liaised with Indian test centre! Cost is 13k KSh (£90), weekend rate: keep smiling!! 'phoned by Sele Practice, Hexham, today; told them I was away: no problem, get your jab when isolation completed!! So feeling relaxed: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 17th: max 31C, min 25C, cloudy all morning, sunny afternoon, quite a common pattern, dry. Busy processing Sabaki data, labelling many piccies and giving provisional totals below: an exciting visit! My room cleaner is losing her job on Tuesday: not enough business with Covid; gave her a bonus to try and cheer her up; people forget the devastating effect of travel bans on developing countries; she will not get any furlough. Entertainment business is also knackered here – no live music! Trying for a more grockle-oriented theme at Watamu on Tuesday: full day in glass-bottomed boat to see dolphins, the coral reefs, fishes and of course birds! Think that might be appealing to some: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 16th: max 30C, min 24C, sunny nearly all day, light NE breeze, humidity 60%, sunrise 06:22, sunset 18:41, 3.34 deg S of equator, 40.03 deg E of Greenwich (a little E of Moscow at 37 deg E). Dawn and dusk are very sharp, happening quickly, day length is around 12 hours all year but actual times drift a little to do with the way we measure time. Today's trip was a full day – 08:00-20:00 with driver and guide James, going N beyond Malindi to the Sabaki River Delta, a major international bird reserve. The river has 3 names: Athi in the Kenyan highlands, Galana in the middle and Sabaki at the coast. Vast amounts of silt come down the river so the delta is fantastically rich. The walk there from 09:10-11:10 was a test in the strong sunshine, on the edge of a mangrove swamp and through sand dunes 1  2  3  4  5  6  7 to the beach 8  9  10, far removed from Mediterranean-style, with breakers from the ocean on the wide beach and the only humans a few fishermen 11 with their catch 12  13. Some cattle knew their way to the river to drink 14. We also made the estuary 15  16 with its amazingly rich birdlife. Here's the view of Malindi from Sabaki 17. Here's the gang walking back through the dunes 18: I'm at the rear! Associated with the mangrove swamp was this monster crab 19. The star bird is Lesser Flamingo of which many feeding in the rich mud. But there were also lots of waders, terns and herons, plus a Yellow-billed Kite and a Palm-nut Vulture adult. Most interesting for me were the gulls, just a few, but they are winter visitors with 2 large gulls (1 adult, 1 1w), thought to be Steppe Gull Larus barabensis, with some characteristics of Caspian Gull in small head, long fine bill with uniform-width, long legs. These would be from the N but there was another large very dark gull, an adult Kelp Gull, from the S, maybe RSA. A further large gull was a 2w Heuglin's Gull with shorter legs than the Steppe Gull, standing near the 1w Steppe. Also had 29 Sooty Gull, the main local species; it's a very dark gull so easy to pick out. On the road we went through Mambrui at 11:20 where picked up 2 Black Kite and a Yellow-billed Kite, lurking by side of road, up in air. Next stop was further N again to the Gongoni Salt Pans from 11:45-13:10, a massive area, devoted entirely to the flooding of a pan with salt water, allowing the water to evaporate in the hot sun and then digging out the salt deposits left behind 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14. This area held huge numbers of Lesser Flamingo, waders, herons, darters, terns, and a few gulls: 7 Slender-billed Gull adult mainly sitting on a sand bank packed with African Darter, Great Cormorant and African Spoonbill. This gull comes from an area south of the Steppes. Also had a Steppe Gull adult in the distance giving total of 3 for the day (2 adult, 1 1w). So 5 types of gull for the day, well up to expectations, to add to the Grey-headed Gull at Mida Creek on 8/1. At this point we were 250km from the border with Somalia (the closest ever been; my travel policy excludes areas within 60km of the border) and the countryside is noticeably more arid. We then came back towards Malindi for lunch at a restaurant, which had seen better days, like much of Malindi (most of the trade has moved to Watamu as it's perceived as safer). The Blue Marlin, a hotel where we'd stayed in Malindi as family in the 1990s, is on the edge of closure. Service was so slow and my teeth couldn't handle the tough chicken, obviously from an old bird indeed! Final stop from 15:50-18:20 was the amazing Hell's Kitchen at Marafa (50km inland from Gongoni), a fantastic landscape with very uneven erosion 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18, giving an effect like the Grand Canyon. We had another challenging walk around the whole area, which was great for keeping fit. The scenery is stunning. Here's 2 piccies of yours truly at the site, first solo, second with guide James and driver 1  2. Then we drove back to Watamu, which seemed to take ages as Saturday nite was in full swing in Malindi and Watamu, with all bars and restaurants open until curfew at 22:00. A road block N of Malindi was meticulous, suspect they were looking for Al Shabaab sympathisers. Good to see some nite life again! Cost for trip was £150 (21k KSh), reasonable since it was tailored for me! Feeling a little weary after the trip but very satisfying in all respects. Watching the UK return with interest: certainly a Covid test here 72 hours before departure and 10 days quarantine on arrival but see they're thinking of other measures. NCL may not even be open at this rate! Sele practice, Hexham, has offered me a Covid vaccination from 19/1: will take at 1st opportunity. xxxxx XXX!!!!!! Total was 54 bird species for the day.

Birds at Sabaki River Delta included: Lesser Flamingo 680+ 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11; Sacred Ibis 1 1, Yellow-billed Stork 3 1  2  3  4, Grey Heron 3, Black-headed Heron 1, Little Egret 6, Great Egret 2; Yellow-billed Kite 1 1  2, Palm-nut Vulture 1 adult 1  2  3  4  5  6; Sooty Gull 29 (23 adult 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17, 2 adult and 1 1w together 18  19, and 3 1w 20  21 see also Steppe Gull piccie 11), Kelp Gull 1 adult 21, Steppe Gull 2 (1 adult 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9, and 1 1w 10; these birds are intermediate between Heuglin's Gull and Caspian Gull in structure and, for the adult, mantle shade), Heuglin's Gull 1 2w (piccie 10 shows a 2w, also 11), Caspian Tern 2, Lesser Crested Tern 32 1, Greater Crested Tern 7 1, Common Tern 2, Sandwich Tern 2; waders 14 types: Bar-tailed Godwit 40, Marsh Sandpiper 6, Greenshank 6, Whimbrel 1, Curlew Sandpiper 8, Ringed Plover 11, Kentish Plover 4, Grey Plover 140, Sanderling 1, Black-winged Stilt 4, Spur-winged Lapwing 2 (distraction display), Senegal Lapwing 3, Redshank 1, Crab Plover 2, White-throated Bee-eater 3 (pair), Lilac-breasted Roller 2, Pied Kingfisher 2, House Crow 4, Swallow 25. So 37 species in all!

Birds at Mambrui included: Indian House Crow 4, House Sparrow 3 1  2, Black Kite 2, Yellow-billed Kite 1 1  2, White-throated Bee-eater 1, Northern Fiscal 1. So 6 species in casual observations.

Birds at Gongoni Salt Pans included: Pied Crow 1 1, Indian House Crow 1 1, Lesser Flamingo 120 1  2  3  4  5  6, Sacred Ibis 6, Great Cormorant 16 (14 adult 1  2, 2 immature 3), Reed Cormorant 1, African Darter 10 (8 adult 1  2  3, 2 immature 4  5), African Spoonbill 6 1, Oystercatcher 3 1, Curlew Sandpiper 130 1  2  3  4, Black-winged Stilt 24 1  2  3  4  5, Little Stint 2 1  2  3  4  5  6  7, Marsh Sandpiper 1 1, Redshank 1, Great Egret 2 1  2, Little Egret 5, Intermediate Egret 1 1, Slender-billed Gull 7 adult 1  2  3  4 with Caspian Tern 5  6  7  8  8  10  11  12, Steppe Gull 1 (adult 5, large gull, fairly light mantle shade, not as slim as Caspian Gull, with Lesser Flamingo), Greater Crested Tern 2, Lesser Crested Tern 2, Caspian Tern 6 1  2  3  4, Pied Kingfisher 1, Swallow 1, Fork-tailed Drongo 3. So 25 species in all.

Birds at Hell's Kitchen, Marafa, included: Black-bellied Starling 4 1  2, White-throated Bee-eater 8 1  2, European Roller 1 1, Purple-crested Turaco 1, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush 2 (same as in Europe). Animals here included 15 Yellow Baboon 1  2  3  4.

January 15th: weather you've guessed it – same! Made great progress on data 10/1, day 1 of safari, giving some provisional totals below, with still some material to process fully. But no let-up, full day out tomorrow with James, visiting Malindi estuary and surrounding hotspots; should be a great day, exploring the coast, starting at 08:00 EAT. Some more people have arrived in hotel tonight from India: no details yet! Did have Skype call with N/D, most critical of my presence here but unrepentant; they've isolated for 11 months and are showing the strain. But we ended on good terms! Funds continued good start to year in spite of setback today: +98k gross (+8.0%) on year to date, +90k net. ftse 100 is +3.2%, ftse 250 +2.5%. Gain on week 2 was 35k. PoO is driving feature on vaccine roll-out with supporting cast of Manchester BS junk bonds! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 14th: max 30C, min 24C, cloudy in morning, sunny in afternoon, light NE breeze. Carried on working on results, wrapping up 8/1 Mida Creek and doing complete run through and labelling of piccies from 10/1, day 1 of safari. I need to upload the piccies and index them when I'm back in the UK, but mentally that's a much less daunting task than starting from scratch. That was one of the ideas for spending much longer out here (as well as escaping the snow and solitary confinement!). Life in the hotel is very relaxing if a little quiet but they've laid on a supply of Guinness, the African variety – 6.5%, not 4.1%, wow! Finding 2 cold showers a day makes you feel fitter! Next day trip is scheduled for 16/1 with a trip to the local marine reserve in a glass-bottomed boat a couple of days later. Did the animals for 10/1 today, doing the birds for 10/1 tomorrow when also hope to have a Friday Skype session with my mates at 14:00 GMT (17:00 EAT); finding being 3 hours ahead of events in the UK is a little weird, since I'm normally trailing events with my late hours! Market-wise there are benefits to being ahead of the UK but the US/Canada is more difficult as they don't even open until 17:30 EAT and close at 24:00 EAT. EAT is Moscow-time! So all's good (or 'well' for better English!): xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

Birds at Watamu in short stroll around my hotel grounds 10:10-10:30 included: 2 Hadada Ibis, 1 House Crow, 3 Common Bulbul, 1 African Golden Oriole, 4 African Palm Swift, 3 African Pied Wagtail, 4 Ring-necked Dove (singing), 2 Laughing Dove (singing), 2 Red-eyed Dove (singing), 3 Sombre Greenbul. 10 types. In the evening had an owlet by the pool at 20:00 – African Barred Owlet 1.

January 13th: max 30C, min 24C, cloudy in morning, sunny in afternoon, light NE breeze. Anchored to hotel by pool: very relaxing; did a lot of work on 8/1 Mida Creek, labelling the piccies; think this is a good way to work, sorting out id problems while here. Plan to add animal totals for safari next, and piccies when I get back. Regular barman has left, bit irregular in Passengers context (where he's a droid) but await new one tomorrow; no sign of Jennifer Lawrence yet!! Gave him bonus of £20, which he appreciated very much! Very happy with responses to my birthday, particularly one: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 12th: max 22C, min 15C, damp with light showers and few glimpses of sunshine in morning at Tsavo, light NE breeze. Finished safari, breakfast at 06:30, out at 07:00, leaving the park at 11:30 with a puncture, requiring a wheel change, which driver did quickly as if done many times before! Back at hotel at 13:00; they (guide James, driver John) were well pleased with their bonuses of 4k KSh each. Added 2 more Honey-buzzard, plus a Common Kestrel with many Montagu's/Pallid Harrier hunting in the long grass. Here's a shot of the craggy peaks around Voi 1. Had an interesting encounter with a bull elephant, which very reluctantly got off the track in front of us; then he turned to face us 30m away, ears flapping, trumpeting loudly and breaking a branch off a tree in his annoyance (displacement activity!). These lone bulls are the main menace to humans; frustrated without any access to females in a herd and often horny: they are the classical testosterone-loaded young male hooligans! Private safari was brilliant with great opportunities to study the birds, as well as the animals, with just me to satisfy. Back to the coast for a nap; weather here was same as on arrival, 30C max, 24C min. WiFi struggling this evening so late posting. Funds continue to progress at +29k in 1st 2 days of week on rise in PoO and ongoing recovery in Manchester BS junk bonds. Quite a good birthday present but the safari was the best marker!! I continue as a boring Capricornian! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

Animals recorded today, all Tsavo East, included: Common Eland 1 1  2  3  4, Impala 114 1  2  3  4, Water Buck 7 1, Grant's Gazelle 1, Plains Zebra 13 1  2  3, Reticulated Giraffe 6 1  2, East African Oryx 7, African Bush Elephant 20 1  2  3  4 including a few very angry lone bulls 5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12, Cape Buffalo 40 1  2  3  4  5  6, Rock Hyrax 1 1, Yellow Baboon 12 1  2  3, Nile Crocodile 1 1  2  3  4.

Raptors recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Voi area 07:00-09:40 – Honey-buzzard 2 (1 juvenile in flight (10033) 1  2, another bird standing on top of a large mound), Wahlberg's Eagle 1 pale juvenile perched 1  2  3  4  5  6 (with Taita Fiscal 1-3), Black Kite 1 (juvenile perched 1), Tawny Eagle 3 (1 mobbed by Black-winged Hawk 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8, another perched 1  2  3), Black-winged Hawk 3 (see Tawny Eagle), Pallid Harrier 5 ringtail (1 perched with Eland behind 1  2, 1 in flight 3  4  5), Montagu's Harrier 5 ringtail 1, Martial Eagle 1, Bateleur 1, Common Kestrel 1 (female 1  2  3). That's 10 types of raptor.

Raptors recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Sala Gate area 09:40-11:00 – White-headed Vulture 1, Eastern Chanting-Goshawk 1 (juvenile 1  2  3), Secretarybird 1 1.

Raptors recorded today, included: bush after Tsavo East – Arabuko 12:00 none; Makongeni S 11:30 Eastern Chanting-Goshawk 3 (perched high-up on trees), Tawny Eagle 1.

Further birds recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Voi area 07:00-09:40 – Somali Ostrich 2 1  2, Grey Crowned Crane (pair adult 1  2 with 3 chicks 3  4), Red-backed Shrike 1 (immature male 1  2), Egyptian Goose 6 (pairs 1  2), Red-billed Quelea 10000 1  2  3, Taita Fiscal (with African Harrier-hawk), Fork-tailed Drongo 1 1, European Roller 2 1  2, Wire-tailed Swallow 6, Sacred Ibis 27 1  2, Black-faced Sandgrouse 1, African Stonechat 1, Rufous-naped Lark 3, Red-winged Lark 10, Helmeted Guineafowl 80, Harlequin Quail 30, Yellow-necked Spurfowl 15, Temminck's Courser 1, Black Saw-wing 5, White-browed Sparrow-weaver 1, Laughing Dove 1. That's 30 types for all birds.

Further birds recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Sala Gate area 09:40-11:00 – Spur-winged Lapwing 1, Hadada Ibis 1, 5 types for all birds.

Further birds recorded today, included: bush after Tsavo East – Makongeni S 11:30 Cattle Egret 25.

January 11th: max 22C, min 15C, damp start after more rain overnight, but became dry and sunny, NE light breeze. Still at Voi Lodge, looked great today in the sunshine 1  2  3  4 (morning) and 5  6  7  8  9  10  11 (afternoon). Saw a pride (8+) of lions today mopping up after a kill of a large deer, with vultures soaring overhead; also had a lone male. Masses of other sightings as out from 06:30-13:30 and 16:00-18:30 – long day for everyone. Great result today was finding 9+ Honey-buzzard in the bush of Tsavo E in quite a small area. There are c1-2 million Honey-buzzard over-wintering in Africa but everywhere it's uncommon to rare. The ones today were hiding in the lower canopy of trees and shrubs or walking around on the ground. At least 5 were flying high, over the Lion kill area, presumably to rise above the large raptors attracted to the scene. The rangers are much better at identifying African residents than these seasonal arrivals from Russia; but the Honey-buzzard does spend its first 18 months in Africa without a break as 1w birds do not move N so no excuse really. So it's the same problem as in the UK for under-recording of this species: secretive habits and poor id skills!! Fighting talk but exciting discovery! Many other Russian breeders here today: Pallid Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Steppe Buzzard, Common Kestrel, White Stork, and more! Tomorrow is last day of this safari, up at 05:30, breakfast at 6, off at 6:30, back in Watamu for late lunch. This early schedule is not my normal style (!) but results are keeping me going and of course to bed early at 22:00: wish someone was here: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

Animals recorded today, all Tsavo East, Voi Lodge area, included: (morning drive) Coke's Hartebeest 9 1  2, Reticulated Giraffe 17 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11 (including 1 young), African Bush Elephant 26 1  2  3  4  5 with a horny male here 6, Plains Zebra 3 1  2 with Red-billed Oxpecker on 2, Vervet Monkey 15 1  2 including young 3; Lion total 9, including a solitary male disappearing down a glade 58  59  60  61  62  63  64 and 8 adult in a pride (likely to have hidden young) habitat for kill 1  2, first seen 3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25, with prey 26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50  51  52  53  54, a Kudu kill, chase juvenile Tawny Eagle away 55  56  57; East African Oryx 8 1  2  3  4  5, Kudu 1 (prey of Lion), Impala 40 1  2  3, Water Buck 8 1  2, Yellow Baboon 10 1  2, including 3 young.

Animals recorded today, all Tsavo East, Voi Lodge area 16:00-18:30, included: (afternoon drive) Rock Hyrax 1 1, Reticulated Giraffe 13 1  2  3  4  5  6  7 with Plains Zebra 1  2, with Red-billed Oxpecker 1  2, Plains Zebra 3 1  2  3, Impala 4 1, African Bush Elephant 17 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8, Gerenuk 1 1  2  3  4  5  6, Common Duiker 4 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8.

Raptors recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Voi Lodge area 06:30-13:30 (morning drive): Honey-buzzard 8 (10334, dark juvenile in flight 07:20 1 with habitat (lush grass, scattered shrubs 2  34), 10335 juvenile in flight 07:22 3, 5 birds above Lion kill area 10:34-10:40 as a 1 12 (10337 with White-backed Vulture) and a 4 13 (10338 with vulture and eagle), 10339 grey juvenile perched in deep cover 11:46-11:50 14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33), Black Kite 3 with 2 juvenile 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15, Black-winged Hawk 3 1  2 with Pallid Harrier below 16, Grasshopper Buzzard 1 adult 1  2, Montagu's Harrier 4 (1 male, 3 ringtail 1  2), Common Kestrel 3, Steppe Buzzard 4 1  2  3  4, including 1 with Pallid Harrier 5, Yellow-billed Kite 1 1  2  3, Pallid Harrier 14 (2 male 1  2, 12 ringtail 3  4  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15, including with Steppe Buzzard 5  5b above, with Black-winged Hawk 16 above, as many as 5 fed together), Secretarybird 1, Brown Snake-Eagle 1, Martial Eagle 2, Eastern Chanting Goshawk 1, Tawny Eagle 2 juvenile 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14 , also see one of these chased by Lion 55  56  57 above, Rüppell's Vulture 10, White-backed Vulture 9, White-headed Vulture 5, Hooded Vulture 4, Bateleur 4, Steppe Eagle 2, Wahlberg's Eagle total 2, 1 pale form perched 1  2  3  4  5  6  7, 1 ruddy form perched 8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15. That's 21 types of raptor.

Loose flock of raptors from 10:20-11:15 above Lion kill numbered 45, included above: 10 Rüppell's Vulture 1  2  3  4, 9 White-backed Vulture 1  2  3  4  5, 5 with 2 Hooded Vulture, 5 White-headed Vulture 1  2  3, 5 Honey-buzzard (see above), 4 Hooded Vulture, 4 Bateleur, 2 Steppe Eagle, 2 Tawny Eagle (see above), 2 Pallid Harrier (see above), 1 Black Kite, 1 Grasshopper Buzzard (see above).

Raptors recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Voi Lodge area 16:00-18:30 (afternoon drive): Augur Buzzard 1 1  2, Pallid Harrier 4 (1 adult male, 3 ringtail 1  2  3  4), Montagu's Harrier 4 (1 adult male 1, 3 ringtail), Lesser Spotted Eagle perched 1 1  2  3, Bateleur 1, Honey-buzzard juvenile 2, 1 brown phase in flight at 16:57 10340 1  2  3  4  5  6, 1 brown phase perched on low-lying bush at 16:22 (see Montagu's Harrier male 1), Pygmy Falcon 1 female 1  2  3  4, African White-headed Vulture 1 perched, African Fish Eagle 1 perched adult. That's 9 types of which 4 added to morning list, making 25 types of raptor for the day.

Further birds recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Voi Lodge area, 06:30-13:30 (morning drive): Von der Decken's Hornbill 1 1, Helmeted Guineafowl 100, Somali Courser 1, White Stork 30 1  2  3  4, White-browed Coucal 1 1  2, Wire-tailed Swallow 3, Barn Swallow 3, Red-billed Oxpecker 1 with Plains Zebra above 2, Common Ostrich 3 1  2  3 ( 1 also shows Somali Ostrich), Somali Ostrich 2 1, Marabou Stork 1 1  2  3, Saddle-billed Stork 1, Woolly-necked Stork 1 1, European Roller 2, Plain Nightjar 1 (rufous morph, escaping from Lion kill area), Black Saw-wing 2, African Palm Swift 5, Superb Starling 1 1, Rock Martin 1, Red-rumped Swallow 2, Common Swift 4, Northern House Martin 1, Little Swift 3, Egyptian Goose 2 1 (pair), Spotted Flycatcher 1, Rufous-naped Lark 48, Golden Pipit 1 1, White-headed Buffalo-weaver 1, Yellow-necked Spurfowl 20, Red-winged Starling 2, Black-crowned Tchagra 1, Bronze Mannikin 3, Rattling Cisticola 1, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird 2. Total other species 34, total for all species 55.

Further birds recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Voi Lodge area, 16:00-18:30 (afternoon drive): Black-headed Heron 6 1  2  3  4  5, Red-billed Quelea 580 1  2  3, Egyptian Goose 2 1, Lilac-breasted Roller 1, Barn Swallow 2, Black-faced Sandgrouse 2, Slate-coloured Boubou 1, Red-billed Oxpecker 8 1 (on Reticulated Giraffe and Plains Zebra), Yellow-billed Oxpecker 3 1 (on Reticulated Giraffe), Namaqua Dove 1 1  2, African Palm Swift 1, Bare-eyed Thrush 2, Black Saw-wing 2, African Darter 1. That's 14 types making 23 including raptors for the afternoon drive.

January 10th: max 21C, min 15C, wet, NE light breeze. Currently at Voi Safari Lodge, Tsavo East, paradise on earth!! In Watamu, breakfast at 7, leave at 7:30, quick trip to bank, then off on private safari with James (guide) and John (driver) in classical Safari tourer. Weather went from damp to quite wet by mid afternoon but everything was really green, in the wet season, and the wildlife was absolutely amazing in abundance. Here's the rocky crags around Voi 1  2  3  4 and the Lodge itself, including views from it 3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11. Not got any cats but long list of animals including elephant, giraffe, crocodile, hippopotamus, antelope; many birds of prey, including migratory, from Russia: 3 Montagu's Harrier (adult male 2, ringtail 1), 1 Pallid Harrier female, 1 Western Marsh Harrier (female), Steppe Eagle, 3 Steppe Buzzard, 1 Common Kestrel, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 6 Black Kite, plus resident Martial Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Secretarybird, Black-winged Kite, and many others. Private safari is really superb as they stop for many birds, which would be unthinkable with a party of more diverse interests, many members indeed of which are only looking for 'exciting' animals. Had late lunch and dinner at lodge, now going to bed at 22:30 to get ready for breakfast at 06:30 and more drives. Staying here 2 nights: it's very comfortable with magnificent views over the Tsavo plains. Entry to the park was through Sala Gate, where the dry bush 1  2 runs alongside the luxuriant vegetation by the side of the Galena River 1  2  3  4  5  6 (1-2 with Large Hippopotamus). So all's good: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

Animals recorded today, all Tsavo East, included: Nile Crocodile 1 1  2  3, Water Buck 6 1  2, Impala 78 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8, Grant's Gazelle 3 1  2, Plains Zebra 15 1  2  3, Large Hippopotamus 26 1  2  3  4  5  6 (1-4 with Red-billed Oxpecker), African Bush Elephant 14 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8, Kudu 2, Reticulated Giraffe 12 1  2  3  4  5, Unstriped Ground Squirrel 1 1  2, Rock Hyrax 16 1, Coke's Hartebeest 4 1  2  3, plus a snake sp 1  2.

Raptors recorded today, included: bush before Tsavo East – Arabuko 08:00 Lizard Buzzard 2; Makongeni S 08:20 Eastern Chanting-Goshawk 1 (perched high-up on tree), Grasshopper Buzzard 1, Pygmy Falcon 1, Augur Buzzard 1, Wahlberg's Eagle 2.

Raptors recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Sala Gate area 09:30-12:50 – African Fish Eagle 1 (adult 1  2  3), White-headed Vulture 1 1  2  3, Bateleur 4 (1 juvenile 1  2  3), Black Kite 2, Pygmy Falcon 1 (male), Secretarybird 1 1  2  3  4  5.

Raptors recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Voi Lodge area 12:50-18:45 – African Harrier-Hawk 2 (both juvenile 1  2  3), Western Marsh Harrier 1 (female 1  2  3  4), Black Kite 4 1, Black-winged Hawk 1 1  2  3  4  5, Martial Eagle 3 1  2  3  4, Montagu's Harrier 3 (2 adult male 1  2  3  4  5  6, 1 ringtail), Pallid Harrier 1 (female 1  2), Steppe Buzzard 3 1  2  3  4, Steppe Eagle 1 1  2  3, Brown Snake-Eagle 2 1  2, Secretarybird 3 1  2  3  4, Tawny Eagle 3 1  2  3, Augur Buzzard 2, Common Kestrel 1, Peregrine Falcon 1. That's 15 types.

Further birds recorded today, included: bush before Tsavo East – Makongeni S 08:20 Vulturine Guineafowl 60 1  2  3  4  5, Great Spotted Cuckoo 1, Grey-headed Kingfisher 3 1. Here's habitat for Makongeni area, showing the lush River Galena (the Sabaki on coast at Malindi) 1  2  3 (on 10/1), and the more arid bush 1  2  3  4  5 (on 12/1). Certainly the river habitat looks good for Honey-buzzard but the arid bush may only support very low numbers.

Further birds recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Sala Gate area 09:30-12:50 – Somali Ostrich 1 1  2  3, Kori Bustard 1 1  2  3  4, Black-faced Sandgrouse 2 1  2  3, Helmeted Guineafowl 4 1  2, Black-headed Heron 5 1  2  3  4, Egyptian Goose 4, Common Sandpiper 1 1  2, Three-banded Plover 1 1  2, Spur-winged Lapwing 1 (on nest 1), Ring-necked Dove 1 1  2, Grey-headed Kingfisher 1 1  2, Pied Kingfisher 1 1, Great Spotted Cuckoo 2, Southern Ground Hornbill 2 1  2, Red-billed Oxpecker 6 1  2  3  4 with Large Hippopotamus, Flappet Lark 3. 22 types for all birds.

Further birds recorded today, included: Tsavo East, Voi Lodge area 12:50-18:45 – Egyptian Goose 6 in pairs 1  2, Black-headed Heron 1, Marabou Stork 1, Helmeted Guineafowl 200 1, White-bellied Bustard 3 1  2  3  4, Yellow-necked Spurfowl 50 1  2, Harlequin Quail 200, Great Spotted Cuckoo 2 1, White-browed Coucal 2 1  2, Speckled Pigeon 1 1, Laughing Dove 2 1  2, Ring-necked Dove 1 1, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 1 1  2  3, Northern Red-billed Hornbill 2 1  2  3, Spur-winged Lapwing 2 1, Common Swift 20, Red-rumped Swallow 3, Rock Martin 3, Red-winged Lark 100, Lilac-breasted Roller 10, European Roller 5 1  2, Pied Crow 1, White-winged Widowbird 6 1  2, White-browed Sparrow-weaver 3 1  2, Superb Starling 2 1, Red-winged Starling 6 1, Tsavo Sunbird 1, Red-billed Quelea 20000 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9, Barn Swallow 20, Crested Francolin 6, Black-crowned Tchagra 6. 46 types for all birds.

January 9th: max 31C, min 25C, humidity 80%, dry, sunny, some low cloud morning, dispersing in afternoon, NE light to moderate breeze (spot the difference from yesterday!). Better application today on web sites and records: acclimatising a little more! Resisting turning on air-conditioning as, that way, you never acclimatise to going outside. Daughter's birthday today with card on Moonpig and 2.5k FPO; her elder daughter woke her up at 6 so she could have more of the day to enjoy! Had trip in morning with James to bank and to Visiwa, a hotel, right on the beach, overlooking the Indian Ocean 1  2  3. Had 2 African Pied Wagtail by the pool 1 and a Long-tailed Fiscal perched on scrub on an offshore island. Will probably return for a couple of day trips by tuk-tuk, which is a very cheap way of getting round. Everywhere is run by Italians, including my place, so plenty of spaghetti in the area. It's very quiet – very few visitors; the atmosphere in the bar is a bit like in the excellent film Passengers!! So really resting today in prep for the safari, which starts at 07:30 tomorrow and finishes 13:30 on Tuesday. Should be amazing!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 8th: max 31C, min 25C, humidity 80%, dry, sunny, some low cloud morning, dispersing in afternoon, NE light to moderate breeze. Here's piccies of hotel Villas Watamu with my bungalow 1 and pool 2. After a day of acclimatising decided to get out for walk in morning but guide James hastily assembled by hotel manager! He was superb, organising tuk-tuk to bank, and escorting me on Mida Creek 1  2  3 for a canoe expedition, from 10:20-13:00. Here's yours truly up the creek without a paddle 1.

The boat ride was very interesting giving close-up views of Black Kite (6b, migrants, black bill 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13), Yellow-billed Kite (4b, family group, juvenile seen, all near nest, adult with yellow bill 1  2  3  4  5  6 with juvenile near nest 7, adult near nest 8  9 and the nest itself 10), 1 Honey-buzzard (10331, dark-phase juvenile over nearby mound 1), Pied Kingfisher (6, family group of 3 1  2  3), 4 Little Egret 1  2  3, 6 Grey Heron 1  2  3  4  5, 6 Common Sandpiper (together) 1  2, 2 Grey Plover (with Grey-headed Gull 1w 1), 1 Grey-headed Gull (1 1w, standing in shallows in middle of creek with 2 Grey Plover 1 and in flight 2), 15 Lesser Crested Tern; we had 90 min of the canoe trip, with energy put in by someone else, the punter; some char fish 1  2 were caught by some fishermen in the mangrove swamp 1  2  3  4  5  6  (1-3 boarded walk, 4-5 mangrove trees, 6 a canoe out on water), very hard work. Total bird-types for trip was 10.

We had a drink overlooking a creek, finalising details for a private safari (just me) to Tsavo E from Sunday-Tuesday, for £800, including Voi (out of this world) lodge stays! We are going to the bank tomorrow to sort out the transfer. Critically the hotel recommends James so that increases my confidence! Indeed noticed a marked change in my status today: from a refugee from England to a HNWI!! Had 5 species casually in hotel: 4 Palm Swift, 4 Hadada Ibis, 4 House Crow, 2 Pied Crow, 1 Black Kite. Funds had an amazing week as reflation is certainly coming: own rose 63k gross (5.1%), 56k net (after kids' dues) to new record, in context of a good week everywhere for equities and junk bonds with ftse 100 +5.3%, ftse 250 +4.7%. xxxxx XXX!!!!!

January 6th: made it: 27.5 hours travel from Ordley at 09:00 5/1 GMT to 15:30 on 6/1 EAT. All flights and connections worked perfectly: travel crew so positive in terrible straits. Quite a few people were doing the great escape on Tuesday, BA flight was 60% full, no real checks on entry but they did have 2 genial BA workers scanning us all as we went to board; some boarders were from Scotland where lockdown already in place. Paper work is frightening: not sure that anyone without digital expertise could tackle it. Flight to Addis was pretty full, social distancing was patchy; slept through most of it; route took us through the Adriatic, crossing into Africa at Alexandria, Egypt. Lovely to wake up with East Africa in view at 06:00 EAT; caught 10:10 to MBA no bother. Kenya immigration was a pain taking 2 hours; driver was there waiting and made Villas at 15:30. Pretty quiet here but great service and warmth and have bungalow near pool and dining area. Plenty of raptors: at Addis Ababa Airport 1 had 42 Hooded Vulture 1 around 9:05 and 1 Rüppell's Vulture at 09:30. Total of 8 bird-types here also included 2 Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon 1, 1 Feral Pigeon, 6 Pied Crow, 1 Rufous-naped Lark, 1 Banded Martin, 1 Greater Blue-eared Starling. Weather at Mombasa was 31C max, 25C min, sunny. On drive from Mombasa to Watamu had a Yellow-billed Kite (floating along at low altitude), a Black-winged Kite (perched in a tree at Kilifi), an immature African Hawk-Eagle and 2 juvenile Martial Eagle, last 3 perched along main road in Arabuko-Sokokhe Forest. Funds have had a great start to year at +42k on oil price recovering well. Can indulge a little maybe!! Very sorry to hear of Festival postponement but understand! xxxxx XXX!!!!! xx

January 4th: icy throughout day, max 1C, min -1C, a little weak sunshine, freezing rain in morning, light NE breeze. Did go into Hexham at 14:00 and had a Grey Heron up in the air at Letah Wood and a Song Thrush feeding by the roadside at Loughbrow; latter's a nice sign as this thrush is one of the first returning species in late winter. C was so quiet, may as well be closed, they said! All papers are in order for lift-off tomorrow with boarding passes, health forms, taxi ordered for MBA-Watamu, contact with hotel confirming arrival. After BA1327 NCL-LHR at 12:05, have long break before leave LHR at 20:15 on ET701 for ADD, then it's ET322 at 10:10 ADD-MBA. New lockdown starts legally at 00:00 6/1 when in skies over Africa. Relieved to see digital performances can continue for the arts so streamed performances are permitted. Also prestige football can continue, even at Torquay! Shall greatly miss someone: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 3rd: at 11:40 received news that 'Fit to Fly' from NPH: Covid not detected (negative result). Marvellous on all counts! Also good news in that Kenya has today revised CV regulations in the country, including maintaining the curfew from 22:00-04:00, but has not changed the entry requirements for UK citizens. You can actually go out for a meal or a beer, long way to go for that, but sounds great relief from our puritanism. The curfew is quite useful I imagine for keeping crime down and there's also a restriction on crowds gathering. Wonder if there will be any live music: marvellous thought!! Made C4c4ll and actually met a contemorary out, R; we had a coffee with good chat under the shelter of the Shambles. Later I went for walk around the Sele where some very fast tobogganing was taking place on the icy surface (more like bobsleigh!). Had chats on 'phone with P and big sis: thought latter would be telling me off for leaving my station but she's supportive! Finding Alexa very useful as a musical slave: played 2 hours of Tchaikovsky last nite and 2 hours of Prokofiev tonite. Was interested in Classic FM's spring Hall of Fame: in the top 300 Russia was the top country for entries by composer for the 1st time and no.1 was Rach 2 PC! Almost completed RSA 8/11/18, doing the Motlatse Canyon results, just the last bit at the Forever Hotel to do now for this day. Have completed funds compilation for 2020. Overall result on year was +130k gross (+11.9%, compared to ftse 100 -14.3%, ftse 250 -6.6%), +117k net, after 13k of withdrawals. Withdrawals increased by 4k in last 2 months of year, due to new car purchase (2k contribution from me) and extra support (2k) for worthy hard-pressed charities, latter actually significantly more than that but do have an income to put in as well! The withdrawals do not include Xmas pressies! The funds lost 6k in final week of year, mainly on appreciation in £, which reduces values in foreign currencies. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

January 2nd: Just a little light snow at -2C from 08:00-09:30 was enough to make the 'Shire roads treacherous. Really had to make appointment at NCL for test at 10:05 as time is of the essence! So tested out new car in the ice: braking is much better than on Fox with advanced braking system on all wheels independently, rather than anti-lock on all or nothing as in Fox. So that helped going down the bank to Letah Wood but the other side was hell with the water under the falling snow turning to ice. Managed to get up the Houtley Bank by tacking: steering somewhat sideways from side to side (rather than straight up) so that the gradient is reduced for the drive wheels to get a better grip; does require a lot of concentration and an absence of other vehicles! But made it, took 20 min to go 3 miles, 9 mph! Had set off in good time so arrived early at NCL and was tested early as they do it fifo. Test was a bit intrusive, don't really like my tonsils and nostrils being tickled and the advice not to eat or drink anything for 2 hours before the test was sound (you could be sick if you had!). The male nurse had a good manner: reassuring and efficient; should get result tomorrow afternoon or evening. It was very busy: 4 cubicles each doing say 6 people an hour at £99 a time for NPH: more people flying than thought, most in their 30s I would say; the nurse said Kenya was on his wish-list. So back to C4c4c in HEX where saucy welcome from the tmsuo!! The Sele slopes were packed with families out on toboggans: lovely to see so many people enjoying themselves! So back home for breakfast at 11:30 with tracks on road to make it easier; I could still see traces of my earlier efforts! Not out again; did some work on Festival pages with PayPal (donating 0.30 in all!) and on 8/11/18 in RSA, catching up on Graskop Gorge. Added Fieldfare (1) and House Sparrow (2) to Ordley list with 1 Marsh Tit seen again. On the road had a Common Buzzard sitting on a post at Letah Wood at 08:30, a GBBG 1w at Tyne Green, Hexham, at 09:00 and a Kestrel 1w in a tree at Newton at 10:20. Thinking of someone looking gr8: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

January 1st 2021: Happy New Year to the beauties!!

A little milder, max 3C, min -1C, calm, dull, a little drizzle late in day. Had a great garden birdwatch in own field and front and back garden from 11:00-16:00, getting 22 species without leaving the territory. The trees and shrubs on the side of the field held lots of birds, feeding on berries and mast. Put out lots of peanuts in various forms, which were standing room only. Ordley always does best when it's cold enough for all-day frost further up in the 'Shire but with milder conditions lower down. I live in Hexhamshire Low Quarter (for softies, up to 200m asl) whereas the real toughies live in Hexhamshire High Quarter (200-650m asl). Here's the list entered on BirdTrack: Woodpigeon 28, Collared Dove 5, Common Gull 76, Magpie 3, Jackdaw 126, Rook 47, Carrion Crow 3, Coal Tit 5, Marsh Tit 2, Willow Tit 2, Blue Tit 14, Great Tit 4, Goldcrest 1, Wren 1, Nuthatch 2, Starling 4, Blackbird 4, Robin 2, Tree Sparrow 8, Chaffinch 5, Lesser Redpoll 12, Goldfinch 2. Had loads of tits: 5 types, 27 birds! Did further work on Pilgrim's Rest, RSA, on 8/11, adding 3 more bird-types for the early morning walk there, making total 31, and indexing the piccies. Have Covid PCR test at NCL in morning with NPH at 10:05 (result in 36-48 hours), then back for breakfast and catch-up! Have no symptoms at present but not assuming anything at this stage. Another quiet evening and night but earlier, had 105 min chat with N/D on Skype, which was very good, and dynamic chat with little sis on 'phone. Still enjoying yesterday: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 31st 2020: cold, max 1C in day, min -3C, calm, bright sunshine in day, cloud and drizzle spreading in later with temperature up to 3C. Did get out, making NCL where did bird count on Quayside -- 9 types of bird -- Feral Pigeon 97, Herring Gull 39, Black-headed Gull 33, Crow 4, Magpie 3, Woodpigeon 3, Mute Swan 2 adult, Blue Tit 1, GBBG 1 adult. On way home in car had a single Barn Owl hunting over hedgerows at Newbiggin Farm at 16:15, marvellous sight! Did a lot of work on Pilgrim's Rest, RSA, on 8/11, adding 28 bird-types for the early morning walk there. Up to 146 bird-types now for this RSA trip with still quite a lot to process. Very sad day with Brexit confirmed: cannot believe that it is anything but a disaster, socially, politically and economically! But above all socially, we are part of Europe and it's harking back to Empire days to suggest otherwise. Had a quiet evening and night but earlier, things did stir brilliantly: very intense I thought: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 30th: very cold, max 0C, min -3C early evening, back to -1C at 23:00, bright sunshine, almost calm. Have put out masses of food for birds since back so bought £10 more of peanuts, whole and pelleted, from the market in Hexham (Shield Green) this morning. Completed 7/11 for RSA trip in 2018; will move onto 8/11 tomorrow as much the same birds as on 7/11 at start of day. Did final edits on Festival book. Did get out, making C4c4l, jit for tmsuo who was looking gr8!! Drank c in the Sele, pretty nippy, even in the sun! Bit of a sod being in t4 but think TA can continue at cafes, if they think it's worth opening. Not sure it affects Kenya trip as going for voluntary work -- collecting records for wildlife conservation. 2moro it's 12:00 CRB-NCL!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 29th: cold, max 2C, min -2C, frost early and late, weak sunshine, calm. Had some interesting birds today: a Marsh Tit in the front garden and then on the ground-up peanut at the back, 4 Tree Sparrow, 1 Nuthatch, and Pink-footed Goose overhead, moving S at close of dusk at 17:00, calling, maybe 50 present. The Goose is a new species for the year for me, no. 149, in England. Did a lot of work on the Festival book launch, just need to do final edits and PayPal testing now. Returned to 7/11/18, doing Vaalhoek in RSA, final stop before Pilgrim's Rest, which will complete tomorrow. Did get out, making C4c4t; surely someone's sister was out and about in the Sele!! Tried to pick up 2 parcels from PO at Bridge End but closed until Thursday morning. Cleaner S is coming on Thursday this week so may make NCL then. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 28th: in Hexham area 2C max, 0C min, light NW breeze, frost late-on, foggy at NCL airport. Journey back was very smooth, arrived at LHR at 13:40, security check at LHR was stringent (on physical side, not motives!), plane took off at 15:00 and we landed a little early at 16:00, completely automatically the crew said with very poor visibility. Plane was 40% full, not good for the one flight a day, and the Airport was deserted with everyone presumably furloughed or redundant. Daughter said, while driving me to LHR, that new contracts make the job much less attractive than before and she's hoping to become a teaching assistant in Kingston. Earlier had relaxing morning with family; sad to wish them all goodbye!! After checking the footy results -- Gulls beat Weymouth 4-3 with winning goal in 87th minute -- made W4shop, spending £45 on basics for the week ahead. Had left house heating on but with no 8kw coal fire lit, the place was cool so a bucket and a half of ovoids (smokeless fuel) have been used up getting the place warm. Next trip to NCL Airport is on 2/1 for PCR test, but may well be in NCL earlier! Will catch up on some vital tasks tomorrow, promise!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 27th: sunny today, max 5C, min 2C, light NW breeze, dry in daytime after heavy rain last night. Had another longish walk from 13:00-14:30 with daughter and toy poodle Leo in afternoon around Latchmere, which holds my younger grandaughter's nursery school. So busy everywhere; son-in-law was not happy with bike ride in Richmond Park -- so many people everywhere. But of course in tier 4 there's nothing for people to do indoors so outdoors is crowded: we can't even go to the pub! Added Coal tit to my Richmond Park list, whcih finally stood at 29 bird-types and 4 mammal-types. Have had a very good stay, back at end of Kenya trip for a day and night! So looking forward to return N, will make the most of it: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 26th: weather in daytime simply dull and damp but Storm Bella, appropriately named, blew in in evening with heavy rain and fresh SW breeze. Had long walk with son and daughter in Richmond Park going in at Ham Gate and coming out at Kingston Gate from 14:00-16:15. Son then left for his hotel and 2moro back to Welwyn. We plan to meet up in spring at his house for catch-up and maybe visit to Kings Place! We retired for more sustenance!! Added 4 bird-species to list: Common Buzzard (1, up at 14:47 hanging over ridge to N of Ham Gate), Grey Heron (1), LBBG (3 adult), Stock Dove (1); plus 1 mammal-type Fallow Deer (3). Had a Kestrel 1w (sitting in tree at 15:45) and 15 Red Deer. Did see livestream of most of second half of the Gulls' rout of Yeovil 6-1; we can really turn on the attacking style with 6 different players scoring, including 1 og! See temperatures have plummeted in NE, good I turned off outside water at inside stopcock before leaving. Granddaughters have been a litte quiet absorbed in their Barbie dolls house but this evening finally went berserk, running round all over the place: cat (Snowy, white Persian) and dog (Leo, toy poodle) join in!! Nice to have some life: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 25th: Happy XMAS to all!! Cool with ground frost, max 4C, min 2C, light NW breeze, dry and sunny. Great day with family in Kingston, 9 of us turned up including daughter's family (4), son (1), me (1), son-in-law's sister's family (3). Presents to me included Alexa from daughter; Wagnerism (weighty book, Alex Ross), 2 CDs Brundibár (opera)/ Music of Remembrance, Terezín (various songs, pieces, with artists led by mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter), from son. All much appreciated! Gave increased amount of 8k to daughter and son (2.5k each) with 1.5k to each grandchild. This is to help with school fees and also acts as a sort of dividend! Lunch went off very well but like the best of operas a darker side surfaced later with Tt having a severe attack of heartburn; she's had an operation through BUPA on her stomach but her stomach is now too small for large meals; she looked terrible as left. So sad! 'phoned big sis in evening as she's on her own; we had good chat! Son went back to his Premier Inn. Had 3 flight-changes for Kenya trip announced today, 2 minor ones on ADD-MBA and MBA-ADD, 1 on return LHR-NCl making connction very tight but think will add another day calling in on daughter to give more breathing space. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 24th: much cooler, max 5C, min 1C, moderate N breeze, dry. Went for another walk to/in Richmond Park from 12:00-14:00, going in other direction to Ham Gate. It was packed and because of continuous high volume of walker-traffic quite muddy. Did find a quiet spot in Ham Common Woods, could be scope for Honey-buzzard there and in Richmond Park itself, in Isabella Plantation area. Certainly in Berlin in such habitat, you would find nesting Honey-buzzard as in the Tiergarten. Suspect they are attracted to parks and can feed in them in early morning in high summer but like to nest in scrubbier less-frequented (by human) woodland nearby, such as Burnham Beeches/Egypt and the heathland alongside the main park at Black Park. Must have a closer look at the Ham area. Birds today included a Kestrel 1w hovering over a piece of parkland before moving off outside the park. Getting ready for the big day -- 9 of us apparently for lunch. Everyone getting excited!! So am I!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 23rd: mild today 13C max, 4C min, some showers and short sunny intervals, light SW breeze. The 5 of us went for a walk in afternoon from 14:30-16:15 on the other side of Richmond Park, Ladderstile Gate. It was quite muddy and a bit of a stamina test, with my daughter, myself and younger granddaughter leading the way home. The younger one is a bundle of energy and vey sturdy! The older one is settling into her private school, becoming a lot more sophisticated and likes maths. The younger one joins her at the school, near where we went for walk today, next September. Plenty of wildlife in the Park: Red Deer, Fox and Grey Squirrel, and 3 London specialities: all from abroad but now having thriving local populations: Ring-necked Parakeet, Mandarin Duck, Egyptian Goose, 3 new species for the year as this was my 1st birdwatching in the capital in 2020. Really enjoying my visit with further action coming up! lok2t beauty: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 22nd: enjoying stay at daughter's house in Kingston. Journey yesterday was very smooth, plane about 40% full with theoretical maximum of 67% as middle seats not used; cabin crew charming as always. Liked the slightly out of date closing address: "and for those of you visiting London do have a lovely stay". Hardly any staff or officials at either airport but just inside the final exit from T5 at LHR there was a rather officious looking woman, reminiscent of the last checkpoint in Prague in 1982, though she didn't have a revolver at her side. So let some other people overtake me and when she started talking to one of then, nipped past unobtrusively! Met daughter in short-stay car-park and she'd forgotten her credit card so happily paid £4.90 for the parking and £20 for some petrol when the computer was telling her she had 6 miles left! We understand each other! Son-in-law has been promoted again with Gazprom to be trading team manager in their UK office, based in Richmond but some WFH with top floor of their house now master bedroom suite and an executive office. They extended the house to 3 storeys with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and the office. With views over the adjoining Richmond Park, think they've acted wisely. Went for a walk in Richmond Park from 11:00-13:00 and had Ring-necked Parakeet and 2 types of woodpecker (Green, Great Spotted). Great to meet family again, including of course my 2 granddaughters. The younger one, aged 4.33, has just appeared in a nativity play at her school, a video of which has been posted on YouTube, as parents could not attend in person. She was cast as Mary, complete with cloak; she certainly looked the part, would not stand out in a bazaar. Son is joining us on Xmas Eve and son-in-law's sister and family may be due some time! So lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 21st: a quick note to say that mission accomplished!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 20th: sunshine and showers, mild, max 7C, min 5C, light W breeze. Did make C4c4ll where pleased 2 c tmsuo again!! Spent £62 on books and painting materials for granddaughters in Cognito Books, Back Street, where manageress very helpful in guiding me to what would appeal to girls 5.83 and 4.33 old! Also bought some more cards to be on the safe side and drew out bonus money for cleaner S, which she richly derserves; she comes in regularly while I'm away to keep an eye on things! No more work on RSA, thinking hard on other issues but did do a stepping-stone update for the Festival. So who knows what's going to happen ... xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

December 19th: mild again, 9C max, 5C min, light SW breeze, sunny morning, then showers. Went for brisk walk from 14:50-16:10 up to Dotland, nothing special seen but great exercise. Had total of 16 species, including a Tree Sparrow, 6 Blackbird, 1 Long-tailed Tit. Horrified at t4 restrictions for SE with further clamp down on non-essential shops and travel. They blame it on a new variant but more likely is their keeping London in t2 for far too long, when it should have been moved to t3, like the N; there have recently been some very crowded scenes in the SE. They don't want to admit that so this is a good diversion! Remember the last lockdown was based on modelling, indicating 4,000 deaths a day in November, an alarming total never reached (it's about 500 a day at the moment). As a democratic family we're voting on what to do!! Made good progress on RSA safari data sheets and piccies, sorting all of 14/11/18 and doing most of 16/11/18. It's so satisfying seeing all the amazing wild birds and animals again. Think will slow down work on RSA 2moro and get back to other urgent tasks!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 18th: very mild, 13C max, 8C min, some showers in afternoon, strong SW breeze. Made C4c4ll 4 TA and again made the Sele to drink it. Had 100 min of good crack with N/D on Skype at 16:00 and made Sage for streamed concert Christmas Cracker at 7:30. It was free and seemed, judging by the comments, to have attracted an appreciative Spanish following! Enjoyed it -- good to see the RNS featuring strongly with JG introducing it!! Will give a donation 2moro in appreciation. Wrote 2nd batch of Xmas cards, on last straight, posted them at 22:40 to avoid getting up for local collection 2moro morning! Quite a sombre tone to some of the cards I've received; think a lot of people are very demoralised. Completed Klipfontein and Ohrigstad on 7/11 in RSA Escarpment. Leaving Mount Sheba and moving on to Skukuza (Kruger) tomorrow. Funds finished 5k down with natural resource stocks affected initially by the rise in £ on likely Brexit deal and then suffering from short-term problems with Covid in Europe and North America; but PoO marched on up to $52.30 a barrel so momentum may well return, probably in New Year, as many investors don't like to take new positions at the year-end and there's also tax-loss selling whereby, in countries where 31/12 is the end of the tax year, people sell loss-making shares (often recovery stocks, such as mine) to offset gains made elsewhere, for CGT purposes. Asia is doing very well, boosting commodity demand; when Europe and North America recover in q2, 2021, expect price rises! Gain on year is 136k (12.4%) with ftse 100 -13.4% and ftse 250 -8.3%. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 17th: nice and sunny and mild, 8C max, 7C min, light SW breeze, dry. Made C4c4ll 4 TA and again met by the inspiring tmsuo, who seems to be doing lots of shifts!! Out to Sele (Park) where quite a gathering of kindred souls, making the most of the welcome weather and some company! Had intruder alarm report, through the post, all OK except for battery not holding charge so that's been replaced. The battery is important as if there's a power cut, that's what keeps the system functional for 24+ hours. Pressing on with results from South Africa trip in 2018, doing some of 7/7 drive from Dullstroom to Pilgrim's Rest at Mount Sheba, on the Escarpment, working out where we went and matching piccies to the route. I'll be able to take a tour there soon. Think will finish 7/11 tomorrow and then speed up progress by finishing the partly-compiled days in the Kruger Park. In touch with daughter quite a lot over my travel plans, both to London and Kenya. Most people don't think I'm serious but need to be able to have a beer out -- long way to go!! Ordered a couple of East African field and place guides from NHBS to get latest on id. Sad to see partners' quiz cancelled for Cracker nite: was going to be light-hearted, nothing to fear: will be there for the main programme: looking forward to it! The Opera North meeting on Tuesday did have its poignant moments; about 75% of their 1,000 employees through the year are freelance, all suffering terribly. They did say their own finances were now secure after winning some big grants. Praying that someone's fit: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 16th: moderate SW breeze, damp and dull but not raining, visibility good, 8C max, 6C min. Did have hair done with Jd at JG: she's so rich on hairdressing tips, she's just bought a flat in Priestlands! Cost me £25, including £5.50 tip. Very enjoyable experience: she's very bubbly! Then home to get things straight for cleaner S, who threw me out so up to Grindon Lough for flying visit! Had 4 types of gull: "a tight group of 4 large gulls, Caspian Gull, comprising an adult, a 2w and 2 1w. They were not present at start of visit at 12:40. They flew in together at 13:43, left to W low-down at 14:10 after spending almost 30 min at E end in the company of 3 GBBG (2 adult, 1 2w) and a Herring Gull adult. Some Common Gull adult (36) were also present. Will add a few photographs." I think that's a club record for Caspian Gull so will have to write them up: have masses of piccies with new camera. Grindon does appear to be Caspian City!! Though any resemblance of the Roman Wall area to the area around the Caspian Sea is not that obvious. Then back to C4c4ll where tmsuo looked after me well!! Back just in time for burglar alarm service by Swansons of Hexham, where they set everything off in turn driving the neighbours mad! Malarone tablets (anti-malarial) arrived -- very quick. Met MD, chair of bird club, we had amicable chat, 1st for ages! Labelled the eagle piccies from Stonecutters Lodge, Mpumalanga Highlands, and uploaded them to web server; will index this part of the trip 2moro and add the records to BirdTrack. Very pleased to hear from someone, hoped she was alright, good to hear of the plans: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 15th: not a bad day, max 7C, min 3C, some sunshine and showers, wind SE light. Completed Rietvlei records from 6/11, just need to check a small part of the indexing. Then jumping onto a couple of Kruger Camp days as have already processed the piccies for them. Made C4c4t where very pleased 2 c tmsuo again: she's keeping well!! Met someone else much later: she's gorgeous!! Not able to make NCL 2moro as have burglar alarm inspection early afternoon to add to haircut: maybe later!! Funds are -1k on 1st 2 days of week with £ strong on feeling there will be a Brexit deal soon; higher £ depresses stocks with $ earnings. Much happier with things this way though than a possibly illusory gain on £ decline in chaotic conditions after a no-deal Brexit. PoO is grinding up slowly, often the best way! Gulls, with masses of injuries, lost their 12-match unbeaten record, losing 0-1 at home to lowly-placed Daggers; watched it on livestream sfter attending a very uplifting festivity programme for an hour on Zoom from Opera North; we even had some carol singing and it was very entertaining and positive with 46 participants, including KH our patron organiser. So keeping focused: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 14th: mild again 8C max, 5C min, moderate SW breeze, showers and sunshine. Did complete compiling Algarve records and now onto last safari trip to RSA in November 2018 where have added records (49 bird-types) to BirdTrack from 6/11 at Rietvlei, near Jo'burg. Have also been through the piccies and labelled quite a few for indexing tomorrow. Did make W4bigshop but toned it down, only spending £42 as think it might be better to shop twice a week with food fresher and more fancied! Have booked my PCR test at NCL Airport in early January (£99) and also booked with BA for return flights NCL-LHR to connect directly with the LHR/MBA flights -- cost £87.45 return -- not leaving LHR either way to see relatives. So 2 risks remain: national lockdown before I leave or testing PCR positive! Have hair cut on Wed at 11:30 in HEX, will delay away trip a little! Festivities at ON 2moro evening!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 13th: dull day, 9C max at end of evening, 5C min, so mild, moderate SE breeze, rain at times. Today's a big day: the darkest afternoon, every afternoon/evening for the next 6 months is lighter than the one before; don't get too excited, the gain by 31/12 is only 11 minutes! Mornings will be 8 minutes darker by 31/12. Did make C4c4ll in HEX followed by longish walk around Sele and Elvaston, good to get out and have some chat with people met. Last night had a pair of Tawny Owl camped around my field; there's a lot of bank voles around and some rabbits and (grey) squirrels so maybe they might settle to breed. Completed checking Lagos results, changing a few AYLG age designations, so can update BirdTrack tomorrow with a couple of minor additions/changes. Amended piccies in book: looks good! Bought some lagging and insulated tap cover for £13 on Amazon for outside tap to guard against frost damage. Bought 30 generic Malarone tablets online for £45 including postage for Kenya trip: Malarone is the anti-malarial drug with fewest side effects but you have to take 1 a day throughout the trip and also a little before and after. They have a shelf-life of 5 years. Markets this evening think we well see a Brexit deal after all but maybe not until 22:59 GMT on 31/12 (transition period ends at 24:00 on 31/12 CET!). Hope someone's fit: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 12th: 6C max, 2C min, mod W breeze, dull and very grey, rain from time to time. Very busy on Lagos data sheets and piccies; completed labelling them, uploading to server and doing indexing; need to check everything 2moro morning and make a few changes to BirdTrack entry on Monday morning when database comes back. There were 32 Atlantic Yellow-legged Gull stills in the collection, together with 11 butterfly snaps. So Faro trip will be wound up on Monday -- very pleasing! Did make Hexham, to PO 4 stamps, Clinton 4 cards, I 4 few groceries. Gulls had a difficult game at the Linnets (King's Lynn) which we drew 0-0; in a sense we could easily have lost this game going down to 10 men in 78th min with Asa given straight red and missing next 3 games. So some relief! Went to Leeds Grand Theatre to see ON's Fidelio, which is a 2-act opera set in a prison where Florestan lies dying after some dirty tricks by the Governor Don Pizzaro. Leonore, Florestan's wife, has smuggled herself into the prison as the errand boy Fidelio and stands between Pizzaro and Florestan, as Pizzaro tries to kill him. At that point the big chief Don Fernando arrives who has suspected the prison is run with evil intent; he orders Pizzaro away to his punishment and releases all the prisoners. There follows a joyous reunion between Leonore and Florestan, once he has seen through her disguise. The music and singing were very good: I was struck at the similarities between the Choral Symphony and the Opera, emphasised in the circumstances by the singers standing around like the soloists in the Choral Symphony. It was vintage Beethoven, maybe pointing the way towards, say, Wagner's works, on a larger scale, with the choral side replaced by intensive musical drama. The opera lasted almost 2 hours; then played again part 2 of the Festival concert from last Saturday. That confirmed the appeal of the Dora Pejačević trio but was most impressed, on second hearing, with the Natalie Klouda piece, Three Glimpses, with the unsettling wind!! Think I'll get out for a walk tomorrow morning before the rain really arrives. No-deal Brexit is looking more likely tonight; most of my assets are $, C$, € denominated or trading in $-priced commodities so should not be disastrous if it comes to pass. Famous last words!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 11th: 5C mac, 3C min, light E breeze, dull, drizzle/rain at times, sunrise (Hexham) 08:23, sunset 15:40, day-length 7 hours 17 min, (1 min off darkest afternoon 13/12, 10 min off darkest morning 26/12, not symmetrical due to the way we measure time), angle of sun 12.0 deg. So almost at darkest afternoon; cause for optimism as the winter solstice arrives, no wonder Xmas was an old pagan festival. Did some work on Lagos piccies, going through them carefully; should finish the work tomorrow but BirdTrack is down for maintenance all weekend so will have to wait until Monday before finalising the Lagos results there. Sociable day, chatting to N/D on Skype for 100 min at tt and to big sis on 'phone for 70 min in evening. Did watch Waterhole, instalment 3 of the study at a Tanzanian reserve of setting-up a new water hole and watching how the animals adapt. Spotted Hyena seem to be top 'dog'! Enjoyed the shots of Steppe Eagle (winter visitor from Russia), Martial Eagle and Egyptian Goose (now feral around London); I saw these in RSA in 2018, talking of which will get the remaining records sorted over the next week. In Mombasa in January average max is 31C, min 23C, rainfall low at 40mm for whole month, sunshine 9 hours a day, sea temperature 29C. It's summer there with June-Sept being winter, all relative of course! Covid cases in Kenya are 21 per 100k over last 7 days, low (Northumberland is 158, Newcastle 116) but not accepted by UK for a travel corridor because of low testing rates of apparently healthy people. 2moro evening it's Fidelio with ON: looking forward to that! Didn't get out today. Funds took a breather today having been 5k up at new record on Thursday. But Brexit malaise spooked the whole market today and finished week -3k, but still +142k gross on year (+12.9%); ftse 100 is -13.2% ytd and ftse 250 -10.6%. Brent PoO held nearly all of the week's gains at $49.98 so no real break in trend. Suspect we'll have a consolidation phase to the New Year when optimism will return and can maybe take some profits! Missed the beautiful playing associated with weekend evenings: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 10th: another rather flat day temperature-wise with 5C max, 2C min, moderate W breeze, steady rain in evening. Quite a bit of Zoom in my life: attended yesterday a session at Opera North in Leeds on how they made Fidelio; Rachel Nicholls in the title role came over well. Have purchased the livestream on Saturday night of the full opera for £15 with £40 donation. Looking forward to that: other than the short Seven Deadly Sins (which my son, who's a Kurt Weill fan, thought was marvellous), haven't watched a full-length opera for a while. Had a long Zoom session on JLAF (county access forum) this afternoon from 2:30-5:00 -- quite an informal session, keeping things going before a more formal meeting in January. Major item discussed was how to control the popularity of tourism in Northumberland, particularly on the coast, without discouraging the tourists from coming. And is it a good idea to concentrate tourists in honey-pots or to spread them out. Basically since many of the new tourists are used to holidaying in the Med, it was thought that they will prefer to be all together! We can then still market the wild side of Northumberland for our more regular clientele. I raised re-wilding as an important topic, with access on foot, bike or horse, and it was agreed that this should be on the agenda in January. With international travel forecast to struggle for a few years, the county is likely to remain busier than usual! So after that long on Zoom, decided that Bird Club meeting in evening could be skipped! Used time profitably: at 23:30 brought bird records for 2020 up to date in England with just one data sheet left for the Algarve at Lagos. Very happy with that as can get onto other things!! The Honey-buzzard totals on the home page are now the final ones for the year, unless Lagos piccies produce a surprise. Completion of Lagos will enable the autumn 2020 Algarve visit results to be finalised. Brent PoO went above $50 a barrel today for the first time since March. Hope someone gorgeous bears up: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 9th: very little wind, max 5C, min 3C, some rain early morning, damp, overcast. Finished Stocksfield E and Whittle Burn W Honey-buzzard sites on 5/9, including all piccies indexed on web and data added to BirdTrack. Added Stocksfield Mount data to BirdTrack for the complete visit that day. So just Bywell records to do for 5/9 (3 raptor types) and 2020 is up to date for Northumberland. Today made Tyneside and had walk along Quayside getting 10 bird-types: Feral Pigeon 155, Herring Gull 22 (adult 19, 1w 3), GBBG 2 (both adult), Black-headed Gull 51 (all adult), Crow 4, Magpie 2, Cormorant 3 (all adult), Blackbird 6, Woodpigeon 5, and last but not least 2 Great Tit! Had a Tawny Owl calling loudly outside my house at 19:10 at Ordley. Had usual good circular walk along the Tyne, good exercise. Kenya have given me a visa and I've printed it out to add to my passport. Good thing I'm not going via Amsterdam as that's off-limits, along with other EU states, after 31/12 on current state of play due to our leaving the EU and our high number of Covid cases. So now need to book internal flights NCl-LHR for each end and arrange for PCR test at NCL Airport, with 36-48 hours turnround, a maximum of 96 hours before I depart LHR for Africa. Simple? Not really but keeps me occupied with some hope while LD2 drags on! Isn't she beautiful: very uplifting: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 8th: dull, rain in daylight hours, light W breeze, 5C max, 4C min. Busy day, 15:00 in EST zone of USA for start of RRF (Raptor Research Foundation) digital meeting. Plenary talk was “Ecology and movement of the newly established resident Oriental Honey Buzzards in Taiwan” by Dr. Lucia Liu Serveringhaus (Retired Research Fellow of the National Academy of Taiwan). So more than passing interest. Took many snapshots of slides. It's thought that OHB (Oriental Honey-buzzard) started breeding in Taiwan after their food supply increased through a new big business of bee farms being established. The farms don't seem worried about the OHB feeding in their yards, mainly on discarded material from the hives. They don't migrate but their wintering ranges are much larger than their breeding ranges. I asked a question about whether the sexual dimorphism in OHB is readily detectable in the field; the answer is yes on eye colour and tail banding. As an aside females being larger than males is rightly accepted in OHB but not in EHB (European Honey-buzzard, the one I study), which I think is plain wrong! There were about 175 particpants. The questions were put to the speaker from the Zoom chat by the chair; this is a much better way than selecting who shouts or waves loudest! The American chair read out my name with traditional Irish pronunciation of my surname: Rahsidder, amused by that; that's how they address me in Wexford! Maybe only the English pronounce it Ross-it-er. Anyway plenty to analyse but no time this evening as off to Plainmoor, Torquay, to watch the Gulls play Maidenhead: 1st vs 4th. After completely dominating the first half, we should have been 3 or 4 up but it was 0-0 until 45+3, when with last kick of the half we finally scored. Lead increased to 2-0 on 59th minute but we were tiring a bit and 3 of our best players are carrying knocks so were substituted. Maidenhead got a goal back in 84th minute from a glancing near-post header from a corner (same as Wrexham goal) and all was set up for a nervy finish but our game management is superb and we bogged the game down where possible and kept 2 forwards up so they couldn't really move upfield as they might have liked. Their team collapsed on the ground at the end; think they'd run out of energy themselves. So we remain top, 5 points clear of 2nd place (Sutton who lost) and 11 points of 3rd place. Completed processing 28/9 Castro Marim (Algarve) and started on last Northumberland data sheet, Stocksfield 5/9, sorting out a family party of Honey-buzzard at Stocksfield E/Eltringham. Quick trip into Hexham to get some money for S who's coming 2moro! Looks like 12:00 CRB-NCL: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! Funds are unchanged on 1st 2 days of week, not unexpected as profit taking balances late rises on more overlooked stocks. Have sold a little of the more volatile stocks to put into latecomers! No-deal Brexit is not perceived as a threat as own very few UK domestic companies. xx

December 7th: cool, max 3C, min 0C, calm for most of day but wind increasing moderate W in evening, giving light rain late-on. Surviving t3 better with some inspiration!! Completed processing data and piccies from yesterday's walk. Also processed completely most piccies from 28/9 Castro Marim with just the heathland to do with the juvenile Honey-buzzard and its habitat. Should finish remainder tomorrow and update BirdTrack entry with a couple of interesting additions -- Blue Rock Thrush, Moorhen. Will then have 1 Northumberland data sheet (Stocksfield 5/9) and 1 Algarve data sheet (Lagos 30/9) to process. After that I'm moving onto RSA safari November 2018 where still some material to add (clearing the decks before more African data arrives!). Did make W4bigshop spending £76, a record but mainly exceptional items such as large jar of good coffee (£7) and dishwasher tablets. See expenditure on spirits soared in November at supermarkets: so the puritans drive to reduce alcohol consumption via Covid restrictions on hospitality seems to be having the opposite effect. Don't drink spirits myself and have given up wine (and chocolate and junk foods) this LD, concentrating on 2 beer a day. Noticed W were discounting g and tribute today, maybe to stop their shoppers going elsewhere! 2moro it's RRF at 15:00 on web link from USA with talk on Oriental Honey-buzzard. Hope someone's still glowing with success after the event. last Saturday!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

December 6th: final entry on home page for National Honey-buzzard Survey: 8 (c) Derwent, Blanchland 31/08/20: a male out foraging to S, 3 sample stills 1  2  3; a female escorting a juvenile, 1 sample still 4 13:40-15:50.

Calm today, 5C max, 0C min, occasional sunshine, dry. Did get out for a good walk on Hexhamshire Common from Kings Law (350m asl) to Westburnhope and back from 12:15-13:55. Very invigorating, seeing the moors with tiny smatterings of snow 1  2. Some windmill well to the N were barely turning 3; indeed at 16:30 this evening wind was contributing (GridWatch) 1% to the Grid and solar 0% with CCGT (gas) 56% and coal 5%; so much for the green revolution! Early snow tends to melt quickly as there is still some warmth in the ground. Always aim for 10 types of bird in a winter moorland walk and today got 14, including 10 Red Grouse (close-up 1), 1 Black Grouse male (Gairshield), 3 Pheasant, 13 adult Common Gull, 1 adult Black-headed Gull, 2 Coal Tit. 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Robin, 2 Crow, 1 Magpie, 2 Chaffinch. Raptors were good, 7 birds of 3 types: 3 hovering 1w Kestrel, 3 Common Buzzard (an adult mewing, 1 sitting on distant fence 1, 1 perched on wood to NE), 1 1w female Goshawk (sitting on fence in distance at Gairshield 1  2  3), presumably because they're feeding up after the brief snow cover. So feeling fitter and relaxed, made Shell garage in Hexham to fill-up tank for first time and collect a bag of kindling. Then onto C4c4ll 4 TA to Sele where met some kindred spirits! Completed all facets of Blanchland 31/8; will provide summary statistics, using the annual spreadsheet for records, of my findings in the National Honey-buzzard Survey as good material for my book. Need to add today's data to BirdTrack, then will start on 28/9 Castro Marim (tomorrow!). Daughter asked me whether she can ask her sister-in-law's family over on Xmas day; I said Yes as not shielding. Must admit that if I was stuck up here in tier 3 until March, I would go stir-crazy!! Really enjoying Chris Packham and Ella Al-Shamahi as presenters and researchers in Waterhole, set at Mwiba Lodge in Tanzania. They actually identify everything and carefully plot how wildlife adjusts to a new waterhole. It's on BBC2 at 20:00 on Friday evening or of course through iPlayer. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 5th: much better day, sunny, max 5C, min 3C, light NE breeze. Not out today. Completed processing most of Blanchland trip on 31/8 with piccies labelled, uploaded and indexed and National Honey-buzzard Survey results are now complete on the home page. Need to add data to BirdTrack and copy home-page entry to here. Next up is trip to Castro Marim, Algarve, on 28/9 where did have a migrating juvenile Honey-buzzard. Had good day streaming. First up were the Gulls, home to Wrexham, on livestream from Plainmoor, Torquay, all for £9. We won 3-1, keeping us at the top of the NL on 28 points, 2 clear of Sutton in 2nd and 8 clear of 3rd place. We are a strange side, producing exquisite attacking football in spells but also degenerating into scrappy mode, which encourages the opposition. Today we were 2-0 up after 16 min in our best spell of the game and then it was evens for the rest of the game. After the Crawley horror we have learnt game management with final few minutes played in their corner and our goalie taking a long time over each goal kick, having occasional chats with the ref over what he was doing! Next up was the start of Weymouth vs Halifax on BT Sport but not for long as Festival fundraising concert started, again on a livestream in two parts from a church in Newcastle, with donations through pp (gave 2x20). This was really inspiring with works by Lili Boulanger, Ursula Mamlok, Rosy Wertheim, Nadia Boulanger (sister to Lili), Natalie Klouda, Dora Pejačević, played by a trio of violin (AR), cello (SM) and piano (YK). All are female composers, some of whom were well known formerly, at least as conductors, with others rather neglected. There is a big movement to restore some gender balance in composers, after a long period in which females had the odds stacked against them, which I do support. I liked both the Boulanger pieces with their impressionist style, reminding me of Debussy. The Klouda piece was for solo violin, pretty challenging with plucking throughout movement 2, but very exciting. The trio by Pejačević is one of the pieces discovered after her death, gratified that it was with its mellow tones. Wertheim's piece was upbeat and rewarding; Mamlok's I found quite difficult to follow. So this was a great concert, played with marvellous spirit and skill and comments on the media were rightly very supportive!! The upside of the stream technology is that you get an international audience for arts and top-line sports and a national audience for sports away from the top tiers. There's no substitute for a live performance with its close contact but streaming is developing well I believe. 2moro will be much more active, going for walk on moors, followed by C4c4ll. Am in middle of Kenya visa application, 10 forms and 6 uploads, giving away all my life secrets!! You used to be able to get a visa at the entry airport but from start of 2021 you have to apply electronically before you arrive and place a digital permit (the visa) in your passport. Thought the payment had not gone through but checked this morning and they gave me a receipt. Two business days is the time needed for a decision. So well-earned rest: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 4th: very raw, light NE breeze, snow settled overnight on car and roof and on higher ground to S of Ordley at 200m asl (I'm at 150m asl), max 5C, min 2C, snow melted mid-morning in heavy rain giving torrents of water off roof, with gutters overloaded as larch needles caused blockages; pressure of water finally cleared the gutters! Heavy rain/sleet/snow for 24 hours, could be some flooding. Not out today! Have been through all of the piccies from Blanchland on 31/8. Had good Skype chat with N/D for 100 min from 16:00; we emulate a pub chat well! Later watched stream from RNS, enjoying concert with the Farrenc 3 coming over well, could see some influence from Beethoven 3. Pablo Hernán Benedí was a star in the Rêverie et Caprice by Berlioz. Was pleased to see FK, from Ireland, on flute! Looking forward to two important concerts tomorrow!! Funds had another good week, buoyed by OPEC+ (basically OPEC + Russia) being restrained in their increase of supply to the market, while Covid continues to affect demand. Change was +16k, taking gain on year to date of 145k (13.2%) with ftse 100 at -13.2% and ftse 250 -8.0%. Rotation from selected bonds to equities has run its course and will trade resource stocks to maintain momentum; companies needing $55 a barrel of Brent Oil ($49 now) are still out of favour so there could be some rewarding switches. Will be strongly supporting someone: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

December 3rd: Further data for National Honey-buzzard Survey, 3(d) Slaley Forest E 30/08/20: 4 birds up in the air, an adult pair with junior plus a female intruder; 2 video clips 1  2, first of adult pair displaying, second of juvenile soaring below, with 4 sample derived stills of pair 1  2  3  4 and 2 of juvenile 1  2; 2 sample stills of the 2 females 1  2, 14:30-16:30.

Moving into midwinter now, max 2C, min 1C, light N breeze, light sleet falling at 00:30 4/12. Completed the record for the Honey-buzzard on the moors at Pithouse N as can see above with excerpt from the National Survey report on the home page. Only 1 more entry to do for the National Survey (31/8) and 1 more for the regular breeding site check (5/9). Did make Hexham, going to N4c4ll TA but it's quite challenging drinking it outside in comfort with the wintry weather. Have been watching some of the European football matches on BT Sport: they're well presented and quite cultured. It will be back to the Gulls on inplayer this Saturday and next Tuesday: we're still top after winning at Wealdstone on Tuesday with a goal in the 89th minute after being 0-1 down at the interval. We'd be half-way without our late goals. OPEC+ completed their negotiations today on plans for increasing oil production next year as demand improves; fortunately the increase is going to be more gradual than initially set and PoO is over $49, approaching $50 tonight in Asia. Will resume Blanchland 31/8 raptor records tomorrow; would like to clear backlog while LD2 persists, in all but name! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 2nd: bright, 7C max, 1C min, light W breeze, it's becoming colder though with snow coming on the high Pennines! Had 4 Goosander drakes on the Tyne at Newburn, a Teal at Scotswood and a LBBG adult intermedius on the Tyne at Wylam, all around 15:20. Completed Pithouse N 30/8 data sheet in all its facets, except for final compilation in the National Honey-buzzard Survey. Will do that tomorrow morning and then start on Blanchland 31/8, one of only 2 sheets remaining for Northumberland, with 2 more left for Faro. Delighted with Pfizer vaccine news; think they're right in that it will make a major difference by the spring in reducing the Covid epidemic in the UK. Sceptics are already getting up in arms over vaccine passports but in Africa today you need a certificate for Yellow Fever vaccination if you arrive from a country where it's endemic so such a requirement has precedent. I'll be vaccinated at earliest opportunity after Kenya trip. It's good news about NCL's testing for airline travellers at £99 a time; I need a certificate for Kenya entry so will be using their services inside the 96 hours before departure on flight for Kenya. Need to apply on-line for a visa tomorrow: £75 from a website with url close to the official one or $US 51 direct with the Kenyan government -- will go for latter!! These charges are the same, however long you're away, so it's not worth going for a week! Did continue studies in Toon: good walk along Quayside, across Millennium Bridge and back through Gateshead. Didn't think it was that busy, certainly Quayside was quiet and traffic not heavy but building work is with some misgivings everywhere!! Didn't visit Northumberland Street or Debenhams to check on shopping! Paradise is never far away: she's gorgeous: so s.xy: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

December 1st: 4C mac, 3C min, light W breeze, dull, dry, sunrise (Hexham) 08:09, sunset 15:44, day-length 7 hours 35 min, (4-5 min off darkest afternoon 13/12, 24 min off darkest morning 26/12, not symmetrical due to the way we measure time), angle of sun 13.2 deg. Spent a lot of time on data for Pithouse N, 30/8, as part of Honey-buzzard National Survey; had 6-min video of pair displaying and single juvenile soaring and some stills of 2 female circling each other, the more ragged one being a visitor -- that's quite rare in the study area but maybe new camera is enabling me to pick them out more! Have uploaded stills and clips to server but need to index them, revise account and add records to BirdTrack (2moro!). Had long walk to Dotland at dusk. Pleased with rebellious vote in Commons: present tier system is not fit for purpose in the north of England. Delighted to meet someone again!!! Choppy markets at present with vaccine boosting long-term buys and lockdowns boosting short-term sales, so ftse 100 down almost 2% on Monday, recovering loss today. Own funds are +3k. 2moro it's CRB-NCL 12:00!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

November 30th: some bright sunshine today from a low angle, 9C max, 2C min with frost beckoning, light NW breeze, dry. No data sheets processed today, concentrating on another worthy cause!! But do have Pithouse Fell lined up for 2moro, completion of which would leave just 2 sheets to do for Northumberland, same as for Faro. Made W4bigshop £62, normal spend, but did cheat in I4shop yesterday when spent £14: I have much better range of frozen fish than W. Then made C4c4ll where tmsuo was looking good!! Sorted out (I think) insurance for Kenya Trip, taking out single-trip cover for Kenya for 23 days from Staysure for £128, covering everything but Covid-related issues, provided we're not in lockdown on the day I leave; no underlying health issues keeps the cost down. But could still be in trouble if fail PCR test at NCL on way out but Ethiopian Airways, with whom I booked the flights, cover all Covid-related issues for the whole trip (can't travel, repatriation, medical expenses) under their automatically-included Sheba Cover so looking good! Covid is not a big problem in Africa, except in RSA; as said earlier Malaria is the major threat, way above elephants and lions! Do want to support the last remaining true wilderness for large animals on the planet. Worries are:

What will happen to all the people and wild animals? This is the question you hear echoing all over Africa. See: africa-crisis-loss-tourism-threatens-widespread-poverty-extinction with quotes: "But it is in sub-Saharan Africa – the planet’s last true wildlife haven and ecotourism hotspot – that the absence of travellers and hard currency have been most devastating. Tourism is the major factor for conservation and plays a vital role in supporting the local communities on whose land this wildlife resides,” says Gordie Church, a safari guide at Safaris Unlimited in Kenya. “During a recent six-week safari, we came across two dead female elephant, several zebra carrying wire snares around their necks and a hippo that had perished. All a clear indication of increased poaching activities. In addition there were huge herds of livestock, often in core wildlife areas, as the community looses faith in tourism, and turn to alternative revenue sources. Tourism pays for the anti-poaching operations. As tourism continues to dwindle, funds dry up, leading to increased poaching of wildlife, loss of habitat and ultimately, the Masai landowners will change land-use from a wildlife conservancy to large-scale crop production. End result – no more Masai Mara!” Similar to (fictional) Jurassic Park where tourists were a necessity! I'm planning on 2+ safaris when there, plus regular visits to the nearby tropical forest with guides. Our lives, with loss of the arts and of natural ecosystems, because of our hysterical reaction to Covid, are suffering!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 29th: gloomy morning, some fog, light E breeze, 8C max, 1C min, frost on car early-on so snoozed on! Completed 27/9 Faro E, had done the wader roost data when out there but the wide marismas data had only been given a light touch; found a Honey-buzzard juvenile, 2 Montagu's Harrier (male, juv) and 2 Bonelli's Eagle (adult, juv). So ran update on summary for trip and result is again on entry for 14/10 with 112 species in total, 10 raptor-types, 21 wader-types. Still provisional as 2 days to polish still! Did stream BC's 4 Seasons from Globe; marvellous -- such enthusiasm and skill from the 4 players BC, JC, GW, JT (last on harpsichord was cheered on by his grandson on comments -- "Go Grandad"!). We also heard William Shield's Overture to Rosina, which included a number of Northumbrian folk tunes, surely Blaydon Races was there! Shield is regarded as an early pioneer of the musical, so fascinating to hear the overture! Had 2 spells of exercise: from Elvaston Drive to Hexham shops including N4c4ll and from house to Dotland at dusk, getting Woodcock at Close House and Tawny Owl at Ordley, both around 16:30. Am keeping exercise up and cut down junk food so only cake is with TA coffee and no crisps or chocolate at home; feeling fitter for it! But do have a g and a Cornish bitter each day! More streaming next Friday and Saturday: looking forward to it!! Hope it gets better quickly (RICE)!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 28th: 1st really cold day, -2C early morning, 3C midday, 5C evening, quite gloomy, light E breeze. Working on 27/9 Faro, where studied a large wader flock on the salinas and walked further E along the edge of the marismas. Have labelled fully most of the piccies and uploaded them to server but need to go carefully through the wader flock again and to check the long-range piccies over the marismas where not everything identified yet. There are also some butterfly sightings to go over. May well go back to the Algarve in March to meet our summer migrants coming back to us; another possibility is Gibraltar in spring for migrant raptors. Could do both! Did watch RNS concert streamed as RNS Moves: the Shostakovitch PQ was surprisingly playful; The Vivaldi PC in D minor came over very well as classical baroque; Sally Beamish's Fanfare: for Trumpet, was my favourite, more Scottish atmosphere and amazing Headspace equipment; three pieces by Carl Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Sam Buttler, Joe Cutler, of which the one by the young Sam A Ceiling Full of Stars had incredible harmonies suitable for the Mausoleum subject. So enjoyed that, paid £33 for ticket! TG was the enthusiastic and dynamic leader. Had trip into HEX in Skoda, all going well! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

November 27th: here's final entry for Stanley Burn in National Survey of Honey-buzzard from home page:

7(f) Stanley Burn, 01/09/20: a family party of 3 birds (male, female, dark-phase juvenile) up for 12 min in display; 6 sample stills 1 female/juvenile; 2  3 male, female, juvenile; 4  5 juvenile; 6 female: 15:10-17:00.

Virtually calm, gloomy, max 6C, min -1C, dry. Out with the old (60) 1  2, in with the new (70) 1  2, but regard Fox with much affection; it was so reliable with only 1 breakdown in 10 years at NCL Airport after 6 months with blocked petrol pump, due to grotty pumps at garage in Hexham, soon closed down! It finished at 92005 miles in just over 10 years, before drive to Darlington from my house with the concierge! Went out in Skoda today: think it's a natural successor to the Fox from the VW stable, which is a good thing! Central locking, electrically controlled windows are obviously useful but technically there's a lot of advances, similar to those in the Polo, with respect to suspension (share same chassis) and advanced braking system. The handling of the new car is very reassuring. 'Shire roads are not too good for opening it up, 60mph is maximum to date on the Ordley straight! Had good chat with N/D on Skype for 100 min; don't think they'll be joining me in Kenya! The villas in Watamu have confirmed my reservation and will arrange transfers from MBA to resort (10,000 KSh, £70); one advantage of Ethiopian Airways choice is that I travel in daylight in Kenya both ways, with the long hauls between ADD and LHR being night flights. NCL Airport are now offering PCR Covid tests for travellers; I need a certificate to get into Kenya and also need to organise insurance covering Covid contingencies (Staysure). Watched the RNS live stream tonight, very impressed, the Debussy pieces were so atmospheric, particularly La Mer, and was quite taken aback by the Sally Beamish piece PC 1 Hill Stanzas, based on experiences in the wilds of Scotland, quite rugged and dramatic; AB played it so well. KH was an enthusiastic leader and very pleased generally to see no notice taken of puritan advice yesterday!! Thought some performances were exceptional!! Funds had a brilliant 1st 2 days of week on Oxford vaccine news but some profit taking then followed (not by me) amidst some questions on the testing regime for the Oxford vaccine. However, vaccination is likely to start soon (8/12?) with Pfizer kit. On week as a whole funds were +22k, taking gain on year to 129k gross (+11.8%), 120k net, compared to ftse 100 -15.6%, ftse 250 -11.3%. Looking gorgeous: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 26th: cool today 6C max, 1C min, light W breeze, dry, some sunshine. Completed processing Prudhoe E on 1/9, except for addition to National Honey-buzzard section on home page. That leaves 3 data sheets for Northumberland and 3 for Faro. In brisk walk out at dusk had a Tawny Owl calling at Dotland at 16:30. Very disappointed at the placement of rural Northumberland and of Tyneside in Tier 3, particularly with the harsh restrictions on hospitality and live entertainment. May be a silver lining, have booked 3 weeks in Kenya taking up a good part of January, flying LHR-MBA with Ethiopian Airways with change at ADD for £577, including some alteration facilities. Staying at Watamu Villas, giving bungalow on beach in complex towards the world famous Watamu Marine Reserve and a few km from Arabuko-Sokoke tropical forest. That cost £1111 for 20 nights 1/2 board with free cancellation until 22/12. So basic cost is similar to recent trip to Faro. Skoda Darlington were super efficient: new car duly arrived -- it looks lovely; haven't been out in it yet but did have a wee drive in yard, finding out where everything is; have changed insurance policy paying £61 for the upgrade, including £20 admin fee, with Budget. The Fox was driven away and I did register the sale on the DVLA site as it has been known for the dealer to sell on while it's still in my name; did spend an hour cleaning it inside in interests of hygiene. The Skoda has a real VW feel! Will post a piccie 2moro! The partner Zoom session with RNS was good fun; Kyra and Alasdair were so enthusiastic and it was good to see everyone again; one partner (don't know her) suggested attention should be paid to cleavage -- puritans rule OK! Looking forward to RNS concert 2moro -- should be great!! Had hour long chat with big sis in late evening; she's going down to Cornwall for Xmas to stay with her daughter (and her husband), who are living near Tintagel. xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

November 25th: sunny, quite cool 7C max, 4C min, light W breeze but dry after overnight rain and no frost again. Had a few birds on my travels: at Merryshields at 15:30 a Canada Goose, 10 Tufted Duck and 40 Mallard; a Grey Heron at Widehaugh at 15:40; 3 Curlew at Derwenthaugh at 15:10. Labelled piccies from Prudhoe E on 1/9, uploaded them to server and indexed them, but still to check and add records to BirdTrack. Did attend the Marie Curie web cast; they are one of my principal charities and will continue that way; quite moving how much support they get from volunteers. Trains were very quiet in both directions; Quayside was quite busy, much busier than during LD1 but city (and station) was almost deserted. Cleaner S came midday and left the place looking gr8! Hoover arrived from Argos at 21:00 as promised; as usual driver 'phoned me to ask where (the hell) I lived! Not heard from Skoda Darlington yet: will it arrive tomorrow or not. I think it must arrive by Monday as my temporary insurance with them runs out then; will clean the Fox inside in the morning. Big day 2moro: which tier will we be in: cases are falling rapidly but who knows? After London at Xmas, thinking of a much longer exodus in January with Kenya resurfacing: risk of Al Shabaab seems less than that of going mad! And am missing the Honey-buzzard and the sunshine!! Amazed at budget statement today: cannot believe that in 5 years time, we will only be 3% worse off than if Covid had not occurred. Suspect position will be worse but only consolation is that Europe is in the same place. Asia is not and its better performance is driving up commodity prices. At least with no money to spend we may be spared Boris' 10-year plan! Was a gr8 break: this way will keep me vital until Xmas: she's so gorgeous: xxxxx XXXẋ!!!!!!

November 24th: breezy today from W but mild 11C max, 6C min, dry in daytime, no sun, sunrise 7:58, sunset 15:52 (Hexham) so day-length 7:54, angle of sun 14.4 deg; the solstice approaches 21/12. Had a 1w Kestrel hunting over fields to N of Ordley village at 15:00. Yesterday had a Grey Wagtail on roof at Ordley at 13:00 and found a queen wasp crawling on the lounge carpet, which put outside; got to preserve Honey-buzzard food! Made W again to get some cleaning materials -- so much for once a week! Walked from Elvaston Drive to W to get some exercise. Completed processing 6/9 Dotland in all its facets, now with 4 data sheets left for Northumberland onto 1/9 Prudhoe E, in the National Honey-buzzard survey. Have subscribed to a Raptor Research Foundation virtual conference from 8/12-9/12, based in US (so US times) and free except for $25 donation; it includes a talk on 8/12 on Oriental Honey-buzzard, which should be very interesting; I have seen those in India. Emptied Fox of my things; might be nice to give the Fox a hoover and clean with disinfectant before it's collected; have small portable hoover still working, just the job! Watched on BT Sport Krosnodar vs Sevilla from southern Russia in European Champions League, lost 1-2 by the Russian side, very entertaining game and the Spanish deserved to win! Markets are very buoyant with energy to the fore in the vaccine-inspired recovery after being the worst afffected sector in the Covid crash on travel restrictions (e.g no flying) and downturns in economies in general. Funds +31k in 1st 2 days of week on some limited recovery from disaster-pricing levels in oil shares; still rotating from bonds to equities, not only to take advantage of equity strength but also because fear inflation will rise next year. Feel the rally has further to go as markets typically look 6 months ahead when Covid should be under control ... xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 23rd: strange day weather-wise with temperature at 7C most of day, rising to 11C max late evening on moderate SW breeze, dry. Under 8 hours of daylight now, from yesterday, but only 13 min more to be lost from afternoon as move to darkest afternoon of 15:40 (Hexham), 15:38 (Newcastle). Worked hard on 6/9 Dotland (10083) and Ordley (10083a), sorting out all the Honey-buzzard juvenile piccies but still need to add to BirdTrack. Tasks for new car: signing tax document in pdf electronically and arranging 5-day temporary cover with Skoda Insurance from Thursday to ensure transition period is covered. Made W4bigshop, spending £62, and C4c4ll with TA to outside Abbey where it was cold and vacated! Cleaner S told me Hoover had gone wrong -- indeed think it's knackered; ordered a new one from Argos for £94 including delivery for Wednesday evening. Argos is now closed in HEX, which is a sad loss. Marie Curie presentation is at 11 on Wednesday so catching 12:40 ex HEX with usual return!! Covid cases are falling quickly in NE, let's hope we make T2 as Welly could open for meals and some live entertainment allowed, although pubs such as G would be closed. If we're in T3 I'm off for most of January to warmer climes with more nitelife!! Monday's good for magic money tree: new vaccine story each week: +13k! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 22nd: nice day for November, sunny, 7C max, 4C min, light W breeze, dry. So completed outdoor tasks: painting the shed (remaining 1/2 of long S side), clearing the metal fitting off the gate so new car does not get scratched (triumph for WD40), dumping much old paper in copse (under grass cuttings to weigh it down and encourage decay). Not out today! Completed all facets of 24/9 Vila Real; next up is Dotland 6/9; when that is done, there are 4 Northumberland data sheets and 3 from Faro; will press on! London trip is a proper family reunion now with son coming in to stay at Premier Inn, Kingston, for 3 nights (£30 a night!). Big day for granddaughter I, riding her bike without stabilisers, and S rides side-saddle 1. This next week sees streaming events from Marie Curie (Wed, another 'will' one), RNS pp (Thursday), RNS concert (Friday), Globe concert with Bradley, donated 30 (Sunday). So quite busy, pleased to see revival of musical events!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

November 21st: bracing day, sunny but cool W breeze, dry, 10C max, 4C min. Bright sunshine was lovely, went to C4c4l and walk in Sele where could stare at the sun and feel the spirits rising instantly (as optic nerve stimulated!). Made good progress in evening on 24/9 Vila Real, completing examination of all the piccies and finding a Black Kite to add to the 4 Honey-buzzard, 4 Osprey and 1 Marsh Harrier found that day. Not quite finished yet although have labelled everything and uploaded to server: need to index the new piccies on this web page. May do another Faro one next as brings back good memories of the break! Did watch the Gulls on the Halifax inplayer: they were p.ssed off with our 83-min winner; we now lead the table by 5 points: will it last? Watched a little later Seven Deadly Sins, streamed live from Opera North in Leeds. Classical Weill -- on the edge of steamy life for ordinary folks with a split-personality a daughter Anna portrayed as a sensible half (Anna I, singer) and a wild half (Anna II, ballet dancer) both making money for their folks back home in Louisiana with maybe Anna I as the banker and Anna II as the temptress!! A chorus of 4 men provided commentary and setting, including raising a board with the current sin and city! Only lasted 40 min but it was very entertaining. This was the last work by the team of Weill and Brecht, premiered in 1933 in Paris, Kurt (a Jew) having already left Berlin that year after the Nazis seized power; he later moved to America in 1935. While composing in Berlin, his works were considered decadent by the Nazis (which they are!) and he saw early-on the implications for artists like himself. New car is arriving on Thursday (with 35 miles on clock from Darlington) and Fox is leaving with same driver (92,000 miles on clock): working on front gate where there's an awkward metal fixture, narrowing the entrance to my yard and risking a scratch. Want to remove it and replace the catch with baler twine, which holds the 'Shire together! Screws have been in maybe 40-50 years so applied masses of WD40 and big nut came loose but small one didn't so hack-sawed the nut. Will apply a heavy hammer tomorrow! Also clearing out filing cabinet of paper long past its sell-by date -- 2 black sacks full already which dump in copse on edge of field to rot down! Very sorry to hear of someone's illness, didn't show: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

November 20th: cold start, warming up later with rain on and off much of day, no sunshine, max 10C, min 2C, moderate W breeze. Working on 24/9 Vila Real de Santo Antonio, in particular the 4 Honey-buzzard juvenile seen moving SE that day. Have labelled 23 piccies, uploaded them to server and indexed them below; so that's good progress! Hope to finish processing the day's photos 2moro including Osprey and Marsh Harrier. Not out today. Had Skype session with N/D where they marvelled at the decisiveness of the car purchase (now all paid for!). Actually found my paper registration certificate for the Fox in my filing cabinet though gather you can do the transfer online. We had good chat! Attended RNS concert on stream in evening: a programme with an Italian flavour brilliantly played, including Stravinsky's fun Pulcinella Suite, Caroline Shaw's Entr'acte (an interval!) and Mendelssohn 4 (such a lively piece, full of energy and joy!). Conductor was Dinis Sousa, who was good at the talk as well as the music! So that was an enjoyable feast, so glad the streaming is working well with the orchestra thriving in the new system. Besides the usual stars, was good to see AY on the flute but 'fraid my allegiance pp-wise has switched to the viola! Funds held gains from earlier in the week, finishing +10k on week, +107k gross on year to date (+9.8%) and +98k net, after withdrawing 1k to help pay for the car. Shares continue mixed with short-term outlook bad on Covid and medium-term looking brighter on vaccine news. ftse 100 is -15.8% on ytd and ftse 250 -11.1%. Asia is the bright spot in the poor current state of the world. So 2 streams tomorrow: the Gulls visiting the Shaymen and Opera North's 7 Deadly Sins. When go to LHR, daughter says she'll do the transfers to/from Kingston, which is great news as don't really fancy the tube. So time for sweet dreams: lok2tgrf: xxx!!!!!

November 19th: sunny, light NW, cold, max 5C, min 0C, too cold for painting! Cleaner S came in morning so scuttled out for trip to HEX, where made C4c4c and had walk around Sele doing a little bird survey from 11:40-13:00; had a Cormorant adult overhead and 9 feeding Blackbird in total of 11 bird-types, plus a Grey Squirrel, increasing in Tyne Valley with one in home garden yesterday at Ordley. Decided to catch up on November records this evening, which managed to do without too much trouble as only 2 complete counts so far. Have 27 species to date in November, compared to 96 in May. Had Zoom session in afternoon from 14:00-15:30 with BTO "A Focus on Core Monitoring" for supporters who have pledged or intend to leave a gift to BTO in their Will. There were 22 participants, including 4 from BTO, one of them their Director. The idea was to continue to convince us they were a sound organisation with a strong commitment to bird recording in all its facets. Their data is vital and I asked what their procedures were for data resilience. They appreciated the significance of the question and gave the right answer: using Oracle at UEA for security and integrity with full disaster recovery procedures including backup daily to an external site. I worked with Oracle, a full-blooded database management system, at UNN, using it for teaching procedural programming for relational databases. My son now uses it for his database management role in central admin at Herts Uni, including all the student records. The BTO run BirdTrack on which I store all my UK and overseas data and run surveys and atlases. Besides birds, we also record dragonflies and mammals, and are soon to record butterflies and amphibians as well. They are also working hard on developing children's inherent interest in wildlife into something more serious and long-term. So was highly encouraged to continue support. At present have 20k in my will for them, with same amount to RSPB, Woodland Trust, Marie Curie and RNS. Think it may be time early next year to review as want charity donations to clearly exceed 10% of taxable amount for IHT (>£1m). Anyway enough of that ... Completed some amendments to Festival site! 2moro will be on Faro 24/9 but do have Skype with N/D from 16:00-17:30 and RNS from 19:30 so some welcome diversions!! Did enjoy yesterday in Toon -- very motivating: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 18th: mild today after chilly start but strong SW breeze made it feel a little bracing, few showers in daytime turning to heavy rain in evening, max 14C, min 3C. Completed 8/9 Swallowship, pleased with that as so much data and piccies. Next up is 24/9 Real (Faro). After that will have 3 trips to document fully from Algarve and 5 from the Honey-buzzard season in Northumberland so getting there! Did make NCL: went for good walk from Station to E end of Quayside, across Millennial Bridge, by Sage and back along High-level Bridge; can get a snack at S in the Station. Needed a good walk, painting is exercise but you're fairly static. NCL was busier than in last lockdown along Quayside but traffic volumes were low; MP is reopening in due course as the New Marco Polo: cheers! Train back had quite a lot of students on it but one going in at midday was deserted. Cleaner S is coming 2moro morning at 11 for a change. Didn't think much of BJ's great green plan: it's dirigiste, reminiscent of grand Soviet 10-year plans, so doomed to utter failure. Think the Tories will eject Boris once Brexit is done and put in a more talented cabinet. I also don't like the way the word green has been hijacked to be synonymous with reduction of carbon dioxide levels; what about biodiversity for instance? Planting forests will do nothing for nature if they comprise only one species of tree, harvested for biomass at an early stage. Rendezvous was perfect: she's gorgeous: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 17th: very mild, max 13C, min 11C, dry on moderate SSW breeze. Made a lot of progress on 8/9 Swallowship, indexing all piccies and going through them all carefully to ensure nothing is missed. Concluded car negotiations with Bristol Street Motors, securing from Skoda, Darlington, a brand new supermini Skoda Fabia 1.0 MPI SE 5dr Petrol Hatchback for 12.379k difference between the Fabia price and trade-in for Fox. Colour is Blue Energy and some extras are included in the price such as a protection pack, initial taxation fee and road tax for a year. They are delivering the new car by the end of the month to my house and taking away the Fox at the same time. Paid 0.5k deposit on credit card with rest to follow later this week after taking out a personal loan from Lloyds of 11k at 4.9% APR over 4 years (252.29 a month), which took 2 hours to arrive after a simple application process. Why Skoda? Well they are owned by VW and contain some VW parts such as the chassis is the same as the Polo's. They had a terrible reputation and this lingers keeping the price down: "what do you call a Skoda at the top of a hill? a bloody miracle!". Anyway will soon find out!! Why the loan? Interest rate is very cheap, surely can do better than 4.9% in stocks over next 2 years and can then pay the loan back early without any significant penalty. Optimistically booked return flights with BA in late December from NCL-LHR for £96 total (economy plus, including checked baggage and choice of seats); can change flights if travel not possible. Premier Inn, Kingston, is charging £205 for a week but might stay with daughter; will see what things are like in early December. Inclined to just go whatever the dictators say!! Doubt they'll ask any questions at the airports. Painted 1/2 a long side of shed on S side today so c85% done -- looking good! Should finish on Saturday after short cold snap passes. A blast from the past this morning!! A Tawny Owl was hunting in my field at 22:30 on 17/11. Paid 0.5k to RNS yesterday as quarterly payment for pp on MG; have not forgotten my other pleasant obligations!! Funds +11k in 1st 2 days of week: ton up on year!! 2moro it's HEX-NCL 12:00 ex CRB. xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

November 16th: moderate WSW breeze, damp feel but stayed dry until mid-evening, around 8C all day, only a few breaks of weak sunshine. So not a bad day for painting, completing with 2 coats W (short) side and the fiddly bit around the latch and bolt on the E side so 3/4 done now! Put in a lot of work on the Swallowship visit on 8/9 (10084), finding a male and 2 juvenile Honey-buzzard in the piccies and processing a 4-minute clip of the younger juvenile. This is only the 4th site in 2020 that is known to have raised 2 young and the first in the 'Shire; hope to complete this visit tomorrow. Made HEX in between coats of paint doing W4bigshop (£62) and C4c4l where TA made by someone's mum who always looks at me darkly; had snack in the Sele. Car negotiations continue. Very pleased to hear from someone who's done so well!! magic money tree +9k! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! ?

November 15th: appalling weather today with heavy driving rain on moderate SW breeze, mild, 9C max, 6C min, weather going cooler on Thursday so have 3 days to do the 2 remaining sides of the shed before temperatures dip below 5C recommended as minimum temperature for application. Working now on Swallowship Honey-buzzard visit on 8/9, where took a long video of a juvenile practising its flight skills; hope to finish 2moro. Not out today. So pleased with streamed concert: such courage to put this on and such a rewarding result, performing brilliantly with enthusiastic comments online: did recognise the pieces, very pleased to have been involved in one of the rehearsals!! 'phoned little sis and had good chat for 40 min: she's a keen golfer so totally p.ssed off with the current daft ban on the sport. Still pursuing the car and have now made an offer; Lloyds are keen to lend me money offering the max for a personal loan of 25k, over 72 months. Plan to borrow much less for a shorter time. Don't want to sell many shares when trend may well be up! So will see how it all pans out ... Streams this week are BTO benefactors (Thursday afternoon), RNS (Friday evening), Opera North (Saturday early evening). May be a little more adventurous this week, visiting NCL on Wednesday and going for a few walks after shed finished. Will be visiting the Allen and South Tyne much more as moving focus of the National Honey-buzzard Survey next year W and want to do checks on the state of the woods, identifying a further 10 sites for close study. Gorgeous one should be proud: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 14th: here's late entry for March Burn in National Survey of Honey-buzzard from home page:

March Burn 6(e) 09/09/20: 2 strong-flying dark-phase juveniles were up over this site with both in view at one time, 4 sample stills of juvenile 2 1  2  3  4, 1 sample still of juvenile 1 5 ; late record for first juveniles suggests that you need September visits to complete the survey at some sites:15:00-16:00.

Windy today from SW but dry until evening, 11C max, 9C min. Spent some time sorting out the National Survey entry above: slowly getting there! Made HB 4 lights, 2 at 100 and 120 watts to brighten up downstairs at this dark time of year; also got 3 small paint brushes, another £33 spent but am improving the living conditions. Made C4c4l and surprise, surprise it was an on-day for tmsuo who was very dynamic!! Switched on for the Gulls' game against Boreham Wood, which was a scrappy, tense affair; we scored first but they deserved their equaliser just before half-time; we almost got a winner at 90+1 but then almost lost it in 90+2 so really honours even. We had a player sent off on 70 min which in past times would have been our death knell but the difference in numbers didn't show. All in all a game we could have lost so 1 point is OK. Had 70-min phone call with big sis in the evening; good to catch up! Spent some time researching the new-car market; have some ideas; it's 10 years since last bought a new car and then chose a VW Fox, not made in Germany but in Brazil, as a cheap way into VW quality. So thinking of same approach this time. Not going to lease, use PCP or take out hire purchase as too inflexible with early repayment or closure; mileage limits on lease/PCP are inhibiting. So likely to pay cash to the dealer but borrow some (cheap) money for part of deal from Lloyds personal finance, which is only 3.9% APR and very flexible. Will trade in the Fox, while it's going and has almost a year of MOT left: no megabucks there! New car will not be diesel (filters are damaged by short journeys) nor electric (too expensive) so will be petrol. Have been invited free of charge (as patron) to ON's livestream next Saturday of Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins from Leeds which is very welcome; have donated £25 as a supporting gesture. Looking forward very much to Sunday afternoon: sure it will go really well: I'll be there!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 13th: a fine day with continuous sunshine on moderate SW breeze, dry, 9C max, 7C min. So completed painting shed on E side where the door is placed; quite fiddly and couldn't find a small brush to do the latch and bolt areas so left those for moment; other than this 2 sides completely done now; the colour seagrass is really designed for a beach hut I think but it looks cheerful; K/T who passed wondered when I was going to bring out the beach towels! They brought dramatic news -- a Covid case in Ordley village: wondered why I hadn't seen anyone else in 2 hours work. The village is a development of the old village so houses are close together and the person afflicted has many other relations nearby! I live 400m to the W in a spacious development of 3 houses. So if Ordley as a whole has 100 residents that's 1,000 cases per 100,000!! Didn't go out today -- I am being cautious at the moment. Completed processing of bird records from 9/9 at Dipton Wood S and Ordley, except think will add the 9/9 March Burn to the National Survey report as it shows the importance of keeping observations going into September. Had lively 105 min chat with N/D on Skype; broadband not good so wonder if all neighbours are sheltering on Netflix; had to go audio-only for a bit. The RNS streaming later was perfect technically not to mention the artistic quality; Alina Ibragimova played the Bach violin concerto in brilliant style and Mahler's arrangement for string orchestra of Schubert's Death and the Maiden was also very inspiring. The orchestra seem to be getting more at ease with the streaming medium and the camera work was good, featuring the right people at the right time. Good to see the person I sponsor MG starring on the viola! More streaming this weekend: the Gulls at 3pm Saturday and another music feast at 3pm Sunday. Pleased the Festival fundraising event is going ahead and have updated the home page. Holding over the painting until Monday as need to put on 2nd coat late afternoon to fit in with the instructions (unless I get up really, really early!). Funds had a good week, rising 37k by Thursday to new all-time high before finishing +36k after a little profit-taking today. Oil stocks benefited enormously from the vaccine announcements but are still priced to fail; continuing to rotate bonds into equities. Gain on year is 96k gross (8.8%), 88k net, with rises also in ftse 100 (-16.3% ytd) and ftse 250 (-12.2%). xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 12th: grand day for time of year, bright, light SW breeze until late in day, when increasing to moderate S, max 9C, min 7C. So out with the trimmer, cutting back the dogwood about 1m on S side of shed; that's the hardest work with the painting job I think, duly completed. Then put 2 coats of the preservative onto the N long side of the shed; you're supposed to apply 2 coats fairly close together in time so am completing 1 section at a time rather than giving the whole lot 1 coat. Rain not forecast until late in night so should set fine; you cannot apply the paint below 5C so want to get it done before we get into midwinter. Should do the 2 shorter sides, including the door, tomorrow. Attended Bird Club Zoom meeting in evening; greeted back, think my support is welcomed! Talk was on Gough Island, a seabird paradise in the S Atlantic in the Tristan da Cunha complex. Except it's not such a paradise now because mice, introduced by sailors over 100 years ago, are eating the eggs and chicks of albatross, shearwater and other birds, right under the sitting adults. So they've recruited the help of New Zealand, who've overcome similar problems on their offshore islands, by dropping from helicopters millions of poison-baited seeds. Two drops are needed a few weeks apart and the endemic birds, Gough Bunting and Gough Moorhen, have to be captured before the drops to protect them from the poison. It's a hell of a logistic exercise over very rugged terrain and is being scheduled for 2021 after Covid got in the way this year. Fascinating and great to see conservation in action! In my own work, completed processing the piccies for 9/9 at Dipton Wood S (10085) and March Burn (10085a); will add records to BirdTrack tomorrow; then it's onto 8/9 Swallowship. Must get out 2moro b4 Skype session with N/D and RNS stream!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 11th: dull, mild, 11C max, 6C min, dry until evening, wind light increasing SW moderate breeze by evening. Finished processing 26/9 for all 3 islands in the boat trip from Faro, very interesting day, leaving just 4 Faro sheets to process. Next up is Northumberland Honey-buzzard 9/9 at Dipton Wood. Did make HEX visiting HB, buying a large tin of green (seagrass) Cuprinol paint for protecting shed; so that's task ahead, starting tomorrow; will need to cut back the dogwood on one side as it's up against the S side of the shed, a hedge trimmer job! Also bought a large paint brush, some heavy-duty screws to replenish supplies after fitting the towel rail and some light bulbs (all for £52). Then made C4c4ll where tmsuo was on, looking good!! Took TA to outside Abbey where talked with SD to other C goers! Then called in on P, we're in a bubble, for a lively chat over yet more coffee! All done while S was busy at home! Had an extensive flock of 150 Fieldfare over Ordley in afternoon. Later did some real cooking, making spag bol with mince, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, red onions, garlic, marjoram, thyme, paprika, nutmeg; slight blemish was cooked 2 types of pasta and one was too soft, the other too hard; anyway ate 1 portion tonight and put 5 more in the freezer. Amused at Guinness's trouble with their alcohol-free g: for hundreds of years microbial contamination was avoided by the alcohol contained in beer or porter, drunk by the masses to keep healthy. Magic no is +36k. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 10th: not a bad day weather-wise, some brightness early on, duller in afternoon, 11C max, 8C min, little wind. Completed processing Ilha Deserta records from boat trip on 26/9 at Faro, 4 types of butterfly, beautiful light! Could have done more but for call of nature!! Did remount towel rail, took me a while but eventually all done in a slightly different position to take advantage of a wood-based hold; the main purpose of the rail is to provide background heating in case there's freezing weather. Decided this line of activity could keep me purposeful so getting some paint in Homebase 2moro to paint the shed green (second coat since installation) and touch-up the blue area of the upstairs bathroom affected by filling and the removal of the earlier fitting. Keeping to diet: will stop me putting on weight in LD2. Funds continued to rise on the positive vaccine news, now up 23k on 1st 2 days of week to new all-time record: +83k gross and +75k net, after withdrawals, on ytd. Think the ducks are starting to line up in the oil world, and maybe elsewhere!! Did sell my last remaining airline, IAG, today as up 40% this week to almost what I paid initially; LD2 will have mortally damaged airline finances IMHO: I did support IAG's rights issue so did my bit for their survival. Renewed sub for Raptor Research Foundation including sustaining payment to subsidise young members ($100 in all); donated £51 to prostate cancer charity and £20 to British Legion for poppy day; my paternal grandfather, George Rossiter, died of prostate cancer aged 69 and feel it's been a neglected disease, particularly in relation to breast cancer; women are better at health campaigning than men! Not coming into NCL this week, worried about increase in Covid cases in the NE and with vaccine coming closer rapidly can be a little more patient!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 9th: Pfizer vaccine imminent and 90% effective -- good for our lives, stock market goes boom -- great news!! Sunny today, mild at 11C max, 8C min, virtually calm. Domestic duties ruled today: into W4bigshop where spent £62, KF for check on slow puncture attributed to bent rim which they fixed FOC (!), C4c4l for TA to Sele while car at KF. Getting ready to remount a towel rail, which needs to be attached to wood, not plasterboard I feel, so going to find where the wooden supports run in the upstairs bathroom, behind the plasterboard, by a little exploratory drilling with filler handy for patching at end. Did though process many piccies from 26/9 on the boat trip from Faro; that brought back great memories! My mood brightened enormously with progress on the vaccine front, not just from Pfizer, but also from UK, Russia and China: hope restored for social life and the music business!! Covid-recovery stocks did well today e.g. oil, airline, and funds were +17k, just 1k short of all-time record on 8/6/20. Many investors were mortified to find that the internet-dealing sites were so overloaded that they collapsed and they could not buy into the boom; even with the sites that stayed up such as II (mine) pricing was often delayed and confusing. I'd bought a lot of shares in the last 2 weeks so no need to deal today. But will rotate a few more bonds (not MBS) into equities over the next few weeks. Have a feeling that 2021 will be stellar for the ftse 100, making 8000, but there's a lot of ups and downs to come before then. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 8th: dull, poor visibility but no more fog and no frost, 8C max, 4C min, no sun. Not out today except for 90 min walk to Dotland at dusk when had on return a Tawny Owl calling to S of house, towards the Devil's Water at 17:00. Finished processing Faro W 23/9 now, including piccies and final adjustments of data on BirdTrack; new camera is worth its weight in gold! Bird food was instantly popular with 8 Blue Tit, 4 Tree Sparrow, 1 Chaffinch, so will carry on provisioning. Did watch the Gulls play Crawley on BBC2/BBC1/laptop; we led 2-0, pegged back to 2-2, 3-2 with 3 min to go (90 min), pegged back to 3-3, 5-3 after 110 min, losing 5-6 (OMG!): we completely lost our heads in the end but Crawley are near the top of Division 2, 1 level above us; our manager despises game management (slow it down when ahead!) but that would have got us through today. Still hopefully some lessons learnt and game was certainly entertaining! Sent off October 2020 records in spreadsheet to Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club (N&TBC), first for 8 years though have been a member throughout. Did some checks on getting away over next few weeks to maybe the Canaries or Portugal again. There are no flights to popular resorts as the airlines have collaborated with the government in removing the temptation. Did pay special attention to Scotland as international travel from there is allowed, though advised against, but no flights from there either. You can get to a business centre such as Las Palmas in Gran Canaria but you typically have to fly in 3-4 legs via London and Madrid so it takes a day. Best bet is LIS, which can get to from NCL via AMS in reasonable time (1/3 a day!) for £238 return. So could spend days 1-4 in LIS, 5-12 in FAO (via 3-hour train journey), 13-16 in LIS. Would be looking for investment properties, complete with suit, tie and laptop! Will think about it, balancing mental health against the hassle, but would leave booking to last minute as rules change all the time and make full hotel bookings (beyond night 1) only when out there. Q45 would seem adequate on return. All quite speculative but never felt so restless: LD2 is an unmitigated disaster!! Next up is Faro 26/9, speed boat day, touring the outer isles. Pleased to be sent 3 piccies of my granddaughters in Halloween dress: 1  2  3 aren't they sweet? There's only 18 months between them but older one is so much taller: they do though play well together (most of the time!). xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 7th: foggy this morning after overnight frost; sun did not break through so murky all day; calm, 8C max, -1C min. Not out today. Finished processing Slaley Forest W data for 10/9, including piccies and addition of data to BirdTrack. Onto Faro W 23/9 now, where many fascinating piccies of an adult Atlantic Yellow-legged Gull (Cantabricans, easily labelled in error as YLG x LBBG hybrid), Caspian Tern and Zitting Cisticola (yes, that is a real name!). Have been through all the piccies for that day now and should complete the processing tomorrow. Trying to follow Isaac Newton's example of working with inspiration through a plague under enforced isolation New Yorker though there is the rider "Or so the story goes"! Will have to get out more tomorrow whatever and the Gulls match in FAC1 is being monitored on BBC2 at lunchtime. While many restaurants are closing, opened my bird table this afternoon with bag of peanuts and on shed roof some assorted seed/ground peanut. No takers yet: berry and apple crop in garden is best ever! Keep being gorgeous: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 6th: news flash – no Honey-buzzard today at Stocksfield Mount – is season over? Was there from 12:25-13:55 in perfect November weather with bright sunshine, good light, almost calm, 11C max, 2C min with ground frost at the end of the night, I believe. Saw just 1 wasp there (and 1 at Ordley) Did have a Common Buzzard juvenile climbing up briefly at 12:36 a little over Bywell Castle 1  2  3  4  5  6  7 but that was the only raptor seen today. Total for visit was 18 bird-types, including 4 Bullfinch (male here 1), 1 Chiffchaff, 51 Redwing (flock 50), 4 Fieldfare, 1 Stock Dove, 2 Jay. Hard frost tonight: it surely is the end! Enjoyed concert – very inspiring – thought the Sibelius 5 was brilliantly played:      ?. The streaming worked very well with many camera angles on the players, who all looked up for it! The captioning was useful. Funds had a good week, with Manchester BS junk bonds rising well, overall +15k making gain on year +60k (+5.5%) compared to ftse 100 -21.6%, ftse 250 -18.3%. Will give more details on the junk bonds on Sunday. Have rotated 45k of bonds into equities in hoped for revival in 2021 but have increased holdings of the Manchester bonds as a special case. Covid resurgence in Europe and USA kept a lid on oil. Made C4c4ll after walk and it was open for TA with the tmsuo welcoming me in happy mood!! At 16:00 had 90-min session on Skype with N/D, which was good chat. Using Notepad++ now to edit webpages for wildlife interests! No work today on catch-up on records but tomorrow ... Did some work on the Festival web pages, looking good! ?

November 5th: mild, 10C max, 7C min, light W breeze, dry, good visibility. Did study local area around house at Ordley at dusk, looking for any lingering Honey-buzzard but none seen; did have a Kestrel 1w at 16:30, hunting keenly over area. Completed processing 3/9 Grindon, finding a Pintail in the flock of ducks on the bank, and 29/9 Faro, confirming the wee butterflies as African Grass Blue. Have 6 data sheets to process from Faro, labelling the piccies, uploading them to the web server and indexing them in html. Have only a further 8 data sheets from Northumberland study area to process, so really good progress now. 2moro it's a start at least on 10/9 Viewley and 23/9 Faro. Not out any more today, obeying the lockdown (?) but will be out further tomorrow in the fresh air! Takeaways aren't a very attractive option in November if you've got to drink them outside! Tonight watched football Benfica vs Rangers, played in Lisbon: 3-3, Rangers would have taken that before the match but were not so happy after losing a 3-1 lead late-on against the 10-men Portuguese side; no spectators could be seen; Rangers played like a classy European side: they've really come on! 2moro it's the RNS at the Sage, really looking forward to that! Will change the clarinettist and add the bassoonist! In LD2 have gone on disciplined diet, cutting out all chocolates, crisps, biscuits but am having 2 beers a day!! Hope the gorgeous one is keeping fit: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

On BirdGuides since 11/10 4 more records (3 birds) for autumn migration of Honey-buzzard, giving final total of 133 birds (3 July from 31/7, 64 August, 57 September, 8 October, 1 November):

16:34 19/10 European Honey Buzzard South Yorkshire Underbank Reservoir 14:10 probable flew over, observed from a moving car

20:02 22/10 European Honey Buzzard Essex Langenhoe Marsh dark juvenile reported this morning; also 20 Snow Buntings on saltmarsh

19:20 04/11 European Honey Buzzard Northumberland Rising Sun CP juvenile flew south over east end this morning

12:04 05/11 European Honey Buzzard Northumberland Rising Sun CP 10:00 juvenile left roost at c 10:00 and drifted off east

Total for 2019 was 112 birds so a significant increase this year. There was a much heavier movement than usual in the first half of August, possibly due to food scarcity as noted in the productivity data for Northumberland. In spring 2020 running total is 103+ on BirdGuides, compared with 83 in 2019. So 236 birds in all in 2020 compared with 195 in 2019.

November 4th: typical late autumn day, some weak sunshine, 8C max, 6C min, light SW breeze. Last day b4 lockdown so fairly frantic touring familiar haunts: CT4s4l, C4c4t, G4g4t. Trains were again very quiet but punctual and clean; CT was almost full but they're not doing takeaways so not back there for a while; Northumberland Street had 4 Covid marshals, 2 at each end, trying to get people into lanes, one for going N, the other for going S; this street was busy with the air of last-minute shopping; banks had no queues today; main queues were fast food and jewellers: are people selling off their heirlooms or buying pressies for loved ones? C in Hexham was also full and they did not know what was happening tomorrow yet; G was busy with mates all making the most of last orders for 4 weeks. Some people wished me Happy Christmas, only partly in jest; no cut in prices for G regulars. N is doing takeaways from tomorrow and encouraging you to use their app for ordering and paying. So there you go …. Had 2 Mute Swan adult and 5 Tufted Duck at Merryshields gravel pit. Completed processing records from Ordley on 13/9 and 20/9 so outstanding raw data sheets are steadily reducing. Today's football selected by me on BT Sport was again from Russia: Zenit St Petersburg vs Lazio (Italy) in Champions League. Like the other game from Russia the visitors were highly fancied but again it finished 1-1. There was again a crowd with SD. I was fascinated by the presence of Gazprom on the players' shirts and on boards around the stadium; they must provide money: indeed “Since 2005, The Gazprom Group Has Been Both Sponsor to and Main Shareholder of FC Zenit St Petersburg” https://www.gazprom-germania.de/en/sponsorship/sports-sponsorship/zenitstpetersburg.html. My son-in-law works for Gazprom, in their London offices, as a commodity trader. Being Iranian he was praying for Trump humiliation which, whatever the final result, did not happen. Booked up for the 5 streaming RNS events, costing £65 with £40 for stream and £25 donation, and for the Globe, costing £20.45 with £5.45 for stream and £15 donation. Did another moving rendezvous – very touching – will keep a physical presence through the next few weeks: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXXX!!!!!! xx

November 3rd: quite an edge today to the wind at 6C max, 4C min, but too much breeze (moderate W) for a frost, a few sunny intervals in morning. Looked at few remaining issues with 1/10 Faro, checking the wheatear carefully and making sure there were no other overlooked waders in the salinas: there weren't. Also processed 14/9 trip to Warden area where had 12 Honey-buzzard – all added to BirdTrack. Have had 2 Woodcock recently: singles flying across road in front of car at night: 23:30 30/10 Ordley, 20:30 today Loughbrow. A Grey Wagtail was over roofs of Hexham town near Battle Hill at 16:00. Delighted that Sage are being able to stream their performances to us, I'll subscribe to them all. If they had been prevented from doing so, it would have been ridiculous compared to professional sport, particularly when you consider SD is easier to maintain with an orchestra than with a physical sport. Today watched live on BT Sport (European) Champions League – Lokomotiv Moscow vs Atletico Madrid, played in Russia. They actually had a real crowd with some SD and it was entertaining to watch the dogged performance of LM against the highly fancied AM: finished 1-1! Made N4c4t for good social chat. Watched the US election results coming in, don't like Trump and would have been happy with a Biden victory but never seen so many woke commentators almost in tears. Polls again failed as many people are not woke but don't like to admit it. Result is of course not clear as write (03:24) but no state has 'changed hands' yet and it's possible Trump will win again! Anyway have rotated 43k out of bonds into equities, mainly oil, in first 2 days of week, as a little more confident about the future. Overall funds are +4k so far this week. Big day out 2moro, looking forward to it: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

November 2nd: very wet today but mild at 9C max, 6C min, early sunshine but then dull, wind moderate W. Processed piccies for 1/10 Faro W, adding one more species Bar-tailed Godwit, bringing trip list to 110 types and waders to 21 types; still reviewing a bit of material for this day. Seduced by the memories of the sun, must get back to business with Warden 14/9 tomorrow. Made W4bigshop spending £77, including £20 cashback to buy some bird food in the market. Then up to C4c4ll where tmsuo was looking gr8!! Later made G4g4s with P/R; will keep in touch with P after lockdown as can take a couple of g round to his house and have a chat! Had FB video for 50 min chat with son and daughter and 2 irrepressible granddaughters: good 2 c them all; hope we can meet up in London at Xmas! Besides the US election there's an interesting Select Committee meeting tomorrow: Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance called before MPs to explain second lockdown evidence: Chief scientific adviser and chief medical officer to face committee [Science and Technology] amid concern graphs shown were out of date and alarmist https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/11/02/chris-whitty-patrick-vallance-called-mps-explain-second-lockdown/. Pleased to see someone is doing some live streaming, programme I know is good from own experience: will subscribe and donate!! Hope RNS/Sage can do streaming for scheduled concerts: Opera North are attempting to do this from video filming. So 2 more days of relative freedom: will make the most of it!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! ex CRB 12:00 Wed!! xx

November 1st: strong winds continued with heavy rain, max 12C, min 8C, no sunshine. Night-time temperatures are forecast to fall later this week, getting close to 1st ground frosts; always reckon around 5/11 is when the residual autumnal warmth starts fading rapidly, causing the last Honey-buzzard to leave Northumberland; in Ireland birds linger longer with the milder climate. Have finished processing 28/10 and all of October now, except piccies for 1/10 in Algarve; also processed today piccies from 25/9, a quiet day spent around Faro harbour. Not sure what I'll process tomorrow, depends a bit on mood and today wanted to remember the sunshine! Out for C4c4l where staff relaxed about another spell on furlough and G4g4s with P/R, where more perhaps of a fatalistic atmosphere but had good chat with the lads! In good form was tllld!! Bought some cod-liver oil capsules at Superdrug; think diet is pretty well balanced but such capsules do guarantee a good inflow of vitamins A and D and other vital chemicals. This afternoon played with new toy, BT Sport, watching the Women's FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Everton live on desktop, with the former winning 3-1 aet; it was very competitive and absence of flagging in extra time was a compliment to their fitness; being stocky (certainly not a euphemism for fat) seemed to be a useful attribute! Star player on ratings was Alexandra (Sandy) Elena MacIver, goalie for Everton, giving an idea of the balance of play! This week threatens to be very turbulent on markets with more lockdowns in Europe and of course the US election – tin-hat time – am ready to buy on dips! Will make further studies mid-week to see if any Honey-buzzard are still moving through from Scotland. Hope local concerts continue through streaming. Expecting to make NCL on Wednesday midday!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 31st: very windy from W, mild 14C max, 7C min, heavy showers. Completed indexing piccies for 25/10, all 36 of them for the 2 Honey-buzzard juvenile (10307) and added visit to BirdTrack; next up is 28/10. Renewed my bronze patron-ship with Opera North, maintaining payment at £62.50 a month; KH did imply that some people are having to reduce their support. Well the best laid plans sometimes go astray, just have to do workarounds which we did brilliantly: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! So lockdown it is; cannot see why rugby can continue behind closed doors while theatres apparently have to close; maybe have to wait for clarification on streamed events but a steamy rugby scrum is surely more infectious than a group of elegant musicians! Whatever, it's a stupid policy, deeply recursive, and doomed to long-term failure:

Second lockdown 'not sustainable for the next few months', says Prof Devi Sridhar. Devi Sridhar, a global public health professor at the University of Edinburgh, tells the BBC: Unfortunately in the position England's in, they have to slow it down. And although no one wants a lockdown, it seems there's no other choice because the uncontrollable spread will be even worse. I go back to the summer and I say we had a lockdown, we've been living in some kind of restrictions in March, we got numbers pretty low in June. For me there are three things East Asian countries have done - strict border restrictions, voluntary good guidance to the public on avoiding the virus at all ages, and third, a test, trace and isolate system that works well. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-news-covid-lockdown-tier-3-cases-deaths/

Have subscribed to BT Sport for a month (£25, rolling contract) on my desktop and was impressed: they even had a live game on in full from 17:00, Hartlepool vs Torquay, which the Gulls won 5-0 with our 34-year old veteran Danny Wright getting a hat-trick! BT provide great action video with multiple cameras, live commentary and discussion at end. Evidently the 1st task on the long return journey (592 km) to Torquay is to get fish and chips for everyone. Last time I was at Hartlepool we lost by one goal in last game of season and were relegated to the National League; so sorry they said well fu tonite! Gulls are 5 points clear at top after 7 games. Incidentally Hartlepool's name is really Hart-le-Pool, as in Chester-le-Street, meaning pool of the stags (honest, see Wiki!). National League will continue during the lockdown as it's 'elite sport'! Will donate more to music, hoping streaming will progress as will support everything like that during the next lockdown. Pleased I've taken full advantage of recent easing to get out more and take a refreshing holiday; N/D with whom had long enjoyable Skype session today (90 min) have not been out meaningfully for almost 9 months. I think I'm going to start the Honey-buzzard book over the next month to keep positive! But anyway there's still 4 days of fun pre-LD2!! xxxxX

October 30th: still mild by daytime 12C max but decline to 4C min as night progresses, light SE breeze, dry. Was a great day at Sage, witnessing Lars Vogt playing Beethoven PC 5 in incredible style and confidence; did get the feeling that the performance being live did trigger a great response. We also had Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture and a new work by Kristina Arakelyan 'Fantasia on a theme by Ludwig van Beethoven' (World Premiere – Sage Gateshead commission): that was appreciated. So great evening, concluding in Cen4g4s. Pleased to see I'm in the Chronicle in connection with the Sage:reopening https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/gallery/see-inside-sage-gateshead-music-19158966 and https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/welcome-back-sage-gateshead-celebrates-19159326; links sent by NHe! I was almost first in so suspect the reporters took quick piccies and wanted to get away. Still proud to be involved in relaunch! Staying over to savour the atmosphere! What a week on the markets – worse since March as Coronavirus 'cases' surge – with ftse down 5% and US indices down 6%. Carnage in tech stocks as investors finally realise that tech does not operate in a vacuum – if your clients are broke, so are you! Had anticipated this: while think reaction to virus is hysterical, have to take into account what other players will do and that's panic! Own funds were -5k (under 0.5% fall) but some signs on last 2 days of week that some rotation from tech to energy might be in progress. So on year are +45k gross, +4.1%, compared to -26.1% ftse 100 and -21.5% ftse 250. In spite of relatively good personal performance, still feel downbeat, as investor sentiment is terrible: doubt whether any future fund-raising will be supplied to desperate companies, unless powers that be acknowledge the benefits of capitalism and provide a framework, e.g. airport testing, that enables investors to feel they are taking acceptable risks. Amazed at visible police presence in NCL: a stream of police cars going past at 22:05 to check on whether venues had closed; 2 officers going through hotel register for at least 30 min, while having breakfast, maybe checking for breaches of household rule; frequent police cars driving around; finally one of the new CV marshals looking very alert. See “Almost 6,000 officers join police as coronavirus enforcement steps up” https://www.gov.uk/government/news/almost-6000-officers-join-police-as-coronavirus-enforcement-steps-up. Well East Germany ran its economy so badly that they had plenty of recruits available for the Stasi. xx

October 29th: milder today at 13C max, 11C min, super-high min suggests high humidity and that's right with rain all day, heavy at times, low cloud and murk, no sun. On instruction of daughter, been told to get some vitamin D tablets as not going to make much in the winter sun and it's supposed to be beneficial against viruses, boosting immune system; will do! Continued to process raptor records from 25/10, labelling all piccies and getting ready to index them; there are definitely 2 Honey-buzzard juvenile present, one with a pale head, the other nearly all dark. Only bird today of note was a Tawny Owl calling as got back from the pub at Ordley at 22:10. The police are checking by inspection that every pub is closed by driving around them individually just after 10:00! Had sociable day, having good chat with Jd at JG who trimmed well my hair and eyebrows; next appointment 16/12, gave her £25 including 5.50 bonus. Met P twice, at C4c4c and G4g4s, for good crack! The NCL concert is a treat: love the Kreutzer last movement but the whole concert is a magnificent achievement!! So back at the S 2moro at 17:45 for drinks with concert at 19:30; will be in well b4; I'm in blue zone again! Skype chat with N/D has been switched to 15:30 Saturday, in between the Black Cats and the Gulls! lok2t the gorgeous one: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

A major mystery is unfolding over the Covid data: what is the false positive rate in the results. So many tests are being done now, 300k a day, that a false positive rate of, say, 4% would mean 12k cases a day are not actually a Covid infection, about half of the total Covid cases claimed daily. See:

False-positive COVID-19 results: hidden problems and costs by Elena Surkova, Vladyslav Nikolayevskyy, Francis Drobniewski. The Lancet, Respiratory Medicine, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30453-7/fulltext#%20.

Impact of false-positives and false-negatives in the UK’s COVID-19 RT-PCR testing programme, Carl Mayers & Kate Baker, 3rd June 2020, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/895843/S0519_Impact_of_false_positives_and_negatives.pdf.

PCR positives: what do they mean? by info@future-synthesis.com , fsdataanalysis@gmail.com , matteo.chiesa@uit.no , sergio.s.hernandez@uit.no, https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/pcr-positives-what-do-they-mean/.

In this last paper, the authors ask: Does a PCR “TRUE POSITIVE” mean INFECTIVITY OR VIRULENCE? What does viral culture tell about PCR positives?

A PCR test might find the virus it was looking for. This results in a PCR positive, but a crucial question remains: is this virus active, i.e. infectious, or virulent? The PCR alone cannot answer this question. The CEBM explains why culturing the virus is needed to answer this question:

“In viral culture, viruses are injected in the laboratory cell lines to see if they cause cell damage and death, thus releasing a whole set of new viruses that can go on to infect other cells.”

That is, if the PCR detects the virus in the human sample, this detection might correspond to a virus that is now incapable of infecting cells and reproduce. Biologists can tell if the virus is infectious by injecting it into cells (culture cells). If these cells are not affected by the virus and the virus does not reproduce in them, then the PCR test found a virus that is no longer active.

The meaning is that the PCR positive is a non-infectious positive.

I don't think we do the viral culture check. So many of our PCR 'positives' might be where the person has fragments of the virus in them but the virus is inert and they are not strictly infected. Not sure this is pointed out by our health advisers. These people would be asymptomatic, like so many in the positive category.

October 28th: another cool day 8C max, 6C min, but still no frost, wet in morning, drier in afternoon with just a few showers, light SW breeze. Made N4c4l where good to meet S again. Flu jab maybe making me feel a little jaded so kept fit today by skipping G4g4t, and going for long walk in 'Shire from 15:20-17:30 while S was hard at work. Very enjoyable! Plenty of birdlife around and the wasp nest was just about ticking over; light was so bad for photography that had to use flash, which was a quick learning curve for me and the camera; it was easy to see how to raise physically the light source but you had to select flash from a different program on the dial to that which normally use; the flash is very powerful, giving quite sharp pictures of moving wasps 1  2  3  4 (10309). Highlight of day was a late Honey-buzzard up over W part of Slaley Forest at 15:50, moving slowly over the conifers at low altitude (10308). Other raptors were a rusty-coloured Common Buzzard sitting in a tree at 16:17 near Close House 1  2 and a Tawny Owl calling from Blackhall at 17:10, when it was getting quite dark. Total of 23 bird-types included 45 Fieldfare (42 W, 3 rest), 2 Redwing, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 26 Chaffinch (influx, migrants), 12 Blackbird (influx, migrants), 5 Yellowhammer. Really pleased at the way live music is returning to the NE; booked up straight away for 2 of the new ones added today on 20/11 and 4/12 and looking forward to a certain stream!! Completed processing 22/10 (below), including the wasp nest piccies, and am indexing the piccies for 25/10 in the Stocksfield area. Pleased to hear that JB will not bring in a lockdown in the USA if he wins next Tuesday – hope he does! France commits economic/social suicide tonight; everyone will feel good for 4 weeks, cases drop and then what do you do – try re-entry to normal again in December with a population that has still been insufficiently exposed to the virus? Appointment with hairdresser Jd at JG at 11 2moro: a pleasant meeting! Then C4c4c with P and much later G4g4s with P! Looking forward to Friday: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! RDM ex 15:05. xx

October 27th: a wet and cool day, 9C max, 7C min, periods of rain through day, easing at night. Put a lot of time into processing raptor, dragonfly and lepidoptera data from 15/9 at the Mount, all done now and well worth it! Did have flu jab in a cubicle at Tesco's pharmacy department in Hexham; cost nothing and information on jab is passed to your GP, no effects yet! Met P afterwards at C4c4l; tmsuo looked very fit: she's benefiting from being part of the community again!! Not out again; evening's entertainment was the Shots (Aldershot) at home to the Gulls on Shots TV, costing £9.99. Strange game: Gulls started off with great confidence, but went behind on 8 min and were lucky to not be 3-0 down as approached half-time but then their keeper pushed a cross into his own net on 43 min and the Gulls scored 2 more in the 1st 6 min of H2 with yet another late goal on 90 min, making result 4-1 and putting us top! Their commentators were as biased as ours and were speechless at the end. We're playing at Hartlepool on Saturday but no spectators allowed. Markets are very troubled, particularly after Imperial College's very discouraging report on decline of antibodies in people who've had Covid; the media has been terrible today giving no balance at all; our immune system is based more on T-cells than antibodies, which remember past invaders and set out to destroy them; it would be very wasteful to continue to produce antibodies for every illness we've ever suffered. I'm amazed that more note is not being taken of the Barrington declaration, which recommends that older people shield if they wish with better support and younger people get on with it! Many of the Barrington signatories are top-class professional health workers and some of the abuse hurled at them is libellous. So ftse 100 is down another 2.2% with heavier falls on DAX and, in US, Dow/S&P. Own funds are down 2k; there are some real 'bargains' in equities at the moment but proceeding at a snail's pace in making the transition! Loved the promo – very creative and imaginative, definitely gone up a gear!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

October 26th: another cool day, 8C max, 6C min, some heavy showers but sunshine in between as well. Put in much work on 15/9 trip to Stocksfield Mount, indexing many Honey-buzzard piccies but leaving addition of data to be done tomorrow. Made W4bigshop but only £38.50 as no beer, followed by N4c4t and G4g4s, latter with P, with M on, very entertaining! Looked at PayPal buttons for digital sales today; have secured a template. Also installed the NHS covid app as makes it easier to check into cafes and bars; surprised at how little battery it uses. So big bro can watch over me now! Thought the NC live concerts were brilliant, particularly Finzi's Dies Natalis (birthday) for tenor and strings. It appears you have to have a name beginning with B to star in this Festival! Finzi's work was very warm, just what we want in these troubled times. Looks like another renaissance of creativity, as with the RNS – great to witness! So 2moro it's flu jab at the checkout at Tesco. There's not much flu around at the moment but suspect that they will expect volunteers for the covid vaccine to have already had the flu jab at least a month before. So things are looking up: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 25th: sunny with the odd heavy shower, 9C max, 7C min, moderate SW breeze; drop below 10C for max is a milestone for descent towards winter but at least no frosts yet, which keeps insect numbers up; clocks went back today giving an extra hour in bed for sweet dreams!!. Life has been much better since exited quarantine so am delaying Kenya trip, while we stay in tier 2 and finding it difficult to get any reliable accounts of what it's like in Watamu at the moment; can't believe many trip accounts. A cause for delay has been the US tourist advice: “Reconsider travel to Kenya due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Kenya due to crime, terrorism, health issues, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory.” https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/kenya-travel-advisory.html. Am worried that there are more desperate people around and that the police forces are either corrupt or inadequate to keep you safe. Not ruling out a trip next spring before the return of the Honey-buzzard N in mid-April. Made Stocksfield Mount, my favourite Honey-buzzard migration watchpoint, today from 13:30-14:50; was delighted to have 2 Honey-buzzard juvenile present in the area, ranging widely from Hindley in the S to Ovington in the NE and Cottagebank in the NW during the visit; they were so mobile that they were in the air most of the time during the visit, clearly restless and looking to move on; a pale headed bird was seen at Hindley 14:38-14:40 1  2, Ovington 14:15-14:31 3  4  5, Bywell Cottagebank 14:38-14:41 6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13; a dark bird was seen at Ovington 14:13-14:32 (2 visits) 14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34, Merryshields 14:24 35, Eltringham 14:25 36 (10307). Piccie 32 shows both birds up. Here's cropped images of pale head and dark with another one combining these two. Also had a Red Kite adult at Ovington at 14:20 and 2 juvenile at Cottagebank at 13:51 and 14:36-14:38, a female Sparrowhawk up over Cottagebank at 13:46-13:51 and 3 Common Buzzard (one overhead at The Mount at 14:49, one over Ovington at 14:16 and 14:33, one over Bywell Peepy at 14:30). So that's 9 raptors of 4 types. Total for visit was 17 species, including 2 Redwing W, 1 Herring Gull adult W. Had this very worn Speckled Wood on the Mount 1. Back at Ordley, after quick trip to C4c4t, had 23 Skylark SW in 5 small flocks from16:10-16:30. Much later made G4g4s with P/R for good crack! So here's to Northumberland for a couple of months!! See there are moves to reduce quarantine period from 14 days: that's long overdue – mental health effects are serious for solitary confinement over such a long time; more people might stick to 7 days. Had long chat with big sis on 'phone for 70 min. The Sage concert hall will receive £1.8m from the Culture Recovery Fund https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54664097; that seems well deserved! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! love nc xx

October 24th: wet day, staying mild 12C max, 7C min, light SW breeze. Completed processing 17/9 at Beaufront and Dukeshouse Wood, which delivered some good piccies in brilliant weather; latter is highly favoured for dog walking; might be good for a rendezvous with tmbo!! Next up is 15/9 at Stocksfield Mount. Had a Tawny Owl calling today at Ordley on return from concert at 23:30. The Tickell concert was very much a family affair with Kathryn, Mick and Peter performing together, with Holly Clarke's assistance. There were some lovely sounds, particularly the Northumbrian pipes and many familiar songs were performed from NE England. Thought it went off very well; the Hall wasn't quite full but almost so (that's on the current 300 maximum!). Maybe quite a few people went for the live stream! Again arrived early and had some wine with a live folk singer on stage in the foyer. So think the Sage must be very happy with the way the live performances have gone; I'm giving an extra £20 for each performance attended as advised to soften the blow of reduced capacity. How many watch the stream is a big question for finances and think the result of the big application for funds from the government will also be known next week: both are critical! Again made Cen4g4s! Didn't the Gulls do well – into round 1 of FA Cup – after beating Sholing 2-0 in Hampshire. Never heard of Sholing, well they play in Southern League South Division 1: “The Boatmen's historic run in the FA Cup came to an end at the hands of the National League leaders, but it was a game that turned on the officials decisions, not the perceived gap in class between the clubs.” https://www.sholingfc.co.uk/. Someone's so very s.xy: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! Next concert is on Friday, nothing arranged yet: now done!! xx

October 23rd: light SW breeze, some weak sunshine, 9C max, 6C min. Big day today for restart of live music at the Sage; what effort had gone into it and what a great result for culture in the NE. Enjoyed the pre-concert drinks with live music (Mozart clarinet quintet) from JL, IB and others; that was a good idea to accompany the wine! The main concert was conducted with inspiration by Jessica Cottis and we were treated to a double bass concerto, Concerto for Double Bass by Françaix, with the soloist being our new recruit in this area Philip Nelson. N watched on the stream and he said it came over very professionally. He's a great Mozart fan so was very impressed by S39 and Marriage of Figaro. We had a new work – Strum by Jessie Montgomery. Had to make a quick exit before S39 for a comfort break – was rewarded on return with re-siting for a better view!! N commented on my change of pp: well forsaking flighty flautists and seeking scintillating strings!! Was gr8 to meet someone après-concert: sd a little relaxed and couldn't help farewell gesture!!! Trains were again very quiet and Toon was quite deserted by 22:30; on the other hand some places were really busy at 17:00 so maybe the revelry has been brought forward by enterprising Geordies! With Bridge still closed settled on Central on GHD side of HLB; it's very narrow but was welcoming and efficient! Funds had a good week at +9k, taking gain on year to 50k gross (+4.6%), 42k net, compared to ftse 100 -22.3% and ftse 250 -17.4%; the ftse 100 fell 1.0% this week on further surge in virus cases. Besides MBS, of which now hold 2.41% of issue, also had a winner in Irish racehorse Arkle (Zinc explorer in Ireland!) of which sold ¼ of holding today. Am continuing to buy oil and gas stocks, particularly latter, at their very depressed levels; natural gas prices have already had a V-shaped recovery in US and Europe, gas is likely to benefit from the switch to 'renewables' as when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine they turn on the CCGT; gas can also be used to make blue hydrogen. Birds today included 2 Swallow SW at Dilston at 13:50 and a flock of 22 Redshank at Derwenthaugh at 16:30. Had 2 Badger in the Swallowship area on way back at 23:40, loitering on road as so little traffic around; had to stop for them. But today was very much about the return of culture to NE, continuing with Tickell tomorrow, which I'm also attending at S, including pre-concert part. Was a truly memorable day in all respects: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! later 2moro: 17:05 ex RDM, 22:36 ex NCL. xx

October 22nd: mild, some showers, one just as went out for walk, light SW breeze, 12C max, 6C min, no frosts yet. Walked out to excavated wasp nest (see 7/10 for original find) on road to Dotland from 16:25-17:45; it's been substantially rebuilt with a large cone in the shelter of the NW side of the excavation; activity was desultory but a few wasps were coming/going each minute and there were a few sluggish wasps sitting on the cone itself. The original digger, presumed to be the juvenile Honey-buzzard seen on 7/10, is likely to be a long way S now so no possibility of farming the cone; will keep an eye on it; here's piccies 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11 and clip 1 (10306). Also had some feeding winter thrushes to NE: 66 Fieldfare, 3 Redwing. A Barn Owl was flushed from fence N of Ordley village at 20:30. Did complete processing of material from 22/9 Faro, including the AYLG long and mew calls. Met P at G4g4s for good crack, still in suspended animation but just about surviving; landlord J said Covid incidence in local schools was increasing with many ½ term arrangements wrecked. So 2moro's the big concert, return of the RNS: should be gr8. We've moved our Skype meeting (D/N/me) to 14:00 as shall be on the train from 16:05 RDM-NCL. lok: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

October 21st: mild again today at 13C max, 6C min, light W breeze, some showers, little sunshine. Added below (10305) yet another Honey-buzzard juvenile from 18/10 at Ordley; that's the 6th I've seen this year in Northumberland as itemised on my Honey-buzzard Home Page. Add on the 7 juvenile, also itemised on the home page from the Algarve, and that makes 13. Attending a Zoom meeting tomorrow at 18:00 with Sage/RNS to see how they've been coping with the Covid restrictions to put on the live concerts. I admire their determination in going ahead with some great events; the live-music industry as a whole is almost literally being decimated, so terribly sad but will try and help my friends:

170,000 jobs in UK's live music sector 'will be lost by Christmas'. Industry faces 80% decline in revenues this year amid Covid shutdown, research shows. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/oct/21/jobs-uk-live-music-industry-lost-decline-revenues-covid.

Will be completing the piccies for day 1 in Faro tomorrow (22/9) and starting on 17/9 at Beaufront; will definitely get a local walk in as well. Did make C4c4ll where tmsuo looked good and G4g4t where usual crowd of men sat around, 1 per table, laughing and talking loudly to each other: it's good therapy! All the while cleaner S was hard at it at home; not sure what I'd do without her; think she's worried about her hotel job at B! Will reply to the s.xy one 2moro: keep fit: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! 2moro it's N4c4l and G4g4s, latter with P! Might stay over after the Emperor! xx

Have investigated the roadblocks in Kenya; they were introduced at night in April around Nairobi and Mombasa at the start of the Covid outbreak but were removed in June; however, some police were very reluctant to remove them as they'd got a nice little earner at 1000KSh (£7) per passenger to be allowed to pass. I think it's best to avoid travelling at night, especially as there's a curfew, which fits in well with the Ethiopia Airlines flights. Medium/long internal journeys are best done by air. Night is a little frightening in the tropics for some: it's always about 12 hours long, there's very little twilight and it feels really dark because there is not the background light pollution we're used to in most of Europe; it's also when the mosquitoes come out: one of nature's most annoying creatures to us but doubtless a good food source to many animals and birds! The Kenya coast is a hotspot for malaria, by far the most significant threat in reality so will take ample anti-malarial drugs and insect repellent, the latter also deterring other 'nasty' insects; will also take some water purification tablets and various stomach settlers, rehydration agents, plasters, paracetamol, ibuprofen and a torch. There's a curfew from 23:00-05:00 but an earlier anti-Covid regulation banning sale of alcohol in pubs and restaurants has (fortunately!) been rescinded: beer, wine and prosecco are recommended over water for a healthy diet!! I will not be wandering far at night, staying within the village! Masks have to be worn in public. As staying and eating in 'posh' places, don't need vaccinations, other than flu, which have arranged for 27/10 at 11:40 in Tesco, Hexham; Sele Surgery, Boots and Lloyds have all run out of the flu vaccine. Research still in progress ...

October 20th: warmer today with more definite SW airstream, moderate breeze, few showers, sunny midday, 15C max, 9C min. Desk job today, finalising bird, butterfly and mammal reports for the period 23/7 to 29/7 for the Azores visit in 2017, available on NB 2017; good to get that sorted. Also added recent bird data and piccies for 15/10 and 16/10 from Northumberland. Don't think P will be joining me in Kenya: he sent me a link on UK government advice for the country https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/kenya, asking if I'd read it; to which I replied “Of course! Care is needed. On my many trips to Africa I've found that you get adopted quickly by a local driver and they look after you if you look after them! I am looking at Kenya papers -- roadblocks as you said [last night] have been a recent menace with the police expecting bribes for people to pass.” Think I should not take my new 1k camera, which would be inviting trouble; will take my old Panasonic, which is smaller physically, less striking and perfectly adequate for distant raptors and the like. Funds have stirred a little with ironically, on a bad day for the city, my busted bonds in Manchester Building Society rising a little; wonder if there's any leak on their being released from the tightest level of supervision by the BoE or maybe an LME (liability management exercise); bought a few more to join in the action, bringing total holdings across the 2 issues to 337k nominal (2.28% of the total issued): so +6k in all on 1st 2 days of week! Will ease up on the desk stuff tomorrow, hoping to get a walk in and make N4c4ll and G4g4t! Have had joining instructions for Friday and Saturday: very exciting thinking of the live music with drink b4: going by train!! Thinking of the gorgeous one: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

Think the virus story has really been manipulated. A very interesting study published today shows that taken together, recent deaths for the 3 respiratory diseases flu, Covid, pneumonia, are broadly unchanged so it looks as if people who would have died with flu or pneumonia may be succumbing to Covid or even being reported as a victim of Covid instead:

'No sign of second wave' as ONS data shows normal level of deaths for time of year. People who would normally be expected to die of flu or pneumonia may instead be dying from Covid-19. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/20/second-wave-not-sight-ons-figures-show-deaths-just-15-per-cent/. There is no sign of a second coronavirus wave, experts have said as new Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed that deaths are just 1.5 per cent above the five-year average and tracking on a normal trajectory for the time of year. Although Covid deaths rose to 438 for the week ending October 9 – an increase of 36 per cent from the previous week, when the figure stood at 321 – overall deaths rose just 143 above the five-year average. There were also 19 fewer overall deaths than in the same week last year. Experts at Oxford University said the number would have to get to 1,200 deaths above the norm before it would usually be considered "excess" above the expected variation in the data. Researchers also found there would usually be around 1,600 weekly deaths from flu and pneumonia for the same week. Deaths from coronavirus, flu and pneumonia are currently running at 1,621, suggesting there is virtually no increase in expected respiratory deaths.

Universities, which were undoubtedly responsible for a substantial part of the recent surge in 'cases', are now getting on top of the virus:

Most of the country's major university towns are now past the peak of the virus, latest data reveals. The number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 is now declining in the majority of the largest universities towns in the country https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/19/countrys-major-university-towns-now-past-peak-virus-latest-data/. Most of the country's major university towns are now past the peak of the virus, the latest data reveals. The number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 is now declining in all but four of the 18 largest universities towns in the country, according to an analysis of figures from Public Health England. Major university towns, defined as those with over 20,000 students but excluding London, have generally seen cases begin to fall over the past few days. Cases in Newcastle, where students make up almost a fifth of the city's population, peaked on October 10 at 553.8 per 100,000 but have been falling since [306 per 100,000 in last weekly reporting period to 17/10; 166 per 100,000 in Northumberland, also to 17/10]. Likewise in Liverpool, cases peaked at 691.3 on October 6 and Sheffield where the height was 500.3 cases on October 13. Over 22,000 students across the country have tested positive for Covid since the start of term, according to an analysis by the University and College Union with thousands more forced to self-isolate in halls as lectures move online.

October 19th: bit more breeze today and rain in evening on light SW breeze, 11C max, 8C min. The Fox did pass its MOT at KF after fixing one fairly minor problem, the anti-roll bar, which cost c£70 including fitting. Also had a full service and wheels realigned, all coming to £307 of which £175 paid when making the booking. No warnings or further issues so very pleased with that: it's a nice feeling as the car enters its 11th year at 91.5k miles. Had to take car in early at 8:30, bit of a strain! Picked it up at 16:00 and went to W4bigshop, but not as big at £44 as last 2 weeks' as out of q. Hoped to spend some time at City Library but they'd got restrictive rules so went to CT4c&s4l for 3 hours; they've got good WiFi so added most of my Azores bird records from July 2017 to BirdTrack as had taken those to Faro but had not had time to enter them so they were sitting on my laptop. Waitress said they were struggling still business-wise and NCL, particularly along Quayside, recalled the deserted April scene though Pitcher had some customers. Kwik Tan was very quiet, with students everywhere notable for their absence. Long queues outside banks were the main feature of a fairly quiet Northumberland Street; what's going on there! Very sad to see Crown Posada, Bridge, Marco Polo, all firmly closed. Trains in both direction were desperately quiet. All confidence has gone again. Only busy place was KF in Hexham, where the popularity of clunkers for commuting is obviously boosting trade! Have got an insurance quote from Staysure for 3-week Kenya trip: 140 for basic, including Covid cover and £5m medical expenses, but multi-trip may be a better buy at around 70 more. Important thing is that the trip is insurable as otherwise would be worried; 'kids' last night were dubious about it at first but were more positive at end, perhaps recognising that I was likely to go anyway! Met P at G4g4s and he thought I'd be better flying KLM from NCL-AMS-MBA; he's actually thinking of coming but we'll see whether he can get away! G is just about surviving but long tier-3 closure, without generous compensation, would be very testing, as it would for many businesses and workers. The snowflake W, particularly Europe, is surrendering its economic ascendancy to the E!! Did have 2 great moments today; think it was reciprocated; lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

October 18th: dull day, virtually calm, 9C max, 8C min. Completed cutting leylandii hedge, doing top with the extension gear – feeling very happy after that with all autumn maintenance now done in front – neighbours watching ecstatically! Had shower and complete clothes change afterwards and escaped allergic reaction! xx Did have another Honey-buzzard juvenile up in the air, being mobbed by a Jackdaw to SE over Linnels at 13:17 and soaring to move S and onwards at 13:32 1  2 (10305). A juvenile female Sparrowhawk was up over the burn, also at 13:32. Saw 34 Redwing (4 W, 30 SW) and had 5 Greenfinch SW. Later had 45 min video chat on fb (screen shot of us) with son and daughter discussing everything but in particular Xmas, maybe to be celebrated in Kingston. Did make C4c4ll where tmsuo was very pleased 2 c me and G4g4s where lc was in good form!! Good to get back into routine. Had 80 Lesser Redpoll on birch trees N of Ordley at 16:15. 2moro have my sights on 08:57 in and 15:40 back; keeping my fingers x on the crate!! Could be a little tense: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 17th: light W breeze, max 10C, min 8C, gloomy, some drizzle. Didn't leave the house today, very well behaved for last day of q! Completed processing the piccies from 2/10 at Faro including some close-up shots and recordings of Yellow-legged Gulls, both AYLG and MYLG. Was actually able to help with an archive call from the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club; they have all the bulletins digitised back to 1964 but are missing November 1982; I found it in a folder and have already informed them of the good news; I had made a few ink marks on it but am sure there's people around still with Tippex skills – not me, will send it as it is! 'Made' the match at Plainmoor from 14:30-17:30, watching The Gulls hammer Dover 2-0, could have been 6-0 with woodwork being hit 3 times and a few goal-line clearances, one unwittingly by a Torquay player; we were top for a few hours but are now no.2 after Stockport won an evening game.

Continued doing research for the Watamu trip; Kenya have strict entry regulations for Covid, insisting on a negative PCR test, not older than 96 hours from flying but currently there's no quarantine for visitors from the UK. Encouraged by that as wouldn't want to go to a place which was completely open to the world. Such tests are not available at LHR yet but are going to be trialled soon; they are available at AMS already and of course I could get the test done privately; going rate is around £125 or €140, which I wouldn't mind paying. And of course I'd have to quarantine again on return. I think can get insurance again from Staysure but need to check that. Can fly LHR-MBA via ADD with Ethiopian Airlines for £434 (15 hours) and stay at Watamu in good-class bungalow for £911 for 20 nights with breakfast from 26/11; free cancellation of hotel is available until just before outward travel; hotel arranges transfers to/from Mombasa airport, 88km away, which take around 90 min and cost c€40. The marine- and forest-life around Watamu is world-class and it's not the wettest season, which is our spring, with temperatures around 28-29C and sun close to being overhead! Would need a full course of anti-malarial drugs and plenty of insect repellent. Nairobi is best avoided as it's a long way from Watamu (423km) and is more risky. Very tempted but am going to sleep on it for a week! In the recent past (2019) the safari parks and the beach resorts of Mombasa, Malindi, Kilifi, Watamu, Diani, Lamu Island and Manda Island have been considered safe for British holidaymakers, with 100k visiting Kenya each year. Looking forward to concerts at the Sage, with NE England virus numbers dropping steadily, except at Durham University; in any event being in Tier 3 doesn't seem to close leisure facilities necessarily. So things are looking up greatly in the short-term: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! Also it's C4c4ll and G4g4s 2moro, being joined by P on Monday, one table away of course.

October 16th: light W breeze, 10C max, 6C min, some weak sunshine, sun is rapidly getting weaker. Did major hedge cutting today: trimming leylandii on sides and most of top, leaving central crown to do next time; use extra long hedge trimmer for top bit but it's heavier so reserve its use for when fresh at start of a session so the crown is the next task, then front is done, maybe Sunday!! Added some piccies to Faro 2/10, including of Honey-buzzard juvenile on the marismas (10210). Did keep an eye out to S while doing the hedge and was delighted to see a dark-phase juvenile Honey-buzzard taking off at 14:00 from the Slaley Forest Dukesfield area and climb slowly for 6 min high in the sky before drifting off to S, a marvellous sight 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 with cropped image of 4 here (10304). A Swallow was hunting a little further N of the Honey-buzzard; 25 Redwing moved S at Ordley where a Mistle Thrush flew W. A Silver Y moth was in front garden. Funds were unchanged on week, a resilient performance with ftse 100 down 1.6%. Suspect dogged rearguard action will need to continue for the next 2 months but maybe then spirits might lift a little with progress on vaccine and on treatment of the virus. Had 2-hour chat on Skype with N/D – good for the morale! Very pleased to hear from someone!! Last day of q 2moro but nothing wild planned! Important to keep spirits up: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 15th: moderate NE breeze, cool, 10C max, 6C min, dry with some sunny intervals. Felt a lot rawer out and only made Stocksfield Mount from 13:00-14:20, should have had another layer on! The birds obviously were also responding to the rawer conditions with a mass exodus of Red Kite, very exciting to witness this actually happening. The Goshawk juvenile male put in a fine power flight at 13:07 at the start coming down from Short Wood to Merryshields, flushing everything in his path. From 13:07-13:10 an adult Common Buzzard was mewing from the Guessburn, maybe in response to the Goshawk. At 13:10 picked up a dark-phase juvenile Honey-buzzard soaring low-down over Merryshields, before drifting a little N. Then at 13:15 action increased still further with a funnel of 2 Red Kite (ad, juv) over Ovington with the Honey-buzzard juvenile below 1  2; a cropped version of 1 is here (10303); the 2 Red Kite went to a great height and then started moving S, still at high altitude, followed by the Honey-buzzard at moderate altitude some way behind. At 13:22 with these 3 birds gone, the remaining adult at the Ovington site did some low circling around the site and then flapped across the Tyne Valley, accompanied by 4 Jackdaw, before disappearing to S down a line a little W of the Guessburn. After that it all went quiet, indeed no birds were seen at Cottagebank at any time. But another Red Kite was seen, an adult moving S high-up over the area W of Peepy at 13:39, perhaps following the A68. So that's 4 Red Kite (3 ad, 1 juv) S and 1 Honey-buzzard (juv) S with single Goshawk (juv) and Common Buzzard (ad) also seen. Other migrants were 37 Redwing (16 W, 5 SW, 16 SE), 4 Goldfinch SE and a feeding Chiffchaff. Total for bird species was 17 in Stocksfield area. A Red Admiral butterfly was feeding on ivy flowers with quite a few wasps present. Have done some more work on East Africa trip, maybe take a 14-day (or 21-day) package with Ethiopian Airlines, flying from LHR-MBA, and have main stay at Watamu Beach, on Indian Ocean, near to Sokoke coastal tropical forest, booking a 3 day safari while there. Would get to LHR by flying from NCL with BA. You can get a package with flights, hotel by beach, breakfast for c£1,200 for 14-days. Thinking of late November to mid-December but will not book anything until closer to the time to see what happens in UK (and Kenya!). Sokoke is almost certain to hold wintering (Russian!) Honey-buzzard and it's within sight (1-2km) of the beach for my optics!! You can also have escorted trips there. Have been there before in the 1990s on a family trip, when we stayed at Malindi. Safaris are very easy to book once there; would like to go to Samburu in the Highlands, subject and location of Born Free https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhGeH07lo5M (Out of Africa, John Barry). Anyway need to keep +ve and that means escaping if necessary; quite a few people with the means are in exile now! Lost count of q, think may be out 2moro!! Do hope events go ahead: she's so alluring: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! A more mundane event coming up is MOT for the crate at KF on 19/10 with hairdressers with Jd a much pleasanter event on 29/10.

October 14th: and the Portugal trip-total from 21/9-4/10 is (so far!) 112 species from 400 records, 12 complete lists, 17 places (all species assumed countable). Totals for raptors were 10 types: Honey-buzzard 8 (all juv), Kestrel 6, Osprey 5, Marsh Harrier 3, Bonelli's Eagle 3, Common Buzzard 2, Sparrowhawk 2, Montagu's Harrier 2, Black Kite 1, Goshawk 1, so 33 birds. Gulls were of 8 types: Slender-billed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Audouin's Gull, Mediterranean Gull, AYLG, MYLG, LBBG graellsii, LBBG intermedius. Types of waders were 21, tern 5, lark 4, hirundine 4, warbler 8. Incredible, wish you'd been there xx! The Atlantic fly-way is sensational!

Drier morning on moderate NE breeze with showers increasing in afternoon, becoming heavy and frequent; max 11C, min 6C. Didn't trust the weather with wind from the E and timed a significant gardening session around lunchtime to chop back the shrubs in the front garden with the hedge trimmer – about another hour's worth! Always feel smug when it starts raining! All this is leading up to the annual clip of the leylandii in 2 sessions, one for the sides and the other for the top, to complete the front area. I'm allergic to leylandii so will have to put on extra layers and jump in the bath as soon as done! Completed processing the piccies for 19/9 at Wylam E; will add the records to BirdTrack and the various summaries tomorrow. Waiting with some apprehension on trend in tier 3 impositions; if we do go to that level will stay for Sage concerts if they go ahead but then might b.gger off to Africa for a safari in the highlands and coastal holiday by the Indian Ocean in Kenya to chase the Honey-buzzard! You can fly NCL-AMS-NBO in 16 hours with KLM for £523 return! Any takers? Anyway not relishing lockdown, particularly as it will be for far longer than 2 weeks, but day 11 of q successfully navigated: going out for fieldwork 2moro but will write: lok2t gorgeous one: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 13th: very wet day, 11C max, 8C min, moderate NE breeze. Completed processing piccies from 3/10 at Vila Real; will compile records into BirdTrack tomorrow and give provisional totals for the trip; still a bit to play for as will be processing piccies for the other days. So that's great progress! Have new diversion: watching the Gulls (Torquay United, National League) on a live stream through Inplayer relayed directly from ground at Plainmoor onto my desktop, for which happily paid £9 for 2 hours entertainment, going to Inplayer through the Gulls' web site on credit card. Thought my broadband might not cope but it did with no whirligigs (technical term?) though the picture was kept fairly small (laptop size?) by them to reduce bandwidth demands. We had 2 jovial, knowledgeable (and biased!) commentators, which is a good idea. Anyway the Gulls won 2-1 getting the winner at 90+4, meaning that all 3 wins this season, out of 4 played, have come from goals in added time at the end. Can see how they win so late: from 80th minute bring on 2 forwards as subs, switch from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2 and force the opposition to play deeper and deeper with vigorous attacking play; Chesterfield gave away more and more free kicks and corners and ultimately cracked conceding from a corner taken by one sub (Andrews) placed onto the head of another sub (Hall) in a massive goalmouth melee! I would happily pay for other events: it's the way to go at the moment: much better than watching the dismal news channels! Also it's a service that is actually better for people not living in Devon than that available before. Helped me get through day 10 of q with a smile! Funds are unchanged on 1st 2 days of week although ftse100 down 0.8%; pleased have sold those stocks that would benefit from easing of virus restrictions in UK. Have been translating Hebrew to English today on Google, peering into a presentation from Navitas Petroleum, which mentions some UK oil companies in a joint venture in the Falkland Islands (Sea Lion!); aware that some young lady might have done it faster! Unemployment figures for NE England released today were little short of disastrous; we need to keep the economy going. As former lecturer would strongly suggest giving students massive assignments immediately to reduce their scope or inclination for social mixing! Party-time soon: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 12th: rain most of day, sometimes heavy, 9C max, 5C min, wind W light: a grotty day! But did have 2 Common Buzzard (ad, juv) up by Houtley on way to W4bigshop at 12:30 and 20 Fieldfare W at Ordley at 14:30. No gardening today: too wet! Worked hard on Faro to Vila Real 3/10 sorting out many piccies, not quite ready for addition of data from main visit at Vila Real to BirdTrack but have added all the records from the other sites visited, most on the train. Paid a lot of attention to political debate during day over the virus: relieved that NE England not in tier 3 (yet!). If we do go into tier 3 I'm off!! Spent £60.29 at W, remembering cashing of vouchers and buying soup, biscuits and chocolates this time but forgetting butter so that's another emergency trip tomorrow! Am well stocked on g and Cornish bitter Tribute. Think supplies will last me a week. So that's day 9 of q: surviving!!

Quite a spat between the music community and the Tories over the latest retraining advert, which shows a ballerina called Fatima and an invitation for her to consider retraining in cyber security; see:

Minister criticises 'crass' advert urging ballet dancer to retrain. A Government source has suggested there was no political sign off on the poster. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/10/12/minister-criticises-crass-advert-urging-ballet-dancer-retrain/.

Fortunately the arts community does not lack effective designers, such as this full-of-ridicule poster: Boris's next job could be in Ballet, he just doesn't know it yet! Rethink, reskill, resign (not reboot!). Eton Chums First (not Cyber First!). The Guardian reports on the government advert being scrapped: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/oct/12/ballet-dancer-could-reskill-with-job-in-cyber-security-suggests-uk-government-ad. Loved the comment of one famous professional musician which will not repeat here!! Always admire fighting spirit: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

On BirdGuides since 1/10 3 more records (3 birds) for autumn migration of Honey-buzzard, giving running total of 130 birds (3 July from 31/7, 64 August, 57 September, 6 October):

13:02 11/10 European Honey Buzzard East Sussex Beachy Head one flew over Shooters Bottom this morning

11:36 04/10 European Honey Buzzard Lincolnshire Gibraltar Point NNR one this morning; also 3 Lapland Buntings, 7+ Ring Ouzels and 7+ Pied Flycatchers

10:17 03/10 European Honey Buzzard Suffolk Lowestoft 09:30 one flew south over the beach

October 11th: overcast but good visibility, 10C max, 7C min, light N breeze. First winter thrushes moving in (for me!): 5 Redwing W over Devil's Water at 13:30. About same time had 2 Red Kite up at Slaley W at 13:48, presumed ad and juv, a Kestrel juvenile at Ordley and a Swallow feeding over the Devil's Water in the company of a large bat! Also noted a GBBG 1w and a Grey Wagtail. 4 male Vapourer moths were fluttering around Ordley. Stayed at home doing some more gardening: moved a pile of wood from the centre of the field to the far hedge where dumped for rotting down; cleaned and oiled grass cutter so hopefully it will start up again next April; collected some apples from bumper crop for eating over the next week (7!); inspected fence that was constructed in late spring – brilliant job; you can't do a bad job in a small community like the 'Shire! Had long chat on 'phone with big sis (70 min) in evening: good to catch-up! So day 8 of q passes: will I get out before everything closes again! Completed processing 8/10, very good raptors that day. Next up is 3/10 Portugal to complete the list; if the worst comes to the worst 2moro will seriously consider going back there! Delighted that the new button is appreciated: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

October 10th: cool around 10C max, 5C min, for last 2 days, moderate N breeze, sunny intervals and heavy showers. Doing a lot of gardening as that gives me fresh air while staying put: yesterday cut the beech hedge at the front and today cut the front verge, about an hour for each of moderate exercise with hedge trimmer and steps (for the hedge, not the verge). Like doing all these jobs in October before it gets too cold and wet and after the growth has stopped for the year; the verge is cut back so the daffodils can flourish! Have finished processing 7/10, what a great return trip with the excavated wasp nest, a juvenile Honey-buzzard in flight and a Harris's Hawk. There's a lot of material for 8/10, which has priority. Had long Skype meeting of 105 min with N/D yesterday, which was lively! Have done quite a lot of work on the Festival web pages, including setting up pp for donations: will be very rewarding, I think! Actually think someone is a little distant, so to speak!! Impressed by our mayor Jamie Driscoll on TV today joining in the northern mayors' protest on Zoom against further lockdown without more financial support. He was a member of JC's Momentum group so pretty left-wing but he was talking a lot of sense about the plight of many businesses and people, including those indirectly affected by the closures or simply forgotten (as below). He's Mayor for North of Tyne (North Tyneside, Newcastle, Northumberland) though I actually live 6km S of Tyne, and Hexham, Prudhoe and Stocksfield are all on the S bank of the Tyne. All university cities have seen enormous spikes in the virus, which may be good for the medium term as many students will have caught the virus and we can all relax once the wave passes. So day 7 of q passes; hope the gorgeous one is keeping fit: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! Funds held onto most of gains, finishing week at +9k, +41k gross on year, +3.8% gross compared to ftse 100 at -20.2% and ftse 250 at -17.6%. xx

Finally watch this, musicians on the warpath with Holst's Mars from the Planet Suite at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.bell.75436/videos/10159073151340774. From Rebecca Bell: 400 amazing freelance musicians playing in Parliament Square to try and persuade the government to either let us work or support us as many have fallen through the gaps. Heart warming to play with so many! Video courtesy of Jo Bell. Only 20% of Holst's Mars was played, representing the maximum 20% salary support that freelancers are eligible to receive from the UK government. Mars was the Roman god of war!

October 8th: nice autumnal sunshine, light SW breeze, 12C max, 6C min. Drove to Stocksfield Mount with visit from 12:55-14:20 looking for raptors from the viewpoint. Plenty seen including Red Kite, Common Buzzard, juvenile male Goshawk up at 13:21 from Short Wood and a migrating juvenile Honey-buzzard high-up at 13:31 in the cloud base, moving higher and disappearing 1 (10301). Details for Red Kite are a family group of 4 (2 ad, 2 juv, 1) over Bywell Cottagebank at 14:08 with 2 (ad, juv) up over Short Wood NE at 13:27. Common Buzzard comprised a family group of 4 birds soaring over Bywell Cottagebank at 14:08, moving to fields to NW, a single heard calling from the Mount at 13:30 and a single at Stocksfield E from 14:14-14:15. this last bird was in aerial play with another dark-phase juvenile Honey-buzzard at 14:14-14:15 1  2  3  4, with cropped version of 2 here (10302). Highlight was 3 Hawfinch arriving from the E as a 1 and a 2, incredible sight seeing the large brightly-coloured chunky finches coming down into local trees. Also had 2 late House Martin S, a calling Chiffchaff but no winter thrushes. A Kestrel was at Dilston at 14:35. Total was 19 bird-types. Totals for raptors were 16 birds, including 6 Red Kite (3 ad, 3 juv), 6 Common Buzzard, 2 Honey-buzzard juv, 1 Goshawk male juv, 1 Kestrel, that's 5 types. At Ordley had 12 Long-tailed Tit and a Coal Tit in a roving flock and a late Small White butterfly. It was good in the bright light, making more vitamin D in the sunshine, helping immune system! Will carry on with the exercise, hardly ever meet anyone at less than 5m in the remote areas I visit! Decided this evening to join the N&TBC (Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club) live meeting on Zoom with talk by Mark Eaton of RSPB, secretary to RBBP (Rare Birds Breeding Panel). There were 44 members on, quite a lot of familiar faces; I've not been to a meeting since 2012 but am still a member. I was interested in the Recorder's report on latest sightings: over 30 Hobby in September, Caspian Gull becoming commoner while Yellow-legged Gull becomes rarer and look out for Hawfinch: there's an influx on! All of which fits in with my findings! Music is a great diversion: listened last night to an excellent recording of Beethoven 3, one of my favourite symphonies, on Classic FM with Susanna Mälkki conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Good to see a caring dimension: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 7th: some sunshine, dry, moderate W breeze, 12C max, 7C min. The Honey-buzzard season continues in style in brisk walk from 15:10-16:45. From 15:34-15:36 had a dark-phase juvenile Honey-buzzard up over SW of Letah Wood in a major argument with a Crow and a Harris Hawk 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 (10300). The Honey-buzzard appeared very strong, presumably a Scottish-born bird on its way to Gibraltar with only 2113km to go! Will have done 321km already if started from Inverness. The Harris Hawk shows well with its massive white bill and stocky appearance as in 3 with cropped version here; on 20th June 2008 also had a Harris's Hawk at Letah Wood. Is it the same bird or another escape; it is a Nearctic species from North America, popular in falconry. A cropped still of the Honey-buzzard 4 is here. Much more amazingly at 15:48 found a freshly dug wasp nest on the verge 10  11 near the lane leading off to 'Motag' perhaps 1km from where the Honey-buzzard was flying; some wasps were still entering and leaving (stills 12  13  14  15  16 with clip), which is a hallmark of Honey-buzzard raids, always leave some comb so they can rebuild the nest for a further raid later! The Honey-buzzard eat the grubs, immature wasps, in the comb, probably very nutritious, and have some adaptions to wasp stings with very tight feathering, particularly around the head and neck, and tolerance of the venom. Total was 16 bird-types with no winter thrushes noted. Was out for 95 min while cleaner S came. Really enjoyed the walk: 2 days of inaction had left me stiff and lethargic. The new 4TB external drive arrived from Amazon, about 1/10 the physical size of the one it replaces but holding 1/3 more data. I've plugged it into the USB 3.0 port on the front of the desktop with no auxiliary power needed and it's rapidly receiving data from the surviving external drive. That's the progress in 6 years!

Disturbed by the authority's lack of understanding of lockdown and quarantine issues. Social isolation is a terrible thing with much work done on the admittedly more severe solitary confinement, often in a cell, on the brain:

Neurobiology shows the need to make solitary confinement more humane. There is a difference between loneliness (the imposition of social isolation) and aloneness (the choice of being alone), and thus the brain reacts in very different ways. Loneliness, or social isolation, affecting a large part of the population as it became an epidemic in the last few years, is known to cause changes in the brain, possibly leading to more serious consequences such as depression and other mood disorders. However, some of those changes can be reversed if the appropriate social interactions are re-established and the person re-engages in social activities https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/brain-chemistry/201902/the-effects-solitary-confinement-the-brain (2019). Solitary confinement is considered to be a form of psychological torture with measurable long-term physiological effects when the period of confinement is longer than a few weeks or is continued indefinitely https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitary_confinement.

I'm not sure where the recent fashion for lockdowns has come from. It's well known that lockdowns only suppress the virus while the isolation is applied; as the lockdowns are relaxed the virus comes back. Some of my contemporaries have been shielding now for 8 months and their decline mentally and physically is all too apparent. I'm reviewing the various options! Delighted to see the Sage is re-opening; booked for 3 RNS live performances and Kathryn Tickell in person from 23/10-6/11 with appropriate social distancing but drinks before served at tables. Donated £100 to Sage appeal plus further £12 on the ticket purchases. Let's hope they go ahead!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! xx

October 6th: not out today, except to get cash for cleaner S for 2moro, so keeping to rules for the moment on day 3 of q! Spent some time sorting piccies from the Algarve; hope to publish a lot more on the Honey-buzzard found there in the next few days. Did some work investigating PayPal's structures; they're good in that it is simple to set up a simple account and then you can make it as complex as you like if you want complex functionality. Spent a lot of time looking at oil and gas stocks and invested in a few; the sector is down 50% this year, the worst performing on the main stock exchanges with many non-integrated producers (without refineries) down 70-90%. Funds are reviving a little at +10k in 1st 2 days of week, due to gains in resource stocks; Asia is doing relatively well so that is holding up commodity prices. P complained about the isolation in the G, which has stopped him going; he's off to Rhodes 2moro for 8 days. Will play it by ear!! xxxxx XXX!!!!!! Think a ps is called for!! xx

October 5th: running totals for Portugal: 102 species from 338 records, 11 complete lists, 15 places (all species assumed countable), with addition of Cattle Egret; still need to add 3/10. Summary for Honey-buzzard from trip (on home page):

Algarve, Portugal (21/9-4/10): Faro marismas, 1 juvenile off marshes, moving slowly SE 22/9; Vila Real de Santo António wetlands, 3 juvenile off marshes, moving slowly SE; 1 juvenile moving SE further N at Monte Francisco, 24/9; Faro marismas E, 1 juvenile up at moderate height, 27/9; Monte Francisco heathlands, 1 juvenile off heath, moving slowly SE, 28/9; Faro marismas, 1 juvenile off marshes at dusk, moving NE to roost 2/10; Faro marismas E, 1 juvenile soaring high and moving E mid-morning, thought to be same as previous day at dusk 3/10. Summary 22/9-3/10 Faro to Spanish border – total 8 juveniles moving E/SE with marshes a popular feeding area.

Had juvenile female Sparrowhawk over A69 at 10:45 at Newton, then did massive shop at W in Hexham (£58); parked at 8100 for £5 using pbp. 2 problems on return home: one of my 2 3TB external drives will not power up with indeed a whiff of burn-out; ordered a WD 4TB replacement today from Amazon for £86 which will arrive on Wednesday; if desperate the old one could probably be salvaged by removing the casing and accessing the wiring inside so will keep it in the filing cabinet. A smoke alarm was endlessly beeping with battery exhausted; fortunately found a replacement battery. Have finally sorted out progress of funds (or lack of it!) over last 2 weeks, which was a very bad period for risk assets as hopes for a quick resolution to the pandemic crisis faded. Own funds were down 12k, leaving gain on year at 33k (3.0%), compared to falls on year to date of 21.2% and 19.9% for ftse 100 and ftse 250 respectively. Some bonds were affected adversely by decline at its peak but have steadied now; built up cash to 53k. Have lost confidence in UK government: this latest data fiasco in the virus saga with antiquated spreadsheets running out of space is unforgivable: why on earth are they not using relational databases with their integrity checks and query languages for such volumes of traffic. Evidently they were loading from csv (comma separated values in text files, no limit on size) to xls (Excel spreadsheets, size limits on their old versions) and not realising that all the data was not being uploaded: Hancock/Dido should resign as ultimate overseers of this exercise in authoritarianism and amateurism. Oliver Cromwell will be turning in his grave: such worthy ambitious rules for a puritan society executed in a totally unprofessional manner. Did you know that Dido Harding has a namesake in Purcell's opera Dido & Aeneas with the star piece being fittingly Dido's Lament (When I am laid in earth). Do still hold some UK companies but they're ones with assets overseas and am generally being pretty cautious. Will self-isolate as well as a single person can do but the quarantine on return from abroad to northern England is very strange: there's a far higher incidence of the disease here than in the Algarve so who's protecting who. Normally quarantine is used to protect a low-risk area from a high-risk one! See https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/karol-sikora-uk-quarantine-science-proves-ridiculous/. I had no health screening, nor any tests, either here or in Portugal, doesn't particularly bother me though! Anyway that's day 2 of q gone in the cardinal sense. No pub tonite but the dog may be getting restless 2moro. Glow lingers beautifully: lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 4th: weather was cooler as left, 22C, cloudy, light W breeze but it's going back up to 28/29 in next few days so summer definitely lingering. In fits and starts completed processing 1/10 trip to Faro W, producing in the end 52 bird-types and 7 new species for trip: running total with last 2 days to process is: 102 species from 337 records, 11 complete lists, 15 places (all species assumed countable). Hotel finished sweetly, manager saw me off at 11:30 and reminded me of my credit note if I should book another holiday within next year, directly with them. Had same driver as on arrival but 2€ cheaper in daytime with total cost €20 including €3 tip; he was very courteous; had 10 Cattle Egret on field just W of centre of Faro at 11:30. Left room cleaner €10 as she'd been very diligent. Ryanair were super efficient, taking off and landing 2 min early; 1st sight of England in the mist was Prudhoe! Passport entry was also efficient with locator form read from my 'phone. Gr8 re-entry lok2tgrf: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! Hope matters continue but turmoil is everywhere!! Wow waking up from sweet dreams was fantastic!!! She's absolutely gorgeous!! xx

October 3rd: cool pattern maintained at 22C max but very sunny today and dry on moderate NW breeze. The tale of yesterday's Honey-buzzard continued with over breakfast at 10:05 a dark-phase bird seen coming off the marismas well to E (to E of road to Faro port), soaring to a moderate height in a narrow vertical column and moving off E; suspect this was the bird from yesterday evening which had probably roosted in scrub along the edge of the marismas and returned to the marshes for breakfast; it was now resuming active migration so not counting this as a new bird. A flock of 10 White Stork moved E at 12:50 right over Faro City 1  2  3 and a 1w Caspian Tern was off Faro Eva jetty at 13:23 1  2. Took the train again from Faro to Vila Real de Santo António, leaving at 13:55, back on 17:51. Walked along the cycle track that runs N towards the Spanish border, where good numbers of Greater Flamingo, Slender-billed Gull (total 29: 28 ad 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12, 1 1w 13) and LBBG (total 22: intermedius 3 ad, graellsii 12 ad, juv 6, 2w 1). A mixed roosting flock of Slender-billed Gull and Black-headed Gull, mainly former, was on a sandy area 1  2  3  4  5. Total for Black-headed Gull was 9, all adults, 2 Mediterranean Gull (ad, 2w) were seen as were 12 Sandwich Tern and 24 MYLG (13 ad, 11 juv). The mixed nearby flock of AYLG, MYLG, LBBG, is captured in these piccies 1  2  3  4  5 with these 3 piccies showing just AYLG 1  2  3. Had a female juvenile Sparrowhawk here hunting to NE at 16:24 and also finally added Common Buzzard to the list with singles at Fuseta, near a stand of pine trees, and Luz, flying low-down, from the train on the way over at 14:30. Single Kestrel were at Faro E at 13:55 (adult female) and Cacela at 18:04 (on wires) and another Sparrowhawk, an adult male, was at Tavira at 18:23. Water birds at Vila Real included c100 Coot, single Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebe 1  2, 9 Pochard, 7 Ferruginous Duck, 1 Tufted Duck; the last 4 are all new species for the trip. Greater Flamingo counts included 62 at Castro Marim W at 15:00, 1 E at Olhão at 14:05, 38 at Vila Real 1  2  3. A flock of 25 Spanish Sparrow was found in scrub 1 with 2 Stonechat fem/imm nearby 1 and 77 House Sparrow, mainly in 3 large flocks. Only 4 Swallow were seen during the day, all moving S. An Audouin's Gull 2w was at Olhão. In total of 36 types, added 8 to the Vila Real list, quite an achievement as visited several times before. Total for day was 41 bird-types. So added 9 bird-types to trip-list today, taking it to 109. No butterflies seen today. Had last dinner in hotel, beef tacos – very tasty. Have enjoyed stay very much, been a great tonic with plenty of good walks and have learnt a little more about the migration strategy of juvenile Honey-buzzard. Flight is FR2341, will be driving afterwards. xxxxx XXX!!!!!!

October 2nd: misty and damp in morning, quite invigorating! We had tail-end of storm Alex, with temperature well down at 23C max, very little actual rain but vigorous NW breeze (moderate to fresh) and disturbed atmosphere 1  2; some sunny intervals which were very bright in the clear air. Sat inside for dinner to show how uncomfortable it was outside. Had 2 walks outside, both quite brief, from 14:30-15:15 and 18:00-19:30. Some birds were sheltering in the town: 11 Red-rumped Swallow and 2 Crag Martin. Gulls were vocal and made some recordings of AYLG adult long-calls and mew calls, squeals clip 1  clip 2. Also had piccies of AYLG adult 1  2  3  4, 2w 5  6, juvenile 7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  and an LBBG ad graellsii 6. Total for AYLG was 11 (5 ad, 1 2w, 5 juv). Total for MYLG was 24 (4 ad 1, 9 2w, 11 juv). Highlight of day was a dark-phase juvenile Honey-buzzard seen from 19:13-19:15, low-down at dusk over the marismas off the Ilha Deserta departure jetty where it had presumably been feeding and gaining height and moving N with powerful flapping against the moderate NW breeze. It then swung to E over me and moved over the edge of the marismas to E at quite high altitude, presumably looking for a secure roost site towards Olhão 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 (10210) with cropped image of 1 here. Dark-phase is the common phase in the UK so nice to think it was one of ours. Also like the other juvenile Honey-buzzard seen, it was behaving with purpose and direction, avoiding any reckless flight out to sea or a night on the tidal marismas, and with a strong sense of direction towards Gibraltar. It may have been drifted initially over the marismas by the strong NW breeze. So that's no.7! Total for day was 21 bird-species, none new. No butterflies seen today. Here's another shot of Eva Hotel and 2 of yours truly 1  2 by the harbour. Had good long chat with N/D on Skype for 100 min from 16:00, better connection in my room. Dinner was in hotel, well looked after by M again!! Had white bass today, very healthy but prefer it cooked in a sauce: beer was good! Have printed boarding pass as directed: keeping to plan: xxxxx XXX!!!!!! 2moro off E again xx