Fantastic Plastic

In 2010 a Brown Shrike lived on Staines Moor for a while. For some reason that I cannot recall, in December I happened to be nearby, so twitched it. This top-drawer rarity was just a stone's throw from a favourite haunt of my formative years - Staines Reservoirs. Naturally I called in, and from the causeway took this photo...

Ruddy Ducks at Staines Res, December 2010.

I've not seen a Ruddy Duck since that day. Once a familiar sight in West London and elsewhere, but no longer. I'm sure the odd Ruddy Duck pops up here and there, but I doubt there is much fanfare. After all, its life would be at stake. As I remember it, birders were divided as to the virtues of the generously funded campaign to locate and shoot every last Ruddy Duck, so I can imagine that some may be reluctant to publicise such a bird. As far as I can make out, the entire UK population of Ruddy Duck originated from a handful that were brought to this country from the USA in 1948 or thereabouts. In UK birding parlance the fence-hoppers and their offspring gave us yet another 'plastic' species to tick.

The British List is littered with plastic. Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, almost every single Canada Goose, to name three of many.

Ironically it was a piece of fantastic plastic that kindled my latent birding urges way back when. Seeing a green parrot in the conifer outside my hall of residence window in early 1978 prompted me to make contact with Nick Green upstairs, whom I knew was a birdwatcher. And so it was that Ring-necked Parakeet was the unlikely catalyst to a life-long addiction.

As a keen lister back in the day, I was well aware that some plastic was fair game. Golden Pheasant for example. And Lady Amherst's Pheasant even more so. Not just plastic, that one, but rare plastic. I spent precious hours searching for both of those. Successfully I might add, for what it's worth. Also other, more subtle plastic. Little Owl, for example. In conversation with another local birder just the other day I found myself lamenting the recent demise of Little Owl in parts of East Devon. But honestly, it shouldn't even be here.

Probably all the Red Kites I happily enjoy each year are derived from plastic stock. And now we have even more spectacular raptors cruising the West Country skies, thanks to the White-tailed Eagle reintroduction scheme on the Isle of Wight. Still plastic though. There wasn't much I could do about the call from Mike Morse this morning, with news of a White-tailed Eagle over Cogden. I was at home, decorating. However, about 30 minutes later I could hear the local Herring Gulls alarm-calling, so popped outside to investigate. Just a Buzzard? No, not a Buzzard...

White-tailed Eagle heading W over Bridport.

And there it goes...

White-tailed Eagle is not even a garden tick. Frankly, I am ambivalent about these birds. Yes, they are magnificent creatures, obviously, and a pleasure to see. But there is part of me that wonders what it's all about. The White-tailed Eagles, Great Bustards, White Storks, Cranes, and so on...

Anyway, rather than drag out that particular soap-box, a couple of recent moths...

The garden's third Scarce Bordered Straw, a proper migrant.

This Grey Shoulder-knot was a first for the garden. Not uncommon though.

Finally, a little collage to illustrate why I always use a burst setting on the P950. All nine shots of the burst are depicted, and labelled. In the first frame the Goldcrest is not even facing the camera, and I can only assume that I pressed the shutter release because the bird was entirely visible rather than partially hidden by twigs etc, and that I hoped it would turn around. Which it did. Frame 5 turned out to be the winner...

All shots except no.5 are full frame.