Sunday morning and it was Tynemouth Book Fair looking for some more little gems. Not that many bird books around this time and I had a feeling STH had been around before me and hoovered them up! Anyway got this handsome tome for two quid. I just love these books published between the wars by the well to do amateur naturalists of the time. These were the bloggers of their day and their english unlike mine is normally immaculate but you just have to laugh at some of the asides. Many of them like the one below glory in the birds but have a underlying theme that these wonderful creatures are disturbing his game or digging up his crops. Anyway some nice illustrations by Mr Green.
Sunday lunch and an afternoon watching snooker was followed by a visit to the Carr where the waters were still rising and I met Malcolm and young Christopher who had been looking for the Shrike. We chatted and I was gripped when they mentioned somebody had reported two Green Sandpipers. Oh well that's missed bird species number seven this year although bags of time yet. We met Bill who reported the Shrike was to the North of the fen and Christopher was off up the bridleway like a whippet. At the viewing gate we watched two Short eared Owls hunting and Malcolm picked up the Shrike in the distance which was duly ticked by Christopher. I showed them a couple of other hot spots and the Redstart sang briefly but didn't show. On the way back down the lane a Gropper reeled from a nearby hedge but again didn't offer up a sighting for Christopher so here's one from Arcot last year for the young chap which I'm sure he'll catch up with eventually.
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