HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It’s fun to have some idea of what you plan to do in the year ahead. Here are some of my ideas. They’ll change through the year, no doubt, as they did last year.
January – encourage as many people as possible to invite their MP to their houses to do the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch on the weekend of 25/26 January.
February – it’s always nice to see a Smew in February.
March – see brimstone and win lots of money at the Cheltenham Festival.
April – hear a Nightingale soon after they arrive in Northants.
May – see my first UK Duke of Burgundy and vote in EU elections. Do first BBS visits.
June – see large blue in Somerset and black hairstreak in Northants. Complete BBS visits.
July – see purple emperor in Northants and see my book, A Message from Martha, published. Attend a dragonfly identification course.
August – help organise a peaceful protest over grouse shooting’s role in the demise of hen harriers in England, attend Bird Fair, attend daughter’s wedding.
September – the centenary of the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon.
October, November, December – too far away to tell.
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Electric off just after 12 was a great Start! Fortunately I was tucked up in bed!! 2014 – the year of revolt against a fascist government comes to a head. Scotland walk away. Wind farms finally get the boot and all those so called conservationists working for them. 1/3 off house prices living near a wind farm!! Please try and enjoy your year remembering 2015 needs your vote!!
The latest Smart Meters will record the time and potential power consumption you couldn’t have while the elecatricity was off and you will be credited with the amount you would have been billed if the elecatricity had stayed on which is to balance the amount Les Windeurs will be paid for not producing elecatricity when the grid can’t cope when it is windy and to pay for the back-up gas and diesel generation when it isn’t but while this may seem fair the whole scam is being paid for by a very old lady in Long Sutton who says she doesn’t understand why this is happening and has now decided she would have been better off being staying in Camberwell and being killed in the Blitz rather than sitting it out in Lytham St Annes if she had known how crapulously she was going to be treated in her old age.
How can someone dislike this list???? A good start I think to 2014… Look forward to reading the updates
Maggie – welcome and thank you!
Maggie – welcome and thank you!
2013 was good for me in many ways, Duke of Burgundy (in Yorkshire and photographed) and Mountain Ringlet were new butterflies but I’ve still failed to see Large Heath in the home county. Brown and Black Hairstreaks, Large Blue Marsh Fritillary and Purple Emperor would be nice too. Small White, Fly and Lady’s Slipper Orchids were also new and in Yorkshire, the latter one of those put out was well past its best so a visit earlier will be a priority in 2014. There were no new mammals although a very dark “polecat” locally must surely have been the real thing and I’d like to photograph Red Squirrel in the county, which is not hugely difficult I’ve just not done it. Bird wise I saw several new ones this year Black Brant, Paddyfield Warbler, Buff-bellied Pipit and Siberian Rubythroat, the last cannot be topped but a few new ones would be good—- Thayers Gull?. More importantly I hope to get more field work in the uplands done this year even though it is often depressing being a raptor worker in said environment, I will also continue to work on behalf of those raptors still routinely killed illegally especially my beloved Hen Harrier. It was a particular sadness not to see them in Bowland and to note the only two I saw were both on Fair Isle.
Great list – think I might pinch a few of those to add to my own list. Thanks Mark.
naturenotes – welcome and help yourself!