The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Which one then Terry that i dont like my County and its birds or i do nothing for Conservation.

I'm sure it was obvious to everyone else, but neither. It's the idea that, despite having, twice, tried to defend your previous crass comment that you now try to pretend it was all just a wind up and that we are all jost too slow witted to have realised !
Max, I was there too and you're right. Common or not it was the best view I've ever had of a Woodcock and it was brilliant.

As another foreigner I think that 90% of Lincolnshire is c**p for birding and that is being generous. The figure also applies to the rest of the UK regardless of county.

Some of you may or may not have noticed that most of our once common farmland birds are on their way out. Some of you may also have noticed that most of Lincolnshire is farmland, industrial strength farmland with b****r all on it but chemicals. Put those two points together and what do you get?

Some of you will now endeavour to point out that there are excellent places for birds in the county, both reserves and private land. I totally agree but this still only makes up the tiny percentage left over from the total.

So all in all the vast majority of Lincolnshire is c**p for birding and so is much of the rest of the UK especially Yorkshire.

Adi

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/46984194@N00/

Unfortunately what Adi says is true, but then it's so, in most of the world. So what do we do about it? Don't get depressed but try to improve what good habitat we have by volunteering, support the RSPB, Trusts etc.
Do your bit for nature in your garden. At least you'll feel better.
Geoff

I wouldn't say it was true of most of the world, whenever you go abroad there seems to be birds everywhere.

I have to agree with Steve and Adi on this one, the British countryside is now dire for birdlife, there are one or two little "hotspots" but the majority of the land is now almost entirely birdless .

I have spent the last thirty years birding in the Grantham area, a lot of that time spent in non descript countryside, I now find the lack of birds on the farmland shocking .

Some of you ought to try it, pick a footpath through open countryside from an OS map keeping well away from reserves and walk as far as you can ,
It makes for a grim walk I can tell you.

Carry on

Trev

An excellent way of seeing how bad things are in most areas is to volunteer for a few BTO bird surveys. There are many areas that need volunteers for Breeding Bird Surveys and for the Atlas. Check out http://www.bto.org/ and sign up. Doing such survey work methodically will provide the scientific basis needed for a proper assessment and enable the surveyor to realise how crap much of our country is. I must stress however that this does not make any of the birds dross. They are as wonderful as ever.

John

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Lincolnshire Birds https://www.flickr.com/photos/120340949 ... 8078912016
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Contact: recorder_north@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

Good lord. Are people not allow their own opinions on here or what? If Steve thinks Starlings and Black-headed Gulls are dross then so what?! It's what ever turns you on.

There is no right or wrong in what measure birds give people pleasure, if common stuff isn't his thing then whoopy sh*t.

Will

Now I realise the problem with this site. Too many Yorkies and not enough Yellowbellies.







ps that was strictly tongue in cheek.

Will,
If you read the last part of John Clarkson's comments you will see exactly what I meant. For any so called birder to describe any birds as "dross" is something I find incredible. If he had said "plus the usual stuff" or "lots of common birds" then no problem. He had plenty of opportunity to rephrase if he thought he was being misunderstood but, instead, chose to defend his view and, when that received criticsm, to pretend it was all a wind up !
What I find more disturbing than Steve's comment is the fact that you seem to agree with him. The future of birding and, indeed, birds themselves, is in the hands of younger birders like you and if there are birds that you regard as "dross" and of no interest or pleasure simply because they are common then the future is darker than any of us feared ! I'm not having a go at you but I truly hope that's not what you mean.

Having just read comments on this thread, I think the biggest part of you need to get a new hobby well away from birds!

Newcomers to birding when reading what you all have to say will start pulling their hair out and wonder why the hell they took up this wonderful hobby.

In regard to Dipper's comments I always take them with a barrel of salt, as in the past he loves a good wind-up .

In regard to farmland birds I have no comment. If you know there are not going to be any there why bother. It depends what you expect to see I suppose.

Some days when I go out and find next to nothing, I know full well I could have seen more in my garden, but staying in one place can be boring.

[ The following is in case Uniomystic sees the above, because everytime I put a post on The Forum he answers it with some sarcastic comment. If you have nothing positive to say keep your opinions to yourself]

Max

It's a good job you've got some Yorkies over here,or nothing would get found,as for Yorkshire being crap,Brown Flycatcher,2 Red-flanked Bluetails,White's Thrush(albeit dead),Pacific Diver,American Robin,all in one year,do i have to say anymore?

Typical Yorkie humility there then!

I thought mentioning anything about Yorkshire on here would get a response,if only i could find a raritiy,i put enough hours in,but like mentioned previously,its all about enjoying the hobby,and i get more enjoyment out of watching Hen harrier,Short-eared Owl etc,on my local patch at Worlaby,than twitching any rarity.
I have been living in Lincolnshire for 26 years now and this is where i started my hobby,and i really enjoy my birding over here.It seems to me the way some people are talking on here,they are definately in the wrong hobby,stop moaning,get out there and enjoy it,if you don't enjoy it,go home and take up knitting or something.

Only joking Stephen.

As a born and brought up Mariner of many years, dissing Yorkies used to come easy. Then my daughter had to be born in Hull so I now have to be careful what I say.

Terry,
As I said. Each to there own.

I personally have been birding since I was at least four years of age (I'm now 21) and I'm sorry if the likes of Black-headed Gulls and Starlings don't do anything for me, but unless I see some interesting behavior from one, that I haven't seen before then I have very little more than a passing interest in them. I don't spend hours watching them, as I doubt anyone does after a couple of years birding.

Dross is a term often used by experienced birders about common things. But why does this mean the future is any darker? It doesn't mean we aren't going to do what we can to help preserve these species.

For example, I would prefer to see money being spent on trying to save our declining populations of common birds such as House Sparrows and Starlings than the current mass of reintroduction programs that are going on for birds that perhaps don't actually need our help and are recovering quite well on their own (Ospreys and Corncrakes spring to mind).

As I said before, everyone gets different degrees of pleasure out of birding and everyone birds to different degrees.

cheers
Will