The smell of burning rhododendron

[watervole]

Every other Sunday, I get up thinking "I really don't want to do this". Somehow, (sometimes with a shove from waveney) I get up and get into my old clothes and get ready to head out for Brownsea Island.

By the time we reach the island, I'm already remembering why I do this. At any time of the year, it is a beautiful place. The shaggy lichens on the alder trees, the orange of the dead bracken, the shelduck on the lake, the occasional sight of a red squirrel.

After several hours of cutting, dragging and burning rhododendron, I reek of smoke, my hair is singed (again), my chothes are slightly muddy - but not *nearly* as bad as my friend Jonathon who was working in the boggy bit under loads of overhanging branches...

I'm also enjoying myself (in spite of a lingering nausea caused by the aftereffects of the root canal filling a few days ago). Now, I'm home, I feel relaxed and happy. Tired, but definitely relaxed.

And just for temeres, today's bird for me was brent goose. I now know what they look like, because there was a small group near the quay. There was also a cormorant, or maybe it was a shag... Or possibly a grebe... Anyway, it was one of those birds that manages to swim with most of the body below water and just the head sticking up to be visible.

Comments

[dougs.livejournal.com]

The cormorant and shag are both big, and black. Bigger than your common duck. (mallard/aylesbury)

The grebe is light brown, with paler patches on its face -- and, of course, the crest. Smaller than a duck.

The greebe swims above the surface, but when it dives it often surfaces surprisingly far away.

I've never seen a cormorant or shag on the surface. I always see them in flight, or sat on marker posts or fence posts in the rain.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

I can manage cormorant/shag (without telling the two apart) when they're on posts drying their wings. The pose is pretty unmistakable even for my birding talents.

Why not come and visit Brownsea with us someday when we're not rhododendron chopping? (given that I suspect I couldn't convince you that you have an undying urge to kill rhody)

Hm. I wonder if ZZ9 have ever had a slouch round a nature reserve? I know where to find good ones all over the country. Working for a wildlife charity at least means you know where to find things (though it doesn't make you much better at identifying them. I'm still working on that part. Hence today's addition of brent goose to my lexicon. They come here from Siberia for a nice warm winter)

[temeres.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a Cormorant, which is by far the most likely just on statistics. Still, Shag's by no means impossible, though the subtleties of distinguishing between the two are probably beyond your casual observation (I still have enormous trouble with them - had one this morning which was *almost certainly* a Shag but it was nearly 400 yards out with nothing close enough to act as a size reference).

I had Brent Goose as well today. And Cormorant. And Great-crested Grebe. And 51 other species. Didn't do any useful habitat management, though, so all the gold stars are yours.