The Weekend before the Scilly Season

What's going on with the weather? Comedy writer David Croft passed away in the week, and to quote him "it aint half hot mum!". Actually, here at Powell Towers it's just started raining, so that'll be the end of that!

As for David Croft, I was never a big fan of "Are You Being Served". Forced to watch it as a little lad, with only four channels at the time, and even now I always think the best bit was the theme tune. Even now I can remember the words, like a recurring bad dream:

"Ground floor: perfumery, stationery and leather goods, wigs and haberdashery, kitchenware and food. Going up.

First floor: telephones, gents ready-made suits, shirts, socks, ties, hats, underwear and shoes. Going up.

Second floor: carpets, travel goods and bedding, material, soft furnishings, restaurant and teas. Going down."

And if you don't believe me!



Anyway, enough Captain Peacock! What with the hot weather, plus the fact that I'm going away next week, I've been in a bit of a winding-down mode. Just a check of Uttoxeter Quarry yesterday, where I got myself a personal site tick. Which was, (cue the big fanfare!), er, a Nuthatch!

Only patching can bring that kind of excitement can't it? Also around were 3 Wigeon, 2 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 1 Shelduck, 2 Snipe, 1 Curlew. A few migrants over, 1 Siskin, 8 Skylark, 23 Meadow Pipit. Also a noticeable lack of hirundines now, so they haven't been fooled by the hot weather.

As for today. The Weaver Hills yielded a Wheatear and 27 Siskins over. Checking Uttoxeter Quarry again, the main difference from yesterday was the presence of 3 Pintail. It's deja vu all over again!

I'm getting a run on Pintail recently, and I don't think these are the same birds that were at Croxden Quarry last week. They were a drake and two females. These two look like drakes, with other one being a female.



I think that's it for blogging for a few weeks. A week of work to get through, then this time next week I'll be supping pints of Tribute in Penzance. Then on the Monday morning, aboard the Scillonian ferry for 11 nights on the Scillies, woohoo! No doubt a few sea shanties will be sang whilst bobbing on the waves, or perhaps a bit of "Trelawney", the Cornish anthem! Is it only me that thinks it sounds like "The Grand Old Duke of York"?



The Scillies have had some excellent rarities these last few weeks, I just hope things haven't peaked too early. And if the weather's going to be like the last few days, I don't know what it'll be like for birds but I'll get a nice tan!