Yoga for Drunks.

The media are forever telling the people of Britain that we are a 'binge drinking' society and that it's very bad for our health - so after a good session at the pub, why not try some yoga ?


Savasana - Position of total relaxation.

Balasana - Position that brings the sensation of peace and calm.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana - This position calms the brain and heals tired legs.

Marjayasana - Position stimulates the midriff area and the spinal column.

Halasana - Excellent for back pain and insomnia.

Dolphin - Excellent for the shoulder area, thorax, legs, and arms.

Salambhasana - Great exercise to stimulate the lumbar area, legs, and arms.

Ananda Balasana - This position is great for massaging the hip area.

Pigeon - Tones the body, and builds flexibility and helps get rid of 'stress'.

Other than this bit of foolery, the only things seen today were - 9 Snow Buntings, a male Merlin, 7 Whooper Swans and a Golden Plover.

Hyperborea.

Despite a reasonable thaw setting in over the weekend, today it was back to normal, with more snow coming in. A fairly decent few hours on the patch - the Water Rail was still in the ditch before doing its usual trick and running up a drainage pipe, the Glaucous Gull is still about and showing pretty well (in daylight this time !), 175 Greylags are now in the field in front of the house and 42 Wigeon are on the sea, surprise of the day was a Black-tailed Godwit in with the Lapwings.

Glaucous Gull.

Black-tailed Godwit.

Greylag Geese.

150.

150 for the patch year ! And all thanks to a ringtail Hen Harrier putting the wind up all the Starlings at about 9:30, I wouldn't normally be out at that time (it's barely light), but scanning the sea from the living room window I picked up a 1st year Glauc close in, so it was only fair that I walked down to the rocks to get a few photos. Whilst doing this the Starling flock got up from near the Loch and went 'bananas', scanned around, expecting a Merlin but got the Hen Harrier instead - most welcome. Around the rest of the patch - 12 Skylarks, 2 Whooper Swan, 3 Golden Plover, 6 Great Northern Divers and 4 Red-throated Divers.

Glaucous Gull.

Hen Harrier.

Zombie Eaters.

This week's top tune - Faith No More - Zombie Eaters

Brixton Academy 28/4/90. It just so happens that I was at this gig, stood somewhere near the front, just to the right of 'Big Sick Ugly Jim'. After the gig finished, spent a few days in Brixton with a couple of mates savouring the delights of Railton Road, bit of a mad era really.

Frozen.

With the patch now completely frozen, a 2 hour walk produced pretty slim pickings. The good thing is that Scatness has a couple of freshwater springs, that remain flowing, even in pretty harsh weather, a walk along them today produced a Water Rail and a Jack Snipe in one and a Moorhen in the other. Around the rest of the patch and everything seemed to be on the seaweed covered beaches - a total of 157 Snipe (most of them on Moast Beach), 2 Golden Plovers and 30 Wigeon. The Robin and Chaffinch remain in the garden and a Turnstone has now joined the Starlings in the garden.


Turnstone (on the garden fence).

Wigeon.

Golden Plover.

Snipe.

The Patch, with Fair Isle in the distance.

Inside.

Stuck inside all day, due to the snow, 7 Blackbirds, a Chaffinch, 2 Redwing, a Fieldfare, a Snipe and tons of Sparrows and Starlings having a right good feed in the garden.


Blackbird.

Chaffinch.

Redwing.

Snipe.

During one of the few times today that the sky was clear.

Animal.

New look for 'top tunes' - this weeks - 'Front 242 - Animal' (ignore the 90210 shite at the beginning), what a song ! Fond memories of the Carlton Club in Warrington on a Saturday night, in the early 90's, with a head full of doves and strawberries !

....and after 6 hours of 'mind mashing', back home to play 'Sonic' on the SEGA, and chill out to more middle of the road stuff like this -

Play 'em loud !!!

Empty.

Just a quick check around the patch today ('cause it's bloody freezing !), firstly the Redpoll crop was completely empty, not even a House Sparrow in it ! Around the rest of the patch - a Moorhen, 50 Greylags, 25 Lapwing, a Song Thrush, 10 Redwings, 12 Tufted Ducks, 2 Whooper Swans, a Robin and a single Snow Bunting
.

Snow Bunting.

Whooper Swan.

Turnstone.

Lapwing.

The Girls of Porn.

The R.S.P.B. continue their new membership drive, but now instead of targeting nature reserves for new members, they seem to be targeting people at porn shows (they maybe realise that quite a few birders are total wankers !), the latest being 'Erotica 2010' - a list of all the exhibitors can be found here, just look under the heading of 'charities' in the list. I'm not sure what the stand would have looked like, but it should probably have had photos of Great Tits, Shags, Woodcock etc on it. Full story here. Still, it's got to be better than handing out pamphlets at Sumburgh Head in a force 8 Gale !

Meanwhile the Shetland Erotic Show seems to only include one type of erotic dancer -

Red Stars.

Doing the patch this weekend amounted to going as far as the private crop and no further, as on both yesterday and today, the only birds to see were Redpolls. 8 Birds were present on Saturday, including a Coue's, and today there were 22, including what looks like a different Coue's. A quick scan of West Voe on Saturday and the King Eider was still there.

Coue's Arctic Redpoll number one (Sat), this bird showed no dark streaks at all on the undertail and had a fairly large and unmarked white rump. This bird showed a pale forehead sometimes and other times not, depending on posture.

Coue's Arctic Redpoll number two (Sun), this bird showed unmarked undertail covers, apart from one small greyish streak, that wasn't always visible, unmarked white rump, slightly less extensive than the other bird and a small hint of a very pale pinkish was to the 'cheeks'. This bird showed a pale forehead.

Some of the other Common Redpolls present.

Back in Black.

Sod all, all week, apart from this Black Redstart in the garden today.