Phil Mountain
@philmountain
Dad, birder, grumpy old man.
Well, dug my copy of BOLBBB out and re-read it this evening. Remains a brilliant account of birding back in the day. At the time it helped encourage me to follow my passion, RIP WEO.
Just spent a couple of great days in Bologna as part of my family hols, however the best ‘biscuit request’ photo ever stole the show!😁
Back from mi ols, and my ‘wildflower’ patch has gone ballistic, nice……
LHR Premier Inn mouthwash, in prep for a 2-week blast around Tanzania; really can’t wait!!!!
Sweaty bumble down to Swantail and back today; Hobbies, Egrets and Common Terns supported by a cacophony of warbler song, not a bad afternoon….
Was there in May for work, the evaporation reservoir was excellent, lots of migrants passing through!
Great morning birding a fresh-water Res near Atyrau, Kazakhstan. 80+ Dalmatian Pelican occupied nests, 100’s of WWB Terns and RN Phals, loads of BN Grebes plus RH Bunt, passage Ortolans and Red-backed Strike! 😁
Just back from a relaxed week in Cyprus. Based at Mandria, I enjoyed morning and evening birding that showed significant differences in the numbers of migrants; evenings appeared better for Wagtails and Wheatears during my stay. Great birding community via the WhatsApp group!
Nice to sip my morning coffee serenaded by new-in Nightingales, 4 species of Flycatcher, loads of Wood Warblers followed today; what’s not to like about spring birding in Cyprus!
Just back from a work trip to Bangkok. Managed some local park birding, great to see a few birds I’d not seen for years, plus a smattering of new ones. Some good sites if you are time-limited.
Grabbed a days birding in Bangkok today, a few new birds were had, and only 40 mins from the city, nice.
Nice Shag with bling, one of at least six still present at 3pm on Castle Howard Lake, North Yorks @northyorksbirds.bsky.social
Really enjoyable couple of hours at Ellerton Church LDV this morning. Great, prolonged views of Tundra Beans & Russian Whitefronts mixed in with the Pinkies and Greylags. 😁 @northyorksbirds.bsky.social @yorkbirding.bsky.social
I’ve mainly been enjoying a wild goose chase around the LDV this week! 😁
Goose-tastic field on approach to East Cottingwith, LDV today, with 10 Beans and 2 Whitefronts within the large Greylag/Pinkfoot skeins! @yorkbirding.bsky.social @northyorksbirds.bsky.social
Great days birding in the Lower Derwent Valley, starting with 2 Scaup, followed by the White-tailed Eagle, finishing off with 2 Caspian Gulls in the roost. Hundreds of waterfowl, 6 other raptor species, Blackwits, Snipe, Lapwing and Goldies added to the mix 😁! #yorkshirebirding
1st thing I pointed my scope at from the hotel balcony this morning in Ponta Delgado, Azores, Great-tailed Grackle, nice start to a work trip!
That’s it now, forced to inhabit corporate Christmas habitat whilst travelling for work, baaaaa humbug!
Fantastic weekend walking with non-birding friends from Port Mulgrave, south to Sandsend on Saturday and north to Saltburn today; the coastal habitat looks fantastic! Very breezy, but managed a beast of a male Northern Bullfinch as we set off this morning at Port Mulgrave 👊!
They appear to taking birding very seriously in Kazakhstan; bird of the day Turkestan Tit, a great Tit!
Blast from the past yesterday, ‘Breakfast Special’ for dinner at the ‘Redbeck’. The start-point of many a twitch for Wintersett birders back in the day!
I had the same thoughts when a new retirement home was built in my village; many Wood Pigeons and god knows what else have been killed flying into the glass. Asked the management to put stickers on, but no progress made 🤬!
Heat-induced, torpor dominated garden VP = Swift action, post-breeding gull meanderings, a BZ & SH…….