Backyard and Book Birding

Yesterday I needed to go to the library as I wanted to look back at the back issues of some of the trashy newspapers. While I wish I had not bothered as in most there was no news unless you class stories about television personalities (most of whom I have never heard of) and the people in reality TV shows, as news. However, I only tell you this to put into context what happened next.

When I got back home I was planing on going out for a walk. I checked the phone no messages, so I thought, great I can get out without delay. But when I switched on my mobile, I use it as a watch, there were fourteen missed calls. Realising who had called I called the number. It was the folks I had been helping with the species survey.

While the details will remain confidential, what made me laugh was that I was asked if I ever in? I was able to retort that if he had left a message I would have known they were trying to contact me. Anyway, they wanted help and access to some of my books to identify some of the plants and moths. Not only that they wanted to complete it this weekend. So could they come round? That's my walk out the window.

When they got here, the first thing I was asked was could I make some Coffee. My driver from the other day was impressed by it. She could not believe that it was Fair Trade. It used to be that Fair Trade Coffee was not the best quality but now it is as good if not better than most. So I have converted another couple to doing the right thing for the developing world.

As we worked trough my books and their notes and fuzzy photos, I don't remember teaching them to take pictures to match mine, he made a comment about how small my kitchen is. Now their kitchen is larger per square footage than my living room and kitchen combined. They also live in a six bedroom former farm house. All this banter was in good humour.

As we got through the list, there were a few a bakers dozen that it was impossible to name. With that done he said that was brilliant and that left him time to look up on the internet what species were on the current bio-diversity action plan. His jaw hit the floor when I told him that I had a copy.

They said that if there was anything they could do to help me, I only had to ask. There really is nothing I could want or need. All I could think of was to be allowed access to their little project as the conservation work happens. One of the great things about this particular site is that as it is completely private it should thrive as wildlife haven.

Although as we worked today, from my kitchen window and or office window we were greeted to a procession of birds coming into my yard to feed. At one point I had five species there at one time.

So while I missed having my walk I did not miss the wildlife today. Further, my cat “Trouble” thought that it was her birthday as she had three people to fuss her.