Tribute to Bill Oddie

Very, very sad to hear this moring of the passing of Bill Oddie. Bill Oddie was a colossus on the birding scene almost single handedly promoting the hooby of birding and widlife watching from the 1970s onwards. I was a big fan of the series the Goodies that ran for 10 years on the BBC and he would often bring his love of birds into that series. Together with the late Tim Brooke Taylor and Graeme Garden this trio were a mad cap comedy genius's in my mind as funny as Monty Python with their slapstick comedy often comapred to an update of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. After the Goodies had finished, Bill diversified into wildlife documentaries with one of the first being about 'Bird about Town' on the life of the urban Black redstart, other series followed such Bird in the Nest which morphed into Springwatch which became phenomally successful. I particularly liked his teaming up with producer Stephen Moss and they produced some wonderful series such as 'Birding with Bill Oddie', 'Bill Oddie Goes Wild' and 'Bill Oddie Back in the USA.' Bill became Britain's favourite birdwatcher or birder. He wrote a series of best selling books including the all time classic 'Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book', 'Bill Oddie's Gone Birding', 'Follow that Bird!', "Bill Oddie Unplucked and 'Tales of Ludicrous Gardener', all all time classics. Bill didn't court fame and was often perceived as grumpy but that masked his bi-polar disorder which he suffered from. I met Bill Oddie 4X, firstly at the "Stop the Massacre' campaign in the Sparrow's Nest Theatre in 1980, where he gave a brilliant and impassionbed talk about the whole liming and netting of birds in Cyprus. In the break I tracked him down and he kindly signed my book with the words "Cheers Bill Oddie." I next met him at Minsmere when I was walking with Ricky between the West Hide and South Hide and Bill Oddie rushed by saying 'I've just found a Blue-winged Teal at the South Hide', we ran to the hide and saw the bird a female Blue- winged Teal, a lifer for us both, thanks Bill! Next time was in London at the Natural History Museum in London when there was a Birder's Quiz and the audeience wrote questions on a card, I asked a question famously putting my name as Peter J. Ransome and Bill hilariously riffed on my name before asking the question! TBC

Painted Lady in the garden

On Sunday 27th July, a Painted Lady was in the garden, plus an unidentified female Damselfly, very briefly alighted on vegetation.

Limosa's at Carlton Marshes

Rob H had seen a Limosa at Carlton, early evening Sun 19 July, I drove over and took the long walk up to Peto's, I met Rob H. half way who had found another Limosa on the Old scrape. I scanned initially I couldn't see it, jkust 2 Canadas. But standing on the bench, it had walked right and it walked left and I saw a large Godwit generally subdued with a flush on the chest but uniform buff colouring above and below with an eye stripe slightly longer bill, slightly bigger size and some dark feathers on the mantle. My first limosa and first Lowestoft Limsoa too. It was unringed. I then walked up to Peto's and by the Pool were around 40 Greylags with summer plumaged Black- tailed Godwit, 1 winter plumage and as Rob H had found a larger immature Limosa Godwit, with eye stripe slight flush on the breast and unform buff above and below, with rings on its upper leg but these were mostly not seen as it was in deep water.

Roesel's Bush Cricket

Early evening Nick B. contacted me, he had caught a Roesel's Bush cricket in hius garden and he wanted to release it at Dip farm, so I drove him over, took a pic of the Cricket in the container then it crawled to the edge then suddenly it was gone!

Jersey Tiger Moth at Cattawade Picnic car park

On Sunday 19th July, after seeing the Godwit, I walked back to the car, I saw a big Moth fly out from a tree and settle on a white van parked right next to me, it was a striking and quite excellent Jersey Tiger Moth.

Hudsonian Godwit at Cattawade North Marsh

I left early on Sunday, but I fell asleep again after getting up really early 5.45am (bad mistake!) and left by 7.30am and just missed the HG from the White Bridge by just 15 minutes which would have been in very good light. I looked along the River Ouze from the north bank both west side (where Greenshank and Redshank seen) and the East side (where 2 Black- tailed Godwits seen togther feeding). Then Bird Guides said the HG was on North Marsh, I walked over but it wasn't on view, I did see a Green Sandpiper here though, suddenly a chap down the north path idicated he had it and we walked over and the fine Hudsonian Godwit feeding in the extreme north-east part of the marsh, but it soon walked out of view, later it walked out again. Before flying much closer towards us where it was feeding and it was reasonably close albeit totally against the light.

False alarm at Benacre

Again on Saturday 18th July, early evening, news of a possible Lesser Yellowlegs at Benacre Broad, as I was pulling up to park news came through and I saw Brian S. who said it was a misidentified immature Redshank. I saw Paul & Jane F. along the cliffs and had a good catch up. At the Hide, I looked to the back left just left of the Gull flock, at the back was a preening adult black- headed adult Little Gull. There were a lot of Black- tailed Godwits c40 and c10 Bar-tailed Godwits. By the beach, 2 Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plovers seen.