Friday, May 22, 2020

Whiteholme

Dunlin 1
Common sandpiper 1

5 comments:

NTBR said...

I bet it was a bit fresh up there today Peter...

Peter Smith said...

Yes! And I had 1hr 15 mins longer up there than I'd planned, because I'd wrongly assumed that all buses were running a Sunday timetable. But at least when I did catch one, the driver no longer had an empty bus. The bus companies need passengers if they are to survive: outside the rush hours buses have been almost empty when I've caught them, (with minimal or no risk of catching or transmitting a virus). In any case, none of us can go through life avoiding all risk: we have to decide which ones we're willing to take in order to carry on being useful citizens.

Peter Smith said...

When I retired I had a letter published in the Guardian, where I said - with reasons - that I was giving up what I was paid to do "to become an ornithologist". So when I go to a remote part of Calderdale looking for birds, I see it as travelling to my place of work!
It is vital that a permanent year by year record of Calderdale's avifauna is kept, and Nick is doing a wonderful job collecting all our records and writing them up as annual reports.
Re buses: it's a good idea to carry something to cover one's face (I have a bandana) in case someone sits too close.
Re virus: I'd advise everyone to take 1000 units (25mcg) of Vitamin D daily for a few months, probably dropping to 400 units in the autumn. It is likely that people deficient in Vitamin D have a worse outlook if they catch coronavirus, and after months of little sunlight most people are probably Vit D deficient in the spring. (Sorry this has nothing to do with birds, but I wanted to say it anyway).

darrell j prest said...

Good advice peter regarding vitamin d as your a retired doctor ( and enjoy your retirement which you appear to)
I was up green withens yesterday blowing a gale
Great record re shoveler

Peter Smith said...

Thanks Darrell