gryllosblog   Gryllo's (aka Ian Lewis') blog. All things to do with travel, wildlife especially birds, history, architecture and anything else that interests me.

Margaret and I are members of, and indeed met, via Nexus www.nexus-uk.co.uk/ an organisation for single people. Although we are now married we have maintained our membership and go on the occasional walk, party or outing organised by them.

As several Nexuns have enquired about bird ringing I thought it would be a nice idea to do a public ringing demonstration outside the visitor centre. The demo was a great success but a combination of a cold north-westerly wind and an early start deterred almost everyone, with only two participants. However we were also joined by Margaret, her friend, former colleague and former landlady, Angela, friends of Shaun’s – Charlotte and Pete, a number of passers-by and towards the end of the demo, some of the Durlston volunteers who were gathering for a work party.

Ringing demo: L-R Margaret, Robert, Charlotte, Pete, Rosemary and (seated) Angela. As a youngster Robert used to birdwatch with the legendary ornithologist H G Alexander and even saw Britain's only Brown Thrasher at Durlston in 1966!

Female Firecrest. Possibly the most beautiful of British breeding birds.

 

 

 

Lesser Redpoll, photo by Shaun Robson.

 

 

 

 

Later Margaret, Angela and I visited Middlebere in the hope of showing Angela the Spoonbills but they were elsewhere. A flock of 280 Black-tailed Godwits was the highlight.

 

Angela stayed for the afternoon. In the evening we visited Janis and the girls and were joined by Janis’ friend Helen from Chandlers Ford and colleague Susanne (originally from Munich). 

 

 

 

 

L - R: Helen, Janis and Susanne.