Mark Rigby wrote:

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I think you must have the wrong Riggers.

That guy in the photo doesn't look anything like me.

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He would if he had his wrestler's leotard on

Riggers going for the year list. Why I never knew! how did you keep it so quite.Anyway excellent news, the 200 club will supply a fitting night out at the end

Very good article on the first months attempt on the website, well written and you have my sympathy, its a hard slog, but go for it, it's an experience you will never forget.

All Gm Birders will help. they did for me, good luck,looking forward to the next months instalment, (Dickens used to do his books like that)


Keep Birding

What a jolly boys outing it was, with guest appearance from Mel, the coffee lady, kept us all warm on this mega cold day.

As for January 1st 2010 in Greater Manchester once again Team Heaford put on a very respectable score, considering the weather and lack of rare birds in the county this year.

Had the Great Northern Diver stayed or the Green winged Teal put on a show, we may have seen a new total, but we scored 80 species for the day, one shy of our previous year's record attempt.

Will send Ian a full account of our days birding which was one of the best days out this year, no honest great company, some top birding by the 200 club members and guests.

Thanks for a stunning start to 2010.

Keep Birding.


ps Riggers good luck on the secret year list hope you do well


-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 2nd of January 2010 09:16:11 PM

Another excellent evening, many a laugh and seasonal drink had by all.

A vast array of ideas for next year suggested among them.

A site list, (visit all the sites listed in the back of the county report)
A bike list ( a year list of birds whilst cycling around the county)
A field list( vista all the field on Carrington moss)

Other not able to print for various reasons

Many thanks to all who signed the card presented to me for My 183 Year list attempt, it was much appreciated.

As for the best bit of 2009 not certain where we went with that but I recall laughing a lot.

The Award to best Website went to the man with no face, the boss himself Ian McKerchar,
done of it would have been possible without you buddy, we all thank you fro the back of our notebooks. cheers Ian.

As for the next meeting Warfy has been looking at apartments in the Hilton building in Manchester, so you never know! or was it the Peveril of the peak pub?

Great night nice to see you all, thanks for making the effort.

HAPPY YULETIDE

Gentlemen I take your point to heart. Therefore the agenda will contain Location of next meeting, one suggest via a PM was a 200 club Gm tour, sound good to me, and something for 2010, a new venue for a new decade.

So thanks in ahead of all those that make the dangerous journey into the depths of Bolton,

Rob, John please feel free to suggest a tavern close to you, and I will include it on next years tour.

Keep birding

Congratulations to a cleaner smelling Cliffy...kissing you won't be the same
Also to Dean well done...

C'mon Sue...you gonna give up?

Regarding the venue for our drinks... you suggest somewhere Rob. The Tansy was where we all met first and no-one wanted to go anywhere else for our next 'meeting'....but it isn't set in stone that we meet there.

If you need a lift,that'd be no problem

Nowt wrong with bolton,i,ve been seen almost alive lurking around the town hall quite a few times,and I seem to remember mr woosey wasn,t averse to a walk around Rumworth , but I,m still striving to be a 200 club member ( gm wb life ) so i,ll be attending the tansy green thingy still parking cars and hanging coats up(just to be close) but Rob has a strong point, we can all get to manchester center without driving so
maybe the next event could be more central for all

cheers geoff

Firsty, congrats on the 51 days fag free Paul. However if Mr MacDonald is attending I won't be on my own outside.

Will be good to get together again.

Paul Heaton wrote:

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All welcome wiganers may need to bring your own pies.

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NO Wiganers will be attending this meeting ~ we wouldn`t be seen dead in Bolton ! Besides, we have formed our own breakaway club : THE WIGAN BOROUGH 200 CLUB.

P.S. Don`t come twitching owt in Wigan. We will set John Tymon on you............

Due to a shortage of rooms for me to sleep in the Tansy green has been out of bounds recently.

But yes a yuletide festive 200 club meeting will take place in December, all will be welcome.

Keep birding.

birds are beautiful captivating creatures if you don't see that then you're not a birder.
you're just and idiot chasing around in a car with a nerdy notepad and i wouldn't want to stand and chat with you.
the beauty of this place is that on the whole we are all about the birds - gives a sense of community and from that conversation and friendship are bound to follow.
along with that are all the other human traits - spats, fallings-out, rivalries - good and bad.

but hopefully when we are all about the birds it puts everything else into perspective.

Mr Tymon's remarks on the Pennington thread, reminds me of the main topic of conversation on the Scillies this year, the TICK AND RUN BRIGADE, a new era of birders who only see what they want.

I recently met one such type who told me " it did not matter if he saw the bird as long as people saw him at the site? its all about been there. I must admit I was dumb struck.not really the type of birding I believe in.

Many years ago in the early 80,s if I saw birders around my local patch, I used to turn around and go the other way, however since the GM website,things have changed and I think we should be proud of what we do in GM.

That said we appear to be putting more out of county messages on the forum, or is it just a quiet year.

keep birding (proper)

Phil, can only find the song on there, im after the flight call that they would give on migration, Ian's kindly directed me to www.Xeno-canto.org site which im looking at now.

Could someone point me to a website where i could listen to a sound recording of a Woodlarks call? Searched but not found anything.

Gentlemen, I do believe its Manchesters Birding Website's Birthday today.

All the best keep at it

Rob Thorpe a man set on beating records, congratulations on setting a new personal Wigan list record, talk in the club now is that you will be doing the year list for 2010.

keep listing and Birding

Paul Heaton wrote:

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This had a better format when I typed it out, sorry!

keep birding

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Surely a better bird for about force 10 or 11 would have been Storm Petrel??

The Beaufort Scale of birding in GM (adapted from Birdscape by Jeremy Mynott)
_________________________________________________________________

No Status of bird Species Observable birder behaviour.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 No birds visible none Total calm birder maybe asleep or
at work.

1 Common
garden resident robin, blackbird watches passively from chair.

2 Less common
garden resident bullfinch, blackcap may stand up to see,points to others
in the room.

3 Local resident jay, coot, kestrel sees on local patch, doesn't raise
bins, or take notes.

4 Less common
resident nuthatch, little owl,
willow tit looks out for, may raise bins, may
also make note.

5 Seasonal migrant wheater,swifts,
willow warbler checks out for annual recurrence,
takes notes, sends to Judith Smith

6 Scare breeder black necked grebe
med gull plans made to go out of way and
vist area, must when year listing.

7 Unusual
passage migrant smew, harrier
purple sandpiper hurries to see, drops pie! text mates,
telescope and camera used, notes
and updates forum

8 Rare migrant phalaropes, egrets
yellow browed warbler changes plans, walks, runs rapidly,
mood swings of anxiety hope and
relief, rings Ian Mckerchar.

9 County rarity turtle dove,little auk
red footed falcon. very high stress levels, rings and
texts to Ian, and mates. may
decieve employer, partner, and
prepares for silent meals club.

10 First for GM Barnacle goose
nutcracker,
tereck sandpiper massive adrenaline surge,
fumbles text to Ian, takes serious
risks to health, work and marriage

11 Discovery of
mega in GM wallcreeper, ovenbird
black woodpecker Ian hears the shout live!
widely disbelived, first 10 photos of
your face. uncontrollable twitching
joy of the unknown heights. fame
keys to the 200 club. Praise and
thanks all over the website.

12 Birds new
to science Mckerchar's
silver backed gull full blown break down, time out
needed, take up knitting, wake up
and return to 0.

Paul Cliff wrote:

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mel 'asleep in the back' beckford
simon 'smooth belly' johnson
paul 'i've had an effing stroke' wilson
simon 'the gazelle' "warfy" warford
paul 'i've got a gun, neigh!' heaton
sue 'bacon butty' fargher
dean 'i'll come again' macdonald
paul 'i swear a lot' cliff.


-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Saturday 11th of July 2009 01:18:41 AM

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LOL you were on good form Mr Cliffe..

she's washed and shaved....

bring your own spoon and form an orderly queue

loadssa giggles last nite....great fun x

Paul Cliff wrote:

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soup anyone?

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Only if she's had a wash and shave.

Look forward to meeting everyone.

See you later Dean.

Simon Warford wrote:

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What Collins?

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Come on now Warfy - you know I've no chance of beating your record without it!!! You know how rubbish I am with wader IDs.