With the football season now over for myself, and with not expecting the call from Hodgson to join the squad in Brazil, I packed my boots away a month back. In the interim I've been wondering how best I might halt my belt size increasing that doesn't involve mondane exercises or faddy diets only followed by people wanting to reduce their culinary intake to that of a post war ration book menu?!

Anyone with kids will appreciate that it's hard to get out for a spot of pre-breakfast birding with a couple of young ones waiting to be fed, especially when you are away together and they can hear you getting up. So, whilst lying in bed on Saturday morning, having woken before everyone else as usual, I was looking for motivation for going on a jog, then unintentionally thought up the idea of a birdrun or power-birding!?

Is this a moment in history I hear you ponder!? Have I just conjured up a moment of genius, or have I most likely done what many have done before me, who knows?! But, with a pair of old addidas three stripe joggers on and an even older football top I strapped my binoculars around my neck/shoulder and made for the promised land....... This is when I realised that it might look a little odd to any passers by that a mid-30 year old man is jogging about and stopping intermittently to gaze through a pair of binoculars, but too late now, I'd started so I'd finish....... My plan was run for a few hundred metres, then scan for birds, run whilst listening for birds, then rest/watch them!?

Off I went out of the place we were staying, along the canal first, with Tree Sparrows churping away and a female Mallard swimming intently away from me with 9 adorable little chicks trying to keep up. I leapt up on to a fence to observe the freshwater ponds from the opposite side to normal, where a pair of Gadwall were mooching about with some teal and wigeon, plus a few Black-tailed Godwits and Tufties. Then, after half a mile I stopped to stretch off, and catch my breath, whilst locating a singing Sedge Warbler, which duly obliged and came to within 3m. Off again then, this time feeling up for it and fully stretched!?

After another mini stop, whilst checking out a Reed Bunting singing in full song jogging on the spot, I then approached Conder Green. There I accidentally flushed a male Whinchat from a roadside bush, occupational hazard really when running, buy luckily it moved only 10-20m away, so had to take a breather and take it in for all its glory. Whilst watching this bird I then heard a Redstart from over towards the Stork Pub, so continued my power-birding along the road. On route I also heard Grasshopper Warbler reeling almost spuring me on to continue, but thought better of it to stop and try to see it?! On approach to the Stork Pub (closed that early for your info, but a cracking little place later in the day for pint/food), I could not locate the Redstart, but it made a few notes again in the large tree I was standing under, but just couldn't get a sight of it with it being in near full bloom?!

So, back on track and along the dust road with Sand Martins swooping around and Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank, Shelduck and Curlew calling away as if cheering me towards the home straight of the old railway line to Glasson. Whereabouts, I stumble upon a cracking Lesser Whitethroat singing away, with a Hare frollocking in the salt marsh behind it to distract me. With the Hare bounding along it gave me a timely reminder that I too should be on my way, so with a final few swifts over head to remind me of what real pace is all about I duly plodded on to complete the circuit in about half and hour, which is pretty good all things considered?!

Well, it is Monday night and I've not done the power-birding since Saturday morning, but then I need time to contemplate the new pursuit I've just coined and some reflection on the impact this might have on our wonderful interest in birds and birding.............. Then again, with rain over head tonight it may bring a little fall locally again, so who knows I may spirit myself out of bed again tomorrow morning if I don't drink too much of this bottle of red, oops too late.................