Early in the month, I was getting fed up not seeing daylight at home until the weekend, so I deliberately jacked it all in. I thought, as this is quite a busy domestic time on the run up to Christmas, I would go into a temporary wildlife and birding lull until I had some time off over the holiday period.
Oh am I ready for it! Today is my first day of leave and I wont return to work until 4th Jan so hopefully I will get out into the field again soon. Christmas day and Boxing day are fully booked but the 27th is looking favourable to get out and blow the cobwebs away...
Whilst I haven't been out there, looking for wildlife, I have been pondering what to do in 2017. I always make a provisional plan or two, that usually gets ignored, but its good to think about the way forward.
This coming New Year I think I might keep a year list. I always used to keep one back in the 80s and 90's, but haven't done so since. Its usually all about the local patch, but I might broaden horizons a little. Now my year lists don't descend into hyper active all out twitching, they are a much more sedate affair, involving a few trips out for favourable birds, a couple of holidays in other parts of the country and catching up on local scarce breeders and winterers at home, you know, species, often miseds out on in a year such as black grouse, wood warbler, long tailed skua etc.
I've also pondered doing a bit more field sketching if I can fit it in, and I even might try wetting a fishing line this year? Who knows?
Regardless of what I get up to, you'll be the first (or second) to know.......
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| An old one from the notebook... |
4 comments:
Funnily enough Stewart I'm also thinking of keeping a sedate year-list. I will email you between Christmas and the New Year with patch challenge figures. In the meantime, may you and yours have a good one!
Well if you fancy a change,it would be great to see more of your field sketches next year! Did you go to art school? I'm still very new to blogging - 6 months now - and still trying to find the balance and get to grips with the camera settings! Would love to be able to include a sketch or two but I've no chance there! Really enjoy your blog.
This is my third attempt at leaving a comment - keep getting error messages!
Really enjoy your blog and the sketches are fantastic so please include more if you have time! I'm very new to blogging - just six months - and still going... I'd love to be able to sketch but I'm still getting to grips with what to blog about and getting to grips with the camera!
Thanks for the comments both.
Steve, I'll get on to it.....Hope you had a good Christmas.
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