Farcet Fen moths

White-spotted Pug, Farcet Fen, 14 Aug 08
A new species for the garden and TL29SW. Caught at light (160w MVB).

Twin-spotted Wainscot, Farcet Fen, 14 Aug 08

Only the fifth I have caught here. Caught at light (160w MVB).

All photos Panasonic Lumix FZ-30 © Steve Dudley

Cambridge 14-18 August 2008

The first Red Undewing of the year; always an impressive sight.

658 Carcina quercana (with thanks to Louise Bacon for the i.d.)

pete
22W actinic
Canon400D + 50mm/f2.5 macro

Know-nothing Twat

There's a certain kind of birder I really hate. It's not the 'noveau twitcher' or the young, slang-spouting upstart who's a much better rarity finder than me. No, the type who gets me really seething, hopping, spitting, swearing mad is the sort of supercilious, dismissive, know-all-but-know-nothing old git I had the misfortune to encounter at Rutland Water yesterday. As it happens I've met this particular moron on several previous occasions, which is probably why I snapped and had a go at him this time when he 'dissed' one of my records.

Anyway, to start at the beginning...

There were three Black Terns in the South Arm yesterday morning. Not an earth-shattering record by any means, but there haven't been many yet this autumn, and it was certainly worth putting the record in the sightings book at Egleton, which, being a helpful sort of person, I did. There were a couple of other birders at the counter, and I casually mentioned the Black Terns to the younger of the two.

I then went upstairs to the viewing gallery, and after a few minutes the two of them also came upstairs and sat down next to me. The older guy (who has an irritatingly posh, arrogant sort of voice) kicked off with: "Oh, there's a plover - not sure if it's Ringed or Little Ringed." This was followed by some fatuous remark about how Rutland Water doesn't get large numbers of Pintails any more (it does, but not in early August!).

Now, I should make it clear at this point that I'm not having a go at him simply because he can't identify birds, or because he doesn't know what he's talking about. Not being able to identify birds is not a crime, even when you've been birding for a very long time, as I know this bloke has. Some people just don't have the mental capacity to be good birders, and that's not their fault. What is a heinous, unforgiveable, cardinal sin in my book is knowing jack-shit-nothing about birds, but thinking that you're some sort of fucking expert (which he does) and (and this is the important bit) never believing anything that anyone else tells you they've seen!!

So, after a few more minutes, fuckwit leans over to his mate (knowing full well that I'm sitting next to him) and says in a loud 'stage whisper': "So, what do you think of those Black Terns then - wishful thinking?"

What I should have said at this point (whilst remaining completely calm) was something along the lines of: "No, they weren't 'wishful thinking', they were moulting adult Black Terns. Black Tern is a fairly common autumn migrant at Rutland Water, and a perfectly straightforward species to identify. Don't assume that everyone is as incompetent as you are, and if I knew as little about birds as you clearly do, I'd keep my mouth shut."

Unfortunately I'm completely unable to keep calm in these situations; I go straight into quivering with incoherent rage mode and lose it completely. I can't remember exactly what I said to him, but it ended with me calling him a silly old twat and storming out of the Visitor Centre.

If anyone recognises my description of this turd and has similar encounters with him, please don't let him get away with it. He needs to be told, repeatedly if necessary, that he can't just go round disbelieving other people's birds all the time, and that not everyone knows as little as he does. The problem with people like him is that it makes good birders less likely to speak to other people and tell them what they've seen. I may come across on this blog as an misanthropic cunt, but in reality I do try to be friendly and helpful to others, and to let them know what I've seen. But when you get a reaction like that it makes you wonder whether it's worth speaking to anyone unless you know them. If I ever see this cretin again, I will tell him NOTHING. Even if I've just found a first for Britain, he can fuck off as far as I'm concerned because he and his ilk don't deserve to be told what's about.

And now it's back to topless darts at Roehampton...

Farcet Fen moths, 6 August 08

Pebble Hook-tip, Farcet Fen, 6 Aug 08First record for garden and TL29SW. Caught at light (160w MVB).

Canary-shouldered Thorn, Farcet Fen, 6 Aug 08First record for garden and TL29SW. Caught at light (160w MVB).

Pine Hawkmoth, Farcet Fen, 6 Aug 08 First record for garden and TL29SW. Caught at light (160w MVB).

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (left) and Least Yellow Underwing (right), Farcet Fen, 6 Aug 08Two of the scarcer yellow underwings I catch here. Caught at light (160w MVB).

Brown China-mark, Farcet Fen, 6 Aug 08Caught at light (160w MVB).

Silver Y, Farcet Fen, 6 Aug 08Caught at light (160w MVB).

Webb's Wainscot, Farcet Fen, 6 Aug 08I do well for wainscots here, Webb's is one of the rarer species I catch here. Caught at light (160w MVB).

All photos Panasonic Lumix FZ-30 © Steve Dudley

Digi-wasting

I looked at the Surfbirds photo pages today for the first time in a while, and was immediately reminded why I don't often look at them. On the confusingly named 'Britain & Ireland Scarce Birds Rarity Photos Page' were the following not-in-any-sense-scarce-or-rare birds: Common Sandpiper, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit (FOUR photos!), Garganey and Green Sandpiper. OK, Garganey's perhaps marginal, but the rest are quite definitely common birds. The remaining places on the first page were taken by two nice shots of a Balearic Shearwater, and a record shot of a Cory's. Fair enough - both are scarce birds in Britain.

Of course, not everyone clutters up the scarce birds page with piss-common stuff; most people use the Britain & Europe Common Birds Gallery, and there are some excellent photos on it. However, you have to wonder about the guy who put the comment "really, really, really, really good patch find" next to a shot of a Common Sandpiper. Was he just being very, very, very, very sarcastic, or does he desperately need to find a new patch?

Dark Spinach Cambridge 4 August 2008

The second Dark Spinach Pelurga comitata for the garden (the first was 4 years ago)

pete
22W actinic
Canon400D + 50mm/f2.5 macro

Drinker, Girton

Girton, July 2008