About Graham Clarkson

Born & brought up in Marshside, I started birding there in the mid 1970s & made my first birding trip to Martin Mere in 1977. I've lived, worked & birdied in Abu Dhabi, Northern Ireland & Gloucestershire & I've spent time working in Kazakhstan & Madagascar. I enjoy birding my various West Lancashire patches, making frequent birding visits throughout the north-west of England and North Wales. I stray elsewhere in the UK & enjoy birding abroad from time to time. I'm particularly interested in wildfowl (especially pink-footed geese) with an interest in waders & raptors, bird counts & surveys & conservation. I'm trying to get the hang of photography & digiscoping - I'll get there eventually.

My degree from Edge Hill University is in conservation biology. I've guided on numerous birding days out & trips & guided birding holidays to Lesvos, Andalucia, Extremedura, Majorca, Camargue, Hungary, Finland & Florida. I enjoy showing people birds & habitats & helping them learn more about birds & enjoy birding. I'm currently involved with the Birdwatching and Beyond course at Edge Hill and a brand new venture; Skein Birding.

As well as birding I'm interested in captive breeding & reintroduction projects & zoos, how they're managed & how they contribute to conservation. I'm a proud Lancastrian & love the Lancashire countryside & landscapes. I'm an Evertonian & also keep up with what's happening at Southport, PNE & Bristol Rovers. Gardening, dogs (I have a Labrador & a Tibetan Terrier) and keeping chickens (especially Marsh Daisys & Scots Dumpy Bantams). Ruth & I have two marvellous boys who both love nature too. I hope you find the blog and subjects covered interesting; please feel free to leave a comment.

Saturday 1 December 2012

Great intentions

I had planned to get out onto the estuary this morning to find some Bewick's Swans. One of the kids was poorly and that soon put a stop to that cunning little plan. I did manage an hour at Tarlscough Moss looking at geese mid-morning but that was it - family duties called. Mid-afternoon I took the dog for a stroll; just out of the house I heard some Waxwings and saw five of them at the top of a tall poplar along Red Cat Lane. I nipped back home, dropped off the dog, picked up the camera and tried to get a better look at the Waxwings (incidentally some had also been seen this afternoon just up the road at WWT Martin Mere). I relocated the birds (total of six) further along Red Cat Lane at thier 'regular' haunt feeding in an ormamental Rowan (the variety with the pale pink berries) and was soon joined by Graham Jones and his partner Amy and later by Frank Whitney, Lousie Wisniewski and a couple of other local birders. Everyone seemed to enjoyed decent views and I managed some okay snaps (I'm fairly new to his photography game so please be gentle and patient). Turns out that a couple a Bewick's turned up at the mere today - they'll be out on that estuary somewhere.




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1 comment:

  1. Loving that last vertical head-down shot.
    ______________

    Mark

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