Thursday 25 September 2008

Vectors

Wow! Just look at that pressure chart! It doesn’t matter which one, as they all seem to agree at the moment – there’s a MASSIVE high pressure centred over Scandinavia, with the vectors (that's wind to you and me) coming all the way from eastern Siberia, and possibly even further east. Hence the appearance yesterday of Brown Shrike and Brown Flycatcher, along with plenty of other less rare stuff. The last time the charts looked as good as this, Fair Isle had Rufous-tailed Whistling Veery-Robin and Chestnut-arsed Bunting, so anything could turn up!

Now that the Punks have stopped doing their rare-ometer (boo!), I feel it’s my duty to carry on their tradition of over-the-top and wildly inaccurate predictions. So, over the next few days expect anything with ‘Brown’ in its name: Brown Dipper, Brown-streaked Flycatcher, Brown-throated Treecreeper, Brown-breasted Bulbul, Brown Prinia, Brown Bear, Brown Bread, Gordon Brown – the list of possibilities is literally endless!

Newly arrived migrants in Rob's garden

7 comments:

Mark said...

I predict a Brown Paper Bag, probably with a pie in it, followed by a Brown Trout in Mr Fray's toilet as a result of eating said pie.

The Drunkbirder said...

Andy, what websites are you looking at for all these vectors? The BBC and Met Office don't seem that easy to use.

The Leicester Llama said...

The BBC site has the best pressure charts - click on 'pressure charts' at the top, then 'view Atlantic pressure chart' underneath the day at the bottom right of the UK pressure chart page.

Except that it's all gone shit-shaped now, at least as far as any more eastern vagrants turning up on Shetland goes.

However, there is an interesting little wave depression zipping across the top of the high that's now sitting in mid Atlantic that just might drop a Yank or two on Shetland early next week...

beast said...

Andy

Saw the pressure charts whilst flying in over blighty...I thought...hhmmm...that cud be good. Looked out the window of plane and saw a huge mob of birders...they appeared to be staring at this brown blob...
On arriving home a quick phone call revealed that all hell was breakin loose...'Whhat?...what?...yer joking..fuck me...brown thick billed cretzh bunt...yer kiddin?! And I've been wastin me time lookin at Inca Terns, Diademed Sandpiper Plovers n Great fucking Pottoo...bloody hell!

Just catchin up reading McKinney's experience of brown shrike..sounds horrendous...how many miles away was it? But hey..a blockers a blocker..a ticks a tick...n all those people who got in the way of Tom were cunts [it's so unlike birders to be selfish innit]? 'Oh...after you kind sir.. please, do take my place at the front..I couldn't possibly see any more on this delightful little bird...and perhaps..when you have finished, you and all you're amusing friends might join me for afternoon tea'?
Next time Mr. McKinney..take a chainsaw n remove they're fuckin heads [it worked in Romero's 'dawn of the dead' dinnit? Wot a bunch of feather eating zombies we are! Just a thought...wot do you think wud ave happened if a birder had turned up in a wheelchair?...wud the twitchin frenzy have let him thru or let his tyres down and pushed him over a cliff?...hhmmm..the joys of twitchin uk these days..

Think you is better off in Shets Andy...best o luck...

Beast

The Leicester Llama said...

Hope so!

I was right about that 'interesting wave depression' - there was a Bobolink on Foula today!

Tyrannosaurus Rex Harrison Ford said...

Is this the new rareometer site now that the punkbirders have abandoned ship after being pwned to death?

The Leicester Llama said...

'pwned'?