AA Birdpix, Birds, Travel and More

I had intended something different for my second post, but when "announcing" my blogging prescence on Facebook I added a photo of a Slender-billed Curlew, which attracted a few comments, so, with apologies to the "haven't seens" of this world, I'll continue. I've been looking on the web and it seems that there are very few photos of Slender-billed Curlew, and only one video of Merja Zerga birds. This is understandable as most birders back in the 80's and early 90's didn't have cameras, and those that did, like myself, could rarely get close enough for good shots. I know there are others, I digitised one for Vaughan Ashby, but most will be distant record shots blown up. When using film (remember that?) this results in much loss of quality, in fact I didn't put mine on my website for years because I didn't consider it good enough, I still don't but because of the paucity of shots I've reversed that  decision.                    ...

 I was 70 when I bought my first smartphone, at 73 this is my first blog. Many out there will know us, Ann and I used to sell rarity photos back in the 1990s. We have a great lifestyle travelling the world to view and photograph birds and other wildlife, although unfortunately Ann now suffers from arthritic knees which has curtailed activities somewhat. I don't get out in the field so much now either, but have recently returned from Shetland.  People were getting excited about a Veery and a White-crowned Sparrow, but I was over the moon to get my first photo of a White's Thrush. None of the birds were ticks, the ticks turned up just before (Blackburnian Warbler) and just after (Yellow Warbler) my trip. It didn't matter in the slightest, the main thing to me was the experience on Shetland. I obviously passed on my enthusiasm, Ann's coming next year. Apart from it being a mini-version of birding in the 1990's I have friends who live there, in a later blog I'll tel...