First Hirundine

A week or so,i saw a Sand Martin from my bedroom window,but it was so brief and quite dark at the time that i didn't bother claiming it,although i knew i had seen it,it was from flight only and more judged on shape.Today i had what i am classing as my first Hirundine a House Martin,flying past my bedroom window and then landing across the road on my neighbours roof,job done.Had a few bits on the feeders,A great Spotted woodpecker,Greenfinches,Tits and a Coal tit again.Need to get out birding again soon,not just sitting on a bench over Thames Chase watching the feeders but actually walking somewhere,fresh air,spending time watching birds,its only been 3 weeks but 3 weeks is far too long at this time of the year.
I am back at the Hospital in the morning and if they decide to put me in another cast for however long i think i will go mad,the ankle seems to be healing and i hope that i can get some sort of support which allows me to walk a few hundred yards at a time and to drive again,although i may leave it a couple of weeks before driving again,despite needing to earn money through work.
As for football,i am over us not winning the league,still dissapointed but although i think we are the best on our day,i don't think you can lose to 3 of the bottom 5 and expect to win the league,poor form at times has cost us,maybe one too many egos as well but hopefully they can come to the fore in the play offs and do the job for us,we have home advantage,probably in both games should we win the Semi final and although our away form for 85% of the season has been fantastic its our home form of late which has actually been a bit better.
We have relegated Leatherhead at Home on Saturday,so win that and we will definatly finish 2nd which is way above our expectations at the start of the season but still dissapointing all the same as we could of won it with a decent run in April.
The premier league threw up a surprise or two today with West Brom beating Liverpool at Anfield,happy days lol and Man United possibly throwing the title away with a 4-4 draw against Everton who to be fair i thought were the better side.
Anyway,a reasonably early night again tonight as i am at the hospital at 9am in the morning,i hope by 9.30-9.45 that i am castless and able to start doing stuff again,although judging bu the weather this forthcoming week i may not be doing too much birding unless i can drive somewhere with bird hides.Fingers Crossed for the morning

Hornchurch,Arsenal & bugger all else to be honest.

Quite a short one tonight,i think.
Hornchurch lost 1-0 to Harrow,i didn't go,i was going,left the house to go but after last weeks fiasco on the coach,the one space on the coach that i could of sat in comfort with leg room was taken up by a club official who wouldn't sit elsewhere and the physio has to sit with him,i thought fuck off.Doubt i will be getting on the official coaches anymore to be honest and i fucking organise the things.From now on,i run my 8 seater to the games,take the fans who want to come with me,and theres plenty and the club can take the rest,including those who are so fucking important that they can't give up their comfortable seat for someone with a broken ankle,their loss,i will make money at each away game.
Anyway,i spent the afternoon at my mums watching Arsenal (my other team),in what was a pretty dour affair at the Emirates or The Library as its commonly known by other fans,mainly because its full of city types,women and kids who seem to show as much passion as a wet squid,please sit down seems to be the most common thing through most of their lips rather than actually bothering getting behind their fucking team.
When we used to go (had a season ticket for around 20 years) at least people sang,but no more it seems.
Anyway,back to Hornchurch,them losing and Billericay winning means they are now Champions,deserved as they have the points on the board but i feel we fucked it up in all honesty and it goes back to one dark february night when a player threw his toys out the pram,or at least it does in my books.We go into the play offs in about as much form as Tottenham,with all the talent in the world but nothing really going for us of late,who knows though,may as well turn up to the games.Will see if i am slightly more inspired tomorrow when i wake up!!!

Thames Chase & my poxy Plaster Cast

Last night,while sleeping on my own and dreaming of beating Lowestoft in the play off final,i was awoken from my dream by the missus who decided she was going to join our bed again after 3 nights of sleeping in the nippers bed to give me space for my ankle.Once i am awake it is difficult for me to get back to sleep,made ten times worse by having this nagging pain in my poxy ankle and this hidious cast i have to wear which is supporting my ankle,fckng monstrosity.What really pissed me off about being woke up was Hornchurch were 3-1 up with a minute left and all this without Martin Tuohy our star striker who had been left out of the side after the Sun had exposed him for roasting Danielle Lloyd along with Lewis Smith,who actually played.One thing that stood out for me about the dream,apart from the goals was that although we played at home,we was outnumbered by the Lowestoft fans,which doesn't surprise me with our paltry support this season.
Anyway,after being woken up,i thrashed around the room at 2am,with the arse ache,tried to get back to sleep,couldn't,went downstairs for a fag,came back,tried to go to sleep,couldn't,then tore my cast off my leg as it was fckng irritating me too much,i then sat there for 10 minutes,my leg feeling fresh and happy.Alice put the cast back on and wrapped me back up and off to sleep i went.Didn't dream about Hornchurch after that,just me ram raiding tescos and sainsburys,happy days.
This morning,me,alice and the Nipper were taken to Thames Chase Forest Centre by Alices mum,on arriving i ordered the customary Bacon Baguetter,Pot of Tea and sat down looking for my feathered friends.Being limited to anything other than walking,i have to sit on the bench with my leg stretched and try to take pictures of birds but if theres none on the feeders,i ain't getting no fckng pictures.A kestrel was about as exciting as it got and i did take some pictures but i can't be arsed to download them so you won't be seeing them today.I also heard 2 Willow warbler,some chiffchaffs but without being able to walk anywhere i aint going to see much.Bumped into Dennis Tuck who had a mallard on the scrape,not quite the waders we are after but a start.After a while my leg started hurting a bit so off we went home but not before the missus had bought nipper her first proper pair of Binoculars,only wished she knew how to use them properly.

A big Hello to all my new readers,i have been particularly busy with people reading my blog today,with fans of wealdstone and Conference South Football taking a particular interest in my last blog entry,not really sure why but i seem to have annoyed one or two,get in.Up the Hornchurch as we travel to Harrow Tomorrow.

Didier Drogba,Tooting & lack of birds

Todays (or the first of todays) blog entry pays tribute to the man that is Didier Drogba and his amazing recovery skills,not since the days of Jesus has anyone witnessed such powers of recovery as we witnessed last night at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of Chelseas champions league semi final.Chelsea won the match 1-0 from a goal by the man in question,Sir Didier Drogba who minutes before and minutes before that and minutes before that and minutes before that and minutes before that and minutes before that and minutes before that (you get my point) had been writhing around on the floor in complete agony after terrible challenge after challenge rained in on the poor little weak african.how he got up and dusted himself down to score the winner last night is nothing short of miraculous,what a man.............

Now for my next subject,Tooting & fucking Mitcham United,this is the club who back in December announced a 7 year plan to get them from the Ryman Premier League (hornchurch's league) to the Football League,well last week they got out of the league at the first attempt,well done Tooting,step one of the plan going accordingly,only except,them getting out of the league culminated in them getting relegated.I love these teams with Plans.
Well Tuesday night,with their relegation already confirmed,they welcomed Wealdstone to their ground for a Ryman Premier League match,Wealdstone are going for the Play offs so it was an important game for them and the teams around them (not us,we are already confirmed as a play off spot if we dont win the league),So Tooting adhering to the good nature of Non League Football don't play a keeper,having got rid of theirs a week or so ago.What kind of club enters into a game without a keeper,surely the league should do something about this and maybe think about relegating the club 2 leagues instead of one.This is a joke and shows what a shambles the club has become.They lost the game 6-0 and the other play off hopefulls are furious as are many non league football fans,its just not on,i hope they are punished accordingly.

Next to birds,i have not been proper Birdwatching since i broke my ankle,this is depressing me,however the weather being shit as it has been has meant some of that depression has been lifted.I have made two forrays over to Thames chase,culminating in two hours of "birding" by the feeders,neither time seeing much of any substance,the odd tit and finch,kestrel but nothing really i couldn't see at home.On my mums feeders in the last week i have had Great Spotted Woodpecker,Coal tit,Blackcap and all the usual garden stuff along with a nice Mistle Thrush.Since i came home on tuesday i have added Coal tit to my garden list,along with chiffchaff which flew over.Today the weather is crap so i will keep an eye out the window for as long as i can and see what i can find.........may speak to you later,rob


So think of me while you are out finding your Wheatears,Willow warblers,hirundines and any other migrant that decides to drop down when your out birding.....

No more Waxwings

It is with much regrets that i have to inform the local birdwatching fraternity that while i was away staying at my mothers,recovering from my broken ankle for the last week,some bastard has chopped down the Apple Tree,which hung over the end of my garden,this Apple tree was responsible for feeding around 20 Waxwings last winter and although we didn't have any this winter,it is obvious that any returning birds would of liked this tree in winters to come and the bounty which came with it.This tree has also seen Blue,Great & coal tits in it,Greenfinch,goldfinch & chaffinch,wrens,robins,dunnocks as well as jay,crows and pigeons.I also had a Goldcrest in it last year but sadly none of these birds will be seen in this tree again,because the tree is no longer there.
A dissapointing day for local birders,is anything sacred anymore????

Ankle,ouch

I have been offline for the last week or so as i have broken my ankle for what i believe is the 3rd time in 3 years.
This has meant no Birdwatching,or at least limited to birding in my mums garden and twice now i have managed to get over Thames chase and to put my foot up on the bench and watch the feeders,but nothing really turns up,just finches and the odd tit/robin.
Hornchurch lost on Saturday,i went but probably should of stayed in as i seemed to do more damage going than i would of staying at home,resting.We should of won the game but two defensive errors in the first half cost us dear.
Billericay now need a point at margate on Saturday to effectively wrap up the league but its still quite tight as if they were to lose and we win a win by Lowestoft at Billericay and a win for us against Leatherhead at home on the final day will give us the title but i weon't hold my breath.
I will probably give our trip to Harrow a miss on Saturday but will be back for the Leatherhead game the week after which i hope my ankle will have recovered somewhat,i really need to get back to work and to earn some money ASAP.
Am back in hospital to meet the physio next Monday which will be 2 weeks,am hoping i can come out of this cast in the next couple of weeks and drive soon after,fingers crossed.

AFC HORNCHURCH 0 BILLERICAY TOWN 0

Crap game,never got going,they are happier than us.Think i have broken my ankle

THE HORNCHURCH

Been very busy over the first week of Easter.Mainly work but have had some time for my two favourite pastimes,Birding and Football.
Birdwise i have had an indifferent week or so over at Broadfield farm.
A very early Garden Warbler was heard and seen ever so quickly darting into a bush but despite it constantly calling i couldn't see it or get a pic,another observer,without knowing i had the bird in the morning,heard the bird in roughly the same spot in the afternoon.
A muntjac was seen Saturday morning when i went round with Denis,Steve and another person whose name i have forgotten,sorry.
Chiffchaff males seem to be numbering around the 15-20 mark and we have at least 3 male Willow warblers on site,thats about it for the spring migrants although i am sure we are only a couple of days away from a few more arriving.
We have feeders on site now,just outside the visitor centre,hopefully they will attract some good birds to them,so far we have had Great tit,Blue Tit,Greenfinch,Goldfinch, and a Yellowhammer but in small numbers and very very sporadic.
Hornchurch have won their last 3 games and are back in the hunt for the title,2 points behind leaders Billericay and are playing them at 3pm tomorrow (monday) at home,should be a crowd of around 1500 for this one and if we win we will be favourites to lift the title and head to the conference south.Hopefully we will but who knows.COME ON YOU URCHINS