Sunday, January 22, 2006

A long Sunday walk to clear the head

Felicitations and greetings. The week has passed me by in a blur, as usual. A particularly long week and uneventful. TM and I met up with Rob on Saturday morning in Umeda for coffee, to discuss the trip, cameras and to put TM at ease that we wouldn't be hiking around for hours in -20C amongst the snow and ice. It was good to meet up with Rob, he's a really good bloke and a good laugh. Hokkaido is going to be immense!!! I went to the gym in the afternoon, the fifth day this week so I am getting back into it again full-time. I just bit the bullet this week and went after work each night, regardless of how tired I felt and I am glad that I have. It is a trend that I will certainly maintain.

Today was spent with Neil, walking the Yawa-gawa and Ogura plain. We must have walked about 15 miles but it was a beatiful day, perfectly blue skies, not too cold and with snow-capped hills in the background, it was certainly glorious. The birding was slow, but good, a new species for Japan in the bag (Merlin) and a couple of new species photographed (yippee I hear you all cry). A total of 8 species of bird of prey, hawfinches (photo above and last), and russet sparrows (also photo below) were the birds of the day. Oh, and the bird sitting on the ariel in the photo is a White-Cheeked Starling. I also nearly broke my leg in true Carmo fashion. While proudly tromping through some tall grass scrub in my new hiking boots, which are the berries by the way, feeling invincible and talking across to Neil, I suddenly disappeared from sight. I managed to totally ignore a gaping ditch and suddenly realising I couldn't walk on air, fell staight into it, crunching (sounds nasty doesn't it) my shin bone right into the concrete lip. Luckily I managed to stay somewhat upright (ninja reflexes), and only my sagging ass hit the water and, thankfully, not my bag. My camera and lenses were saved from what could have very easily been an expensive slip. As I was wearing my longjohns (in an elderly gentleman kind-of-way Pee Wee), I couldn't check out my leg but it hurt like hell and I couldn't walk on it for a while. I laughed hard once I got out and Neil did too. All he saw was my head vanishing and hearing a big splash...we both thought it was hilarious. Which it was. By the way, gortex is great so long as the water doesn't come up over the top of the boots. Upon my return home, I took off my wet and filthy jeans to find a blood-soaked pair of longjohns. Of course the leg was embedded into the dried blood and deep gash of the wound, so that was a joy to prise loose. All in all, we all survived and no body lost an eye. Some of you may laugh, but birding is a dangerous pursuit...

Not much else planned for the week, just working and looking forward to getting on a plane to Hokkaido in 10 days time. Before writing this, I was lying in my bed, dozing, reading Fisk and listening to Bright Eyes. A good band, you should check them out. A couple of birthdays coming up (mine included, have I mentioned that), VC on Tuesday 24th and JH on Friday...I'll be in touch when the day arrives folks. Thankfully January is nearly behind us and the glorious month of February draws near. Spring will start hitting your shores but we will retain winter for another month or so, at least into March. Every season happens a month later here than it does back on Irish soil.

As I approach my inevitable birthday (presents and cards to the usual address please), I find myself in a place where, in all my wildest dreams, I never thought I would be. It's not so much that I am here, it's the fact I am here at the age I will be. This entry will not be about depressing thoughts or ideas, I merely want to say that I find it amazing what cards life throws at you. Who would have thought 3 years ago that I would be here? Not even 3 years ago, how about 2 years ago when my life was decidedly different and had a different direction. I like to think that there is a reason for this. That there is a reason why I am here now and not elsewhere. What that reason is, only time will tell...

Carmo's Diet: this week, I've mostly been pumping iron, drinking protein shakes and falling into ditches

Carmo's Birds: Osprey, Black Kite, Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Merlin*, Peregrine Falcon, Common Buzzard, Buff-bellied Pipit, Falcated Teal, Russet Sparrow, Hawfinches, Rustic Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Meadow Bunting, Dusky Thrush.

Carmo's Byrds: Thank you all for the thoughts on Moncia B and for those who are making a cheeserine of her...this week, it's still Monica B

18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Mark,
Mind the aul' leg, you won't be much good on Hokkaido without it!
None of the recent Caspos were seen again over the weekend, so it seems that the dump at Rossmore may well be in order!
The first local 'twitch' of the year saw myself, Andre and Col get Forster's Tern for Cork (Owen, who was there, already saw it on the first day): been seen every day since Friday now.
The subtle hints about birthdays are getting ever more frequent: is it somebody's birthday that we know soon or something...?
H

January 23, 2006 12:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

fella - 242 for cork now biy! I is catching ya slowly but shurely! Legs eh? Who needs em? Its a good job you is so macho and can just shrug off these type of injuries that would cripple a lesser man! I guess its all the cheese you've been eating lately?

Anyhoo, the Monica B cheeserine is coming along nicely - its a bit bigger than I thought it would be, so shipping it out could present a few unforeseen logistical nightmares - I wonder if Cap'n Cronin ever goes as far as Osaka in his rust-bucket?

January 23, 2006 12:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, and by the way, my cheeserine of the bould Monica didn't turn out too good: maybe I shouldn't use Brie the next time...?
H

January 23, 2006 12:54 AM  
Blogger swan_pr said...

the cards were thrown at you, but you caught them, that's why. and you ended up building a pretty good hand I think :)

Have a great week!

January 23, 2006 1:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Mark,
It has just been brought to my notice that I have now caught up with your IRISH list with my CORK one (Forster's my 273rd in the county), so you will have to hit the ground running upon your return!
H

January 23, 2006 1:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yeah, you see thats a common beginners error - you can't really be attempting tricky cheeserines without using charleville - ok its a bit more expensive than your cheepy brie type purchases but you won't have problems of slumping.

sandwiches...toast...sandwiches

January 23, 2006 2:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Col,
You mean he hasn't managed to sink the ship yet?
H

January 23, 2006 2:10 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

just got word from Cap'n Cronin - he's on the high seas off the Isles of Scilly, heading for Spain & arriving there Tuesday.

more news as it happens!

January 23, 2006 2:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

HOW did my response to Col's last post end up being put BEFORE it?
Point taken about Brie: I had moved on to that after an initial attempt with cottage cheese, so may eventually find something of the right consistency.
H

January 23, 2006 2:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ninja reflexes?!
If you were a true Ninjutsuka carmo you would have done a back flip and avoided injury.
You have much to learn grasshopper.
Pariah

January 23, 2006 7:01 PM  
Blogger Carmo said...

Gentlemen, thank you for your kind bashing of my oh so low Irish list. My county list still stands at 250...damn that Forsters...so many ticks gone abegging this year in Ireland, but the birds here are more than making up for it. Lookin forward to Hokkaido more than ever now...

Swan, good of you to drop in. I caught the cards for sure and my bluffing skills are not great...I'll just have to wait and see if I fold or stay in for the next round :) hope your week goes well...

Gentlemen, far be it for me to act my age, but I am off to bed and it's not even 10pm. Col, I'll be MSNing it this week, I'll log on as soon as I get in tomorrow and the rest of the week

January 23, 2006 9:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Will you send my your home address?

January 23, 2006 11:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

see look there's cilla trying to get yer address so she can send ye more tayto crisps and cheese delights! Bet she's done a really good cheeserine after mocking our cheese jokes last week.

Whats yer cheeserine of cilla? Are you anticapating any major transportation problems to Japan?

January 23, 2006 11:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What the hell is a cheeserine anyway?Sounds fundamentally wrong if you ask me!which you didn't.
Pariah

January 26, 2006 12:51 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i dunno fella - do you live under a rock? cheeserines - the ultimate artform using charleville chedder as a sculpting medium - for more details check out www.sandwichestoastsandwiches.com/cheeserines

Enjoy!

January 26, 2006 6:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah i dunno...could you make me one of Kate Beckinsdale?....dont leave out the fangs...they are important!
Pariah

January 26, 2006 7:18 PM  
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