Counter Terrorism Report on Extinction Rebellion

Interesting report by the think tank Policy Exchange on the ideology, structures and tactics of Extinction Rebellion.
HERE

Interesting how this report describes activity such as local business, individual empowerment, local community political power, local food production, autonomy and self reliance as potential terrorism and extremist thinking.

Tyranny is creeping up on us all propelled by the polarisation and conflict between indeed some of the unreasonable/extremist elements behind XR ideology vs extremist fundamental Capitalism/ the Corpocracy-Government axis.

Climate and Ecological Emergency declared in the London Borough of Sutton

I forgot to add some links about this on this blog. An incredible achievement by Sutton Extinction Rebellion. The council tried to block the 2030 declaration for a climate and ecological emergency through recommendations in the officers report. However a local councillor (Shields/Crowley?) called for an amendment that was accepted by the committee, an amendment that called for a yes or no on the petition and a climate and ecological emergency rather than just a climate emergency. The vote carried the motion and the petition request forward so setting a zero carbon target for Sutton by 2030 and declaring a climate and ecological emergency. However the council were not expecting a rebellion agaisnt the planning officer's recommendations in the petition part of the meeting so another agenda item on the meeting was declaring a climate emergency (no mention of ecology) with a zero carbon target by 2045 which was also voted for so in effect they have set two targets a 2030 one for climate and ecology and a 2045 one. Incredible stuff and a well manoeuvred move that out flanked the planning officers. It basically means we have an undisputed ecological emergency declared to be addressed by 2030! 

Day in Kent

Another good day in Kent, but still no jackpot. I've done okay in the past with rarity hunting trips into Kent and the Thames Estuary- found White-rumped Sands, Pecs, Red-footed Falcon, Kentish Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, Temminck's Stints, Yellow-brows, Green-winged Teal and twitched some great birds such as Nutcracker, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Desert Wheatear, Durian Shrike and loads of scarcities too but still hoping to find a mega one day. So the search goes on. I started off at Oare, Ebird list here  and then moved over to Shellness Ebird list here . I was also planning on doing Elmley but forgot it was closed on Tuesday so I headed home early instead and attended the local Extinction Rebellion meeting for the usual plotting and planning of the downfall of Capitalism (what will come first, my mega find or getting imprisoned for subordination? ) . As always the greatest act of subordination was going birding instead of working for the man.

Here's a few pics from the day:

 The Oare Bonaparte's Gull 

 Common Tern (black-billed). Presumably the bill of this bird is out of synch with the rest of the plumage, although it did appear to have a strong grey wash on the underparts too (below, right hand bird), similar to Eastern Common Tern (longipennis). The legs are red though so not Eastern. There are a couple of intermediate races but on balance probably just a bird with the bill going to winter colours before the plumage has moulted. Cheers Josh for a chat about this bird. 

 Curlews- approx 600 at Shellness in the usual roost. Always incredible to see. Also unbelievable that the French are to increase persecution of this species despite massive decline: ARTICLE HERE

 Juvenile Garganey at Oare 

 Juvenile Mediterannean Gull at Oare- lots of Meds around at the moment 

 Adult Curlew Sand with Redshank and Dunlin at Oare 

 First-winter Wheatear at Shellness 

and in the moth trap 

 Lunar Spotted Pinion at Beddington Farmlands (above and below). The first for me if I remember correctly (need to update the Beddington moth list) . Also finally got a result with a migrant moth but as usual it was a curve-ball. I was hanging out the obs window on Monday in the rain looking for some birding vis mig when a Hummingbird Hawk Moth came hovering up the side of the building. So I scored twice but not what I was expecting- a bit of vis mig and an unusual migrant moth, both seen by failing to find what I was looking for. Only the second one I've had Beddington. 

 Oak Processionary- loads of these in the trap at the moment

Military like configuration of hay bales on intensively farmed land. At least the Sixth Extinction is nice and tidy. 

Good day at the Farmlands

Did a four hour shift at the farmlands this morning, Ebird list HERE. The hides are being well used and I met up with Devilbirder, Roy Weller and Dodge in the hides and on the other side of the Viridor apartheid I bumped into Philip. 

A good little haul. I covered everywhere except the south east corner and the other side of the fence. 

It's been relatively quiet in the moth trap due to the Atlantic storm that has been raging over the last couple of days. Nick Gardner had a Beautiful Marbled in his Wallington trap (just up the road) earlier on in the week- as far as we know its a first for Surrey. Despite all my efforts and careful checking I completely missed out at that latest wave of rare moth migration. 

 Green Sandpipers (above and below). 14 on 100 acre. 

 Eclipse male Red-crested Pochard 

 Juvenile Turnstone, found by Devilbirder and Roy Weller on North Lake 

 Greylags on North Lake 

 Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull (above) and juvenile Caspian-type Gull (below). Both picked up by Devilbirder. 

 Juvenile Caspian-type Gull. More solidly marked greater and median coverts and a paler underwing would have been more classic but structurally the bird looks good. In the image below the underwing appears paler than the herring gull in the front (also with its wing spread).  

Caspian-type above left. Structurally the bird looks long-legged, long winged and barrel-chested like a Caspian Gull but plumage wise it's more yellow-legged 

 Canary-shouldered Thorn (above) and Dusky Thorn (below) 

 Codling moth Cydia pomonella

The new hides being well used- at one point today there was 12 people in the North Lake hide. 

Beddington Farmlands in Private Eye again

Weekend wrap up

Highlight of this weekend was finally getting out the Robinson's moth trap at the Old Vicarage. What with the national influx of Bedstraw Hawkmoths (and Spurge and Striped also recorded) and other migrants including Beautiful Marbled and Pale Shoulders I was hoping for a rare migrant but it looks like I'm going to have to work and wait for one! Up to 15 Diamond-back moths at the Old Vic was the best I could muster up. I had the trap running at the Beddington Farmlands obs on Friday night and Saturday and Sunday at the Old Vic- a few pics below.

There was a large flock of tits in the Old Vic garden on Sunday morning including single Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap. Willow Warbler is a first for the Old Vic, the pan-species list is now on 644 for the garden with quite a few moth ticks this weekend.

On Sunday I did the Otmoor Butterfly Survey with Jacob- nothing to sing and shout about there. Small Heath, Small Copper and Marbled White were the highlights. Also had Brown Hawker and Small Red-eyes amongst the commoner odonata. 

On the way back to the crack I stopped off at Staines- an adult Black Tern and large numbers of roosting Great Cormorants. 

 Webb's Wainscot at the Beddington obs 

Bulrush Wainscot at the Old Vic 

 Pale Prominent at the Old Vic

 Iron Prominent at the Old Vic

Lesser Swallow Prominent at the Old Vic

Small Emerald at the Old Vic

 I went for Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet on this one from Beddington (above) and Red Twin-spot Carpet from the Old Vic (below) based on the broader white edging to the cross bars on Red-twin spot Carpet. See comments section for correct id. They are both Flame Carpets. 

 Honeysuckle moth at the Old Vic

 Agriphila selasella at the Old Vic. One of these amongst the tens of tristella. 

 Cydia Splendana at the Old Vic

 Cochylis sp? at the Old Vic 

 Paranix sp at the Old Vic, Possibly Hawthorn Slender 

 I've been having quite a few of these at Beddington. I think they are Crocidosema plebejana but the species is supposed to be rare locally. 

The Robinson's trap at the Old Vic.

Day in Kent

Spent a very windy day in Kent with Kojak. We started at Oare Marshes for the rising tide, then Shellness for the falling tide, then Capel Fleet and ended up doing the approach road to Elmley. 80 species in total and because Kojak is going to write it up on Birdtrack I won't bother doing Ebird. More from Kojak here.

Highlights included the Bonaparte's Gull at Oare and 2 juvenile Garganey, Hobby and an adult Curlew Sandpiper also there. At Shellness we had Whimbrel, Barwit, Curlew, Sanderling, Little Tern and Sandwich Tern which we didn't have the other side of the Swale. Day ticks at Capel Fleet included Corn Bunting and at Elmley there were Marsh Harriers everywhere along the track. 

The rarest thing we found today was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. 

 Juvenile Marsh Harrier (above) and Marsh Harrier and Brown Hare altercation (below)

 Oare waterbirds

Juvenile Garganeys