Haiti:
I apologise if I step on any one's toes with this introduction but here goes: my wife Sheila and our neighbour Del, are setting up a "One day Cafe" in the community bar/room at Y Plas, Machynlleth, next Wednesday selling teas, coffee light snacks cakes etc. to raise funds for the Haiti earthquake victims. There will be a second hand book and a white elephant stalls and a raffle. First prize in the raffle is lunch for two with wine at Ynys Hir Hall Hotel, to be taken by June 2010, having eaten there I can thoroughly recommend it. There are other prizes like bottles of wine and the list is growing daily as local businesses and individuals make donations. Tickets for the raffle cost £1 per strip and the draw will take place on Wednesday 15:00 at Y Plas. If anyone would like to purchase tickets please contact me either by email to mervyn.lloyd@btinternet.com or phone 01654 781 332.
All monies will be sent to DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) and UNICEF (also operating in Haiti).
Yesterday's bird count in my garden reached a peak at about 14:00 with 25 Blue Tits together around the feeders, Siskin numbers also swelled to about 30 with the constant whirl of motion it was quite difficult to be accurate but there seemed to be a high proportion of adult males.
Like Elfin I was at Aber Leri yesterday pm but a bit earlier and finally managed to catch up with the Scaup just up river of the railway bridge, but no sign of the otter. I did get a very nice view of a male Peregrine, unsuccessfully, chasing a flock of about 200 Lapwing. Someone was in the fields at the back of the Leri/Dovey saltings and seemed to be hunting the Canada Geese as about 300 or so were constantly flying around, a number of decoy Barnacle Geese had been put out. The afternoon was finished at Ynys Las car park sitting in the car alongside Chris Bird's car having a chin-wag as the sun went down, very enjoyable.