Was out running past London Road lake today, taking in the sights, feeling pretty good, not having to nurse my legs too much, feeling insulated from the cold in my not really suitable for running purple fleece.
Anyway, was about halfway down the lake when I looked out onto the water and saw a Great Crested Grebe coasting along serenely.
But something didn't look right. I pulled up, and trotted back up a little way. The bird concerned seemed to have an all Black Head, with a very white front, none of the tan-orange feathers of a Great Crested Grebe. At a distance of about 75 yards or so, the beak was yellow and appeared to be quite thin.
I was thinking Goosander, colour scheme would be about right, but the beak is wrong. Damn I wish I had my field glasses or 10x50s with me, but they tend not to be practical when one is out there attempting to emulate Mo Farah.
And as we all know, I'm not the world's greatest birder! Maybe it was a Grebe that had been graffitied. Painted upon. Defaced...
Didn't really see anything else on the 7 and a half mile trip through Clay Lane and Beacon Hill reserve, bar a small tree overlooking a feeder, with a mixed flock of Chaffinches and Great Tits sat in it watching their suppers. The light was horrible and flat and grey, like my eyes had been part matte painted.
And I need matte painted eyes like...I need matte painted eyes.
Monday, 30 January 2012
The Beehive
A couple of nights ago, before work and lack of sleep took me away from my blog, I had a long thoughtful session of naked eye astronomy under a clear sky, Sirius blazing white from amongst the birdfeeders on the baby oak tree, Orion's belt skirting the rooves of the crumbling 19th century outhouses that belong to my downstairs neighbours.
Mars was visible twixt the Sycamore branches, this late at night always making me worry about dreaming of HG Wells style martian invasion and blood drainings - Damn you Jeff Wayne! - as has happened on a fair few occasions.
My attention was drawn to the left of Gemini's bright twins Castor and Pollux, into the faint constellation of Cancer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_constellation
I tested myself out on its Messier Objects.
The famous Messier 44 Beehive Cluster is easily visible to the naked eye as a misty patch almost as large as the full moon. I'm able to spot it easily these days, I must have better skies than my old house. Binculars resolve it beautifully of course.
Where I was really trying my eyesight was out was in seesing if I could spot the less well known Messier 67, which doesn't resolve in my 10x50s really. I think not. Above the head of the Hydra and slightly eastwards. I think I was convining myself I could see it, but my eyes were playing tricks. Wiki has its mag at 6.1 so under urban skies, not a chance in hell!
But as ever, I enjoyed my stargazing, despite the cold.
Mars was visible twixt the Sycamore branches, this late at night always making me worry about dreaming of HG Wells style martian invasion and blood drainings - Damn you Jeff Wayne! - as has happened on a fair few occasions.
My attention was drawn to the left of Gemini's bright twins Castor and Pollux, into the faint constellation of Cancer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_constellation
I tested myself out on its Messier Objects.
The famous Messier 44 Beehive Cluster is easily visible to the naked eye as a misty patch almost as large as the full moon. I'm able to spot it easily these days, I must have better skies than my old house. Binculars resolve it beautifully of course.
Where I was really trying my eyesight was out was in seesing if I could spot the less well known Messier 67, which doesn't resolve in my 10x50s really. I think not. Above the head of the Hydra and slightly eastwards. I think I was convining myself I could see it, but my eyes were playing tricks. Wiki has its mag at 6.1 so under urban skies, not a chance in hell!
But as ever, I enjoyed my stargazing, despite the cold.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Signs of Spring? Nah, too dark
Ran out by london road lake today, was a bit lazy and heavy legged and eyelidded getting going today, and thus it was getting a little twilit as I headed out. But could still see a lot of Tufted Ducks on the lake, a fine little pied flotilla, and a lakeside tree held a little huddle of Great Tits.
No Pike were being caught on the river today, but I did see a cormorant fly across the river by The Castle. A group of Mallards sat by the lock, obviously not bothered by the gigantic killer Pike I now know for definite stalk the depths around here.
And then I headed for Sconce Hills as a police helicpter hovered above the bypass and an ambulance screamed by - hope nothing bad happened there. They've done a good little job with this park, I keep forgetting about the little nature reserve in here, must visit it again sometime!
No Pike were being caught on the river today, but I did see a cormorant fly across the river by The Castle. A group of Mallards sat by the lock, obviously not bothered by the gigantic killer Pike I now know for definite stalk the depths around here.
And then I headed for Sconce Hills as a police helicpter hovered above the bypass and an ambulance screamed by - hope nothing bad happened there. They've done a good little job with this park, I keep forgetting about the little nature reserve in here, must visit it again sometime!
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Signs of Spring and a Feathery Black Head
Went running yesterday, the tour of the two lakes! Started off though running through the cemetery, where snowdrops are in flower and crocuses are just about to flower, their colourful folded up heads like primary colour pods from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Perhaps they are; the pixies are being taken over by emotionless alien consciousness!!!
Or, on the other hand, maybe not.
The Lakeside London Road lake was a haven for Black Headed Gulls, apart from when they were given a scare by a couple of military helicopters flying over. Curiously one of the gulls was sporting his Black Head way before time, so wonder what the deal with him was - genetic crazy pigment or a visitor from somewhere warmer? A Great Crested Grebe was there too, slightly unusual for this lake.
By contrast. cycle path lake was quiet, with all the mallards, tufed duck and coots and mallards being clustered down the far end of the lake. I ran down to the railway station and then back along the river before meeting a very interesting sight.
I often tweet that the river is busy with Eastern European fishermen angling for pike with enormous sliding floats and sad looking deadbaits and I always say they are wasting their time as I've never seen a pike in the dyke stretch of river, although The Witham is full of them. Until yesterday...
A couple of admittedly non baltic guys were in the process of hauling a ferocious looking Pike out of the river just below the locks, taken on massive sliding float and sad looking deadbait. Ten pounds plus reckoned the catcher as I applauded him, two feet plus long, and jaws like, well, Jaws.
It certainly had a chance to take a couple of vicious snaps at the guy's hand, but it needn't have worried.
This Pike I suspect was for release, not for the pot.
Perhaps they are; the pixies are being taken over by emotionless alien consciousness!!!
Or, on the other hand, maybe not.
The Lakeside London Road lake was a haven for Black Headed Gulls, apart from when they were given a scare by a couple of military helicopters flying over. Curiously one of the gulls was sporting his Black Head way before time, so wonder what the deal with him was - genetic crazy pigment or a visitor from somewhere warmer? A Great Crested Grebe was there too, slightly unusual for this lake.
By contrast. cycle path lake was quiet, with all the mallards, tufed duck and coots and mallards being clustered down the far end of the lake. I ran down to the railway station and then back along the river before meeting a very interesting sight.
I often tweet that the river is busy with Eastern European fishermen angling for pike with enormous sliding floats and sad looking deadbaits and I always say they are wasting their time as I've never seen a pike in the dyke stretch of river, although The Witham is full of them. Until yesterday...
A couple of admittedly non baltic guys were in the process of hauling a ferocious looking Pike out of the river just below the locks, taken on massive sliding float and sad looking deadbait. Ten pounds plus reckoned the catcher as I applauded him, two feet plus long, and jaws like, well, Jaws.
It certainly had a chance to take a couple of vicious snaps at the guy's hand, but it needn't have worried.
This Pike I suspect was for release, not for the pot.
Sunday, 22 January 2012
View from the Window
The theme of the day has been wind. A howling, screaming gale that makes bicycle riding difficult and makes your eyes the semblance of an olympic swimming pool that has been jumped in by Dawn French's entire family.
Running today was cancelled due to 1) this inclement weather and 2) Cat sitting neccisitating sitting on the sofa watching TV. While stroking the cat occasionally.
I will go on the exerise bike later, I'm sure.
Anyway, I went to my favourite little museum cafe for a pot of my favourite tea, carefully and obsessively drunk so the first cup is smaller than the second one. This is important.
So, I sat and watched the world, and the clouds, go past the window overlooking the river. Some eastern european fishermen were there, parked on the bank next to the rusting barge and involved in what to me is the quintissential baltic past-time in this town.
Fishing in the river for pike that aren't actually there.
This is normally a pursuit for more summery weather - when the days are long there are usally a few folk out with enormous sliding pike floats the size of nuclear submarines and a sad looking dead fish on the end of the line. I hae never seen any of them catch anything. I have never seen anyone catch a pike in the dyke full stop.
Today's hardy winter anglers were doubly handicapped by the fact that the wind was so strong it was whipping the static dirty dark grey water into a minuture maelstrom of chaos.
It was a beautiful effect, the wind seemed to be acting in curved fronts upon the water, criss crossing it with turbulence like a waffle, bouncing back and forth from the museum wall to the barge. Harmonics on the surface caused the water to leap up into a tower of droplets a few inches high, like a glass of the stuff upon a loudspeaker.
I found it hypnotic and fascinating. The wind patter curved across the surface, an invisible hand caressing the waters this way and that. The fishermen gave up. I sipped my tea. The world continued turning in that wnderful way it has. A small echelon of Canada Geese painted themselves upon it.
It was a pleasant way to spend a morning.
Running today was cancelled due to 1) this inclement weather and 2) Cat sitting neccisitating sitting on the sofa watching TV. While stroking the cat occasionally.
I will go on the exerise bike later, I'm sure.
Anyway, I went to my favourite little museum cafe for a pot of my favourite tea, carefully and obsessively drunk so the first cup is smaller than the second one. This is important.
So, I sat and watched the world, and the clouds, go past the window overlooking the river. Some eastern european fishermen were there, parked on the bank next to the rusting barge and involved in what to me is the quintissential baltic past-time in this town.
Fishing in the river for pike that aren't actually there.
This is normally a pursuit for more summery weather - when the days are long there are usally a few folk out with enormous sliding pike floats the size of nuclear submarines and a sad looking dead fish on the end of the line. I hae never seen any of them catch anything. I have never seen anyone catch a pike in the dyke full stop.
Today's hardy winter anglers were doubly handicapped by the fact that the wind was so strong it was whipping the static dirty dark grey water into a minuture maelstrom of chaos.
It was a beautiful effect, the wind seemed to be acting in curved fronts upon the water, criss crossing it with turbulence like a waffle, bouncing back and forth from the museum wall to the barge. Harmonics on the surface caused the water to leap up into a tower of droplets a few inches high, like a glass of the stuff upon a loudspeaker.
I found it hypnotic and fascinating. The wind patter curved across the surface, an invisible hand caressing the waters this way and that. The fishermen gave up. I sipped my tea. The world continued turning in that wnderful way it has. A small echelon of Canada Geese painted themselves upon it.
It was a pleasant way to spend a morning.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Wild Geese Chasing and Astronomy
Went out running this afternoon, along the cycle path past the London Road lake which is surprisingly frozen over, it wasn't a couple of days ago and I really didn't think that it wa cold enough to freeze over. Might explain why loads of Tufted Duck were on the river, there was only one rather sad looking individual on the lake.
All the Mallards - about 40 or so, were being fed by a family down the far end of the lake. As I ran along, a small bird flittering about caught my eye, tail somewhat cocked I thought. Figured it may be a wren, but as I looked it popped into plain view, and with the buff pink chest and characteristic white stripe down the back of its black head, was a Coal Tit! They really are tiny, smaller even that a Blue Tit.
What really caught my eye tonight were several echelons of what I figured would be geese in the distance, flying SW to NE I'd say, cast against the pinking light of a setting sun. About 7 or 8 groups over about 10 minutes. Perhaps they were looking for ice free water as well. They were certainly moving much faster than I was, lumbering along with a slightly grumpy leg.
A couple of groups of Starling were murmurating over the estate by the railway line.
Skies are a bit hazy tonight here, but did get in a look with my 10x50s - tonights target was Messier 34 in Perseus and I found it eventually, after thinking that it was a lot closer to Algol, the famous Medusa star, than it actually is. It's a cluster of similar appearance to Messier 35 in Gemini through the binoculars - it's apparently resolveable with binoculars, but not with mine, on this not really perfect night.
Interestingly, I've now got my stepfather's 20x40 Theodolite available, curious to see how that performs on the moon and on some of the brighter star clusters. Providing they aren't very high in the sky, as it doesn't elevate much!
All the Mallards - about 40 or so, were being fed by a family down the far end of the lake. As I ran along, a small bird flittering about caught my eye, tail somewhat cocked I thought. Figured it may be a wren, but as I looked it popped into plain view, and with the buff pink chest and characteristic white stripe down the back of its black head, was a Coal Tit! They really are tiny, smaller even that a Blue Tit.
What really caught my eye tonight were several echelons of what I figured would be geese in the distance, flying SW to NE I'd say, cast against the pinking light of a setting sun. About 7 or 8 groups over about 10 minutes. Perhaps they were looking for ice free water as well. They were certainly moving much faster than I was, lumbering along with a slightly grumpy leg.
A couple of groups of Starling were murmurating over the estate by the railway line.
Skies are a bit hazy tonight here, but did get in a look with my 10x50s - tonights target was Messier 34 in Perseus and I found it eventually, after thinking that it was a lot closer to Algol, the famous Medusa star, than it actually is. It's a cluster of similar appearance to Messier 35 in Gemini through the binoculars - it's apparently resolveable with binoculars, but not with mine, on this not really perfect night.
Interestingly, I've now got my stepfather's 20x40 Theodolite available, curious to see how that performs on the moon and on some of the brighter star clusters. Providing they aren't very high in the sky, as it doesn't elevate much!
Monday, 16 January 2012
How to get (back) into Stargazing
Hi
I write this as someone who has always followed astronomical events, but pretty much gave up on observing a long long time ago, when I was heading into my A-Levels. I'd always follow the big time astronomical stories, but never really pay much attention to the sky, except for maybe the odd meteor shower.
Well, I'm nearly damn 40 now, and gradually over the last year or so I have been getting more and more back into it. Last month, I dug out my old 6 inch F8 Newtonian from my parents spare room, and found that 23 years out of use, you could still actually look through it and see something. I even took a really cruddy picture of Jupiter and its moons at x60. It was fun!
But it was also clear the old scope was very tired, mirror dirty and needing silvering, the finder out of alignment and the collimation shot to hell. I'm as clumsy as anything, and figure a resilvering job as expensive.
So it was with great delight that I got a pair of 10x50s for xmas, ostensibly more for birdwatching which you can probably tell I write about my hopelessness at elsewhere on this here blog. But I'm loving them for Stargazing. So, for someone who feels his love for the sky coming back big time, here's a few things I've learnt, and wish I'd learned back when I was 16.
1) Before you do anything - learn the sky! It seems obvious, but really knowing the constellations and principle stars will make things a ton easier later on. Nowadays folk are lucky with the new applications for phones and ipads. The Starwalk for Ipad is so amazing. Feels a bit like cheating really!
Some sort of good star atlas or planisphere will also be useful.
2) The sky is beautiful. Love it with the naked eye first.
3) When you want to try actually looking through something at the sky, binoculars 7-10x50 or so are best. Chances are you have access to a pair already, and they are a ton better than the nasty cheap telescopes you see in some camera shops and department stores, as well as showing stuff the right way up. But if like me you don't have super steady hands, don't go bigger than 10x without a tripod. Any less than a 50mm objective won't show enough stars either.
With binoculars, you will see lunar craters, jupiters moons, phases of Venus, and more stars and open clusters than you can imagine. The sights are beautiful, drink them in! I can find loads of Messier Objects with my 10x50s.
4) Oh did I say before? Don't buy cheap telescopes from non specialist outlets. Don't don't don't. They will be crappy. Do your research.
5) I see a lot of advice saying when it comes to your first telescope, spend as much as you can afford, aperture is king etc etc. Me, I don't buy into this. If you spend a lot of money, like I did back in 1987 - £600 for a 6 inch Broadhurst Clarkson and Clarkson reflector like a length of drainpipe. Spend a lot of money, you find yourself starting to force yourself to use the thing when you don't feel like doing so. You burn yourself out. This is not a good thing. It's what happened to me after a couple of years.
Nowadays, with decent quality telescopes at lower prices, if the kid gives up on the hobby, well, no harm, no foul.
These days, good quality small telescopes are much cheaper. Even big name proper telescopes like, say, Celestron, do good quality small scopes that don't cost a lot. Look at review sites, Cloudynights, Amazon, ebay, whatever!
6) Make sure that it has a good steady mount that isn't too heavy. If it shakes, its useless. But if the mounting is too heavy, you won't be bothered to take the damn thing in or out. Telescopes get heavier much quicker than the aperture gets bigger! Another reason to stay small.
7) As a very general rule, refractors - lenses, you look straight through them - tend to be better at looking at the moon and planets, than newtonian reflectors - mirrors, you look into the side of them - which tend to have wider fields of views and be better for star clusters and galaxies. What are you interested in looking at.
8) I like wide fields! Lower magnifications mean lots of pretty stars, and make it easier to find your way around. Higher mags make it easy to get frustratingly lost.
9) If you have a telescope, make sure it has a good finder or other method of homing in on an object so you see it in the main telescope. Optical finders of less than 50mm aperture are useless. I had a 6x30 on my telescope, and it was useless. It made it very difficult to find stuff from an urban back yard and drove me mad.
Nowadays some small scopes have laser pointers, I've never tried them! Sounds kind of fun.
10) Have a simple non polar aligned alt-azimuth or Dobsonian mounting. It's much more intuitive for the beginner to use and find stars and planets with, and at lower magnifications and wide field views, the tracking problem is not a major one. My equatorial mount frustrated me, you need to know what you are doing to properly align them, and it makes it awkward to find objects quickly and easily. This gets worse if you throw in those worm gears.
Equatorial mounts are heavy as hell as well. I'm not sure they are neccessary for smaller telescopes.
11) Make it social! Throw star parties. I plan to! I hate the fact that stargazing can be lonely.
12) Don't expect to see glorious colourful galaxies that you would see on a hubble picture. Our eyes aren't as good as that, alas!
13) Just love what you are seeing. Always! Even if you can't put a name to it!
I write this as someone who has always followed astronomical events, but pretty much gave up on observing a long long time ago, when I was heading into my A-Levels. I'd always follow the big time astronomical stories, but never really pay much attention to the sky, except for maybe the odd meteor shower.
Well, I'm nearly damn 40 now, and gradually over the last year or so I have been getting more and more back into it. Last month, I dug out my old 6 inch F8 Newtonian from my parents spare room, and found that 23 years out of use, you could still actually look through it and see something. I even took a really cruddy picture of Jupiter and its moons at x60. It was fun!
But it was also clear the old scope was very tired, mirror dirty and needing silvering, the finder out of alignment and the collimation shot to hell. I'm as clumsy as anything, and figure a resilvering job as expensive.
So it was with great delight that I got a pair of 10x50s for xmas, ostensibly more for birdwatching which you can probably tell I write about my hopelessness at elsewhere on this here blog. But I'm loving them for Stargazing. So, for someone who feels his love for the sky coming back big time, here's a few things I've learnt, and wish I'd learned back when I was 16.
1) Before you do anything - learn the sky! It seems obvious, but really knowing the constellations and principle stars will make things a ton easier later on. Nowadays folk are lucky with the new applications for phones and ipads. The Starwalk for Ipad is so amazing. Feels a bit like cheating really!
Some sort of good star atlas or planisphere will also be useful.
2) The sky is beautiful. Love it with the naked eye first.
3) When you want to try actually looking through something at the sky, binoculars 7-10x50 or so are best. Chances are you have access to a pair already, and they are a ton better than the nasty cheap telescopes you see in some camera shops and department stores, as well as showing stuff the right way up. But if like me you don't have super steady hands, don't go bigger than 10x without a tripod. Any less than a 50mm objective won't show enough stars either.
With binoculars, you will see lunar craters, jupiters moons, phases of Venus, and more stars and open clusters than you can imagine. The sights are beautiful, drink them in! I can find loads of Messier Objects with my 10x50s.
4) Oh did I say before? Don't buy cheap telescopes from non specialist outlets. Don't don't don't. They will be crappy. Do your research.
5) I see a lot of advice saying when it comes to your first telescope, spend as much as you can afford, aperture is king etc etc. Me, I don't buy into this. If you spend a lot of money, like I did back in 1987 - £600 for a 6 inch Broadhurst Clarkson and Clarkson reflector like a length of drainpipe. Spend a lot of money, you find yourself starting to force yourself to use the thing when you don't feel like doing so. You burn yourself out. This is not a good thing. It's what happened to me after a couple of years.
Nowadays, with decent quality telescopes at lower prices, if the kid gives up on the hobby, well, no harm, no foul.
These days, good quality small telescopes are much cheaper. Even big name proper telescopes like, say, Celestron, do good quality small scopes that don't cost a lot. Look at review sites, Cloudynights, Amazon, ebay, whatever!
6) Make sure that it has a good steady mount that isn't too heavy. If it shakes, its useless. But if the mounting is too heavy, you won't be bothered to take the damn thing in or out. Telescopes get heavier much quicker than the aperture gets bigger! Another reason to stay small.
7) As a very general rule, refractors - lenses, you look straight through them - tend to be better at looking at the moon and planets, than newtonian reflectors - mirrors, you look into the side of them - which tend to have wider fields of views and be better for star clusters and galaxies. What are you interested in looking at.
8) I like wide fields! Lower magnifications mean lots of pretty stars, and make it easier to find your way around. Higher mags make it easy to get frustratingly lost.
9) If you have a telescope, make sure it has a good finder or other method of homing in on an object so you see it in the main telescope. Optical finders of less than 50mm aperture are useless. I had a 6x30 on my telescope, and it was useless. It made it very difficult to find stuff from an urban back yard and drove me mad.
Nowadays some small scopes have laser pointers, I've never tried them! Sounds kind of fun.
10) Have a simple non polar aligned alt-azimuth or Dobsonian mounting. It's much more intuitive for the beginner to use and find stars and planets with, and at lower magnifications and wide field views, the tracking problem is not a major one. My equatorial mount frustrated me, you need to know what you are doing to properly align them, and it makes it awkward to find objects quickly and easily. This gets worse if you throw in those worm gears.
Equatorial mounts are heavy as hell as well. I'm not sure they are neccessary for smaller telescopes.
11) Make it social! Throw star parties. I plan to! I hate the fact that stargazing can be lonely.
12) Don't expect to see glorious colourful galaxies that you would see on a hubble picture. Our eyes aren't as good as that, alas!
13) Just love what you are seeing. Always! Even if you can't put a name to it!
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