Low Budget Swanlake

The icy conditions have produced a few odd bird sights including domestic geese spinning in a mini-lake within the frozen Singleton Boating Lake and tentative Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus).

Polar Weather

There have been claims that the weather is colder currently in the UK than it is at the South Pole (a factor used by some to cast doubt on 'global warming'). There are little ice floes on the Loughor River but one should remember that it is high summer at the South Pole. The web cam of Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) at Edinburgh Zoo also adds to the current ambiance (http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/EZPenguinCam.html).

Birder's Bonus 64

The Swansea University campus was invaded by a flock of Redwing (Turdus iliacus) busily scrabbling through the fallen leaves.

A Strange Mallard

The end of the year saw the sad news of the demise of 'Edwina' a 22-year old, tea-drinking Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) from Ringwood in Hampshire (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8434907.stm). This old bird was apparently buried under a duck ornament in her owner's garden. The story is just a smidge anthropomorphic.

The World is Not Their Oyster Anymore

Reports that the French Government has agreed to replace the 'test de la souris' for oyster safety are, if anything, overdue (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/03/france-scraps-oyster-test-mice). The test was entirely based on injecting three fully-sighted mice with 'concentrated oyster fluids'. If two or more mice died within 24 hours, a temporary ban was applied to local sales of the shellfish. This rather crude test, with its tiny number of subjects, is claimed to have led to many false positives in which oysters were condemned without there being any real evidence that they had accumulated toxins from harmful micro-algae. It is maintained that this forced a number of oyster producers into bankruptcy. It is proposed to replace the mouse test by a, yet unspecified, 'advanced chemical test'.

Downunder Logic?

Sorry but I couldn't resist this one! Reports on the news about Sydney (Australia) welcoming in the new decade with 5000kg of explosives to generate a 12 minute firework display that was beamed around many parts of the world (http://www.news.com.au/national/sydney-fireworks-to-awe-a-billion/story-e6frfkvr-1225815042186). The display uses lots of blue (a difficult firework colour) and microchips (to enhance visibility). The Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, stated that she "hoped the theme would encourage people to think about the environment and turn over a 'new green leaf'". That is a pretty odd way of attempting to get environmental messages across to the masses!

Happy 2010 to All in the Blogosphere!

With my last post of 2009, I would like to wish all readers an excellent 2010! May things improve at all levels (from person to planet)!