The Shat Birder: May 2011

So why the Shat Birder?

I got a bit of stick for calling my blog The Shat Birder and contrary to the jibes it is not a description! Shat is actually (believe it or not) the local name for the village in which I have lived all my life, Skelmanthorpe.
Skelmanthorpe is on the outskirts of Huddersfield and in the 1870’s during the construction of the railway line (which is now Kirklees Light Railway), local unskilled labourers were drafted in to chip away at the rock that would later carve out Shelley Tunnel. These local lads were nicknamed stone “Shatterers” by the Irish navvies who had been employed to lay the line. The taunting from these “foreigners” actually ended in a 200 man mass brawl, which saw one of the Irish workers getting part of his ear bitten off! It was this incident that coined the phrase “Shat lug oyl biter” which when translated from broad Yorkshire is basically “Skelmanthorpe Ear Hole Nibbler”. Since then though, nearly 140 years on, Skelmanthorpe is still known as Shat! And all its inhabitants by the abbreviated “Shatters”!

Sunday, 1 May 2011

Condolences

I was sad to hear this week that fellow Huddersfield birder Melvyn Collinson unfortunately passed away. Not only was Melvyn a genuinely nice guy, we also shared interest's in cricket as well as birdwatching. Melvyn had played for Skelmanthorpe Cricket Club and since his retirement, supported us both home and away. Our boundary edge chats about all things birds will be sadly missed. My sincere condolences go out to all his friends and family.

A few from the week off

The various walls, fences and fields surrounding the local reservoirs provide a great opportunity to see some of the commoner farmland species.

Goldfinch

One of the many Bee's visiting the bushes at Broadstones Reservoir

Meadow Pipit

Pheasant

During the Easter break we managed to fit in a couple of days on the east coast. Although I didn't do much birding, I did manage to sneak in a quick twitch to get the Woodchat Shrike which had been found. And a cracker it was too, just too far for any acceptable photo. All these were taken either at Scarborough, whilst flitting from Dodgems to arcades or during a quick clifftop walk at Bempton Cliffs.

Gannet