please empty your brain below
We had an office party there not long after it opened I think. It was either 2000 or 2001 when the office was in Hammersmith just across the river. Can't remember what celebration we hired the venue for - and I can't remember seeing any wild birds either. But I do have very vivid recall of the remoteness of the wetlands location because I remember I had to walk for quite some way through country lane type roads to get to the train station - at which trains didn't seem to stop very often. I think Barnes is where the rich people live. Practically every pub is a gastropub around there. Must visit the wetlands again though because it does seem like quite a remarkable place.

Jag | Homepage | 04.02.06 - 8:18 a.m. | #

I suspect the Bittern and Snipe were hiding ... even to the untrained eye they're not very ducklike. But, both being mainly brown, they are presumably very fashionable at the moment.

NiC | Homepage | 04.02.06 - 9:21 a.m. | #

Ah. NiC beat me to it - I was going to suggest a trip to the optician if you couldn't distinguish between a bittern or snipe and ducks, DG.

Em³ | Homepage | 04.02.06 - 9:41 a.m. | #

I know some people can identify the difference between individual types of bird, or tell one type of tree from another, or even name all the plants in a rural hedgerow, but I can't. Not out in the wild, anyway.

I'm even worse with types of car. To me they're all 'red', 'blue', 'green' or 'silver', not Fords, BMWs, Citroens or Audis.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 04.02.06 - 10:03 a.m. | #

Ermmmm The main difference between birds are you should look out for the plunging neck lines and ignore those with a band of gold on the left hand

peter | 04.02.06 - 11:39 a.m. | #

Thanks for writing this up: it's going to go on my list of 'things to do when I get time to have a life again'.

And I think your last sentence is spot on. Sadly.

The Girl | Homepage | 04.02.06 - 12:22 p.m. | #

Nothing to do with birds or woodland, but I notice your MP is far too busy getting thrown out of Egypt and doing a stage show now.

I do feel sorry for you. I may not have had any contact with my MP over the last 9 months, but at least he appears to be doing some work.

Kirk | 04.02.06 - 2:11 p.m. | #

Who knew that snipes actually exist. In the US, a "snipe hunt" is a gag played on first-time campers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snipe\\_hunt

Here's a funny story about British and American takes on the snipe. (Go down about a fourth of a page for the entry entitled "Snipe hunting in Afghanistan".)
http://www.yaelf.com/slang.shtml

David Crawford | 04.02.06 - 6:14 p.m. | #











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