HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

Not for proper twitchers, just for us with feeders in the garden and who like watching them.

Back in Epping we had clouds of sparrows and a few tits, now here in Sidcup we have clouds of tits and NO sparrows

I often see large swarms of birds when i am fishing in the upper part of the Bristol Channel. Not sure what they are. Also often see flying geese and swans in formation.

Swarming in winter in the evening in London was starlings, masses of them, you don't see that now either.

It could be Starlings and it is quite early in the mornings. I have to be there at that time to catch a Spring tide.

Can you eat what you catch or are you a "put 'em backer". We had a gang of some sort of immigrants from E Europe about 15 years ago with home made explosive and a long garden rake clearing out stretches of the River Lee until they were caught. Also in Epping Forest we had a gang of Chinese catching and eating Swans, they were caught as well.

The Lee is full of American red crayfish - delicious, used to catch them in drop nets. My local the River Cray doesn't seem to have any, so best left alone as there maybe some European brown crayfish left in there - seriously endangered.

Conger Eels account for more or less everything I catch and they are put back. Last winter i caught a Codling which was the size of a fish finger and went back. I will have another try for Cod in a couple of weeks when the tides come round again, weather permitting. Decent sized fish which are targeted commercially are thin on the ground and Conger Eels abound where i am. I lost a really big one last summer.

They 'Murmer' .
Starlings in cloudlike swarms .
It's a 'Murmeration' .
I know things see .....

BUT conger are delicious !!! and you are allowed to eat them I think. Big ones are feckin' dangerous, on a small boat off Guernsey, scout camp, aged 11 I was invited on evening fishing. First feathering for mackerel for bait, then the serious stuff hand lining over a couple of wrecks. Loads of parrot fish and other inedible stuff and some conger. I hooked the biggest, but was not allowed to land it, told to get well out of the way. Well I understood when they landed it, it attacked them, a battle to get it in the bait box. I was told it was over 30 lbs. we had it for breakfast at the camp.

I dont fancy eating Conger Eel and my other half would not prepare it. She is waiting for me to bring home a nice Cod.

Seriously you are missing something delicious. Clean and gut it then bake it whole like a big Pike. Serve with black pepper, lemon, salad, and crusty bread (French or Italian) mmmmm yummy yummy.