John Burns Blog - 1st February 2010 - Vote early; RSPB bird survey; husky racing

John Burns' Blog

Vote early; RSPB bird survey; husky racing

I’ve just received an e mail from a conservation group asking me to vote for them in a competition for an eco project. The sender informs me that I can vote more than once. Isn’t that a bit naughty? It reminds me of former election times in Northern Ireland. “Vote early and vote often!” was the message.

On that subject, I watched “Mo” the drama about Mo Mowlem’s time in Northern Ireland. A terrific production, if you missed it, I’m sure it’ll be round again very soon.

My wife and I had a go at counting garden birds for the RSPB survey. How do you tally 14 chaffinches and 8 sparrows when they are in constant flux? Was it 8 chaffinches and 14 sparrows?

I went to see the “husky” racing at Pembrey forest. Steve Lindsay of Pawtrax took me out for a run with a 9 dog team. He has a mix of breeds, something which the Kennel Club, in its eternal wisdom, frowns upon as they only want pure bred huskies. There are no reins and the dogs make the turns by command which calls for good coordination between man and beast. It’s a thrill to see the dogs veer off up a side-track in response to a call. On one occasion Steve was late in spotting the turn, the team ran into the trees and we had to disentangle them. I could get excited about the sport but it calls for a huge investment of time and effort.

1st February - Vote early; RSPB bird survey; husky racing

John Burns' Blog

Vote early; RSPB bird survey; husky racing

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