No one is the saviour they would like to be,
The lovesong of the Buzzard in the dogwood tree.....
Iron & Wine, Lovesong of the Buzzard
0700 - 0930 Clear and bright, no wind, frosty and cold
The official sun rise time has reached the dizzying point of 0659 I noticed today. It was, of course, already light. This had been achieved before I got up at 0630 and looked out of the window. Everything was where it should be....but I was expecting more than a little tickle of a breeze...but no tickle was to be had....just frost on my car.....
After swiftly executing the frost with a kettle full of cold water I set off......
The first and last birds encountered today were, I would say, rather unexpected.....
First bird seen as I was about to get out of the car....Black Headed Gull......
Around the pits today:
Chaffinch, Robin, Wren, Collared Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Woodpigeon, Crow, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Green Woodpecker, Feral Pigeon, Buzzard (more of this later), Greenfinch, Dunnock, Jackdaw,Goldcrest, Magpie, Great Tit, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Blue Tit, Stock Dove, Fieldfare, Grey Wagtail, Skylark, Starling, Redwing, Mistle Thrush (chasing off some Fieldfare).
On the pits:
12 Mallard, 19 Gadwall, 63 Coot, 54 Tufted Duck, 11 Mute Swan, 5 Great Crested Grebe (one pair displaying), 11 Little Grebe (very defensive over areas of the gravel pit), 22 Shoveler, 13 Pochard, 2 Moorhen, 8 Teal, 23 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 8 Canada Geese, 123 Black Headed Gull, 2 Common Gull, 7 Lapwing, 1 Snipe, 1 Green Sandpiper.
So, looking like the fine display of Lapwing is all but done....shame...
.......the farmer was out in the field using a muck spreader to spread what looked like.....apples?
....maybe it was just how it looked.....but if anyone wants to explain...im sure he isnt doing it to feed the birds nor anything else....ironically, of course, the Skylark have been singing quite well this past week or two so I guess its also the first assault on them....wouldnt want them to be too comfortable....
Heading back to the car was when I came across the last recorded species, Green Sandpiper, launching itself out of the ditch and heading away to another part of the same ditch system.....
........it was whilst I was watching this that a Buzzard, probably the same one as earlier, as it was in the same area, flapped once and glided to another tree near by.
Fabulous views, after I shuffled a bit to the left. It was happy to sit and be admired...and I was happy to admire it....how languid it had been earlier whilst being chased by three Crows yet not appearing to be too bothered. The slightest of jinks, ducks and turns and an almost perceptible yawn as it seemed so bored by the Corvids....todays treat....great stuff!!
There is a big field awaiting to be muckspread and ploughed on my patch Graham, I just hope its done soon.
ReplyDeleteGreen sandpiper! Great find!
He's probably got the contract to dispose of a load of apples from somewhere and as they're bio-degradable, why not spread them on the fields, perhaps make a couple of bob and feed the thrushes at the same time.
ReplyDeleteHere on Sheppey we've had times when grapefruit, oranges, beetroot have been spread on fields full of cattle because the farmer had the contract to dispose of rotten fruit from a cool store.