Monday 16 February 2015

Birding






I'm not a great fan of sitting still in dark bird hides -
they tend to be colder than the outside,
and often devoid of bird sightings, apart from coots.
There are always coots.
But sometimes they offer shelter from a stiff breeze
and a knowledgeable birder who was kind enough to explain
 the wonderful extraordinary sight of the flocks of birds 
wheeling, blending and separating
overhead when we emerged together.
He told us that they were lapwings and golden plovers
and that they were taking evasive action because a pair of 
peregrine falcons were trying to get above them so that they could
stoop in pursuit of their prey.


We don't know if they succeeded, but the birdwatchers were happy.
'That's a big tick,' said one satisfied couple.


I scored 25 points in my
I-Spy Book of Birds.

13 comments:

  1. A magnificent sight especially when the sunlight hits them.

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  2. Where would be without I-Spy books?! I love the photos of the flocks of lapwings and golden plovers. The light is beautiful. Sorry I missed you in Trafalgar Square...it isn't the same though without the flocks of pigeons..!

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  3. It's the bird skulls that get me, every time ... the fragility of them, and the robustness ... contradictory I know. I find them achingly beautiful. I collect them, which my children find decidely macabre.

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    1. I've never found one before. I decided to leave it.

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  4. Lucille, I don't think we have I-Spy books over here...but now I will be on the look out for them. Maybe I can spy an I-Spy.

    Like you and Annie, I also think that bird skulls are remarkable.

    How I do yearn for these extremely cold winter days to cease, so that it will again be a pleasure to wander around outdoors in NYC.

    xo

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    1. My I-Spy books are all vintage ones but I see that Michelin publish a series by the same name. Your temperatures are miserably low. I had to do a conversion as I have got used to centigrade now.

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  5. What a thing to see!

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  6. Again a great post, made me laugh. I love spending time with knowledgeable people, whatever the subject matter.

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  7. That skull is terrifying . Imagine that spearing down at you from a clear blue sky !

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    1. I've an idea this might be a wader. Perhaps an oyster catcher.

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  8. A wonderful sight, birds en masse - we keep meaning to to head out to the big RSPB reserve, Ham Wall, to watch the starling murmuration at dusk, but the combination of the cold wet weather and the birds' unpredictable choices of roosting places puts us off. Must try harder, I suppose!

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  9. I volunteer at a wildlife rehab so am in the interesting position of being for both the predators and the prey!

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  10. I guess it's about being in the right place at the right time, lucky duck.

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