Thomas Hardy heard his thrush in Dorset on the final day of the 19th century but despite the shift in location and time, some things do not change. While cycling near St Front today I picked up the song of a mistle thrush coming from the other side of the valley. This species has been showing itself for several weeks now, usually in the poplar plantations where it feeds on the mistletoe which gives it it's name. Today was the first time this winter that I've heard one in song. Up to now it has been just the distinctive rattling call which has announced the birds' presence.
Anyway, it's a good poem (as are most of Hardy's) and any reader of this blog who does not know it should do a google immediately.
The other highlight of today's excursion was a confiding male sparrowhawk which flew from a tree as I approached and the sat on an old sunflower stalk just fifty yards from me. I watched it for some time, admiring its strong colours, especially the orange breast barring. I can never work out the function of the random white spotting on the back of the male's head and wings though. The bird was still there when I returned along the same track some ten minutes later.
The big finch flocks seem to consist entirely of chaffinches at the moment; search as I might, I could not find one brambling in any one of them.
Long tailed tit flocks and small groups of firecrests are easy to find but I have not seen a coal tit for some time. A single marsh tit was near the Bonnieure yesterday.
Nuthatches are pretty active and a pair of short toed tree creepers were busy feeding near Ventouse today.
Buzzards are by far the most common raptor this December but it's quite a few days since I have seen a harrier.
No comments:
Post a Comment