Orioles are not easily observed as they are remarkably well camouflaged in the canopy so it was a great surprise to watch a male in his brilliant yellow and black finery catching flying insects above a field. He did this in an agile and erratic manner and on several occasions resorted to hovering like a kingfisher, a behaviour that I've never seen or even heard of before.
It's been another good year for local red back shrikes as I've now located seven pairs within cycling distance of the house, one trip this week turned up three males within a couple of kilometres of each other.
The grain harvest is well under way and, as with the earlier taking in of hay, black kites are exploiting the feeding opportunities and can often be seen following the machines. As always I fear for the ground-nesting birds.
Nightingales are now mainly silent but I have come across a couple of individuals quietly singing during the last few days.
The pair of black redstarts which nest at the house chose a niche by the rear door for the second nest of the season. As with the first which was partly concealed by my hanging overalls and prevented me from using them, this one lies partly behind an open shutter which cannot be closed for the duration. It lies at eye level so I often catch a glimpse of the patient female observing my passing with her beady eye.
A sad sight yesterday was that of a dead female cirl bunting outside the same door. She had presumably presumably flown into the glass which was not concealed by the shutter!
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