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| European bee eater - @ Wiki |
Sometimes with all the negativity about how much we have lost in our natural world it is heartening to see that an evolution of the wild creatures in our lives does take place. Whenever we travel in the car I am always pleased to see swallows everywhere, swooping and diving, they remind me that these visitors to our island have two homes and are quite capable of travelling great distances. I watched a gold finch perched on a gravestone this morning, think they are nesting in the yews, sometimes difficult to distinguish from the myriad of sparrows that fly around in the distance but welcome with their colourful plumage.
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| Gold finch @ Wiki |
Sitting on the garden bench yesterday evening, looking at the array of flowers in the large bed, luckily I got everything planted before the accident, it was pleasing to see the butterflies and bees busy at work. Irene is going to come and do some weeding for me which will be most welcome, though the flowers are so tightly together there should not be many.
I took the above European bee-eater from Wikipedia, but according to Giles Coren in The Times it's information is all completely wrong, which has put me off reading anything by him ever again. This is a completely false accusation by him, a light brushing off of the work done in Wikipedia, and though I cannot justify every word written I do have complete confidence to fund its work with a tenner each year, as it is non-profit making. Wonder if people still have those heavy encyclopedia books that always needed updating, mostly by the salesmen who sold them!
The sparrows inhabit the long run of ivies and virginia creepers that cover the fence between us and the pub next door, here the song thrush, or is it the mistle thrush rears her young every year, coming back from whatever exotic winter holiday she takes. The swallows on arrival at their nests under the church eaves have not nested this year, this I think down to the sparrows who have taken over their nests.
Not sure about that bee-eater as I am pretty certain it would not survive our winter, so hope it finds its way home. Also very colourful birds often fall foul of our raptors - so good luck to him.
ReplyDeleteI have had great pleasure this year from the blue tits which have taken to nesting in the wall. Our front garden is a walled one and one wall comes right up to our landing window so I can stand on the landing and watch them - as far as I could tell there were three separate nests and the holes (where the mortar had fallen out)were so small that they really had to squeeze in. But I expect it did make them safe nests from things like magpies.
Hope your convalescence is progressing well.
There are tears of frustration now and then, not being able to 'jump' the front door lip has been overcome by placing a chair between the outside and inside ;). Actually talking of raptors, our hens are rather nervous as well, not sure that one of them was attacked, feathers missing but they are more discreet about going into the church yard.
ReplyDeleteThese are rare to me. So lovely!
ReplyDeletePerhaps the most spectacular bird are the little kingfishers that streak along the rivers, a luminous turquiose flash.
ReplyDeleteYour goldfinches are so different from ours! No red on ours, but they are almost completely gold. I don't know how to add a photo.
ReplyDeleteI suppose on a comment you can always give a link to a photograph, but it is wonderful how our birds evolve in different countries.
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