"Ooh! Can we count the pigeons in the oaks?""Only if they are above our garden"
I looked up at the trees towering over our winter-bare borders. How can I tell from this distance if the birds are perched over our land?
A pink feathered bird lands on one of our feeders.
Hmm
"Must be a chaffinch!" I declare
Then I notice the sleekness of the head
"Nuthatch!"
"Where?"
"Well, it has swooped back into the tree now!"
That is nuthatches for you.
Blink and you have missed them.
A collared dove struts around the border beneath one of the birdfeeders, foraging for free food.
Goldfinches arrive to feast on Nyger seeds, taking turns to dip their heads forward to feed, giving the effect of a 'pecking hens' retro toy.
Someone walks along the path behind the house, feathered friends take flight.
Meanwhile, a squirrel bounds down the trunk.
"Gosh you're up early! Did the alarm clock disturb your slumbers?"
I find myself imagining a squirrel-shaped pyjama'd arm, reaching out from beneath a duvet to silence an unwelcome alarm...and admonish myself for the foolish flight of fantasy.
"Wait! This is a squirrel you are talking about, why humanise him/her?
It lives somewhere in the tree,
does not have a duvet or alarm clock,
talk, other than to swear in squirrelish at whatever causes annoyance or is perceived to be a threat.
You will be humanising God next!"
Back to the bird count. I suppose I ought to start noting down my observations.
"Female blackbird..."
My attention drifts back to my phone. Too soon it is time to depart for church."
At lunchtime I continue to observe ornithological activity from the warmth of my home..
"Robin"
"Male blackbird. And another. That makes two..."
After lunch, my attention is drawn by increased activity in the sky.
"Wow look at that flock of birds, swooping and soaring.
An interested voice enquires if they are seagulls.
"No. They aren't flapping enough."
This is the extent of my ability to identify birds.
We watch as the mini murmuration of a dozen starlings perform an aerial routine that the Red Arrows would be proud of, with a tight formation, turning as one.
Fortunately for the laundry, no trails emitted out of the rear ends of our feathered friends...
Did they fly over our garden though...?
My mind drifted off along some other non-bird related thread.
I looked up from my computer in time to see smaller birds invading our garden
"Tits! What sort?
Probably not blue,
but maybe coal
possibly long tailed
or even just great!"
Who knows?
I don't.
Fortunately, our bird count was undertaken by a much responsible and more ornithologically aware person than myself. Though I will be interested to see what this years statistics reveal.
It lives somewhere in the tree,
does not have a duvet or alarm clock,
talk, other than to swear in squirrelish at whatever causes annoyance or is perceived to be a threat.
You will be humanising God next!"
Back to the bird count. I suppose I ought to start noting down my observations.
"Female blackbird..."
My attention drifts back to my phone. Too soon it is time to depart for church."
At lunchtime I continue to observe ornithological activity from the warmth of my home..
"Robin"
"Male blackbird. And another. That makes two..."
After lunch, my attention is drawn by increased activity in the sky.
"Wow look at that flock of birds, swooping and soaring.
An interested voice enquires if they are seagulls.
"No. They aren't flapping enough."
This is the extent of my ability to identify birds.
We watch as the mini murmuration of a dozen starlings perform an aerial routine that the Red Arrows would be proud of, with a tight formation, turning as one.
Fortunately for the laundry, no trails emitted out of the rear ends of our feathered friends...
Did they fly over our garden though...?
My mind drifted off along some other non-bird related thread.
I looked up from my computer in time to see smaller birds invading our garden
"Tits! What sort?
Probably not blue,
but maybe coal
possibly long tailed
or even just great!"
Who knows?
I don't.
Fortunately, our bird count was undertaken by a much responsible and more ornithologically aware person than myself. Though I will be interested to see what this years statistics reveal.
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