Thursday 6 January 2011

Still ill

The Safari is still bedridden and with neighbours doing some noisy fence repairs illness was an unpleasant experience. No chance of any small birds in the garden today with the workmen bashing and crashing only inches from Base Camp's garden.
Looking out of the bedroom window we hoped for a fly over Lesser Black Backed Gull or a distant speck that could be scoped as a Goldfinch for the year. We got neither but mid morning the Peregrine appeared on its ledge; Scoped at an angle through a dirty double glazed window and the dull grey skies made for a very poor pic.

An hour or so later the sun tried to come out and the resulting shot slightly better, at least it looks sort of falconoid rather than being a dirty smudge on the double glazing.


At one point a Magpie landed on the overhang above it and peered over. A few moments later it fluttered down and we thought "Here we go - a bit of mobbing coming up", but no nothing of the sort. We think the Magpie was checking if there were any titbits going abegging as it landed on the ledge and started to eat something, looked like a bone.
Later, after the Peregrine had flown off, a Carrion Crow landed on the ledge picked a large lump of something up and flew off with it...looks like the Peregrine is providing a flap-in fast food eat-in or take-away service!
Where to next? Hopefully Patch 2 will be back in play tomorrow, viruses (should that be viri?) permitting. We sort of admire viruses - they are so evolutionarily advanced they have lost the need to be 'alive'; a bit like the vestigial wings on island birds that no longer need to fly , eg the Dodo, or the tiny internal rear 'legs' of a Python but on a much more serious scale - clever things getting us mere mortals to do all their dirty work for them.
In the meantime let us know who's eating who in your outback.

5 comments:

Monika said...

I hope you feel better soon Dave!!

Warren Baker said...

Take it easy Dave, dont make my mistake and get going to early!!

Anonymous said...

I agree, take it easy Dave and get well soon.

cliff said...

Sorry to hear you're feeling crook, hope you're on the mend in time for some weekend birding!

Re. your mid-morning Peregrine, I was driving up the hill yesterday I think around 11.30am & thought I could make a Peregrine out with the naked eye as I drove toward your tower, which seems to fit in with your sighting.

Cheers

Cliff

Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Adventure Wildlife Safaris said...

Bob on with 11.30 Cliff, it was there til about 2.00 - keep your eye on the road and your hands upon the wheel; to coin a phrase!

Cheers

D