Thursday 8 April 2010

A Martin, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Geese in ½ an hour in town.

No sooner said than done, well not quite. I was in The High Street this morning looking skyward to find the Buzzard that was calling when a Martin (not quite a Swallow, but it signals the same arrivals) darted behind the Bank of Scotland building. I didn’t get the chance to distinguish if it was a Sand Martin or a House Martin, but I suspect the former as they have been around for a week or so already. These are fantastic little birds. They travel hundreds of miles back to the place they were born, and in the case of some of the House Martins, back to the actual nest they used last year!

And just to show what delights can be had by keeping your eyes and ears tuned to the birds, I wa sitting in the car park of the West End Garage and a Sparrowhawk stooped from high down into a garden behind the workshop! Back at home and getting out of the car, a skein of Pinkfoot flew directly over the house, honking a fantastic noise to drown out the racket from the builder’s radio! All this in ½ an hours normal daily business. Add to this the cc. 1,500 Pinkfoot in a field by Golanfield last night that I saw from the train window as I headed into Inverness.

Keep your eyes, ears and senses tuned into the wildlife and you’ll never be disappointed.

Séamus

2 comments:

  1. Hi Birder, you are right we are so lucky to have so much wildlife all around us.

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  2. Hi Graisg. Isn't it exciting to know that in the months ahead, the wildlife will be even more noticeable as spring provides them with the food of life! And if we keep our eyes and ears open we can share in the delights they bring. What a great part of the world we live in!

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