F said it was her best birthday ever. I was using her for a pillow when Mr B came in with a box in shiny paper and a cup of tea so I figured I'd retire to my nest by the radiator downstairs for some undisturbed sleep. They talk, and drink tea, and have the radio on.
After they got up F went outside in her sheepskin boots and crossed the lane to look at something in the stream. Mr B had spotted a little egret wading down the stream and she had been watching it from my upstairs window until it went out of sight under the near bank. Apparently it had joined up with some male mallard ducks. They were motoring gently upstream doing whatever ducks do with their heads under water and the egret was plodding alongside one duck, keeping pace and watching the duck very closely. It's sudden change of course had been to accompany a different duck, but it heard F coming and glided off a short distance to a mid-stream station under the bridge.
Maybe ducks disturb egret food while they are muldering along the bottom of the stream.
Less than half and hour later F was calling for Mr B to bring the binoculars downstairs; they'd spotted a male sparrowhawk sitting on the back fence. They were very excited about the possibilities that it would scare pigeons away. I expect it would scare more than that, but it didn't stay long. In any event if it hung around the crows would eventually gang up on it.
So F was very excited about the bird sightings and wished it was RSPB Birdwatch day today.
They are all a bit big, or a bit wet for my taste - but amusing to watch. Little egrets could join the Ministry of Silly Walks.
After they got up F went outside in her sheepskin boots and crossed the lane to look at something in the stream. Mr B had spotted a little egret wading down the stream and she had been watching it from my upstairs window until it went out of sight under the near bank. Apparently it had joined up with some male mallard ducks. They were motoring gently upstream doing whatever ducks do with their heads under water and the egret was plodding alongside one duck, keeping pace and watching the duck very closely. It's sudden change of course had been to accompany a different duck, but it heard F coming and glided off a short distance to a mid-stream station under the bridge.
Less than half and hour later F was calling for Mr B to bring the binoculars downstairs; they'd spotted a male sparrowhawk sitting on the back fence. They were very excited about the possibilities that it would scare pigeons away. I expect it would scare more than that, but it didn't stay long. In any event if it hung around the crows would eventually gang up on it.
So F was very excited about the bird sightings and wished it was RSPB Birdwatch day today.
They are all a bit big, or a bit wet for my taste - but amusing to watch. Little egrets could join the Ministry of Silly Walks.
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