Another cloudy, drizzly morning, with a moderate SW wind.
I made 3 separate patch visits today, one early morning, one mid morning and one mid afternoon, they all involved a walk around Migrant Alley, the Ashes Lane Fields and the Pub Field, and all were accompanied by the continued racket from the Greenhouse Grounds as the environmental destruction carried on, reinforcing my decision to quit my patch at the end of the year.
I was hoping that an early migrant passerine might just drop into one of the fields, but no 'chats' or wagtails yet, the best I could come up with was the first SKYLARK (47) f the month, which flew up from the sheep pasture at Migrant Alley. Just to the south of my patch, a large field was being harrowed after having been cropped, this had attracted at least 300 Gulls, part of which, after being flushed, flew over my patch, most of them were BLACK HEADED GULLS, but quite a few HERRING GULLS and a couple of LESSER BLACK BACKED GULLS were also with them.
A few SWIFTS and HOUSE MARTINS were noted flying over, but nothing else of note. A couple of young KESTRELS were about, but strangely, no Buzzards today.
Hopeless for photographs again today!
5 comments:
A hot and cloudless afternoon here with a strong and gusty wind that has sucked up every last drop of yesterday's rain.
Unfortunately what one person would call habitat destruction another might call a necessary project to better his chances of maintaining a living. It's easy when we don't rely on a piece of habitat for a living to want it to stay nice and wild and overgrown but it's not always as simple as that. Likewise wanting peace and quiet on our walks and not having to meet other people enjoying the countryside in their own way.
In four weeks time the wildfowlers will be back along the sea wall shooting at the wildfowl leaving the reserve, I have learnt to accept that they have every right to be there, they are not going away and now pass the time of day with them, before that I used to get very stressed out at the thought of walking along the sea wall.If you pack up your patch where will you go, it's a crowed countryside these days.
Stick with it mate if you can. Of all the billions of people in the world, you are the only one who can tell the story of Pittswood.
Derek,
I know the difference between ''making a living'' and pure, unadulterated, greed.
Marc,
I can indeed tell the story of Pittswood, but it looks like the story is nearing its end. It's the story of the decline of once common and widespread species, lost to the greedy farming practices of intensification, agrichemical application and overgrazing.
OK Warren, I'll leave it at that, I know that we have different opinions on how the countryside should/could be managed, Good luck and stick with it.
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