BIRD NEWS:375

Well, before beginning to continue with photo posting - a back yard update. Early October, brought me dashing out the house and racing up the path quickly - in response to spotting a black cat on my path - and then spotting something large and grey in its mouth! Sure enough, as said cat darted off from my fast-approaching presence, it left behind a bitten bird.

A young wood pigeon shuffled off towards safety, drooping its wing. Worried it might be injured and need assistance, or be unable to fly as yet - for it was very young with stubbly feathers if full sized - I gloved up, scooped it up, and placed it safely on top the patio greenhouse in the ivy. I took a photo, but it does not seem to have come out very well.

Again, another update. Liz and I went on a hiking trip to Arundel - not to the WWT - but we did see some birds. A bluetit and group of longtailed tits were tree-flitting - as they were on my hike the previous day to Patching Pond. Then, Liz spotted a heron - which I managed to spot catching a fish through the noccies. On the Patching Pond trip the previous day, the only other birdlife I spotted was a pair of mallards on the pond - seen over a lay by fence.

My next excursion was to WWT Arundel, where regular readers may know that it is my custom to relax for a short time with either a coffee or lunch at the outdoor tables by the cafe. The above picture may therefore be familiar to some. My next shots were of the Bewick swan family - where the cygnets are as large as the parents, but still a little greyer, and more apt to lie down than stand on one leg by the looks of it.

In fact, when I arrived at the next swans enclosure, the Trumpeter swans were also hanging out in single legged poses.