Tag: bird

  • Pattern

    Pattern

    Donk,DinkBamboo chimes in a gentle breezeTing, tangSteel chimes a two tone melody.A rose-breasted hummingbird buzzes byFeeder-boundThe house wren insists the woodstack is hersCrickets channeling the background cosmic radiationA persistent click-drone as old as the universe.A phalanx of Canada geese heading south trumpet their exitThe doppler groan of passing cars on Old Church and Mount PleasantThe…

  • The Structural Wonder of a Hedge in Winter

      Even in winter, hedgerows are working in the landscape. Not only can they prevent snow drift on to roads (a feature or ‘ecosystem service’ I’m keen to explore more in work in Ontario, see 3 Go to Canada: Hedges, Novel Ecosystems and Damn Fine Donuts,HedgeCanada Revisited: healing the landscape and connecting communities with a new hedgerow…

  • The Eagles are Coming! The Eagles are Coming!

    A very dear friend of mine was recently bought a lesson at the Hawk Conservancy for her birthday. She is a big fan of birds of prey, especially the kestrel she sees on her daily walk with the dog, but i think the lesson transformed her. Into what remains to be seen! I could definitely…

  • Where have all the Coot gone? Reflections on a WeBS core count at Burpham

    In October I signed up to monitor Burpham Court Farm, Guildford, for the BTO Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS). This Sunday gone was my 3rd Core Count (the first Sunday in the month) and the first on my own. As a relative newcomer to wetland birds- I am mammal ecologist- I enlisted the support first of…

  • Reflections on International Mountain Day: Choughs, Chamois, Kilimanjaro

    Today is International Mountain Day http://www.un.org/en/events/mountainday/ We don’t have any mountains in Surrey. The highest point is Leith Hill near Dorking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leith_Hill at between 293-295m above sea level which is the second highest point in South East England after Walbury Hill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walbury_Hill, East Berkshire at 297m asl. Gibbet Hill at Hindhead http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbet_Hill is the second highest point…