Bird Vision

At last, the sun is shining and it looks as though Spring is finally here.

Spring Is Here

The temperatures aren’t quite what they should be at this time of the year, but with the blue skies, lockdown coming to an end, it all seems to be heading the right way. One of my new found ways of passing the time is watching the wildlife around these parts. Foxes, Rabbits, Pheasants, Red Kites and all sorts of small birds. Of course, in about a month’s time the great influx of House Martins, Swifts and Swallows will be heading our way from Africa.

Binoculars

With binoculars in hand, I had noticed a small flock of birds on one of the power line poles in the field opposite where we live. They’re not the most expensive ones, but they are useful for picking up things like Foxes or even the odd Deer in the thicket. I tried to focus on the birds which had landed, but no matter how I tried, I could not sharpen the image. It remained blurred and trying to look at them with the naked eye was no good as they were just too far away.

Call The Cake Baker

I knew from the date that they wouldn’t be House Martins, it’s far too early for them. I’ve never seen Sparrows or come to think of it any other small birds gather like that on a power line. I know, I’ll give wifey a shout, I’m sure she may shed some light on the puzzle, her eyes are much better than mine. She was busy in the kitchen at the time, probably making one of her Lemon Drizzle cakes, but she dropped everything to come and see this strange gathering of feathered friends.

Oh Dear

As I held the binoculars out to pass to her, I explained that she needs to look at the second telegraph pole in the field opposite, the one with the cluster of ‘things’ on top. She didn’t take the binoculars, she squinted her eyes, looked at the pole, then looked at me and said, “You Silly Old Sod! Those aren’t birds at all. They’re the ceramic pots that the power cables pass through!” and off she stomped, back to the land of cake baking. I’ve added a photo below of a close up of what I really saw. Time for a new pair of binoculars I think.

If you’d like to know more about our birds in the UK, the RSPB have a good website.