Word to the wise; don’t have the new Robbie Williams song playing on the radio in your car as the last thing you hear before you head out for a morning walk. As I sit here, a good hour after leaving my car, its still whirling around inside my head, slowly sending me mad! Armed with lyrics about partying Russians, I start my patrol. It’s the first time this year that I have had to put on a jacket to fend off the cold. It’s usually the rain that I am layering up against!
It seems to be about bird calls this morning as most of our feathery bundles are deep in the vegetation. The ‘squeaky gate’ of a couple of Bullfinch can be heard near the Learning Centre. Chaffinch and Blackcap are adding their voices to the morning melodies down by the Large Copse. Walking through the Copse I can hear the loud clicking of a Robin. It was so loud I was curious and decided to stop at the gate while entering Taskers Meadow and as I did, the Robin landed about a metre from me, cocked its head and we exchanged glances. He didn’t seem bothered at all about me until I closed the gate and the vibration sent him flying! Swallows and Martins are still gathering across the park and the aerobatic sweeps across Taskers, mere inches above the ground, were a spectacle to behold. Such style and grace! Upon entering Saxon Field I scare up a small flock of Meadow Pipits who head East, sending out their ‘peep peep’ call as they departed. A big posse of Goldfinch, collective noun being ‘charm’ not posse, are bobbing across the park in flight, like tennis balls bouncing on court.
And now for the piste de resistance, at least for me; a male Peregrine Falcon sat right at the top of the cliffs, 4 metres from where I was standing and I had a wonderful new sight to behold. Positioned so it was looking out to sea, it was aware of me as it kept glancing back. It obviously didn’t feel threatened, just curious, but all of a sudden it turned its head fully, 180 degrees, so it was looking directly at me, its body still facing out to sea. I had no idea they could do that and I was somewhat taken back. Eventually it got bored of me watching him, watching me, and he took to the wing and was gone.