Peregrines do one thing alone
And do it very well
Those deadly birds that make their home
Above the ocean swell
Such single minded purpose
Conveyed by act and form
The other birds are nervous
Not all will see next morn
The bird ringers were in the park today and I called in for a visit before setting out into the park. They’d captured a Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroats as well as a few Garden, Willow and Sedge Warblers. A nice medley, but lower numbers than this time last year. I assume we can chalk that up to the dry weather. A Southern Hawker scooted over the pond in the Wildlife Area as I chatted with the team. Why are dragonflies called dragonflies? They don’t look at all like dragons and they spend most of their time by water.
I headed down the Mile Marker slope next, spotting abundant Meadow Brown butterflies as well as an Adonis Blue or two. Dunnocks, Blackbirds and Goldfinches pottered about the ground or zipped through the air whilst a marvellous waning gibbous moon looked down on all from above. Wild Carrot was by far the most prolific plant here, with some patches of Wild Clematis struggling to expand and entangle these umbelliforms. Looking at it was a bit like watching the slowest wrestling match ever held. Not exactly gripping.
Close to the water a group of four Shags were sunning themselves on a rock. I have no idea how they can stand to wear black and sunbathe in this weather, especially with the lack of breeze. I spent a few moments trying to spot the Field Grasshoppers I could hear chirruping in the Tor Grass, but no success. My fortunes changed up by the lighthouse, where I was lucky enough to see one hopping across the tarmac.
The calls of a Kestrel sounded clearly as I walked, and the missile like form of a Peregrine Falcon shot by on my left. Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to be a Peregrine. I imagine them being very single minded, that’s always how they appear to me. As I was musing on this a Red Admiral fluttered past, wending from left to right without any apparent purpose. Quite the Contrast. I suppose it makes sense for Peregrines to be so stern all the time, their most common cause of death is starvation. Sometimes running for your dinner is the same as running for your life.