Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Absent Friends

With all the excitement around the new spring arrivals, it is sometimes easy to forget about the birds you are no longer seeing or hearing. The obvious absentees are the winter migrants and it is now some weeks since I last saw a redwing or fieldfare. More surprising is the disappearance of bullfinches. Just a couple of weeks ago, I would not have bothered to comment on their appearance, being a daily matter in all of my usual haunts. This morning, whilst listening to chiffchaffs and blackcaps, it suddenly occurred to me that I had for some time, neither seen nor heard the plaintive piping of a bullfinch. Perhaps it is now that they descend upon the orchards. These are nearby but not within the scope of my daily wanderings. I shall have to go and see.
Whilst walking the dog in the dark last night I heard a curious murmuring sound coming from overhead, it clearly came from some bird or birds, most likely a migrating species, but what they were remains a mystery.

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