A good Patch Patrol today produced a marked lack of migrants. Only three Guilles were visible on the Ore Stone [though that was bins only, there are likely to be more about], and as the title said, not a sniff of Wheatear. Rockits were about [all our kind], and a gull-fight over a dead wrasse was briefly entertaining - in a slightly-disturbing-now-that-I-think-about-it kinda way...
In more positive news, the quantity and variety of birdsong is markedly increasing, though the Blackbirds [we have three around the garden now] are notable by their absence. Off bird topic, the beloved council are continuing their tree genocide - among the victims are a line that have been stabilising a section of slope below Ilsham Marine Drive. Having now had a chance to see the newly exposed geology, I give it no more than 5 years before the road is in the sea. Its already subsided a bit, and when the roots decay and the soil and loose rock they hold goes...... It really makes me spit, the sheer idiocy of it! "Oh, a tree might possibly have a branch that might fall down and could hurt someone - we must fell them all!" "Oh, that tree is in the way of a little bit of the view from my house - think of how much more it would be worth if that tree could be cut down, never mind that its helping keep the cliff stable!" "Oh, that tree is overhanging the road/pavement a bit, don't just prune it back, lets cut it down!" "Oh, I'm a fat cat developer/builder who has the council in my pocket, I want to build some rabbit hutches that are 6" apart [so I can call them detached and sell them for more] and while I could use all manner of brownfield sites, I'd much rather cut down that wood, and rip up those hedges and bury those fields under tarmac and concrete instead!"
Ahem.
Oh what the frack - What about all those morons who destroy their gardens under gravel, paving slabs, tarmac, or worst of all decking.... Even worse is the stupid fashion to destroy hedges and put in rickety wooden fences - I mean why?!?!?!?!?????
Ahem again.
I don't know how this turned into a rant. It should have been a fairly uneventful Patch Patrol [as they usually are] with a nice twist at the end, and instead we have this rant about the idiocy of people [well, a little bit of it - if I went into all of it we'd never end...] which you doubtless are fully aware of.
Flowers!
Flowers are good and pretty and calming and generally a very pleasant thing. Yes. Flowers. There are lots of lovely ones in the Ilsham Valley right now, including Silla [I think] which are clusters of gorgeous blue six-petalled six-stamened flowers on little stalks. I like them a lot. Not seen them before either. There were Siskin further down, which while not a patch tick, is unusual here. Indeed I've recorded fewer Siskin on patch than the nice twist bird - including in the garden! Said bird was on a small patch of lawn in a private garden, appearing to be in a face off with a Robin. It did the expected vanishing act, while the Robin came back at once to stare at me and go "What you lookin' at, matey?" [Robins are well 'ard]. Bird in question? Nice immature Blackstart. :D
In the Garden, a Collared Dove put in an appearance, and Mr Blackcap is still here.
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