Tail chasing

I seem to be doing rather a lot of it lately. Both in working and social life - I cannot seem to keep up with either. At present I seem constantly to be playing catch-up including the posting of long overdue blogs.

Continuing from my previous posting, the run of mild weather has certainly brought a breath of spring air with it. Today I managed to see my second butterfly species of the year - one of those quick flyby views of a peacock as it zoomed past the back of the offices.

My morning slumbers have also begun to take in that lovely spring sound. No not my snoring - that's a year round thing. What I refer to is while I stir in the morning, wishing I didn't have to get up just now after yet another disturbed night, I hear the lovely sound of blackbirds in full song outside.

For me the blackbird epitomises spring. It was also the first bird song I was ever aware of as a six year old child. Now don't start readers - I know you're thinking that was only last year! I remember my late mothers interpretation of its song in the spring, saying its sounds like it is singing 'don't forget the birdies'. Although of course back then I had no idea what it was, I just remember hearing the song and the description.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a robin taking moss up to a nest box outside the office window. Activity has been conspicuously quiet since, which leads me to suspect the nest was finished and Mrs R is now sitting on eggs.

Other interesting wildlife activity I have managed to see recently came without even trying! Last week I had to venture into Tense Towers territorial waters for a site meeting with the Parks Trust. While sat in their offices a buzzard drifted past the window, disturbing the small flock of black headed gulls on the pond opposite! You'd never have seen that 12 years ago when I worked there. The indoor meeting migrated to outdoors and looking at various sites.

Given I was not purposefully looking for any wildlife, I seem to do quite well and would say quite categorically it was the best days birding I've had since the beginning of December when I saw six species of raptor in one field in Cambridgeshire!

My impressive list from last weeks site visits included four water rail, a buzzard, 2 sparrowhawks, a kestrel, 4 reed bunting, a pair of teal and gadwall, three goosander and a snipe! Birding is never normally that good these days. You'd struggle to see that kind of thing with effort and so I was feeling especially smug with myself.

That was until I visited Tense Towers where I had been kindly invited for an evening meal and which will be the subject of my next blog.