11 February 2009

I had a nice surprise this morning while sitting at my desk. I heard a tweet and, when I looked up, found a chiffchaff on the broom at the back of the garden where the tits eat the worms and seeds they pick up on the balcony. It went from branch to branch, looking resplendent in the sunshine, and wagging its tail a bit. I picked up my camera, but just as I was going to press on the trigger, the neighbours' flue started spewing steam engulfing the bush and my picture ended up all white! It probably also caused the bird to move away, but I relocated in a neighbour's garden. I then took this photo of it on a rose bush.

Later on, on my way to and back from the shops through Margravine Cemetery, I was initially thinking that it was pretty quiet, but as I got close to the grove I could see 9 crows together, they were occasionally rather noisy, but mostly they were busy pecking at the ground, while avoiding the squirrels. The male great spotted woodpecker flew to the ginkgo biloba and started tapping at a branch; I don't think I've seen it in that tree before. Plant-wise, there has been a crocus explosion, the purple carpet is expanding in the north part, and planting has finally started at the roundabout, with some little box shrubs.

Both peregrines were present on the hospital for a good part of the day, eating, digesting and sunbathing, with a bit of preening thrown in...