Sunday 1 June 2014

The Killing Fields

A dramatic title to todays update where we try to let you know what is going on the patch, well today was without doubt the worse day I have had in the twelve years since  I have watched this tiny patch of nowhere .I will come to what birds I saw in a while but today I was confronted with 2 guys armed with shotguns who were helping to "control " corvids ie Jackdaw ,Rook ,Crow, Magpie and Woodpigeon .Whether you agree or disagree with this I cannot get my head round the fact that these arseholes were hiding in a hedgerow on a public footpath with plastic lures to encourage birds in then taking pot shots at them ,I saw at least one Jackdaw that had one leg and half a wing blown off but which still kept flying. I stood overlooking the field until unnerved by my present one of these young Rambo "s confronted me and asked what I was doing ? "watching you kill birds and injuring birds that you have no hope of making a clean kill ' ,his reply "well that happens "what a utter twat ! . There then followed a heated exchange which I will not bore you all with , I just cannot get my head around killing for fun ,he was proud to tell me that they had killed 17 birds that morning ,in the breeding season as well and how many birds had they winged ? .
The actual bird life on the patch  was quiet. In the hedges were 3 Chiffchaff, 6 Whitethroats ( great little things ,I love them ), 4 Blackcap .
Overhead were a House Martin ,4 plus Swallow 4 Buzzards and 3 Grey Herons soaring together ( at first glance there was a heart stopping moment with me thinking that they were something else).
On the pastures were 5 Stock Dove, 7 Skylark and a flyover Pied Wagtail ,the high light being an unseen calling Yellow Wagtail.
Woodpeckers were represented by a Greater Spotted Woodpecker that is nesting in next doors orchard and a calling Green Woodpecker .
 So a crap walk ruined by a couple of idiots , lets hope a crow shits on their  heads .