Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
A Squawk Of Sparrows
by admin - 23:00 on 24 June 2012
In the garden, the number of chubby little tree sparrows continues to grow. Everywhere you look there's a rotund form loudly demanding to be fed or pursuing a parent for the same reason. Siblings huddle together in gangs on branches and the garden gate, scuffling and arguing like boys at a bus stop.
Where all the other fledglings are is a mystery. I've seen lots of young woodpeckers (or maybe just one who gets around a lot) and a few chaffinches being fed on the ground but other species' babies are much shyer.
Or maybe they dislike the sparrows' hungry racket as much as a sleepless Matchgirl does. She's fled to Shetland to escape it. Whatever, there's no denying that they make a good picture, even if I've over-sharpened them a bit after the crop.
Bess is a little better today – frisky enough to run up the willow tree, to Matchgirl's horror, despite an occasionally shaky leg. There'll be another return to Dr Death's tomorrow. We should buy her a season ticket.
Martens continue to visit very late and very early, so here's a shaky snap taken three days ago that I'd forgotten about. Rain is no deterrent to hungry wildlife.
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