Saturday 6th August (Migration, Waders and Swiftless)


Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window. The sky was grey and birdless. Now birdless does not seem to be a proper word but Mr. Kite observed that the sky was birdless; that is no birds flying. Mr. Kite has a small piece of logic; if the sky is birdless then it must be Swiftless. So in the morning Mr. Kite could see that the Swifts might have flown.

Recently Mr. Kite had read that Venus Pool had been visited by a Turnstone, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and Greenshank so on this Saturday morning cycled to V.P. in search of a migratory wader or just a few hours bird-watching.

At ten o'clock Mr. Kite took The Beast towards V.P. on a windless and Swiftless morning. Without the wind Mr. Kite sped along the lanes until just before Eaton Mascott Mr.Kite stopped to watch a Merlin sitting in the middle of the road. Now a stationary sitting Merlin is a great sight. The Merlin sat there for a good half-minute before it took off with a flock of local House Martins making sure that its presence and position was known. With the element of surprise gone and the Merlin just about airborne it flew slowly into a low tree. The brown colour on it's back and barred tail suggested a female.

Feeling please Mr. Kite arrived at V.P. expecting to see a variety of waders. Firstly Mr. Kite noted that the water level was low; just right for migratory waders. Secondly Mr. Kite noticed a group of five Grey Herons standing in the shallow water to the left of the main hide. These Grey heron were occasionally picking little fish out of the water but they seemed more interested in a family of four Moorhens. The two clean, black, fluffy and naive bundles of new juicy Moorhens were enjoying life outside of the reed bed on the muddy shores of the pool but seemed unaware of the herons that nonchalantly moved towards them. Mr. Kite thought what a difficult situation for the parents of the Moorhens; how to allow the youngsters to enjoy the 'freedom of the pool and recognise the dangers that are only feet away' or one outstretched neck and beak.

Mr. Kite is pleased to say that the young Moorhens, with the expert guidance of their proud parents, avoided being a 'heron's snack'. And nearby Mr. Kite watched a Greenshank feed on the waters edge. Did Mr. Kite see a Turnstone, or Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper or Spoonbill? No. Did it matter? No because Mr. Kite had watched birds and the continuing cycle of young birds, migration and the brutal world of nature.

Soon Mr. Kite was repairing The Beast because it sprung a leak but was soon home enjoying a tipple of Leffe 9 degrees. Cheers.