Fowl play

The title perhaps relates more to today's alternative blip than the one actually posted. This was species 49 on the 2012 yearlist, a heron standing under the riverside alders in the pouring rain. I've played with the image to hopefully give it a little more interest.

I've withheld the alternative out of deference to Sue and her collie Rowan, and out of respect for the sensibilities of my fellow blippers. Sue, Rowan and I went for a walk at lunchtime around the big loop in the River Kent south of Kendal. Not the best weather for walking, even worse for photography, and I nearly left the camera in the car to protect it.

On our circuit we saw the usual gaggle of farmyard geese, but the curmudgeonly gander who is usually shunned by the others was nowhere to be seen. Then Sue spotted something whitish in the field. And there he was, on his back with his yellow feet in the air, headless and his breast stripped of muscle to the sternum. A brutal crime scene, the old gander terminated. Fowl play by a fox suspected. Maybe this time he wandered a little too far from the gaggle and the river for his own good.

Rowan loves to play with whatever he finds, and alas the body of the poor old gander was no exception. Fowl play, you might say. I have a photograph of the gruesome game, but it is not good blip fodder.

On more tasteful matters, today's walk was good for the bird yearlist despite the inclement conditions. After seeing the heron, a small flock of pied wagtails flew past us. Then we saw a male goldeneye diving, a moorhen scooting across the river to safety on the opposite bank, and a little grebe dipping and bobbing. As it was darkening this afternoon, and while the rain continued to fall and the blustery wind to blow, a song thrush sang bravely somewhere in the trees of the business park. The total is now 54 species.

ps A year ago, by coincidence, another bird photograph that I played with. Note the bird list the was already on 65 species.