An unusual visitor to the garden

As I enjoyed an early morning cup of tea, kindly (and fittingly, as it turns out) brought to me by Woodpeckers, I noticed an assortment of small birds flitting about excitedly between the neighbours ash tree and our roof and rainwater gutter. There were tits, a robin, a magpie and a blackbird, all in close proximity seemingly searching for food and sipping water in the gutter.

Yesterday afternoon, as I walked in the garden I glanced up when a fairly large fast flying bird swooped across the gardens in front of the big sycamore and ash trees. I wasn't at first sure what it was, until I heard some alarmed squawking from the direction in which it flew. Then I wondered whether it was a sparrowhawk, which occasionally pays us a visit when searching for small garden birds as prey.

Later this morning, as I was preparing to work at my desk, I saw flocks of swifts swooping above the treetops having obviously found swarms of airborne insects. The sky was shrouded by low grey clouds hanging just above the hilltops. They were still around, though in smaller numbers at lunchtime. I presume they are fattening themselves up for their imminent departure for warmer African climes, and I'm surprised they haven't left earlier. Possibly these are birds in transit stopping off for a last meal before crossing the sea to the mainlands of Europe.

About midday, whilst at my computer, my attention was caught and I looked out to see the movement of large wings as a heron flew up to and then landed on the ash tree at the end of the garden, at the top of the slope down to the stream. I immediately got up, as I rarely get the chance to see such a bird stationary and close by. My camera was downstairs, so hoping for luck I rushed down to the dining room to get it and was pleased to see it hadn't moved its position.

I slowly slid the patio door aside a fraction and poked my lens out and quickly took a few shots. I managed to then change the camera settings to more appropriate ones and followed the heron as it twisted its neck around in many directions, including having a long hard look straight at me. It was great to see it, but I wonder why its behaviour was slightly unusual, rather like all the other birds I'd been observing in the last twenty-four hours.

There are several herons which we regularly see down by the River Frome, on the canal banks or standing at the edges of the abandoned mill ponds. I also see one, or two occasionally, flying up The Horns valley formed by the Lime Brook, which is the stream right below our house. A few hundred yards up the valley from us are several manmade ponds set amongst trees and shrubs, which I think was their destinations.

We are so lucky to have such close contact with these natural riches. One day soon, I might go to the badger sett across the valley and take some shots of their sandy entrance holes under the hedgebank, which now separates two meadows just above Oakey Grove. I'm sure I wont see the badgers as they are nocturnal, but I can at least show where they live, particularly since they are so under threat at the present with Gloucestershire being the first place the Government has licensed their slaughter in their destructive anti-TB campaign.

I have taken photos looking from my study window at nighttime and just glimpsed the badgers coming to feed on snails and slugs amongst the plant pots, which they turn over at will to get to the tasty morsels. I like to hear them snuffling about. One night I saw Bomble rush down the garden in pursuit of a badger, a rather young one I presume! Bomble has few fears and is always getting into scrapes, which always surprises me considering how gentle and affectionate he is with humans, and cats he has made friends with like Illium.

NB
I had to heavily crop the image so its not as crisp as I would like.

I recently blipped another heron here on the Isle of Mull.