Seventy seven

I had to take an early trip to Stratford today to have my regular blood tests done, and collect a prescription. Emerging from the hospital to a hint that the heavy cloud of daybreak might now be thinking of lifting, I decided to whizz over to Charlecote in search of the Tawny Owl I was told about yesterday. 

After hunting unsuccessfully on my own for the best part of two hours I enlisted the help of one of the National Trust volunteers, she made enquiries of a couple of rangers, and between us we managed to locate the tree - but today, sadly, it was owl-free. The fork where the owl likes to sit is actually on the "private" side of the trunk, where civilians are discouraged from walking because the area beyond the tree line is designated as deer sanctuary, so my visit to it today, in the company of staff, will be the last time I ever get this close to the bird's perch. However I've identified a sightline to the fork from a particular spot on the public footpath, which is too far away for a quality photograph, but will at least allow me to look out for the Tawny Owl with binoculars or my long lens whenever I enter West Park. And as I've never yet seen one of these birds in the wild, even a distant sighting would count as an exciting result.

On the subject of counting, my 2024 bird count went up by four species this morning, Charlecote having the right mixture of habitats to support a wide range of bird life. I spent several minutes and several dozen shutter clicks playing Grandmothers' Footsteps with this Jay, which was rummaging around in leaf litter on the ground when I first saw it, and then flew up into the tree and began checking around the branches for invertebrates. I'm in no way proud of the photo, which has a good deal too much messy twiggy action going on, but Jays are solitary and shy, and I am pleased to have got this close to it (by skulking behind a large tree guard) without being spotted and identified as a threat. As I was photographing the Jay, which was number 76 on my list, number 77 - a Little Egret - flew over us and off down to the river, where both large and small herons are beginning to gather in the run-up to their breeding season.

Thanks to everyone who sent good wishes to R yesterday on the state of his back. Today he's visibly improving, though still a long way from fighting fit.