Bird-table surprise

It is usually the rooks that make the smaller sparrows, tits, chaffinches, robins etc fly away from the old table in a panic but today I had a double take while briefly looking through the kitchen window. Photographically terrible but I had to grab the camera and snap as quickly as possible because I only had one chance.

This is the Buzzard (Buteo buteo) whose wingspan is 44-50 inches. There are many in this area and as many as 15 have been seen together in the wake of a plough in the autumn. When the weather is warm and fine they bask in the air spirals in the sky high above making their "peeyaa" cry.

Accompanied a friend to Sturminster Newton this afternoon to visit Harts, an amazing store which is an ironmongery but also selling general domestic goods and a few clothes and many many useful items. Came away with a stiff brush with a wooden handle, glue and a metal recycling bucket and lid for vegetable peelings. Ann bought a spare part for her food-mixer and a new rubber seal for her pressure cooker. Not particulary exciting but useful!