Sunday 1 March 2009

Love is in the air?

This morning I went to White Coppice and was greeted by the sound of the many birds now singing. Not sure how much love was in the air though...

I saw a pair of dippers by the nesting site they used last year; one was proudly presenting nesting material to a very unimpressed partner! Over Stronstrey Bank the ravens were showing solidarity when mobbing a buzzard. Up on Heapey Moor two skylarks were singing and displaying; a couple of male stonechat were perching on top of last years bracken, claiming terrotiry; and a curlew flew off as I approached to his patch;

This photo of a dipper is by Mike Atkinson - follow the link in the sidebar to many more great shots.

7 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

oh I love watching dippers and listening to them sing too, the first time I heard one sing i was really surprised. There are a lot of dippers in the streams and rivers roud Edinburgh

The Weaver of Grass said...

We have curlew nesting in our fields each year, Carol. They are about already and beginning to pair up - but they don't nest until the grass has grown. They are one of my favourite birds, their call is so haunting.

Caroline Gill said...

I love dippers, too. I saw my first one in Dovedale, such a lovely memory.

Caroline Gill said...

P.S. Wonderful place names, too!

Anonymous said...

Unrequited love - how sad!

Or maybe Mrs Dipper was just being a tease? No doubt all will be revealed in due course!

DM

Mistlethrush said...

I'm sure it will DM! And how delightful it would be to see lots of fledging dippers dipping in Black Brook.

Mistlethrush said...

CGP - I have difficulty catching dippers calls but I agree. The one time I was close enough to one to catch part of its call was wondeful.

Weaver - The curlew's call is so distinctive isn't it? What a great time of year spring is when we take time out to listen to it.

Coastcard - Place names are amazing aren't they? Haunting legacies.

from the field book

from the field book
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