Scramble! Scramble!

The Swan Squadron take off to intercept suspicious intruders into their airspace.

At Last

A beautiful winter day. 
They have been in very short supply so far this winter.

Twitchers

Dedicated bird watchers waiting to catch a glimpse of a rare winter visitor to our shores.

A fox encounters a flock of magpies,

he suddenly throws himself to the ground 
with his mouth open as if he were dead.
When the birds cluster around him to peck at his tongue,
he bites off their heads.

Leonardo da Vinci

Pas de Deux

Swans in Sutton Harbour

I'll have the meal worms and the mixed seeds please.

A close encounter of the feathered kind.

Magpies

If one is for Sorrow and two are for Joy, what are six for?

According to today's version the list goes like this :-  

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy, 
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten for a bird,
You must not miss

But many earlier versions were far less upbeat, this example comes from 1846 :-

One for sorrow,
Two for mirth
Three for a funeral,
Four for birth
Five for heaven
Six for hell
Seven for the devil, his own self

I'm a Dancer not a Singer

A bird's eye view of the North Cornwall Coast.

Looking out over the beaches of Newquay. (about a hour's drive from Plymouth)

Most of the holidaymakers have left and local people have the area to themselves,

as you can see from the tiny figures walking on the beach.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because you should only enter a box junction if your exit is clear.

The Bird Feeder

Spot the Interloper

 

Like a bird on a wire.

The Pigeon and the Ivy

If the ancient Irish legend is true, this pigeon's nest marks the entrance to a hidden cave.

The Comorant who puts the ripples into reflections.

He mostly does this by swimming gently through them.

But when a fish catches his eye he is gone in a powerful dive, 

which sends out more powerful ripples .

Three of a kind.

One minute ...

... you are sat enjoying a cold drink in the sun, 

and the next you are in the middle the set of Hitchcock's movie "The Birds".

The Pigeon Whisperer

Winter Visitors

Geese in Forder Creek

The Free Ranger