Today was much the same as yesterday in terms of natural encounters - a bit of potter trapping this morning and some patching this evening.
However today we had some rain, well not just 'some' rain, we had quite a lot of rain! It was a really dark, ominous-looking sky and I really hoped we'd get some thunder and lightening as well, but unfortunately we just got boring old rain. After the rain had stopped the petrichor was amazing though - it smelt really fresh and generally just lovely!
Petrichor is my new favourite word and is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Greek, petra, meaning 'stone', + ichor, the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology (thanks Wikipedia).
In the garden this morning I caught 2 Starlings, 2 Blackbirds (1 was a re-trap from a few months ago) and I also caught a Woodpigeon!
On patch this evening the usual suspects were on the pools: Lapwing, Egyptian Goose, Grey Wagtail etc... but it was nice to have a Little Grebe and some fly-over Swallows too. As it got a little darker, the first Nightjar started churring (at 21.26 to be exact) so I went for a little wander.
The midges were really bad this evening, plus I'd forgotten to put any insect repellent on :( so I didn't stay for too long. Despite this, I heard a couple of Nightjars churring, one 'cui-cked' nearby and one also flew over the path I was walking down, a little way ahead of me, which was lovely. As well as Nightjars, I also heard a couple of Woodcock calling as they flew over in the distance and I also heard and saw a couple of bats feeding above me which was very cool!
Here are some photos from today's ringing and patching activities:
 |
| Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) |
 |
| Blackbird (Turdus merula) |
 |
| Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) |
 |
| Woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) |
No comments:
Post a Comment