British Birds.

Grey Heron. Ian Tallon.

He's done it again....just as I was about to start the post and wonder what I could use in the form of a decent photograph IT sends me this brilliant portrait of the Grey Heron. Thanks for this Ian, it was good to see you again yesterday, but don't forget you need a permit to do any birding at Conder Green!!



In my quest to find that elusive rare antique for a couple of quid which - turns out to be valued at £50,000 - I recently came across some almost 70 year old British Birds Magazines which - in those days - cost the equivalent of just 20 pence each, and £1 for twelve copies over the year....WOW !

There's some fascinating reading as you can imagine with some amazing changes in the bird scene over the years, though the one I quote here in some notes about the Treecreeper didn't need to be an old record but interesting just the same. It tells of an incident which well exemplifies the overwhelming and inborn instinct in the Treecreeper to climb up anything rather than remain on the ground. The note goes on to say, about half an hour after a fledgling had left the nest it was observed clinging to the trunk of a tree when it spotted one of the parent birds, in an attempt to fly to it the young bird missed its mark and fell on the ground. On walking up to the youngster to get close views and on standing still, it hauled itself on to a turn-up on his trouser leg and with ease climbed up his clothes until it reached his shoulder, on seeing it could climb no higher it fluttered to the base of the nearest tree, climbed so far up to a branch along which it crept upside-down for about 10ft at which point it then flew to the base of another tree and continued its climbing of tree to tree from the base....as Treecreepers do.

I reckon this is a unique behaviour for this or any other bird perhaps....fascinating stuff!