Outdoorsy Shite - April Top Trumps

[GrimmaTheNome]

Rules as before - nature 'spots' fauna and flora, points for rarity (absolute or relative to where seen), seasonality, eloquence of description. Please declare if you're in forrin parts or a mermaid.

Did I cover everything?

Selks one morning the hunt came through our small village, my DH and madlab were walking home with the newspaper and, as the hunt disappeared, a fox happily trotted past them. Admittedly post the hunting ban so the fox obviously knew he was in no danger.

What do Canada geese do to fields, violet?

Don't they eat all the crops?

Just as well there is one less in the world, thanks to Bastarddog.

Today I saw something I have never seen before. I thought it was an STS but it had a furry tail. It was a water rat! I looked for Toad and Mole as well but couldn't see them.
DaftMare then had a little freak out at a bastard rustling blackbird so I had no chance to observe him for long.

I might attempt a haiku later. Something along the lines of:

Rat? No!
Vole.
Rustle?
Bastard blackbird.

Obviously a bit more polished and with the right number of syllables.

Ooh, finally some nature worth writing about... spotted a row of birds on the phone lines down the lane and then realised they were swallows. Very chilly looking swallows it has to be said, but it warmed up here later and there were lots of flies about for them to eat.

Also opened the back door later this afternoon and frightened off a blackbird who was bathing in the dog's water bowl on the doorstep and a blue tit which was pulling itself a beakful of fluff off an abandoned tennis ball. and a rat grr.

Wow swallows already! Great.

Today, DH saw a golden eagle when he was out cycling deep in the Cairngorms. Usually I'm a bit about pots alleged 'spots' but this time he managed a few photos and it clearly is an eagle.

Meanwhile, the DCs and I heard a woodpecker whilst wandering in Rothiemurchus. Couldn't see it though. And then I might have seen an osprey this afternoon when I went out cycling. but it might have just been a buzzard

"about his alleged spots" bloody autocorrect!

I think Golden Eagle is leading the charge so far in April.

Lots of fluttering chaffinches. And a rustle in the leaves that might have been a mouse.

Is the golden eagle a spot that's allowed?, if it is then I'm going to have my friend Sharron's curlews mating. Yesterday whilst riding my pony, if that helps.

Do chaffinches flutter or do they chatter?

I saw more red squirrels who may have been doing soduku (I be in forrin) .

Back from a short break, how am I supposed to compete with a golden eagle and a pair of curlews mating whilst riding a pony? (that is what you said).

Humph. OK then an American Bald Eagle.

Were you in forrin perchance?

No, Warwickshire.

OK, OK, Warwick Castle, they do everything bigger and better there. Not the usual Harris hawks or owls they usually have for these displays, but a trio of whopping great big eagles. Maybe not wild but really magnificent flying around at close quarters.

My only real seasonal, local spot was first flowering wild garlic.

The curlews were on a wall. I saw alexanders in flower on a grass verge.

Two jays.

(can't compete with an eagle)

Good Lord! Have you seen this?

And these are proper British bluebells not chavbells.

Shelducks and Eider ducks, the latter showing off for a girl by flying around her and going down low to the surface of the water (I think the were Eider, I looked them up on google!) Heard my whirly whirly noise bird again and saw some curlews. Rather lovely dog walk all together.

I don't do poetical words I'm afraid but I will bore you senseless with Fibonacci numbers and sunflowers if the occasion arises

Lost in Wales I have Wikipeadia therefore I know what The Numbers are , but what is the connection with sunflowers?

Just google 'Fibonacci sunflowers' and take your pick!

LostInWales... are you sure it was an Eider? I thought that while they wintered all round the coast their breeding grounds are from Morcambe bay up round scotland (not sure how far down t'other side). So what would Mr Eider be doing showing off to a duck down in Wales? Maybe confused by the weather!

They were black and white, I googled 'ducks on an estuary' and that seemed the closest fit , they were lovely what ever they were.

Two curlews!

Two I tell you.

Better than the one I saw in March....

I saw alexanders in flower on a grass verge.
What's an 'alexander' please? (a) a dialect term for a wayside plant or (b) a case of DYAC?

I had a pheasant in my living room today. Door was open into the garden, pheasant comes wandering in. The cat was most perplexed.