Tidings and Murder On The Beach

Well just been up to the beach for my daily constitutional. What a difference to the last few days. After all that lovely bright sunshine, today it was blowing a gale fit to bust and the best description of it was beautiful but bleak.

I decided to head south today towards the nature reserve at Gibraltar Point. I have to say that I saw the most amazing spectacle, which I do not understand, and if anybody can shed any light on what I saw I would be most grateful.

There are several large grassy areas, almost like lawns on the way and on one of them I saw a murder of crows about 30 strong and a tidings of magpies about a dozen strong. They were just standing around in two significant and different groups. (A murder and a tidings are the correct names for groups of these birds).

Aha I thought, as these birds are predominantly scavengers there must be some sort of carcass about just there. I sallied forth to go and check it out, expecting these birds to take fright and flight but they didn't. I walked into the space between the two groups and they just sat there watching me. It was like something out of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, a film that if you have not seen I would highly recommend. It was a bit unnerving to be honest.

Well I can confirm that there was no carcass anywhere near them and for the life of me I cannot work out either what can have attracted them there or why both types of birds were sitting there next to each other. Perhaps it was the prelude to a bit of gang warfare.

Who knows? I don't. Do you?

A Really Annoying Irritant

As regular readers of my blatherings will be aware, I often enjoy a morning constitutional. As is my wont, I set off this morning up the beach. As I was meandering and perambulating in a southerly direction towards Gibraltar Point, I suddenly became aware that I was itching all over but particularly on my face. I then discovered the cause of the itching, the means of the irritation: THUNDER FLIES.

Now I really hate these little irritating black, shiny irritants. They "do me bean in" to use the modern vernacular. Apologies to those of you who may belong to the Thunder Fly Appreciation Society and like to celebrate Thunder Fly Day on an annual basis, I am sure there must be some in this wacky world in which we live, but the only good thunder fly is a dead one. They really are the creatures that have nothing of any worth to recommend them.

So there I was, walking along, much more quickly, being violated by these horrendous little insects. I was wiping my face more than that, up until now, disappointing Wee Andy Murray would be doing if he played tennis in a sauna, but still suffering their attentions. The quicker I went, the warmer I got and the more the little blighters irritated me.

Then all of a sudden: blessed relief. They had disappeared as quckly as they had come. A light southerly breeze had sprung up and blown them all away. One more Murrayesque wipe of the face, thank God I had decided to carry my T-Shirt whilst I topped up my tan, and I was, once again, on my way with the ability to enjoy my walk restored. Alls well that ends well.

Just A Fantastic Walk

Went out this morning up onto the beach and headed towards Gibraltar Point. I have to say that the bit of coast south of the boating compound right up to Gib Point is really an absolute gem. Not talking about the beach which is obviouosly as good as any, no I am talking about walking the path through the overgrown dunes and past the salt-marsh.

There was hardly a soul about, I don't think it was because I had my shirt off to absorb the rays, and the bonus of the lack of human habitation was that the wildlife was out and about.

In an hour I saw, legions of Skylarks, I have never seen so many in that area before, 2 egrets, a lovely young Sparrowhawk sat on one of the posts denoting the edge of the nature reserve, the ubiquitous seagulls, including black-headed gulls, redshank, curlew and a multitude of rabbits. To top it all I then disturbed a weasel that was stalking a small rabbit. You would have to go a long way to see an animal move as quickly as that weasel did!!

The area sout of the boating compound down to Gibraltar Point really is a lovely area.

A couple of weeks ago I bought myself a brand new "bridge" camera, a Fujifilm Finepix. It takes really good photographs but, unfortunately, not when it is sat on my study table. That is what stopped a fantastic walk being a perfect walk.

I will try to improve.