The Return of Companions
29th April 2015
29th April
The return of companions.
As noted in a previous Blog, I have long been waiting on the arrival of migrant birds and the emergence of Spring Flowers. The wait has been worth it as I have now heard my first Cuckoo of the year.
The distinctive two note song has an almost lonesome feel to it. A pulsing, melancholic tune that echoes and weaves its melody across the landscape, though I am never able to pin point it's source.
Due to the woodwind tone of the song I imagine the sound has been created by the trees, blowing a melody of mystery and magic in honour of the Cuckoos return.
Other returnees have included more swallows, House Martin's and one solitary Swift seen on a very wet day high up in the Fells above Hawes. I hadn't expected to see a swift yet and I was definitely not looking for it high up in these barren hills.
The swift, however, had other newly arrived companions that are more regularly seen on the wild moorland. This included the Curlew, with its melancholic and haunting call that reverberates on the wind. Also, i was whiteness to the spiralling and diving antics of the Lapwing. Their day bing flight is punctuated by their distinct "peewit" song rising over the wind adding dramatic theme tune to the scene.
Later that same day I saw my first ever Sand Martins. They were hunting for insects that hovered over the River Ure, This fast flowing river energetically passes through the grey, Dales village of Hawes and provides a home for Oystercatchers, Heron, Dippers and Grey Wagtails.
Finally, today I saw both Ring Ouzels and Kestrels sharing the same crag above a now long abandoned slate mine. These unlikely neighbours joined forces by demonstrating their dislike of my company. The Ouzels, clattered and clanked, flying across the crag near to me. The Kestrels hovered and dived near by, emitting sharp, short cries to ward me off.
It is wonderful to witness and share space with these wonderful creatures. Each new addition, as it arrives with the Spring winds, affirms the beauty of this complex world. Each adding it's own layer of complexity, colour and sound to an already varied palette. However, being on,y 5 weeks from the summer solstice, the two tone song of the Cuckoo, each new arrival, the emerging flowers turning to seed all point to the beginning of the end.
The return of companions.
As noted in a previous Blog, I have long been waiting on the arrival of migrant birds and the emergence of Spring Flowers. The wait has been worth it as I have now heard my first Cuckoo of the year.
The distinctive two note song has an almost lonesome feel to it. A pulsing, melancholic tune that echoes and weaves its melody across the landscape, though I am never able to pin point it's source.
Due to the woodwind tone of the song I imagine the sound has been created by the trees, blowing a melody of mystery and magic in honour of the Cuckoos return.
Other returnees have included more swallows, House Martin's and one solitary Swift seen on a very wet day high up in the Fells above Hawes. I hadn't expected to see a swift yet and I was definitely not looking for it high up in these barren hills.
The swift, however, had other newly arrived companions that are more regularly seen on the wild moorland. This included the Curlew, with its melancholic and haunting call that reverberates on the wind. Also, i was whiteness to the spiralling and diving antics of the Lapwing. Their day bing flight is punctuated by their distinct "peewit" song rising over the wind adding dramatic theme tune to the scene.
Later that same day I saw my first ever Sand Martins. They were hunting for insects that hovered over the River Ure, This fast flowing river energetically passes through the grey, Dales village of Hawes and provides a home for Oystercatchers, Heron, Dippers and Grey Wagtails.
Finally, today I saw both Ring Ouzels and Kestrels sharing the same crag above a now long abandoned slate mine. These unlikely neighbours joined forces by demonstrating their dislike of my company. The Ouzels, clattered and clanked, flying across the crag near to me. The Kestrels hovered and dived near by, emitting sharp, short cries to ward me off.
It is wonderful to witness and share space with these wonderful creatures. Each new addition, as it arrives with the Spring winds, affirms the beauty of this complex world. Each adding it's own layer of complexity, colour and sound to an already varied palette. However, being on,y 5 weeks from the summer solstice, the two tone song of the Cuckoo, each new arrival, the emerging flowers turning to seed all point to the beginning of the end.