Birds on Sticks!

A walk along Kingsdown Road, past Hogsbush and Little Banks to the top of Old Stairs Hill began to fulfil the promise of Summer.

As I passed Little Banks several Swallows were darting across the fields and soon I became aware of the strange little song that is the Swallows contribution to the Summer sounds. Sitting on top of a tree in of one of the the horse paddocks were two Swallows. Soon they will be nesting and hopefully it won't be long before they are out there feeding their first brood.

On the way back a Yellowhammer sat on top of one of the trees in the hedge sing what must be one of the most famous phrases in bird song "a little bit of bread and no cheese". This is probably the nearest territory to our garden, so I might be this pair that visited the "stream" for a drink a couple of weeks ago.

I'd been hoping to hear a Whitethroat singing but still hadn't as I approached to houses on Kingsdown Road, and then it wasn't the song I heard, but the scolding churr so characteristic of this little summer visitor. Then almost as if it realised I was in need of a boost it started to sing. |It isn't a song that would win prizes for it's purity or melody, but it gets a gold medal for enthusiasm. It does seem late to hear the first of the year hear, but I suspect they've been held up and should now arrive in numbers.