Common Nature

It's a phone photo but that's all we had with us when a flock of energetic long tailed tits descended on our parked car and started pecking at the windows. Youngest and I were startled and delighted!

Seagulls: "Hr-RMM."
Wood Pigeon: "...Wot?"

I thought the community might like to know the conclusion to the Saga of the Visiting Racing Pigeon in Worcestershire, UK.

Pigeon stayed with us and roosted on our roof for about a week, drinking from our pond and nibbling around the base of the seed feeder. We finally managed to read the full code on the ring around its leg, and phoned up the Racing Pigeon Society. They put us in touch with a very excitable gentleman from Norfolk who told us that Pigeon had been part of the Terrible Racing Pigeon Loss Event in Peterborough, during which thousands of birds mysteriously failed to return after being released for a race.

Said gentleman asked us to continue feeding Pigeon, and allowing it to roost, which of course we did. Two days ago, it vanished as abruptly as it had arrived.

Tonight, we received a phone call from the same gentleman. Pigeon has flown home! Apparently it arrived around the same time as another of his birds, which had ended up in Sussex, so he's hopeful of recovering at least some of his losses. He sounded delighted, and he thanked us for looking after Pigeon.

I'm currently in a new part of rural Worcestershire, UK, which happens to host a large population of marbled white butterflies. I've seen many a cabbage white, but these are new to me, and it's thrilling to see so many hovering above the grasslands.

This particular butterfly zoomed into the front porch this afternoon and straight into a spider web. I got to it before the spider did (sorry, spider) and carried it back outside. It sat on my finger for a while, which puzzled both of us, until I worked out that it still had its feet entangled in silk. I managed to disentangle it without causing any damage. It flew away, not very far, and spent some time cleaning its feet and legs with its proboscis before setting off back to the fields.

A group of eight starlings (only seven pictured) descended on our garden feeders this morning in rural Worcestershire, UK. They feasted noisily on the fat balls for about half an hour, keeping everyone else at bay, and then departed. I don't think they were missed by any but the humans who had enjoyed watching them.