IT must be the time of year but herons are everywhere.
After spotting two of them in the field by Farmer Ted's yesterday morning, I spotted one of them flying over the field in the twilight as I went home.
Is a flying heron a graceful sight? It's certainly eye-catching. With head and bill drawn back into its shoulders and its long legs trailing behind, and wings beating with slow, deliberate movements, it always reminds me of a Lancaster Bomber, which just appears to hang in the sky hardly moving if you've been lucky enough to see one in flight.
Which got me thinking to how some other birds fly.
Pheasants explode from the roadside like a gaily-coloured Exocet, capable of colliding with anything which gets in its way, launched as it is in fright and without any care for where it's going.
Rooks cruise around like destroyers around a battleship, looking very slow and threatening, until they surprise you with amazing balletic displays near nesting time.
Woodpigeons are another bird which explode into the air. The enormous clap they make with their wings is always a wonder to hear.
Lapwings are always a joy to watch as they dive and soar, twist and turn in huge aerial displays in large groups. The Red Arrows couldn't do much better.
And I know that we shouldn't be anthropomorphic about animals and birds, although no-one seems to mind Henry Williamson doing it with his family of characters. Mind you, my favourite writing of his is The Village Book, something you'll only find in second hand shops if you're lucky these days. Worth a read if you find a copy as it's full of character portraits from a couple of Devon villages of the 1930s.
And a snippet from my emails today:-
Would you like to have your voice recorded for future generations to listen? The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire will be finishing making recordings for its Herbal Heritage project by the end of March and needs 6 more people to interview about their experiences and memories of using plants in the home.
“You don’t have to be an expert with herbs or any plants� explained Kim Coverdale, Senior Projects Officer with the Wildlife Trust. �The project is about recording people’s memories and experiences even if you have no direct experience but can remember a relative using something like comfrey or knitbone, we would like to hear from you.�
Anyone taking part will receive a free copy of their recording and a free copy of the compilation CD which will be produced at the end of the project this year. The recordings will be stored at North West Sound Archive for future generations to listen to. The Herbal Heritage project, which will be completed by the end of this year, is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
If you wish to participate and share your experiences of plants in the home, please contact Kim Coverdale at the Burnley Office of The Wildlife Trust: Rachel-Kay Shuttleworth Building, ELVSRC, 62-64 Yorkshire Street, BURNLEY telephone 01282 704605 or e-mail kcoverdale@lancswt.org.uk

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