Monday 15 March 2021

Merlin chasing Skylark - and Skylark got away by using its gifted ascension methods....

 

Meadow Pipit - Photo thanks to Phil Slade

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Merlin chasing Skylark, yet Skylark evades capture by clever tactic
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12th Feb 2021 - Just starting to see new growth etc

Thr 11th February 2021 - Early movement and Spring Bird Migration over Burton In Kendal.

Tues 9th February 2021 - Intertwined

17th Dec 2020 - Finding a new Polypodium cambricum on HRoof Crags

Thursday 19th November 2020 - Nice stroll or wander with fabulous wonders and my December copy for the local magazine - SEE BLOG BELOW THESE LINKS.....

CHECKING OUT SOUTHERN POLYPODY AND BLACK SPLEENWORT PLUS FUNGI, FUNGI AND MORE FUNGI - Click here

Another recent blog on"The best moments of vis so far this year - click here

 2020 Visible Bird Migration records 

"Strange Polypodium Interjectum found in Burton (17th Oct 2020)

Cloud and Sunrise photo blog - click here

The new Orchid book "Britains Orchids" by Sean Cole and Mike Waller - please click this link for details.

Varieties of our local Hutton Roof Gentians and the reason for the 50/50 Purple and White, plus my research survey results. Plus "Upland Enchanters Nightshade (circae x intermedia)

 More Autumn Gentian photos (2020) can be seen here

Northern Greenland Wheatear (Oenanthe o. leucorrhoa)
Crossbills (chicks in late December etc)




It came back to me this morning whilst out vismigging, remembering one special occasion down in the Grane Valley, Haslingden, East Lancs. Probably from around the mid 1980s, I would set up my old bivvy to keep out the winds and would sit in the entrance looking out, it was quite remote were I did vismig in fields with little conifer plantations, occasionally a noisy car would pull up on the nearby main road and guys would jump out and go in search of magic mushrooms which they successfully found. But that is not really the point of my memories. They are from that day when I saw and heard a Skylark in much distress has it was being chased along the moorland edge by a Merlin, I watched them for about 100 yards and the Skylark suddenly went into a ascend in short spirals, just like a Skylark does, the Merlin also tried to catch the bird, but his spirals were far to large and could not gain the same speed of ascend, and soon the Merlin gave up whilst the Skylark lived to see another day. How clever nature can be.