High flying birds

A grey dawn, flat calm, with a red gash on the horizon where the sun was largely hidden. Apart from the odd Brambling, Siskin and Song Thrush, little was on the move. The bushes were similarly quiet, with just a smattering of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests, spiced up by the odd Blackcap and Firecrest. But in truth, it was all going on - going on way above our heads. You needed to look directly up and use binoculars, but when doing so, secrets were revealed, like the focusing of a microscope to see the hidden detail. A steady trickle of passerines was underway, silently heading to as yet decided destinations - some were identified to family - finches, pipits, wagtails, thrushes - yet others were too high to be able to do even that. To look beyond these birds was to reveal a further flyway and to accept that we were not meant to be privy to what was happening above us. Sound would not reach us from up there, so our viewing was of a colourless silent movie. Fortunately for us two Woodlark, short of tail and broad of wing, came low enough to be identified as they moved NW, they too were mute.

In moth news, I was pleased to see a Bloxworth Snout, courtesy of Barry B's Greatstone garden trap.

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