Hi Kathy,
I've posted this before but maybe folks won't mind as it is appropriate.
A Winter Afternoon
The day is slowly dying as I stroll along the bridle path, on the slight ridge looking down over the big field to the railway, and beyond that to the twin woods where the birds roost in Winter. The dog is enjoying his walk, sorting out the new smells and re-visiting old ones. The birds are flying in to roost. Wood Pigeons in one wood, Magpies in the other. The Quease come mostly singly, but the gregarious Haggisters come in small parties, sometimes just 2 or 3, often 4 to 6, living up to the Chatterpie name as they come, raucous voices raised as they meet and greet. Into the trees the Maggots go, but not too far, most of them settling in the outer fringes;no squabbling for perches, just the Miggy greetings and then quiet until another party of Nanpie arrive to find their places among the Piannots already settled. I keep one eye on the dog and the other on the wood and watch until the last Marget flaps in. With the bins I can pick them out in the bare tree-tops and I count 34 birds. I wish them a quiet night's Mock-a-Pie roost, call the dog, and head for home. 'Interesting to watch the Chattermags' I tell the dog 'Did you know that down in the far South-West they call them Cornish Pheasants'. The dog didn't seem to be interested, he was investigating a new smell.
'Quease' is a Gloucestershire name for Wood Pigeons, the Magpie names are from all over.
Bill.
