Wednesday 5 December 2018

The Wagtail Roost

I noticed that last evening that the wagtails are indeed back in their roosting trees at work, and that the big lorry yard lights on a rainy night created an incredible light through the trees.

So tonight  on my way home, I cycled over to the trees to see what was around tonight.

The light through the trees did indeed look incredible - it made it look like a galaxy, or even a quasar, surrounded by orbiting star trails and emitting a relativistic jet.

Or for the less imaginative, a wet tree.

I went for a closer look and at first I could see no birds in the tree whatsoever and was rather disappointed. Then I walked further under the tree, and suddenly more that 30 pied wagtails were flushed in a panic.

I thought it odd that they were bothered by me but not the large number of lorries that go rumbling past lights ablaze.

I did manage to get a mobile shot that you can just about make out 3 or 4 birds in. The ones that weren't scared of me.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 05.12.18




6 comments:

  1. Only place I see them in numbers is Fraserburgh beach. I wonder where they roost from there.

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  2. I saw this once in Cornwall. The birds were roosting in a tree by an old pub.
    Fascinating.

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  3. Funny how birds don't associate vehicles with human beings. The wild geese in N Norfolk can easily be watched from a car, even if you lean out of the window. But step outside and they're gone.

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  4. The Bell Pub in Nottingham had three trees festooned with lights outside. Hundreds of wagtails in those trees

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  5. One of my favourite birds Si - keep trying to get a shot - I would love to see them.

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  6. Lovely to see, our local wagtail roost doesn't seem to be used any more, though it's not local enough for me to check on it every evening

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