I was woken again at dawn. The dawn chorus is surprisingly strong still. Robins have all but stopped singing now but blackbird and song thrush alike are still singing vigorously at about 3.30am. I went out into the garden at 4am hoping to see the first swift flypasts. It is a wonderful, peaceful time, fresh with a chance to witness the sunrise. This morning there was a bit more high cloud than recent mornings. The cerulean blue was crossed with rosy stripes.
A curlew burst into song as it passed low over the village, flying north towards the cut hay field. They have been feeding there in the early hours of light. As I listened to that evocative bubbling call three swifts powered in towards our eaves screaming as they went. What a glorious juxtaposition of species and one I would only have seen by waking very early.
Non- breeding…
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