Nest - NOT amateur radio

A blackbird has decided to nest in the arch over our back gate. 

I had not noticed this nest before, so it may be new. I hope it succeeds.

Blackbird death - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago I was in the kitchen when there was an almighty bang: a young blackbird had crashed into the window. I was unsure if it was just stunned, so I left it on the lawn hoping it might recover and fly off.  Sadly, it died.

As often, this makes us consider our own mortality. In an instant this bird was dead, as we all will be one day. As a youth I had quite a strong faith. Now I am more unsure. What I do realise is how little we know. One has only to think how our understanding of the universe and evolution has changed in the last 200 years to realise this.

In the case of this blackbird, it saddens me to think of all the effort of the parents just snubbed out in a second. They probably spent days on making the nest, then days feeding it.

See the poem "Spring and Fall" by Gerald Manley Hopkins.

Enjoying the sun - NOT amateur radio

We have had a decent few days with a high pressure system overhead. Today, temperatures reached 23- 24 deg C. Tomorrow it is likely to be much cooler and duller. We ate lunch in the garden for a change.

This blackbird was obviously enjoying the good weather. It stayed in this position for quite a while.