Materials Man

Half somnolent at the ridiculous time of 10.00 am, I entered an already functioning kitchen where the bird feeding table has the kitchen window framing the scene. I needed no binoculars to declare “look a male blackcap” I froze lest to disturb, this blackcap was on the scoff like a starling he gulped beak full after beak full. I exclaimed amazing “what ten seconds of time makes”, kitchen was unresponsive, Dad is mad on birds or just mad, the latter pervaded. Think about it I said, this is the first Blackcap ever in this garden, yeh that you have seen rejoined seldom erudite son, logical point ignored. That’s exactly my point I returned, could have been here for weeks and my ten seconds did not co-join with it’s ten seconds. However I did see it later that day and glassed it as the Americans say, it was well hungry, adopting the same “starling” feeding. but heh this is my first winter feeding blackcap so perhaps tomorrow?

Reverting to an earlier post on local experts, I was regularly counting estuary birds in winter over Mugdrum Island, conspicuous with spotting scope, when a car stops and the couple say “where should blackcaps be?” mm the med I expertly espouse (guessing) . We have some in the garden they reply, and they did, a male and a female, fed them all winter so they stayed. they local experts, me? humbled. Blackcaps, and our two (English) resident species, unlike other warblers will stay locally, now feel even more compelled to have bird food on the table.

feed the birds

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