It Was Dark, Okay?

They say travel broadens the mind, but not everything you experience and learn abroad is necessarily of use – especially when you are standing on a lane north of Garth Wood looking at a silhouette in the top of an oak tree.

My brain was screaming “IT’S A BARBET”, which was a perfectly reasonable conclusion to draw had I been walking around the arboretum in Darjeeling, not a hillside in Flintshire.

Minor geographical anomaly notwithstanding, I had to agree with the old grey matter – it did indeed resemble a Barbet. Mistle Thrush was the next best guess, but the bird looked too chunky for a thrush and the tail was too stubby.

Fortunately the bird soon clocked me and took off flying directly away from me. Within a nanosecond I realised what I had been looking at - the clear yellow rump and dipping flight meant it was obviously a Green Woodpecker – how could I have been so obtuse? Too much knowledge is indeed a dangerous thing.

Other than my Lineated Woodpecker, Garth Wood was well stocked with commoner birds today. No sign of any of the rarer tits today or indeed a Lesser Spot. The habitat looks good for all three, but as of yet Marsh Tit is the only species I have bagged.

On a disturbing note, Flintshire Council had placed a notice about a “POISIONING INSIDENT” (sic) in the woods that had led to a fatality. Reading between the lines I inferred that some poor mutt must have eaten some laced meat. I’m not sure what’s more worriying: learning that this sort of sickening and reprehensible activity still goes on, or that somebody working in a reasonable position of authority has such piss-poor spelling.


Until later.