gales in Manchester.
High winds certainly make it hard work for birds. This morning I watched some starlings or thrushes or sparrows or blackbirds (they were mainly medium size and brown) flying backwards, the giveaway being that though moving backwards they were pointing forwards.
As usual, adolescent birds were showing off, doing pretend backstroke, flying vertical with head down, trailing pooh streams, that sort of thing. Other immature ones flew with the wind, really fast, but Manchester's a compact town with tall buildings and vortexes and on those bends many a coot came a cropper. Lots of cats were about, mainly sitting, mainly looking up, mainly looking pleased, mainly licking their lips. Of course older birds just tightened their mufflers, sighed, condemned the folly of youth and struggled on.
It's tough being a bird in a gale. Lucky I was driving a car then, and am not a bird. Hey, evolution, let's hear it for the big E.
(Sound of applause)
No sound of applause? Must be the wind...
10 comments:
raining buckets here. drowning birds right and left I should think.
unfortuneately Jake has acclimated and lost his aversion for rain, I suspect he'll never wish to wear the yellow hoodie mac I bought him. It is very smart. but far be it from me to press a dog on fashion points.
Hayden,
There's been floods in the UK and would you believe it a tornado in London. Us folk in Manchester are beginning to feel left out!
wow, that's some serious business! I usually avoid weather news, but I guess I'll go read up.
What's up with Blogger? Been trying to comment here for ages!!!
Sandy
Ah! at last!
Well good job you were in your car Dan, sounds like you needed a bit of weight to hold you down.
We haven't had it quite so bad here in Cambs. although when it is windy we certainly know it, being so flat here there isn't much to slow it down. I love walking in the wind ~ and rain, though but then, I'm not a bird. :p
Hayden,
I've been reading positive things about California in the news. A river that was stolen to develop Los Angeles is being freed once again. And wasn't it the subject of the movie Chinatown. Seemed that somewhere once verdant became a desert and is once again to become verdant. Let's hear it for things verdant!!!!
Sandy,
Hayden has trouble posting on my blog too sometimes. Must be a gremlin. Did you see the footage of the tornado in London, blew roofs off houses and little children were snatched away from their parents and taken to Neverland (and not the Michael Jackson one either)... actually that's not true but they might have been, I mean, they don't weight much. Suppose that's why in windy weather it's always best to hold on to them. Wouldn't want the little blighters mary poppinsing all over the place. People might start to complain. Oh yes.
Tornado in London, wild wind in Manchester, wolf blowing down our wires here on Thurs. night.
Something is afoot! Repent!
I believe the technical term in the birdwatching world for the type of birds you observed is Little Brown Jobs (LBJs). So there you have it.
Huw (I often have to resort to signing this way for Beta blogs for some reason)
G,
It's rained so much here I'm currently building a boat and advertising for animals, two by two of course.
Huw,
Little brown jobs? Hmmmm. I hope that's not a scatalogical allusion for we'll have no smut on this blog. Oh no.
Don't take rats or mosquitoes on board please!! Or roaches.
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