Windy Days

There have been some strong gusts of winds from time to time over the past couple of days. The sort of weather where you see a pigeon soar up in the air and end up flying backwards. Talking of pigeons one has been collecting twigs for nest building. I saw it in the dead tree next door with a piece in its beak which it took across to the large Leylandii in the opposite corner of my garden. After a short while I watched when it came back for more. It walked along branches reaching down testing short dead twigs and trying to pull them off. It succeeded several times only to discard them. All the time it was having quite a problem keeping its balance in the gusts of wind which threatened to blow it into the dead brambles below.



Many birds like to sit right at the top of one dead tree. Yesterday morning a Chaffinch and a couple of Goldfinches were determined to hang on to this prized spot in spite of the strength of the wind. The camcorder was on its tripod. All the movement is the tree wobbling in the wind. A Great Tit can be heard calling from the bushes beneath.



Sheltered from the wind the Great Tit was paying brief visits to the bird table to collect food. Each time it spent a while surveying the area for possible danger before venturing down. All the time it was calling to another Great Tit which stayed just out of view.



With all the calling, bobbing and fluttering it may have been encouraging the other to join it. I caught a short glimpse of the other Great Tit which was adult and not a youngster so it may have been defending its territory.