Ear-splitting oystercatcher

Over the years I’ve been assaulted by a wide variety birds when I’ve strayed too close to their fledglings. I’ve been dive-bombed by terns, intimidated by short-eared owls, vomited on by fulmars and lured away by lapwings and ringed plovers that were pretending to be injured. However, this oystercatcher takes the award for the noisiest defence of its brood, flying around my head and letting loose a barrage of hysterical high-pitched alarm calls. Still, it did mean that it came close enough for some decent pictures….

Wet Water Avens

If you’re British, you somehow have to find a way to enjoy the subtle pleasures of wet summer days.........like these ripening seeds of water avens, perhaps, appropriately bejewelled with water droplets.

Food That Fights Back

All juvenile animals have to learn by trial and error what’s safe to eat. The young house sparrow in these pictures seemed to be still quite low on the learning curve. It grabbed the violet ground beetle that scurried within easy reach, then almost instantly dropped it (second picture from top). Some beetles exude foul-tasting fluids when they’re assaulted; I don’t know whether this species does or whether it was just its wriggling that made the sparrow drop it. Its assailant persisted and after further struggles the unfortunate beetle became a crunchy meal for a hungry sparrow.