Its been a quiet week and stabbed by a heron!

Still my year list does not get any bigger. As afar as birding I have had a very quiet week. A couple of days ago I was on my way to walk my dog when I came accross a young Grey Heron on a busy road , I assume it had fallen from its nest as there is a heronry above the road. So I pulled up and went to move it which it did not appreciate at all. It was squawking and squawking at me and caught me a glancing blow on the back of my hand. I caught it around the middle and lifted it over a wall where I felt it would be safer. It was amazing how light it was for what looks like quite a big bird. I hope it wasn't predated over night.

On Thursday Carel Brest van Kempen, the Nature artist and blogger at Rigor Vitae posted the latest I and the Bird ina cartoon style. Go visit his I and the Bird #24 for the best posts from recent bird blogging. His cartoon of the Montagu's Harrier which I wrote about earlier is very clever.

This morning I was on duty at the RSPB Bird Hide on Belfast Harbour and there was little around until the tide turned at which point quite alot of gulls appeared. The Common Terns and Arctic Terns were congregating on their islands always a pretty site. Then out of the blue a peregrine dived and missed its prey to be followed a few minutes later by another successfull dive catching a poor unfortunate Dunlin .




This painting is by Martin Ridley his Wildlife Art Portfolio is here