First flight

My first Speckled Wood of the year last week … fresh out of the box.

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The Warmth of the Sun

An evening walk paid dividends yesterday.

Sat atop a bramble a ‘freshly-in’ Grasshopper Warbler drank up the last of the suns rays. It must have been such a wonderful feeling to be warmed; after fighting those cold northerlies whipping in off the sea.

This enigmatic, secretive but well traveled bird is one of my favorites. The throat and underparts are washed with just a hint of primrose. The embers of the dying sun brought that alive … and turned it to a rich, burnished gold.