Look for the beauty among us

NOT so much a walk this week, more a stroll that led to unexpected encounters with winged things.

- MIKE LOCKLEY

And that's the real treasure that rewards those who study wildlife. It’s a hobby that, for the sharp-eyed, springs surprises.

Only days away from my 67th birthday, I have, over the last two weeks, benefitted from the adrenaline rush of close encounters with species I didn’t think I'd spot, in two instances things I'd never spotted before.

It’s a rush. It is, coupled with the exercise provided by long walks, a help to my health.

And if I've seen these elusive creatures, you - living in the same region - have a chance to see them, too.

The first electric shock of excitement came last week. A bulky finch on a telegraph line close to conifer trees weighed down by a rich crop of cones.

A greenfinch, I first believed. Then a closer inspection revealed the stranger beak, the upper part askew and sharp over the lower.

It was a female crossbill - the males are a rich red colour. This bird’s unique bill is designed to tease seeds from pine cones.

The crossbill is what’s known as an “irruption species”. If the number of pine seeds available to the birds dip, they'll fly from Scandinavia to swell our resident population.

It's not the first time I've seen crossbill in my patch - during one harsh winter over two decades ago, a noisy flock descended on a row of conifers in another part of the parish.

But this was June and a single bird.

Since that magical moment, I've returned to the same spot in search of others, only to return empty handed.

Last week also provided my first 2025 sightings of swifts, three of them, their scimitar shaped wings cutting through the powder blue sky.

Depression was mixed with the tingle provided by the “spot”. In my younger days, this summer visitor was commonplace. I’d watch swifts swirl round the town church tower.

Now, like their relations the swallow and house martin, they are in trouble, with numbers crashing down.