A Lovely Surprise!

Normally when I get up in the morning and look out of the kitchen window I see a small expectant gathering of ex-racing pigeons. I started with just the one two years ago which I took pity on and fed, and since then he keeps acquiring friends, I have about five regulars now. Well, this morning there was something a bit different among them....

Only a Turtle Dove!!

I managed to get a handful of photos through the kitchen window before, all too soon, it was on its way.

 

A garden tick I never expected to get.

The last Turtle Dove seen by me on patch was 9 years ago. There have been several others though. Perhaps in hindsight I should have put some news out but it would just have been "Turtle Dove somewhere in Seaton possibly....or possibly not". All I really know is it flew north from my garden and could have gone anywhere. If I'd have known of anyone doing a patch year list this year then I'd have invited them round to see me in my jimi-jams of course!

On Monday I walked over Beer Head and down to Hooken Beach to look for any sign of Small Blues. I didn't see any and it doesn't look at all good for them because there have been so many cliff falls and landslips that there is no Kidney Vetch left at all. So any eggs laid last year will have been swept away.

I did see a couple of Wood Whites, Purple Gromwell and Nottingham Catchfly, so not an entirely wasted effort, and what an effort it was!... It nearly killed me!

 Nottingham Catchfly

 Purple Gromwell

Milk Thistle

I see Blogger has taken it upon itself in its infinite wisdom to change the colour saturation on my photos. A very unwelcome development! :-(

EDIT: Fixed it! One has to select "auto enhance off" in one's Google+ account. I wouldn't have called them enhanced!