While wandering about at Eyemouth harbour at the weekend, and in between enjoying the antics of the grey seals (see yesterday's post), I indulged myself in a bit of standing and staring - my favourite pastime.
This time it was nothing more than a starling and a herring gull that attracted my attention. The rare and the commonplace generate such differing responses don't they? If either of these were scarce people would flock, never mind the starlings, and wax lyrical, but on this occasion, no-one but me was giving them a second glance. Yet the complex and variable colours and patterns of the starling, the subtle shades of blue and grey to be found in the pristine white plummage of the gull's head and the glint in its speckled eye are worthy of anyone's admiration. Or do I just need to get a life?
This time it was nothing more than a starling and a herring gull that attracted my attention. The rare and the commonplace generate such differing responses don't they? If either of these were scarce people would flock, never mind the starlings, and wax lyrical, but on this occasion, no-one but me was giving them a second glance. Yet the complex and variable colours and patterns of the starling, the subtle shades of blue and grey to be found in the pristine white plummage of the gull's head and the glint in its speckled eye are worthy of anyone's admiration. Or do I just need to get a life?
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Yikes! I reckon that Herring Gull's got its beady eye on my chips. The patterns made by flocks of starlings wheeling around their roosts at dusk are breathtaking. I agree- both very interesting birds.
ReplyDeleteHi Rob. A friend of mine had one lift a sausage off his beach barbecue as he turned away to pick up his beer. How's that for opportunism!
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