5.03.2026 A tame kestrel!

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  Thursday 5th 38F/3C [8.40] Another overnight frost. Already sunny. Expected to remain so. Reaching 10C/50F after lunch. 61F/16C in the room. 45F/7C in the greenhouse.

 Up at 7.50 after waking repeatedly during the night and morning.  

 10.10 Back from my walk in bright sunshine. I was suddenly made aware of the arrival of spring. By the birds singing and calling in the hedgerows.

 A male Kestrel was perched in a tree on my right. It dived down to the field and then back up to a tree on the left side of the road. We stared at each other for about five minutes. Myself through my binoculars. It, with its remarkable vision. It must have been hungry to be so tame. We were barely 20 meters apart. So I left it to its own devices. I became aware of the first skylarks only a couple of days ago. They usually pop up singly but now they are everywhere.

 15.45 I have spent most of the day trying to capture the sun through my [correctly filtered] telescope. Using the camera in my mobile phone. Not with a great deal of success. I need to set up in the front garden with full computer control. A bird of prey was calling from somewhere behind the garden trees.

 I wasn't going to light the stove. 64F/8C all day. It soon shot up to 66F/19C and climbing. I'll let it burn down before it becomes too hot.

 Dinner was poached eggs on toast. Past their Best by date. So I used up all three. I nearly forgot to take a picture!

 

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