There’s more to Bibury than ducks

Merlin falcon

Here’s another not so obvious reason to visit Bibury…

Bibury is known for its ducks (usually real ones, though on Boxing Day you’ll see a lot of the rubber yellow sort). But there’s more to the village’s birdlife than ducks.

Whilst none of us on the farm would think of ourselves as ‘twitchers’ we do keep an eye out for an interesting bird. I’ve noted a few below that we’ve seen in the last few months (I’ve linked them to their incredibly informative entry in the RSPB’s British bird A-Z).

The numbers of these birds do seem to be increasing, which would suggest there’s an increase in the creatures further down the food chain. So many small mammals, birds, fish are presumably doing pretty well. That’s a nice thought.

Merlin falcon

This year, since the spring, I’ve spotted a bird I haven’t seen before flitting around the branches of an ash on the farm. Thought it was a sort of pigeon as it’s quite small and flies in a bit of a stop-start manner. However, the flash of gold on the underside of the wings and breast intrigued me and a closer look the next time I saw it revealed it as a small hawk. The colouring suggests it’s a Merlin. A beautiful little creature.

Red kite

When we first moved to the farm in the ‘80s you never saw red kites; now they’re actually quite common. They’re a wonderful sight, often wheeling high above you or out across a valley - presumably scanning the ground for carrion or small mammals, though it seems they not too proud to stoop to a worm.

Buzzard

The buzzard seems to be the commonest hawk in the Cotswolds over recent decades. I remember years ago (in the ‘90s) there was one that used to hang out in a field next to the road to Winson. It gave the impression of being quite aggressive, swooping down towards the road and screeching like a cat. Perhaps they’re territorial - or perhaps my imagination got the better of me.

Raven

I haven’t seen one on the farm, sadly. But my brother was riding across the field when a dark shadow passed across the sun. He looked up to see a huge corvid swoop to the ground in front of him. He said it was a bit forbidding. Lucky chap! Until recently ravens have been restricted to the Celtic lands but they’ve been creeping eastwards and have reached the Cotswolds. I do hope to see one in the wild having enjoyed them at the Tower of London.

Little egret

The species has migrated north from France over recent decades and one now enjoys standing in a ford on the River Coln looking out for fish (trout or grayling, or perhaps little fish we used to call snotty-dogs as kids and catch by lifting stones and swiping underneath them). It is snow-white, very elegant and has plumes on the crown of its head and its chest. Reminds me of Egyptian hieroglyphs so adds an exotic note to the scene.

Grey heron

Herons are quite common. But worth mentioning as you sometimes see flocks of them travelling around the valley and seeing perhaps a dozen in the air at once is impressive. They eat the local fish, presumably the bigger trout or grayling as they’re quite large birds.

Barn owl

There’s a barn owl that can sometimes be seen near the drive at night. Not that rare but simply a magnificently beautiful creature.