Friday 4 April 2008

Headache, nausea, sore throat.....?

Headache, nausea, sore throat.....?
It must be the Oil-seed Rape coming into flower. Each year at this time, the symptoms appear with the yellowing of the fields. Nothing bad but enough to know that the mass of pollen is in the air.

There seems to be more planted than ever this year, on the rolling prairies of East Kent, perhaps in anticipation of demand for biodiesel, as well as its other uses for cattle feed, cooking oils and lubricants?
The migrant birds continue to arrive, with a Blackcap singing in the garden this morning, and three or four singing Willow Warblers seen and heard in Clowes Wood this evening, fresh in from their winter stay in west Africa.
Close inspection reveals a metal ring on the right leg......it would be fascinating to know where it was put on.

3 comments:

Benjamin Young said...

A willow warbler with a ring... that's interesting! There was one at Seasalter yesterday. Look at the Kent Ornithological Society page on seasalter, it could be the same one.

Kingsdowner said...

Interesting point Benjamin, and in fact although it was on the Seasalter blog, the bird was seen on a trip to nearby Clowes Wood (where I saw it). Unsurprisingly his photos are far better than mine! http://www.kentos.org.uk/Seasalter/April08.htm

Mary said...

Ah-choo! I can feel it all the way across the ocean :-) Great pictures...very beautiful yellow fields even if hard on the allergy sufferers. That Willow Warbler is a very pretty little bird. Those are nice pictures of it.