counting coots

After the excitement of the Brown Shrike on Sunday, yesterday brought me back to the patch, and inevitably not much happened.  However, a salutory lesson in the extreme danger that we can put ourselves in manifested late in the day.  The Starling roost (or as they were not roosting, the Starling murmuration perhaps) was readying itself to go under Wandsworth Bridge.  Flying around.  Nearly landing on stuff.  Getting together.  All that stuff. 

They were nice and low and I could here the little calls that they made to each other and the sound of the air in their wings as several hundred flew over at a time.  Excellent stuff all round thought I.   It is at this point that two of the little darlings defecated on me.  Charming.  As it was my work clothes I wasn't entirely bothered, and as the deposits were almost entirely black the stain that is left resembles a small oil stain, so I can blame it on being in the workshop or something.  Sorted. 

So the lesson is, to avoid extreme wildlife danger don't view Starling flocks/murmurations from underneath.  No - don't thank me - I'm only too happy to spread this kind of information...