Summary
Beneath the woods a landslip has created a 'cave' of about three feet in depth with exposed tree roots. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time which happened to be mid-afternoon on a wild and windy day promising heavy rain. Being beneath a lone hawthorn tree my view across to said 'cave' was sideways-on and suddenly some 40 or so wood pigeons flew low along the wood bottom, quickly arranging themselves along the tree roots and there they preened and watched the field before them. In from Europe no doubt and darker in plumage than our own wood pigeons there was no doubt they were settling in for the night. Each faced outwards and as a curtain of rain suddenly came west to east heading Exmoor way one could see how well the birds had chosen their roost. Only a real hard northerly would have them looking elsewhere.
The lone hawthorn is half way across the field I was in. In summer it offers shade and cattle often stand beneath it tail flicking flies away, but today it afforded no shelter from the rain which had a hail content that stung. I should have been sitting with the pigeons.See the full content of this document
Extract
Roots Make Excellent Roost ; Animal Magic
The sky is clearing. What cl...
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