June 2016 saw me collect a lost racing pigeon from my workplace. For a few days, a pigeon was seen wandering about the car park. Knowing that I was into nature, the receptionist gave me a shout. At the end of the day with the security guard, we trapped the bird in a cardboard box. taking it home, my wife examined the rings on its leg and managed to track down the owner from the north-east. Apparently, the pigeon was racing from near Mansfield back to the north-east. A journey that should've taken a few hours at most. Well this bird got lost and made its temporary home in our car park. After a quick call a local "pigeon fancier" offered to home the bird for a few days and then release it back to continue its journey.
The 'Racer' rescued from the car park.
Well, he did this and sure enough, the pigeon returned to the car park. Once more we retrieved the bird and I took it home and rang the chap to collect it. This he did and said he would hold onto it for a week or more and then release it. Well it did return to the car park some time later but then as quickly vanished, presumably back to the north-east and home!
In August, another 'Racer' landed on the roof of our house. This bird looked more of a seasoned-pro. It had a steely look in its eyes as though it had a had a plan. The Pigeon was clearly resting before continuing the race. The pigeon only stayed for a couple of hours or so and then disappeared from the roof at dusk.
'Racer' number two.
The Summer months tend to draw in a fair few moths. This summer was no exception. Below are a selection of months that I snapped during those warm evenings.
While sorting the garden at my Mother-in-Law's home, I tend to come across this type of spider. Now our home is 3 miles away and have never seen any of these where I live. I would think that this type of spider prefers a different type of soil and yes, this spider has two legs that are twice as long as the others. The entire body is flat and they always seem to move close to the ground. I've always seen them in a garden at soil level, in amongst the planets and never near a web. I am unable to track down the name of this arachnid.
Back in our garden, I snapped this photo of a young Robin. I suspect that the Robin was about 2 to 3 months old. As you can see here, it appears that the right foot had become entangled in something. This more than likely happened in the nest when it was a chick. As you can see, one of its toes is part of the foreign body and is deformed. We saw it in the garden for a couple of days, having great difficulty in moving about. After two days it was not seen again.
