Yellowhammer

When I pulled up at home last night, I noticed a clump of yellow feathers in the gravel of the driveway. I got out to have a look and it turned out to be a poor dead yellowhammer. He was very handsome - bright yellow with distinctive cinnamon rump. Yes - I had to look him up in the book to check. I didn't realise yellowhammers were quite so yellow. He looked very exotic. No visible sign of injury, but stiff as a board. He must have just fallen out of the sky.

I'm not really sure what to do with his little feathery body. I put him in our empty dustbin to make sure he didn't get desecrated by rampant moggies. Then a bit later I had to go and check to make sure he hadn't just been stunned and had come to inside the bin. He was still there. Such a privilege to get to see one up close. But sad too.

In other nature news, the lambs have arrived. The field out the back is filling up slowly and there are at least a dozen ewes and their gorgeous curly babies frolicking in the grass. I went to introduce myself yesterday evening. Funny how some lambs are really brave and inquisitive and others just peek at you from underneath their mummies.