Oxhill News |
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www.oxhill.com / www.oxhill.org.uk |
South Warwickshire, England. |
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The Oxhill News April 2006 |
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Contents
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Additional Nature Notes Whilst travelling on the Oxford Canal recently and enjoying the peace and solitude, I came across a phenomenon that I had not seen before. Most boaters will have experienced herons standing in canal or river margins hoping that a passing boat will encourage the fish to move to the edge of the watercourse and thus provide instant lunch. If nothing swims within reach, as the boat comes level the heron flaps its way a further 100 yards down the canal and settles down to repeat the process. My encounter was with a kestrel. This particular bird flew in to a spot some 50 yards in front of the moving boat and hovered some 20 feet above the towpath. As the front of the boat came within just a few yards, it sideslipped to a new position – once again about 50 yards ahead - and hovered looking for prey. This happened some dozen times in all, but perhaps the gentle ‘Chug Chug’ of my Gardner 2LW was not enough to disturb any resident mice or shrews, for the kestrel eventually flew away empty handed. Doug Nethercleft, (NB Summerlee) |
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Send mail to the editor of the Oxhill News at news-editor @ oxhill.org.uk. |
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Last modified: March 31, 2006 |
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