A Rooftop Chorus

LATE AFTERNOON, and at last it's stopped raining. There's a chorus of song from ridge tiles and aerials along the road.

• a Song Thrush grabs attention by repeating each of its varied phrases three times
• a House Sparrow chirrups repeatedly
• a Collared Dove croons its monotonous 'cuckooing' song
• a Greenfinch on a television aerial makes its nasal 'tcheeezz'

In a shady corner of an over-grazed horse compound, under the arches of the old grey-brick viaduct, a species of Ink Cap Fungus sprouts from a pile of dung. The Latin name of this fungus, Coprinus implies it grows from dung.

Comfrey has long been used in herbal remedies and was often grown in cottage gardens. It is flowering amogst the elder bushes in an overgrown garden near the river and alongside the beck, where a watermill once stood.

Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@daelnet.co.uk'