Looking Out

The Whitethroat has a short scratchy song; I used to see it regularly along lanes and footpaths around farmland years ago. My perception is that there are fewer of them now and that may be down to more intensive farming practices. But we can see them up here. From some angles when he's singing and puffing himself out he can look like an avian version of Father Christmas. No doubts at all about how he gets his name.

It's possible that local Cuckoos might be tempted but Whitethroats are not one of the major hosts for being targeted by the Cheater. Once more I saw three of them this morning. It's more likely that the males are the ones seen on the treetops making sure their calls can be heard by nearby females.
I've not got close enough to better the photo taken on May 7th last year.

Females looking for somewhere to place their substitute eggs can sometimes be seen lower down looking around intently at the lower scrubby vegetation.

Another bird on lookout these days is our resident crow. One of the pair has taken to tracking me from the air if I walk across the moor.

 
He then patiently waits near the wall for the smaller birds to take their turn at the seed left there. His high crow's nest lookout  has been abandoned in favour of a lower perch where he thinks he can keep a better eye on what's going on.