a partner church in the WOLDSBURN benefice
CHURCH AT KIRKBURN
For those readers expecting a film review of the old 1954 Marlon Brando movie classic, I can only trust that a feature on the year in the life of our moorhen family will provide an interesting alternative.
It was early in January last year that the river at the bottom of the garden started flowing again. When we moved in during December 2003 the river bed was dry, apparently so for the preceding two months. Even than, the back garden seemed like an aviary with plenty of finches, tits and blackbirds, especially when we had begun to put out feed and nuts.
The river which starts from springs behind St. Mary’s Church, Kirkburn, some three hundred yards away, began to flow again and we were startled to glimpse our first sighting of a pair of moorhens chugging along the river. They slowly and hesitantly waddled up the river bank and began to risk sampling the bird seed on offer. Over the next few weeks their visits increased either by climbing the bank close to our concrete steps that lead down to the water or, occasionally, by direct flight. Often they were joined by other moorhens and, after having sufficient sustenance, would depart either by walking along the top of the bank to dive off from a handy craggy stone, or by alighting back down from the bank from whence they had arrived. Indeed, altogether there must have been some half dozen from the moorhen colony some twenty yards further up on yonder bank of the river.
At this stage, for those not familiar with the characteristics of the moorhen some sort of description may be helpful. Ine the case of the adult bird, from a distance its appearance is black with a horizontal go-faster white line along its flanks. a distinguishable facial red shield above a red bill with a yellow tip, and an undertail pattern of pure white, like cotton wool. Although appearing black, in good sunlight the plumage is black only on its head whilst the rest of the underparts are very dark brown, the breast and underside a mix of blue/green and deep slate grey. Indeed, from the same hues, an artist would be hard pushed to mix a finer finished colour on a palette. The juvenile is brownish with paler brown flanks and chest, a white chin and throat, a
It was early in January last year that the river at the bottom of the garden started flowing again. When we moved in during December 2003 the river bed was dry, apparently so for the preceding two months. Even than, the back garden seemed like an aviary with plenty of finches, tits and blackbirds, especially when we had begun to put out feed and nuts.
The river which starts from springs behind St. Mary’s Church, Kirkburn, some three hundred yards away, began to flow again and we were startled to glimpse our first sighting of a pair of moorhens chugging along the river. They slowly and hesitantly waddled up the river bank and began to risk sampling the bird seed on offer. Over the next few weeks their visits increased either by climbing the bank close to our concrete steps that lead down to the water or, occasionally, by direct flight. Often they were joined by other moorhens and, after having sufficient sustenance, would depart either by walking along the top of the bank to dive off from a handy craggy stone, or by alighting back down from the bank from whence they had arrived. Indeed, altogether there must have been some half dozen from the moorhen colony some twenty yards further up on yonder bank of the river.
At this stage, for those not familiar with the characteristics of the moorhen some sort of description may be helpful. Ine the case of the adult bird, from a distance its appearance is black with a horizontal go-
http://www.churchatkirkburn.org.uk/page 96html waterfront mar 2005 (97.98.99) 12/11/08
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