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Dougal's Pet Corner
The place for your pet stories and pictures, let me have them |
The Easter bunny is another story. He wasn't always the
pink or white bunny hiding chocolate eggs in your house. Long ago, he was called the
Easter Hare. Some say he was a large handsome bird that belonged to Eostre, the Easter
Goddess. She changed him into a rabbit, which explains why the Easter bunny builds a nest
and fills it with coloured eggs. In some countries like England and Germany, kids roll
eggs down hills on Easter morning, a game that is like the rolling of the rock away from
Jesus Christ's tomb when He was resurrected.
What do you need if your chocolate eggs mysteriously disappear? You need an eggsplanation!
How did the soggy Easter Bunny dry himself? With a hare dryer!
How does the Easter Bunny paint all of those eggs? He hires Santa's elves during the
off-season.
What happened when the Easter Bunny met the rabbit of his dreams? They lived hoppily ever
after!
Who delivers Easter treats to all the fish in the sea? The Oyster Bunny!
How do you catch the Easter Bunny? Hide in the bushes and make a noise like a carrot!
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| The Common and
the Rare |
The last article mentioned both the predictability of the
arrival of many common birds on their spring migration, and the unpredictability of other
rarities and vagrants, and suggested that both phenomena are what make birdwatching such a
fascinating occupation.
The weekend of the 15th/16th of March has provided good examples of both the predictable
and the surprising. The weather leading up to the weekend had been fine and clear, with
cold frosty nights. Star patterns had been very clear for birds to navigate by, and the
winds had been from a south-easterly direction. Many birders would have predicted that
some of the summer migrants would have appeared, and so it was that on the Saturday there
were widespread reports that Chiffchaffs had arrived in force. As mentioned in the last
article this tiny warbler can be easily detected without the aid of binoculars, on account
of its distinctive song of repeated 'chiff chaff'. This is an early date for mass arrival
of this species, and could perhaps be interpreted as yet another sign of global warming.
Global warming may also account for the 'unpredictable' bird of the weekend, a Sardinian
Warbler at Holme-next-the-Sea. This is a species that is resident around the Mediterranean
where it is one of the commonest warblers. Its song must be familiar to many UK sun
seekers, even if they haven't recognised the harsh rattling sound that has the rhythm of a
car struggling to start, as coming from this bird. It seems to be arriving in Britain with
increasing regularity but with only about 50 records in total, it is still a very rare
bird. North Norfolk seems to be one of its favoured localities as there have been no less
than 3 records at Weybourne, and this year's bird, as well as being probably the earliest
British record, is also the third to have appeared at Holme.
Cley-Spy |
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