Today’s most exciting news item concerns the spotting of an
Egyptian vulture at Tresco on the Isles of Scilly. Although not yet officially
acknowledged, bird experts are very excited because the only other two official
sightings in the British Isles were in 1825
and 1868. When asked by a journalist from the Daily Mail whether it might be
the same bird, one noted specialist in all matters avian rolled his eyes in both
directions and said ‘probably not.’
And the public are being warned not to confuse Tresco in the Scilly Isles with Tesco, whose normal habitat is the ubiquitous retail park. The only rare thing you’re likely to see in Tesco is the occasional Waitrose shopper who got lost in the fog (which might well be how the Egyptian vulture found its way to Tresco, but that’s purely coincidental.)
The UK’s Border Force has, of course, been placed on high alert, since there’s a theory that the bird came over here from northern France and might, therefore, qualify to be treated as an illegal immigrant.
(This all marks a rare and welcome departure from Covid 19, G7 blathering, and the looming cold war with China, which is why I chose to break my silence and commit it to the blog.)
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