Clear Air

The air was unusually clear this morning, making the mountains appear closer.

The starling chicks have gone, but I'm not concerned about them. Their time to take flight had come. They have been busy whirring their wings so fast they were just a blur. As soon as the chicks can fly the parents take them away to the pasture where they gather food, and they don't come back. If one does it is noisily chased away. The adults clean out the nests and start again. Occasionally I see a group of about 20 birds, including young ones, feeding in the grass.

It was fun watching the chicks preen themselves and exercise their wings because I don't normally see them at all.

Update on my one year ago shot: The grand old building that was revealed when the others around it were demolished due to earthquake damage is to be saved. It was a kiln for an old brewery that didn't survive the quakes. It was an awkward building to find a use for because it has no windows. However it is ideal for a martial arts club that lost its own building nearby. The kiln was built in 1881 and it is to be fully restored.