This story starts with a phone call and Pimentón, a little swallow.
After realising that his nest at the roof of my house was suffering from an infestation, I decided to go to Monmouth (Wales) to find someone who could help me.
In three days, all the siblings of Pimentón died in the nest. They lost their father, Golón and, when this happened, the mother, Mandrina, decided to feed just one of them. It is a survival behaviour to guarantee that one of the egg-laying will survive. I realised that there were insects in the nest when I removed and buried the corps of the two siblings.
Worried about the possibility that all of the bird's dye, I decided to find a way to save Pimentón.
I found a local pet shop, Paws Pet at 6-7, The Oldway Centre, Monnow St, Monmouth NP25 3PS, with a helpful staff who gave me the number and address of Peter Ingram, "The Birdman Of Monmouth".
They understand my worries and recommend me to the best birdman in the country.
So I took my bike and cycled to his house. He lives in a residential neighbourhood called Kings fee, located in the south of the city.
He was waiting for me at the door. I told him my name and explained the story and he answered me:
"Where is the bird?"
"Well, the bird is 6 miles away, in the nest, I don´t have a car, just my bike" I answered.
"Okey, I don´t have a car too, just bring it to me, I have a new house for him, I will take care of Pimentón and he will be fine." Pete told me.
That afternoon I had to work but at 06.00 pm I took my bike again and rode to his house.
With my camera´s bag, I created a nest and drop Pimentón inside. It was a cold rainy day so the paths were muddy
After some time, I arrived at Pete´s house. We were safe and he was waiting for us. You can check the map to see the route we took.
He invited me to enter his house and I realised that it was a sanctuary for the birds. After breeding the swallow we started to talk. He offered me a seat near a big table full of cat transport cages and started to show me the birds.
Who was Pete?
Why his house was full of birds?
How he managed to take care of all those birds?
Peter´s house is adapted to save birds. We met each other three afternoons during August. Since I left Pimentón there I usually called him to ask about his health. We estimated that the swallow needed around 10/15 days to fly. So, we will have to wait from 2 to 15 August.
In this image, he is showing us a baby woodpigeon (Columba palumbus). Is largely grey with a white neck patch and white wing patches, clearly visible in flight.
Although shy in the countryside it can be tame and approachable in towns and cities. Its cooing call is a familiar sound in woodlands as is the loud clatter of its wings when it flies away.
Woodpigeons are found across the UK in fields and woods, and also in towns and cities where they frequent parks and gardens.
We used to arrange a meeting on Sundays at 4.00 pm. So, on 15th August I took my bike and cycled to his house again.
I cannot resist waiting so a few days early I called him to ask for Pimentón.
Peter told me that he was good and will be released on Monday.
Peter told me that he was good and will be released on Monday.
I arrived at his house and park the bike. After knocking on the door, his dog jumped onto me as always. I run inside to see the swallow because I heard his cheeps and how big he was. It was amazing.
Look what a beautiful bird!
Pimentón is a swallow. Swallows are small birds with dark, glossy-blue backs, red throats, pale underparts and long tail streamers. They are extremely agile in flight and spend most of their time on the wing. They are widespread breeding birds in the Northern Hemisphere, migrating south in winter.
Swallow numbers in the UK have fluctuated over the last 30 years with pronounced regional variation in trends.
Swallow numbers in the UK have fluctuated over the last 30 years with pronounced regional variation in trends.
Peter released him at 07.00 am the next day. Pimentón flew really well and now will be flying to Congo to pass the winter.
This story, the Pimentón´s story is just an introduction to the main story. I let three questions at the beginning. Who was Pete? Why he has a house full of birds? And, how he managed to take care of all those birds?
Let me answer all these questions and let the story begins
I didn´t earn any money with my page, I didn´t pay anything to the people who appear in my stories. Is just my desire to tell stories around the world, To give voice to all who want to talk. Peter just have one wish, just a comment about it, and of course, I did it. The last day we see each other, just a day before my departure to Spain, he said he has not any pictures with his dog. A beautiful white and black small lady that really enjoys being pet and jump. She is the house-watcher, and she takes care of the birds.
So, to be honest, the best way to start the story is with this portrait.
Peter Ingram, is a good man. His family beyond to the Wye Valley, his grandpa was in charge to transport coal through the Wye river, from Simon´s Yat to Monmouth. An old job from an old time. The majority of his family have houses near the river. He was born on the 13th of March, 1944. in the middle of the second great war but his heart is full of peace. He moved to Australia at some point in his life to working with birds. His best friend moved to Iceland a year before. Today, they are still in contact, the new technologies help with that. Now, a little bit older, Peter had created a sanctuary of birds in his own house.
He enjoys his retirement in a quiet neighbourhood located in the southwest of Monmouth.
Even the number of his house is interesting. The house is not located where it´s supposed to be. I was lost the first time I visit him, trying to find the number of his house. Fortunately, some kids know him and escort me to his door with his bikes. They were really surprised that a Spanish guy tried to find Pete but they were used to see people leaving birds at his house so that gave me a good impression. The first thing would see if you can find his house is a big field on the right where the kids play football. They usually hit the wall of his house but as he said: "We were kids too!"
Once you go inside the house, (Peter was really kind and invite me to enter just three minutes after we met) you have to pet his dog, Piper. She is a nice dog who takes care of the birds. She always wants to be petted and likes to be belly up and receive some tickles.
Peter lives with Piper, and they manage to keep the birds under control.
The first thing you find just near the door are two boxes full of bird food. Peter invest the majority of his monthly money feeding his friends. He is happy with that and he explained to me all the prices of his supplies.
He had been taking care of injured birds since years ago so also you have to add the vet's expenses. He has many contacts of vets and specialists but the investment is huge.
He had been taking care of injured birds since years ago so also you have to add the vet's expenses. He has many contacts of vets and specialists but the investment is huge.
The first floor has two key rooms. The kitchen and the living room. The kitchen is split, half for Pete and half with material for the birds. he has more food there because each bird needs a special diet.
He told me that clean all the cages and the birds are very difficult. There are a lot and the birds are dirty as lovely.
Most of them need live worms and insects to live, so he has small boxes with different types of worms for each bird.
Looking at my room now, I found some things in common. My room is adapted to photography as Pete's house is adapted to the birds.
Each cage has an injured or growing up bird waiting to be released when they feel better or have enough strength to fly.
I learn a lot about birds during our chats. He could be an amazing teacher if we want.
Even shelves are dedicated to birds. there is a special spice of bird for Peter, the owls. In the past, he walked through Monmouth with an owl on his shoulder. "He was so little when I got him that he seems to think I am Mum." said Peter once.
He has a television in front of his birds and two chairs. Back the TV a small yellow bird lives and grows in a safe environment.
My story started with a phone call, the stories of many of Pete´s birds started with that.
I was there when a woman called to bring a bird and sometime after knocked on the door. He received a lot of calls from desperate people (like me) that don´t know how to save a bird.
He used to wait during the afternoon for people while watching some films and sports. While I was there we watch The Hobbit and Liverpool against Manchester City.
After sometime later, a person knocked on the door. It was the new guests. Two newborn house martins (Delichon urbicum) fell from the nest and need some help to grow up.
He has some cages ready to host new birds. At this time, Pimentón was in a new big cage so the old Pimentón´s house now was for the new friends.
The common house martin (Delichon urbicum), sometimes called the northern house martin or, particularly in Europe, just house martin is a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family which breeds in Europe, North Africa and across the Palearctic; and winters in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia.
It feeds on insects that are caught in flight, and it migrates to climates where flying insects are plentiful. It has a blue head and upper parts, white rump and pure white underparts, and is found in both open country and near human habitation. It is similar in appearance to the two other martin species of the genus Delichon, which are both endemic to eastern and southern Asia.
The house martin is a small bird with glossy blue-black upper parts and pure white under parts. It has a distinctive white rump with a forked tail and, on close inspection, white feathers covering its legs and toes. It spends much of its time on the wing collecting insect prey. The bird's mud nest is usually sited below the eaves of buildings. They are summer migrants and spend their winters in Africa. Although still numerous and widespread, recent moderate declines earn them a place on the Amber List.
Maybe, as new birds come into the house, it is appropriate to introduce all the crew.
The star of the house, Mr Óscar, a parrot (Psittacidae). There are no native parrots in Europe, but one species has been accidentally introduced into several areas, including southeast England.
Parrots (and parakeets, cockatoos, lovebirds and other related species) have rounded heads, short, deeply hooked beaks, usually long and tapered wings and, in many species, long tails. Their short legs and feet have two toes forwards, two back - most birds have three facing forwards, one back - and they are exceptionally agile when feeding.
Parrots (and parakeets, cockatoos, lovebirds and other related species) have rounded heads, short, deeply hooked beaks, usually long and tapered wings and, in many species, long tails. Their short legs and feet have two toes forwards, two back - most birds have three facing forwards, one back - and they are exceptionally agile when feeding.
Óscar was living with Peter´s daughter, but they discover that she was allergic to parrots. She was ill during the beginning of the pandemic and all thought that it was for covid, but no. It was Óscar!
One of the advantages of having Peter as a father is that he can manage to give Óscar a new life. Nowadays, each time you go inside his house you can hear a loud: "Hello!" from him. However, he is a bit bastard and he will use any moment to peck you.
One of the advantages of having Peter as a father is that he can manage to give Óscar a new life. Nowadays, each time you go inside his house you can hear a loud: "Hello!" from him. However, he is a bit bastard and he will use any moment to peck you.
With Peter he is amazing, always trying to catch his attention. Óscar is really strong and uses his peck and claws to move easily. If you wait near the cage and start looking at him he will approach you looking at your eyes like a maniac. It is a very funny parrot.
These two jackdaws (Corvus monedula) are the neighbours of Óscar. They enjoy living together and is common to see them playing. One has a "problem" in his head, a strange lump that Peter is watching. For this reason, there is no date for them to be released.
One of their favourite games is to jump one upon the other when they are eating. They have strong claws too so it´s easy for them to move across the cage.
The jackdaw is a small, black crow with a distinctive silvery sheen to the back of its head. The pale eyes are also noticeable. The jackdaw call is a familiar hard 'tchack' from which it gets its name. It will commonly nest in chimneys, buildings, rock crevices and tree holes. They like to eat insects, young birds and eggs, fruit, seeds and scraps. and there are around 1,400,000 pairs in the UK.
This jackdaw was injured in his wing. After some care, is now free.
People and jackdaws get on – there’s a certain empathy between them. Many are the stories told by individuals who scooped up stranded fledglings in need and were rewarded with a bemusing trust and friendship. Jackdaws recognise human faces and studies by Cambridge zoologist Auguste von Bayern concluded that they respond to human expressions.
This little baby is a House sparrow (Passer domesticus). Noisy and gregarious, these cheerful exploiters of man's rubbish and wastefulness have managed to colonise most of the world. The ultimate avian opportunist perhaps. Monitoring suggests a severe decline in the UK house sparrow population, recently estimated as dropping by 71 per cent between 1977 and 2008 with substantial declines in both rural and urban populations. While the decline in England continues, Breeding Bird Survey data indicate recent population increases in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
House sparrows can be found from the centre of cities to the farmland of the countryside, they feed and breed near to people. It is a species vanishing from the centre of many cities but is not uncommon in most towns and villages. It is absent from parts of the Scottish Highlands and is thinly distributed in most upland areas.
Small and yellow a beautiful Canary says to us: Hello!
The domestic canary, often simply known as the canary (Serinus canaria), is a domesticated form of the wild canary, a small songbird in the finch family originating from the Macaronesian Islands (the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands).
Canaries were first bred in captivity in the 17th century, having been brought to Europe by Spanish sailors. This bird became expensive and fashionable to breed in courts of Spanish and English kings. Monks started breeding them and only sold the males (which sing). This kept the birds in short supply and drove the price up. Eventually, Italians obtained hens and were able to breed the birds. This made them very popular, resulting in many breeds arising, and the birds being bred all over Europe.
Canaries were first bred in captivity in the 17th century, having been brought to Europe by Spanish sailors. This bird became expensive and fashionable to breed in courts of Spanish and English kings. Monks started breeding them and only sold the males (which sing). This kept the birds in short supply and drove the price up. Eventually, Italians obtained hens and were able to breed the birds. This made them very popular, resulting in many breeds arising, and the birds being bred all over Europe.
The same occurred in England. First, the birds were only owned by the rich, but eventually, the local citizens started to breed them and, again, they became very popular. Many breeds arose through selective breeding, and they are still very popular today for their voices.
From the 18th up to the 20th centuries, canaries and finches were used in the UK, Canada and the US in the coal mining industry to detect carbon monoxide. In the UK, this practice ceased in 1986.
Typically, the domestic canary is kept as a popular cage and aviary bird. Given proper housing and care, a canary's lifespan ranges from 10 to 15 years.
Some birds found themselves in an unexpected safe space. So, while healing they learn new abilities. This runner likes to go through the house and go upstairs. Trust me, seeing a bird running like Usain Bolt is really funny. peter update me on 22nd September 2021. "It flies now but he doesn´t want to leave".
We met the indoors birds of Peter. Now, is the moment to go outside. The secret garden of wonders. We will see amazing species and incredible birds.
He adapted his garden with big cages for special guests. Most of them had severe injuries and cannot fly. For this reason, he managed to have a space for them.
Once, I was there when Peter remove the cage that a pair of owls used to hide their cubs. The male changed his behaviour into a defensive position, deploying his wings, being bigger and doing a sound like an angry cat.
If you never heard that sound before is very impressive.
The Barn owl (Tyto alba) have a heart-shaped face, buff back and wings and pure white underparts, the barn owl is a distinctive and much-loved countryside bird. Widely distributed across the UK, and indeed the world, this bird has suffered declines through the 20th century and is thought to have been adversely affected by organochlorine pesticides such as DDT in the 1950s and '60s.
Nocturnal birds like the barn owl are poorly monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey and, subject to this caveat, numbers may have increased between 1995-2008.
These two barn owls were always watching at me. They are very curious and they stuck their heads out of the hole when they couldn´t see me.
The tawny owl (Strix aluco) is an owl the size of a woodpigeon. It has a rounded body and head, with a ring of dark feathers around its face surrounding the dark eyes. Tawny owls in the UK are mainly reddish-brown above and paler underneath. It is a widespread breeding species in England, Wales and Scotland but not found in Ireland. Birds are mainly residents with established pairs probably never leaving their territories. Young birds disperse from breeding grounds in autumn.
The tawny owl is nocturnal so it is often heard calling at night, but much less often seen. In the daytime, you may see one only if you disturb it inadvertently from its roost site in woodland up against a tree trunk or among the ivy. Look for pellets below roosting places.
They use to eat small mammals and rodents, small birds, frogs, fish, insects and worms.
This pair of owls will not fly. They were injured. One suffered a big hit from a car and cannot fly. Before taking these pics, the cage was more populated with little owls (Pete released in a safe environment). The owls are like an angry middle age landlord. they have brutal fights for their territory so their hope of life is around 6-7 years. However, in captivity, they can survive for 20 years. They will not be able to fly but they can gave more kids and make a big family there.
I told you that Óscar was the star of Peter´s house. Let me told you that this bird was the star for me. I never see any bird like this. It was amazing. Like me, he was from outside. He came from America and the police found him. They let Peter take care of him and now they are close friends.
The slender American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is roughly the size and shape of a Mourning Dove, although it has a larger head; long, narrow wings; and long, square-tipped tail. In flight, the wings are often bent and the wingtips swept.
American Kestrels are pale when seen from below and warm, rusty brown spotted with black above, with a black band near the tip of the tail. Males have slate-blue wings; females’ wings are reddish-brown. Both sexes have pairs of black vertical slashes on the sides of their pale faces—sometimes called a “moustache” and a “sideburn."
They usually snatch their victims from the ground, though some catch quarry on the wing. They are gracefully buoyant in flight and are small enough to get tossed around in the wind. When perched, kestrels often pump their tails as if they are trying to balance.
American Kestrels occupy habitats ranging from deserts and grasslands to alpine meadows. You’re most likely to see them perching on telephone wires along roadsides, in an open country with short vegetation and few trees.
They like to eat small mammals and birds, worms and insects.
Peter taught me a lot about birds. He is been always kind and you can appreciate the love he feels for birds. Trust me, I asked him a lot of questions! But if you have a problem with birds he will be you man. We talk a little bit about his desires for the future. He wants to visit my country, Spain.
If he finds how to keep all the birds safe he will visit Extremadura, a natural viewpoint of birds in Spain. It is one of his dreams and I hope he will be able to do it.
The combination of the diverse geography and habitats, combined with generally extensive low-intensity management methods, make the Extremadura region one of the best in Europe for wildlife, especially birds. To put it into perspective, 74.1% of the total surface area qualifies under the International IBA criteria (Important Bird Areas), the highest for any geopolitical area in Europe, while considering just the Province of Cáceres, this rises to >90%! While 44 species of international conservation concern are represented in the area, the real 'stars' in this stage are some of the rarest and most threatened species in Europe: 49 pp. of Spanish Imperial Eagles (of the approx. 250 pp. that exist), concentrated in the Monfragüe and Sierra de San Pedro areas; 910 pp. of Eurasian Black Vulture breed almost exclusively in Monfragüe and the Sierra de San Pedro; 97 pp. of Bonelli's Eagle are spread widely across the region (especially the Sierra de San Long-eared Owl Asio otus © John Muddeman Pedro and Orellana areas); 195 pp. of Black Stork (c. 60% of the Iberian total are concentrated in the Monfragüe and Jerez de los Caballeros areas); and an estimated 5500-6500 Great Bustards (of the c. 24 500 in Spain) are found widely across the plains.
Some of the birds he took care still returning to his house. They feel it is a safe space. This behaviour is common with pigeons.
This cage was used by some pigeons. Weeks after Peter released them, they still landing on the top to say hello.
With a drink and the Premier League on the TV, I let a friend in Monmouth. We are in contact talking about birds and other animals. Each project let me know more beautiful people and brings you my vision of different parts of the world.
We used to walk a little bit with Piper before going to my bike. I chained the bike to a lamppost across the street every visit and he always told me to put it inside the house. After saying goodbye to all the flying friends Óscar started to claim for attention. The audio is just down. You will find Óscar saying Hello! sometimes and then a loud Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhh!. I don´t know why my mobile was recording the audio but it was a great surprise when I came back to my house to see the recording ongoing.
BIRDS THAT I FOUND IN THE FOREST
Jacdaw
Barn owl
Barn owl
House martin
House sparrow
Jacdaw
Kestrel
Parrot ( Ring necked) "native" form UK
Swallow
Swallow
Tawny owl
Woodpidgeon
Bearded tit female
Bearded tit male
Bewick swan adult
bewick swan juvenile
Blue tit juvenile
Blue tit juvenile
Buzzard
Buzzard inflight
Capercaillie female
Capercaillie male
Carrion Crow
Collared Dove
Goosander female
Goosander male
Goshawk adult
Goshawk juvenile
Greylag goose
Herring gull adult
Herring gull adult
Jackdaw
Jackdaw inflight
Kestrel juvenile
Little owl adult
Little owl juvenile
Peregrine adult
Peregrine adult inflight
Pheasant female
Pheasant male
Pied wagtail adult
Pîed wagtail juvenile
Raven
Raven inflight
Sand martin
Short eared owl
Red legged patridge
sand martin
Short eared owl
Swift
Tawny owl juvenile
Woodpidgeon adult
Yellowhammer female
Yellowhammer male
As part of my research and with the help of the Society for the Protection of Birds I can show you some of the birds that appear in the images and some that I saw during my trip.
This is not a goodbye, two more stories about the Wye Valley will be posted in the future. Just wait a little bit more.
Enjoy it!
