The doves at Ham Mill

I went as usual to pick up Helena from her Monday afternoon teaching job along the Golden Valley near Brimscombe. I deliberately set off fifteen minutes early as the sky had begun to clear and some sun was beginning to shine. I thought I would try to get a specific blip subject I've been contemplating for many years.

From my desk at home I can look up the valley, as you may have seen from many of my blips. Along the valley formed by the River Frome are lots of old mill buildings in various states of repair. Ham Mill is one of them which is in limbo awaiting a new purpose and developers who have the money to do it justice. Every day I look out over the wonderful views and one of the features is a large flock of white doves which I can see flying in circles above and around Ham Mill. Doves and pigeons are actually amazing flyers so there aerobatics and formation flying has always interested me.

I parked near the old gates to the mill complex which is locked to the public and saw that the doves were on the mill's roof. I also realised that the bright sun right behind the far hilltop beyond the roof was going to make it hard to photograph.

I walked a little way down the main road's footpath hoping that the doves would set off on one of their circuits but they seemed resolute in straddling the apex of the roof.  I did notice that several were actually flying through broken panes of glass into the old building and that they all must be nesting inside, making the whole mill a veritable dovecot.

With my time running out I took a few pictures of them on the rooftop and moved back to the car to go to pick up Helena. Just then they all took off and did one circuit of the building before alighting back on the rooftop. Normally they go round and round and round in what seems like a ritualistic pattern. Here you see them with the backdrop of Bownham Common which is high up the hillside on the south side of the valley.  I have added an 'Extra photo' of them on the roof to give you an idea of the location and the old building.

I'm glad I managed to catch them and I now want to go and explore the actual mill buildings before they get developed.