The worm turned
8 days ago
Or rather exit Weasel stage left, pursued by Rabbit.
I’ve seen battles between Rabbits and Weasels before, not quite what I’ve always been told about Rabbits freezing upon the sight or smell of a Weasel, but a full-on punch-up.
This morning, it was more of a retreat at speed. The Weasel dodging along the ditch, trying desperately to evade bunny – surprising how fast the little-legged Weasel can move, when incentivised!
Needless to say, Rufus broke-up the party.
3G Test
92 days ago
OK, so I relented and upgraded to a 3G GPS iPhone and this is the first pix, via Flickr initially, which stripped the geo-data here, but is OK on Flickr.
This new one has been downloaded from the iPhone and replaces the Flickr-fed one, and retains the geo-data.
Thief!
150 days ago
Another in the line of a “softer” image – female Blackbird stealing the just-forming grapes in a glasshouse. This painting has been at the back of my mind for a while, since the initial sketch and photos.
On the way back from Rufforth yesterday, as the main road was closed and I couldn’t face coming back through the massive tailbacks around Ilkley, I took the scenic route via Appletreewick. As it was getting late, Rufus and I went for a walk on the edge of the moorland and as Rufus was hunting in the reeds, a Short-eared Owl was hunting him.
The bird was feigning stoops and generally being noisy, not at all worried by me, as all it’s attention was focussed on the dog. Calling Rufus back to me, brought the bird as well and as a consequence it flew right over me, within 20 feet or so. Equipped only with my iPhone as I was, I still got a couple of decent shots of – clicking on the photo links to my iPhone Flickr slideshow.
Hint: Holding your finger on the iPhone shutter button enables you to take the photo the instant you remove your digit – no delay that way – but make sure you’ve actually got your finger on the button icon. (I missed a couple of shots because I hadn’t actually depressed the pseudo button to begin with…)
Another season begins
296 days ago
Driving over Blubberhouses on my way back from York on Friday afternoon, I saw my first Curlew of the season, doing their paragliding impressions above the moors.
Later on, walking Rufus, I was therefore not surprised to find our largest wading bird had arrived at the Beck as well. What I was surprised by though, were the numbers they had arrived in. It seems every year their populations grow – as say compared to the Lapwing (or Peewit or Green Plover) and the air was full of their burbling crescendos.
Swelling the ranks were just a pair of these nomadic Lapwing, a pair of Goosanders and half a dozen of the summer visitors from Africa – Common Sandpipers. Easter is early this year, but the birds seem to be lagging behind last year and the Long-tailed Tits certainly seem to be sticking to their flocks – wisps of them drifting through the plantation.
Well Rufus has just appeared (dirty stop-out), back from an extended walk-voluntary which he took at about 4pm on the canal towpath. There must have been some very interesting bitch pass by. I tracked him for about 3 miles, but turned round on nearing Barnoldswick as the last person I met coming the other way, said he’d not been seen, and explored other favourite routes. It’s now 10.30pm and I’d better give the Police answerphone another ring – in the morning I think.