Category Archives: Flora/Fauna

Apr 22 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Happy skink

Sunday 21st April 2024, 3.15pm (day 4,623)

Happy skink, 21/4/24

This chap definitely looks happy, and I know why — because it has just wolfed down a huge dragonfly that was about the same size. The whole thing, apart from a discarded wing or two, went down in about ten seconds. Had I been quicker with the camera (which was a few yards from me at the time as I’d just got out of the swimming pool) you might have seen the feeding, but it was happy to hang around and wait for me to do its close-ups.

Biology note: the defining characteristic of the skink (as opposed to other types of lizard) is apparently their stumpy little front legs, obvious on this shot. This is the second skink to appear on here down the years, after the one I saw in Saigon in 2019.

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Apr 20 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

In the Pink (Walvis Bay lagoon)

Friday 19th April 2024, 8.35am (day 4,621)

Walvis Bay flamigos, 19/4/24

The dominant theme of the last few days has been sand, so it’s about time we had some local fauna on here. This is not only the first time I have ever seen flamingos in the wild, but, I am fairly sure, anywhere. Apparently over 200,000 of them live on Walvis Bay’s lagoon. This place is where I came in with Namibia, on the flight out to St Helena some 16 months ago (see this shot): compared to that, today’s picture is certainly fuller of life and rather pinker. Flamingos are pink — it’s the way they are — and they definitely seem to like each others’ company.

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Apr 09 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Goose couple

Monday 8th April 2024, 6.45pm (day 4,610)

Goose couple, 8/4/24

Goose couples like these are pairing up around the valley’s watercourses. Doubtless within a couple of months these two will be shepherding around little balls of golden fluff that, within a reasonably short space of time, will turn into hissing, crapping brutes just like their parents. But I guess that’s what human parents do too, right?

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Apr 04 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Trixie seeks sustenance

Wednesday 3rd April 2024, 6.30pm (day 4,605)

Trixie seeks crisps, 3/4/24

Trixie makes her debut appearance on the blog but as she has been formally inducted into the ‘pub pack’ I am sure she will return. There are two types of people: ones who feed begging dogs snacks and ones who don’t. I am in the latter group, but I seem to definitely be in the minority.

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Apr 02 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Plum blossom

Tuesday 2nd April 2024, 2.00pm (day 4,604)

Plum blossom, 2/4/24

I forget exactly how much our plum tree produced last year but it was at least 20kg (or more than 44 pounds): its all-time record for a single harvest. It won’t do this again in 2024, simply because it never does have two glut years in a row. But the blossom’s out, at least.

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Mar 14 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Flowers by the roadside

Thursday 14th March 2024, 12.20pm (day 4,585)

Flowers at no. 39, 14/3/24

From blue yesterday to this vivid red (with yellow shading) today. Dampness remains a constant, though.

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Feb 28 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Contemplative mallard

Tuesday 27th February 2024, 11.55am (day 4,569)

Contemplative mallard, 27/2/24

After yesterday’s exertions I did not feel like going very far at all; like this mallard, I was content just to sit and watch the world go by, to be honest. (And tomorrow won’t be much different.)

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Feb 15 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna, Urban scene

The first blossom (and Turing)

Wednesday 14th February 2024, 3.25pm (day 4,556)

Turing and blossom, 14/2/24

Definitely the first full cherry blossom sighting of the year, sprouting in the nicely sheltered urban heat reservoir that is Sackville Gardens, Manchester. Dr. Turing’s statue looks rather content to be there, as it usually does.

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Feb 13 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Hugo portrait

Tuesday 13th February 2024, 5.20pm (day 4,555)

Hugo portrait, 13/2/24

Hugo’s third appearance on here, and all within the last twelve months. As Clare has just said to me, he is an ‘ugly little thing’, but still, endearing. Definitely one of the pub pack, anyway.

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Jan 19 2024
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Usual garden companion

Thursday 18th January 2024, 12.20pm (day 4,529)

Garden robin, 18/1/24

My ability to summon a robin now does not even need to involve any digging. Just go and sit down in the garden for five minutes and he turns up anyway, just to check things out. With largely frozen soil at the moment, though, I guess he’s probably hungry. This may well be the same bird as depicted here or here: the photos are all taken in the same place (our allotment) and robins are territorial beasts.

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