Category Archives: Flora/Fauna

Duckwatching

Friday 13th November 2020, 3.25pm (day 3,368)

Ducks, 13/11/20

As government policy and public fear continue to ravage our lives and economies, I speculate as to what kind of future awaits, and ahead there’s an old-man version of me that just wanders through our empty town each afternoon to spend time watching the ducks. They are peaceful, good-looking creatures, they clearly have some basic society, with obvious couples, occasional spats and arguments, and an ability to understand and make use of the dynamics of water flow for their own personal edification. This duck seems proud of her own drake and watches the other two parade past in much the same way as might a haughty woman sat outside a café. To my eyes, anyway. There is little else to look at right now.

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Winter flowering cherry

Wednesday 11th November 2020, 12 noon (day 3,366)

Winter flowering cherry, 11/11/20

There is nothing going on at the moment. AT ALL. Pointing the camera at flowers is about all that is available. The winter flowering cherry, as a species, makes at least its second appearance on the blog. If nothing else continues to not happen, it might be back soon enough.

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Opportunist

Sunday 8th November 2020, 11.55am (day 3,363)

Gutter plant, 8/11/20

Not much to do other than look at plants again, and to save having a second ‘autumn colours in the mist’ shot in a row (though the woods looked good once more), let me instead document the reason why one of our gutters was overflowing onto the front step below. A garden cane with a fork taped to the end provided a solution. I bet you’re excited now… There went weekend no. 1 of House Arrest 2.0.

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In the woods

Saturday 7th November 2020, 1.50pm (day 3,362)

In the woods, 7/11/20

Who doesn’t love the colours in autumn, a last hurrah before the greyness of winter. I like the remaining green on this shot and the sinuous branch, with its two duck-heads.

Not pictured on this shot: vast numbers of people. The woods of Hardcastle Crags were heaving today. Because, if you take away other normal weekend entertainments, people will do what they must in order to stay physically and mentally healthy, which is to get out of the house to wherever is available. Thus, congregating closer together than they would otherwise have done, and defeating the object of this latest stupid, mindless, arbitrary attempt at social control.

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Maris the heron

Thursday 5th November 2020, 12.50pm (day 3,360)

Maris the heron, 5/11/20

Let us ignore the rest of the world and indulge in some Hebden heron-spotting. I have no idea how long these creatures live, but I would expect a few years at least would be normal for a bird that size, and so I think this is the same bird as pictured on 8/5/17. The particularly sharp neck markings are one clue, but to be honest, the main one is those slightly comical knock-knees. Both photos show this. This is not the rather more butch-looking, and generally bigger, one that I had christened Humph (see 25/5/16, 23/1/17 for example).

So this one needs a name of its own. And I’m going to call it “Maris Crane”. You’ve seen Frasier, right?

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Ladybird (possibly evil)

Wednesday 14th October 2020, 10.50am (day 3,338)

Station ladybird, 14/10/20

Clare tells me there are both good and evil ladybirds — the latter being invasive species, of which this specimen may be an example. Whatever, it seemed to develop an attachment to me: after I took this photo of it at the railway station it then hitched a ride on my mug of tea and by now will be living it up in Manchester — or whatever the ladybird equivalent is.

And no, I do not know what the problem is with removing the label. Perhaps I should find out one day.

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The pumpkin swells

Thursday 1st October 2020, 3.45pm (day 3,325)

Growing pumpkin, 1/10/20

The efforts of all those highly transient squash (or possibly pumpkin) flowers earlier in the year have resulted in precisely one pumpkin (or possibly squash) growing in house or garden.  And here it is.  Whether it will be big enough to carve faces in come the end of this fresh month — we will just have to wait and see…

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Autumn comes to campus

Tuesday 29th September 2020, 2.40pm (day 3,323)

Campus tree, 29/9/20

It’s the end of September. The golden foliage is a sign autumn is here.  With it come the students — but this year, instead of being out meeting new people and enjoying themselves, largely they are walled up in high-tech prisons like the George Kenyon hall behind.  Still charged £9K (plus rent) for the privilege.  And the UoM is one of the better ones, presently.

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On Richmond Street, Manchester

Friday 25th September 2020, 1.55pm (day 3,319)

Rainbow and pigeon, 25/9/20

The working week ends as it started — with a bird photo-bombing the shot.  But I like it.

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Stay away from my girlfriend

Wednesday 23rd September 2020, 4.25pm (day 3,317)

Jackdaw and ducks, 23/9/20

A choice today. Do I go with the more artistic and in-focus portrait of the jackdaw alone, or this group shot? Let’s do this one. It’s funnier. The duck appears quite cheerful about the jackdaw’s attention — but the drake is definitely giving his rival a dirty look.

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