Thursday 27th December 2018, 10.55am (day 2,681)
On how many otherwise boring and photograph-free days has a heron down on the river saved the blog post. Today was one of those days. Handsome beasts, always…. and damn, are they patient.
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Category Archives: Flora/Fauna
Curlew in the Lune estuary
Monday 24th December 2018, 11.30am (day 2,678)
A beautiful, sunny day today, a welcome change from the grey crud we have otherwise had for some weeks (it feels like that anyway). To distract from the prevalent Christmas theme, here’s a curlew walking on the sands at high tide. I like this shot not only for the bird itself but the strange bubbles all around it, probably caused by some kind of marine life only infrequently covered by water; most of the time this bit of the world will be sand.
Death of the wasp
Monday 17th December 2018, 1.05pm (day 2,671)
This could be the first confirmed death of an organism to be documented on the blog: unlike this bumblebee, the wasp didn’t get away. Paralysed, wrapped in unbreakable bonds and dragged away to some dark corner where its captor will slowly suck its juices out over the next couple of days. I hope your ending is not as harsh as that. Nor mine, come to that.
Hiding (from the train)
Thursday 13th December 2018, 2.55pm (day 2,667)
This is a little blurred but I took it from the train, so forgive me. Not a moving one — I spotted this pheasant while we waited on the outskirts of Todmorden, for no particular reason other than a certain level of immobility is typical for Northern Rail at the present time. This pheasant was out by the lineside, trying to look inconspicuous; but not doing a very good job. Back to gamebird school for you, young fellow.
In 2,667 days I make this the first pheasant to appear on the blog.
Ducks and barges
Tuesday 11th December 2018, 2.40pm (day 2,665)
The first four-in-a-row for Hebden Bridge since June — the 14th to the 17th June, in fact. Yes, I record these things. I did get a bit further away from home today than on the last two days.
Here, I like the way the red and blue theme is repeated both on the barges and the reflections of the windows in the water. The ducks are a bonus, really.
Skedaddle
Tuesday 4th December 2018, 1.05pm (day 2,658)
Unconnected to any other aspect of my life, I briefly encountered this gorgeous creature today. We flirted. I raised the camera. He grinned… look, you can see him grinning… the shot was taken, we parted ways. Skedaddle is his name, it seems — for how he moves when placed on a smooth wooden floor, and faced with the cats who also live in his house.
Pampas grass (office window view)
Monday 19th November 2018, 10.20am (day 2,643)
I try when I can to make these photos somehow epitomise the day, but this is an exception. I spent almost the whole day in a room interviewing job applicants. This is just a shot grabbed out of my office window, in one of the few bursts of light on this otherwise grey November Monday. But I like these natural feather dusters, Cortaderia selloana or pampas grass. Very 1970s. Then again so’s the building I work in.
Etihad Hawk
Thursday 1st November 2018, 7.55pm (day 2,625)
This picture needs some explanation. For the second time in a few weeks I visited the Etihad stadium, home of Manchester City, for a football match (there were reasons). While watching City do what they usually do, that is, barely break sweat but win easily, it was easy to be distracted in the first half by the activities of what appeared to be a hawk, or kestrel, that had taken up residence in the roof and kept flying between two of the stands. At one point it clearly dropped something that it was holding in its claws yet still managed to swoop down and catch the prey before it hit the ground (and or landed on someone in row F). I just about managed to capture it here in flight, even if it is not very definable. It may not be all that good a photo but it is still more interesting than the night’s football.
Postscript: As my Facebook friend Margaret pointed out after I posted this, the bird may well have been on professional duty; birds of prey are a good way of keeping the pigeon and other pest population down in a stadium like this.
Singing at the station
Wednesday 31st October 2018, 9.00am (day 2,624)
9am and I’m at the station on the way to work. Whatever this robin’s plans were for the day, he seemed happy enough about it, his song being the soundtrack to the wait for the 09:06. A shame he wasn’t perched in the sunshine but never mind.
Autumn ablaze
Sunday 28th October 2018, 2.20pm (day 2,621)
The clocks went back last night, and winter draws closer. But no one has told this tree yet and it’s determined to go out in a blaze of glory.
Being 42 