Category Archives: Flora/Fauna

Apr 08 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Lambing season

Friday 6th April 2018, 12.40pm (day 2,416)

Lambs and Skiddaw, 6/4/18

There was a time when I thought I would not get out on a Lake District walk in this Easter break but the weather seems to be relenting after the icebox that was March 2018. Today was dry and bright, but bloody windy. Still, the lambs are enjoying it, anyway. The mountain in the background is Skiddaw, at 3,053 feet the fourth-highest peak in England. If you would like to see more pictures from the day check out my other blog.

I also note that this is the 100th Lake District shot to appear on the blog.

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Mar 28 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Mathilda wants back in

Wednesday 28th March 2018, 12 noon (day 2,407)

Matilda, 28/3/18

Mathilda demands to be only the third animal to definitively make the blog three times (though Humph the heron has a case to have beaten her to it, if the various pictures do indeed depict the same bird). She looks annoyed at the neglect, and that at some point since her last appearance, her collar has gone. And she’s got a bit greyer, but then again haven’t we all.

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Mar 26 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Frog friends

Sunday 25th March 2018, 12.40pm (day 2,404)

Frog friends, 25/3/18

A morning’s spring cleaning on the allotments revealed this colony of frogs living in an old plastic bath on one of our neighbouring plots. These two seem close….

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Mar 23 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Rodent in Tavistock Square

Thursday 22nd March 2018, 3.05pm (day 2,401)

Tavistock squirrel, 22/3/18I could have picked a photo to epitomise my day in London, which was spent entirely in one meeting room in the Friends’ Meeting House near Euston. A productive meeting generally, but not photographically.

So instead let’s go with the cute rodent…. Squirrel!

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Mar 15 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Buddleia bud

Thursday 15th March 2018, 10.55am (day 2,394)

Black bud, 15/3/18

I’m pretty sure this is the plant growing out of the wall down Keighley Road that becomes the purple spearheads of buddleia later in the year. Metamorphosis. I quite like both forms of it, actually.

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Mar 12 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Pollination

Sunday 11th March 2018, 2.10pm (day 2,390)

Pollination, 11/3/18

With the extinction of pollinating insects being one of the more plausible end-of-the-world scenarios doing the rounds, it’s gratifying that this one has survived the cold snap and sees in our winter-flowering heather some pleasant sustenance. I like how it looks as if its little eyes are closed, though of course that’s not how insect eyes work. Gives it a look of contentment though.

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Mar 04 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Defiant spring

Saturday 3rd March 2018, 11.25am (day 2,382)

Snowy crocuses, 3/3/18

Enough of this winter, say I! I don’t see this as a winter shot. This is the first picture of spring. If we all exert our will on the weather surely we can psychically change it. Worth a try surely.

I’m leaving the UK tomorrow, I guess it is possible there could be a shot from Manchester airport (although I’m sat there as I type this, and nothing is inspiring me thus far), but more likely is that tomorrow will see the first non-UK shot since the one in Sheremetyevo airport on 25th October (day 2,253), a run of 129 days and the second-longest such run since I started on this blog. Let’s travel, though I’m not heading anywhere warmer…

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Feb 27 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Camouflage (imperfect)

Tuesday 27th February 2018, 11.25am (day 2,378)

Snow camouflage, 27/2/18

Evidence of new tactics in the ongoing pigeon-duck conflict.  “Hah. I knew this camouflage would eventually come in useful. Now I can spy on the ducks without fear of detection.”

“Er… Bob? The feet?”

“Oh bugger.”

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Feb 18 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

I lead, they follow

Saturday 17th February 2018, 2.00pm (day 2,368)

Burney and sheep, 17/2/18

I was keen to get out for some exercise today. It seemed also that I had duties, previously unsuspected, as an object of worship for the sheep of Cumbria — on two separate occasions a flock of them followed me for some minutes. It was like a game of ‘Mr Wolf’: when I turned around and looked at them they stopped — looking (appropriately) sheepish — but then returned to follow in my footsteps when I walked on. I kept telling them I had nothing to give them. Strangely, I don’t think they understood.

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Feb 04 2018
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Starlings, and selfie

Sunday 4th February 2018, 4.55pm (day 2,355)

Brighton beach starlings, 4/2/18

A day in Brighton, a day of meetings and non-meetings. The person I was supposed to meet didn’t turn up. Then I met someone nice I did not expect to meet. Then I met a bunch of hypocritical Brexit voting Daily Mail reading obnoxious Nazis in my hotel bar in the evening. Then there were the starlings heading to roost on the pier. Maybe the lady taking a selfie (or possibly a shot of the West Pier, depending on which direction her camera was pointed in) could have turned her head to the left a bit to witness this impressive natural phenomenon. But it’s all about perspective isn’t it.

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