Category Archives: Flora/Fauna

Ex-mammoth

Monday 18th January 2016, 9.25am (day 1,607)

Mammoth, 18/1/16

I bet you didn’t pass one of these on the way to your morning meeting. Mine happened to be in the Manchester Museum (last seen on here as the home of the vivid tropical frogs) — so I did.

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Happy Moo Year

Friday 1st January 2016, 11.35am (day 1,590)

Cow above Hebden, 1/1/16

The first morning of 2016 was a rather chilly and grey one but it was still good to drag the family up a nearby hill and then buy them a pub lunch as compensation. Pic taken on the way round; the cow virtually demanding that I work on its close-ups.

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The mallard knows

Sunday 20th December 2015, 12.05pm (day 1,578)

Mallard, 20/12/15

Ducks are always good models, well-coloured and they don’t really mind people sticking cameras in their faces. Mind you, this one was turned the other way until it zipped round and had a dabble in its wing, for cleaning purposes. Looks like it’s sweeping a cape across its face — ‘The Shadow knows?’. Before your time? Before mine, for sure.

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The aliens from the planet Kohl Rabi

Saturday 12th December 2015, 11.10am (day 1,570)

Alien kohl rabi, 12/12/15

“Bzzzt. Frpppp. Bzzt. Calling Purple Leader. Calling Purple Leader. We seem to have been captured by the humans, after a disastrous miscalculation of scale.”

“This is Purple Leader. I think I can get my pseudopod in place, and flip the ship over. Then they’ll be sorry…… Ah, sod it. What does ‘£1.00 each’ mean anyway?”

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Leafy corner

Monday 30th November 2015, 3.55pm (day 1,558)

Leafy corner, 30/11/15

November, which began with an absolutely glorious day, has ended with three weeks of pretty sustained crap, weather-wise. With no light but grey, damp dullness, and a day spent almost entirely working at home, I’m having to work hard for these shots at the moment. Still, this one will do — there are lots of nice textures to explore.

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Light rain shower in the woods

Monday 16th November 2015, 1.55pm (day 1,544)

Rain shower, woods, 16/11/15

Worked at home today, and tried to enjoy doing so as it’s my only chance this week. The weather relented, at least for today, and it was quite sunny and pleasant. I took a walk in the woods at lunchtime for the fresh air and while I did a most delicate rain shower came down, just for half a minute or so and backlit by wan November sunlight. This shot has probably turned out a bit too messy to be quite the capture I wanted it to be, but it was my best attempt in the moment.

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Tree gone

Saturday 14th November 2015, 11.50am (day 1,542)

Tree stump, 14/11/15

And so the shot of it at dusk exactly seven months ago (14th April) becomes the last photographic hurrah of the tree on our allotment. I said then its days were numbered. It was not wasted… it needed to come down.

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Pigeons on the Old Bridge

Wednesday 11th November 2015, 11.05am (day 1,539)

Pigeons on bridge, 11/11/15

I feel these guys are lining up, ready to attack me a la Hitchcock. But they posed well enough for a photo this morning.

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I’m staying in, thanks

Monday 9th November 2015, 8.55am (day 1,537)

Cat behind window, 9/11/15

And a good move on the cat’s part, seeing as today was quite possibly the worst day of weather of 2015; a foul, foul day. Note the hands of the photographer reflected in the window; but I’m the one out in the cold, wind and rain.

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Muscovy duck, cleaning

Sunday 8th November 2015, 2.50pm (day 1,536)

Duck cleaning, 8/11/15

I am sure the Muscovy duck gets as much pleasure from a good solid self-probing like this as we do a good shower. I know this picture could be sharper but this was a long zoom on a very gloomy day. A decent, stress-free weekend, but not at all a sunny one: we are heading for deepest November, the dullest period of the whole year.

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