ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Sunday 8 January 2012

THE BIRDS----THE BIRDS (08/01/12)

The sun came out today for two seconds. Very welcome it was. The weather is better than yesterday but only because it is slightly warmer. It’s darker and slightly wetter. How my Asian readers manage I have no idea. We went a walk this morning, only managed four miles, like walking in paddy fields it is. You lot must have webbed feet. _1080740_1_2_3_4_tonemapped_edited-1  This is the sunshine and the swamp. The dogs were black……they have been under the hose pipe. Daft thing is that a fortnight of dry weather and they will ban hosepipes….. Even here!

Folk in the southern sector of the UK are having heated debates over high speed rail links. A couple of six foot water pipes linking canals and rivers would sort out the water shortage in the home counties……Not my Home….the home of Queeny, the Government and the wealthy.

Government? I wouldn’t leave any of them in charge of an empty wheelbarrow. Who needs high speed rail…low speed rail is already unaffordable…… Just move north, you lot!  There is usually plenty of water up here and you are welcome to drink a bit of it or as much as you want.

The feeders are doing better than ever…..It is an amazing place…..No hawks and their ilk today so the little birds are more settled. They are not eating too much, the feeders are more of a social thing.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA              The top two are Great Tits and the other is a Blue Tit. All happy as Larry.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA            From left to right…Great Tit….Green Finch (not totally at ease)….Bull Finch.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA               The Green Finch is the boss. Pecked the others off.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA               This is Mrs Bull Finch…..I hope!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA               Here they are together……there are two pairs. What smart birds. They are getting their spring plumage. No she hasn’t lost her beak. She is shelling sunflower seed.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA              A Nuthatch. They usually rule the feeders but Bull Finches have their measure!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA         All these images are bad. I had to sell the posh gear in October. Looking through the back catalogue or bin they weren’t much better prior to October. These are awful but they are Long Tailed Tits. The feeders provide more entertainment than the television. I’ve never been anywhere that has or had such a variety of avian guests.

We are here tomorrow then I’m driving to Leighton Moss…..I’ve found a campsite not three hundred yards from it. Thank you Phil. They will have really posh birds…..birds I’ve never heard of before. Time to buy incontinence trousers? They also have Red Deer…………that means time to purchase two pairs!

Have a great week………..I’ll try and post the Tree Creeper and the Willow/Marsh Tit tomorrow. They are damn near the same to look at. I do suspect they are Marsh Tits. They move too fast to be common! Good job I’m away on Tuesday I would have to get Keith's bird list going,  From Sparrow Hawk to Sparrow to Robin to Woodpecker they are all on the feeders. A great, if damp place.

24 comments:

  1. Wonderful to see all those lovely birds Adrian.
    The rail link makes no sence to me.. it will destroy some wonderful countryside and habitats for what.. saving 20 minutes?

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  2. Can't wait to see more birds...and new species as well! Hope the weather will hold...it was sunny here down in the south!
    Take care.

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  3. I'm all in favour of a high speed rail link - only it should go from the House of Commnons to the middle of the Channel!

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  4. Lovely birdies, especially the Bullfinches, papa and mama.

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  5. That proposed rail link will cut through some of the most beautiful countryside around; and this government are supposed to be green.

    You've got a great variety of birds on your feeders. You'll see some cracking birds at Leighton Moss too.

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  6. Andrew, it would make a whole lot of sense to me were I on the backhanders the politicians are no doubt getting for backing it.

    DeeBee, that's why you have a water shortage. I'll not have a clue what the birds are.

    John, that's cruel and a waste of money. send it a half mile and it would do the job. Fat bastards.

    Bob, ta, they are lovely to watch.

    Keith, this government are like all governments avaricious and unprincipled.
    I bet Leighton Moss, only a mile or so as the bird flies, has an awful lot of Blackheaded Gulls and Crows and Mute Swans. We'll see!

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  7. Love your bird photos, even the ones you say are bad. But where does the phrase "happy as Larry" come from? I've always wondered. We have a Larry living on our street, and I've never known a more pessimistic gloomy Eeyore sort of person.

    Maybe this is a good question for Scriptor Senex's word blog!

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  8. Awesome variety of birds. Very nice to see.

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  9. Lovely birds Adrian, nice to have these little splashes of colour this time of year.

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  10. I love your shots and look forward to following your blog. I just got into birding and it's a lot of fun.

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  11. I love your shots and look forward to following your blog. I just got into birding and it's a lot of fun.

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  12. That swamp photo tells a great story, I admire you for sticking the damp walk out for 4 miles. Enjoy the feeders. I've never dared put any up for fear they'd feed our cats more than the birds.

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  13. The birds are lovely as always. Hope your weather clears soon - hopefully ours will follow suit.

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  14. Horst, they are very welcome.

    Gillian, it is they lift my mood.

    Rohrerbot, birds are great.

    Jolynne, once one has walked for half an hour it is unfortunately half an hour home again.

    Pauline, I hope it cheers up it is awful.

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  15. Canadian Chickadee, I always thought it came from Cornwall A larrikin is a joker. As in larking about.

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  16. What a variety of birds here. Beautiful work.

    Have a lovely week.

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  17. Claudia, thank you. You have a good week too.

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  18. very colorful birds! Great pictures :)

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  19. Wish I could take bird photos like this. I remember the birds in England very well. I felt a bit like Darwin when I first saw them. Instead of noticing how different they were from the ones in America, I could only marvel at how similar they were...

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  20. Adrian, I agree, it's not (20 min.) faster trains we want! All the money that will be spent on HS2 would be much better used on improving, or subsidising, the current rail system!

    I'm still envious of all those birds!

    Have a safe journey to your new location...[;o)

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  21. Thanks, Adrian. How fascinating about the larrikin/larking about. It was just one of those phrases one uses without really thinking about. And I know!

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  22. Very ethereal opening shot.
    They tried to excite us with high speed rail recently ... until we saw the latest plans of ideas in the north...
    "Connections to existing lines should then cut journey times .... "
    no surprise there then.
    Still, I'd rather be transported by a real train with a journey I can enjoy rather than something more like a pneumatic cash tube system... I'm beginning to sound like a Victorian !!

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  23. Ruby, I can watch them for hours.

    Kay G, many are very similar. It was easier being Darwin. He just called things what he wanted to.

    Trevor, there will be a bit of financial lubricant pumping round Westminster. It will be better hidden than the trains that is a fact.

    Laura, they are little gems.

    Canadian Chickadee, No problem.

    Jay, rail is just too expensive. It's okay for coal to power station but anything that requires moving from the railhead is better served by road in this country. It's only a small place.

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