Whilst out and about I’ve been collecting pictures of flora. I realised I had amassed rather a lot of them. These are the ones I think I know. The others I’m still trying to Identify.
Greater Burnet my rating 99% sure.
Thrift, again 99% sure.
Silver Weed…..99% positive.
Sea Campion. Better than 60%. It could be Bladder Campion but it is by the sea.
There are lots of purple Orchids so I cannot rate my identification much higher than 10%.
Purple Milk Vetch…..100%…I cheated, I met a lady who told me what it is….It’s Pauline's fault if it’s something else.
This morning during a very windy walk; perhaps I ought to re-phrase that. A walk in the wind, that’s better. I went down to the bay but there was nothing about and the sea was not running high enough for big crashes and splashes. I nipped over the little bit of headland to the old slip way and the cove it lies in. I found the Eider ducks.
I don’t know what is going on. The adult female on the left now has four ducklings and not five. I think the three additional ones are young females. At least I got closer this time and if I’d been quicker and got the dogs tied up out of the way I could probably have got closer still. Such is life.
That’s all for today.
Hi Adrian Lovely collection of wide flowers. I have the first one down at my old caravan and to me it is in the Plantain family. Love the shots of the Eiders. The females do come together with their young and hang out.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, it is a common plant. I thought it was in the Rose family.
DeleteI don't think the three big ducks have full adult plumage yet. Good to see them whatever age they are.
cuanto arte hay en cada flor y momento que dibujas con tu camara
ReplyDeleteThank you but not art; yet.
Deleteso nice the little flowers are magic for me, i really love them ... in the most dark moment of my life these little life gave to me such a power... magic for me are life
ReplyDeleteLaura, I agree it does me good to sit and look at the small things that are provided free.
DeleteAnother great outing for you. I like the last two images and how the ducks are swimming in rougher water.
ReplyDeleteMersad
Mersad Donko Photography
Mersad they were trapped in the calmest corner of the bay. It is good to see them.
DeleteIt's quite common for birds to help raise a brood. Long tailed tit's do it. Not sure wether Eiders do but the image suggest they do. Fascinating image. I like the flowers too
ReplyDeleteDouglas, I've seen the female with the light cheek feathers twice before. She has lost a duckling. Where the other three came from I don't know.
DeleteWell done Adrian...you got the Eiders. It's a hard life for them out there on the sea, It'll be interesting to see if she manages to keep all those ducklings?
ReplyDeleteNice to see a few wild flowers, like you I've got lots of images on file and more waiting to be processed! (I must get my backside into gear and do a post! The problem is finding the time, I much prefer being out and about taking MORE photographs!)
I agree with Margaret the first image is of a Plantain...if you look closely at the stem..it's ribbed, as there's only one member of the plantain family to have this feature it must be a Ribwort Plantain (plantago lanceolata).
I think the Orchid might be a sub species (pulchella) of the Early Marsh Orchid (dactylorhiza incarnata) It has a good presence in the West of Scotland.
Identifying orchids poses much the same problem as identifying birds...they can all look the bloody same!...[;o)
Trevor, the sea is quite choppy today. It drove them close inshore. She has lost one duckling in the last 48 hours.
DeleteI sometimes think I'll never master this nature business. I am not too bad if I meet someone who knows but to go out mob handed on a nature walk would be hell for me.
There are two purple Orchids here. one lot are half the size of this one. I'll get trawling on the internet.
There are some very unusual thing here....I suspect I have increased their number by one. There is a Shrike, I've been following it about but haven't got a picture yet.
Fairfax and I went on a pilgrimage this morning to a place where masses of orchids flower every year. Just magic. I'm not bad on wild flowers, but all those different orchids defeat me. Early purple, butterfly....well anyway, they were glorious.
ReplyDeleteFrances, I hope he watched where he was putting his feet. I am hopeless at IDing natural things. It's not so long ago that I could only identify sheep if they had their woolly coats on. Early summer is a great time.
DeleteYou know your wild flowers better than I do, beautiful pics, and nice view of the eiders too.
ReplyDeleteNot very much better I warrant.
DeleteGreat at the naming, I wouldn't have had a clue. The Eider is fantastic, but they were one short, must have been a Dolphin.
ReplyDeleteBob, It appears I managed 2/3rds correct. It is a pass mark in anyone's book. There is a Shrike here but I can't manage to get it's picture yet. I at first thought it was a Pied Wagtail and didn't bother. It's upset now and won't come near.
DeleteAdriaan you are a master you rise up the ladder.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bass, I'm rising the ladder from a very deep hole though.
DeleteGreat photos of the Eider Ducks. I am amazed that there is not more loss of the ducklings than there is. So many hazards and big things that eat ducks in the Ocean.
ReplyDeleteHorst, I could have done with being a bit closer. I suspect they lose about 50%. It is amazing that any survive.
DeleteYo no me complico con ellas, cuando salgo al campo, todas son para mí flores silvestres preciosas :)))
ReplyDeleteUn abrazo.
Laura, disfruto de adivinanzas. El problema es que la gente piensa que soy estúpido.
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