The winds of yesterday have gone. It’s still breezy with the odd squally shower to mar a perfect day.
It’s only a few hundred yards to the sea so morning and evening we wander that way, the dogs love the beach. They are also dragging half of it back to the van. The vacuum cleaner is struggling to save me from climbing dunes on my way to the shower.
Black Headed Gulls. These are endlessly entertaining. Squabbling and squawking. There are about a dozen and are tame enough to take food from my hand. The flat of my hand, as I’ve learnt to my cost they have very sharp beaks so I don’t hold the bit of bread crust between my thumb and index finger anymore…..I’m never too old to learn.
They are a beautiful bird and mean no harm. It was only when I arrived here that I found that they have brown heads. I even phoned KEITH to share this revelation but he already knew. Why are they not called Brown Headed Gulls? I obviously wasn’t the first person to get confused.
This is a Common Gull, it seems to fly with the Black Headed Gulls but has also started following us home for breakfast. As soon as the dogs are in the van it stands like this begging for food. It is much more gentle and will take bits from my fingers. Bits of food….the Black Headed Gulls just take bits of me and the food.
Now I am getting into birding mode. There are Puffin about three miles away. I thought I ought to start being nice to birds. I’m sure they must meet for a chat, I hope they put a good word in.
Did I say Naturist……just trying to grab a few more hits. I meant naturalist, though both are equally unlikely I wouldn’t mind combining the two disciplines but the former would frighten folk and the latter I’m too ignorant to pull off. I’m going to go for this one big time…..drum rolls….a fanfare of horns….the Queen hitting me with a sword….a fillet steak from one of those posh Japanese cows….the works!
This is a Frog Orchid……I’ll get a better snap when the wind drops. It is growing on a steep bank within a gnats whisker of a hundred foot cliff.
Please TREVOR confirm it isn’t a dead or mummified one of these….
The or one of the many, Purple Orchids. It is purple but knowing botanists and birders as I do it could well be a yellow one.
Have fun. I have now got to organise some more flashing equipment.
PS. Mr Morgan Sir. How did you get the magnified flower heads? Wonderful presentation but a right pain to do unless you have a plugin.
My "I SPY " book points to it being a frog orchid Adrian, great shots of the black/brown headed gulls too..
ReplyDeletepeter
I hope it is Peter but a pound to a penny Trevor has a field full and mine is something else.
ReplyDeleteThe gulls are wonderful. They weigh nowt but can zoom about perfectly in a gale.
The RSPB don't sell Gull food. Daft they are.
Hi Adrian...Stunning gull shot's especially the Brown Headed one, what a beauty!!
ReplyDeleteMan oh man is that Frog Orchid a beauty...and your lead up to it is a good one too!! : )))
I envy you being near the coast line, you are doing what I wish I could travel about like you do!!
Grace
Grace, wash your mouth out with soap and now. THESE are BLACK HEADED GULL.
ReplyDeleteBirders say so! They look a bit chocolaty away from black to me though.
I have two macro lenses so I'll have another go or six. It is a bit boring and only an inch tall. Looks like a dead flower until you get close. If I hadn't been skidding I wouldn't have found it. It could still be an it!
A magnificent pictures of the Black-headed Gulls and the Orchids, wonderful.
ReplyDeleteCheers Bob it helps when they are used to people. The Gulls I mean the Orchids couldn't care less.
DeleteGreat shots of the gulls and orchids Adrian.
ReplyDeleteJohn, it's a grand spot. The birds come to me. I'm not a hundred percent sure about the frog Orchid. I only go on it's size and it looking dead. It doesn't look dead close up.
DeleteA naturist naturilst, stuff nightmares are made I mean can you imagine walking into a hide to see a naked Bill Odie yuk!
ReplyDeleteAs for the dogs and sand how a brushing the coat before they enter the van? I did like that thing Trevor did with his orchids too, very clever.
Like the gulls especially the Common Gull.
Douglas, not an edifying thought I agree.
DeleteI give them a rub down to get the worst off.
Wat moet jij daar genieten je laat ons wel hele mooie foto,s zien Adriaan ik denk dat jje daar het mooiste plekje hebt.
ReplyDeleteJa Nic, ik heb hier een prachtige plek.
DeleteNice close-ups of the gulls. The common ones I see plenty of here although we're not by the sea. The young ones are kind of fun... They are going for walkabouts now, I followed one for quite a while today but it ran fast, I did not catch up with it!
ReplyDeleteMonica, these are almost tame.
DeleteThe Black-Headed Gull photos are possibly the best I've seen but if that sounds sycophantic then I will point out that they should be given your equipment and the fact that they were knocking on the door at the time. If that's a Frog Orchid then I am exceptionally impressed.
ReplyDeleteGraham, they were too close much of the time to focus on.
DeleteIt is a Frog Orchid but it's not there anymore. School holidays are to blame I suspect.
I like all of them; good close-ups and gestures from the birds!
ReplyDeleteThanks Maria.
DeleteThe birds is so beautiful...
ReplyDeleteYes they are Michelle.
DeleteAwesome gull pictures. Now naturist may be little tough in that area with the cold!
ReplyDeleteRed, yes it would be a bit chilly.
DeleteA fine form day by the look of it. Brown headed black headed gulls? No wonder a gull is just a gull to me, it's far too complicated. Doesn't matter what you call those flowers, they are beautiful.
ReplyDeletePauline, there are lots of different gulls. The Frog Orchid is a rare one.
DeleteIt's a bit wet and windy for wanting to get your kit of for wander in the countryside Adrian! I guess you could always adjust the straps on Big Bertha so that your modesty would be preserved!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're getting to grips with this bird ID? You're slowly learning not to believe the books and journals that say what colour a bird is, it's habitat, it's call, it's flight pattern etc. all you have to do is apply the total opposite and you're be sorted!
As for feeding the Gulls your leftover stale bread, my experience says that all Gulls that live by the seaside much prefer a good portion of expensive freshly purchased Fish and Chips!
I'm really envious now as I've not yet seen one!... you have indeed found and photographed a Frog Orchid which, you'll be glad to know, varies in colour from yellow/green to red/brown!!...yours is a red /brown version which prefers drier sites (and up to a 1,000m in Scotland)
And well done for finding a rare specimen of the Yellow Spotted mountain Orchid!...sorry , only joking!!
I think your 'purple' orchid could be a very dark Northern Marsh-orchid (dactylorhiza purpurella) or even a hybrid (a thing that Orchids tend to do!) with a Common Spotted-orchid (it's not just the birds that are out to confuse!!) The Early-purple Orchid (orchis mascula) can be ruled out as this has a notch in the centre lobe of the lip!
As for the 'presentation' of the Orchids on my blog, it's a bit involved and too long to detail here so I email you separately. If anyone else would also like the info just drop me an email...[;o)
Trevor, this weather I doubt there would be much to shock anyone.
DeleteI suspect some vandal has picked it as it was not there this morning. They aren't very big so difficult to spot. I'll hunt about for some more.
Got the e-mail....many thanks for all your trouble.
Wonderful pictures Adrian! With regard to the naturist/naturalist question, I think it is advisable not to wander about in the nude whenever there are sharp-beaked seabirds around. You talk about "pulling it off" but the seabirds might actually do it! I especially liked your photo of the common gull. If it was a caption competition, I wonder what he'd be saying - "Drat! I thought it was a pilchard!"
ReplyDeleteY.P. It's too cool for naturism. The Common Gull is a funny one. I think it thinks I'm it's mum.
DeleteHi Adrian I have already left a long comment on this post however it is not here. I write again because I have had some of my comments going into peoples SPAM folders!!! Have this happened to mine!!! I would appreciate if you would let me know. I do not know what blogger is doing at present as my relies are still ALL disappearing still. So annoying and frustrating! Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, Your e-mail is not in the spam box but this is the second time your comments have gone astray. I'll check my e-mails and paste your comment across here when I find it.
DeleteMargaret Adamson has left a new comment on your post "THE NATURIST. (01/07/13)":
ReplyDeleteHi Adrian Wonderful shot of the BH gull and Common Gull and the Orchids are stunning. Did a bit of experiment yesterday. Was a bit lazy and got myself fish & chips and drove round the coast to where there were BH gulls Common Gulls and Herring Gulls. I opened my window to see them better as I eat and they came closer, I throw small chips out and the BH gulls came closer than the others although the Herring Gulls stayed furthest away. so I thought if any of them would be brave enough to take a chip from my hand (between fingers and thumb)and this tie, every time the Common Gulls were bravest. the BH gulls came close and sat on my bonnet and was within a foot of the food but just could not make it. I tried taking some video but that was extremely difficult as I was in the car, 1 hand out a window, the other hand trying to photo and I could not see the birds!!! Overlal birds adn myself enjoyed the chips!! Margaret
Here it is Margaret....I copied it across. I'll keep an eye out it was in my inbox. I've been having internet problems today so I missed seeing it..I'm very sorry.
DeleteNow that's interesting because I had already seen that comment as an email on the feed.
DeleteA Frog Orchid - I'm jealous! I knew you well enough to assune there wasn't really going to be a naturist (but I lived in hope!)
ReplyDeleteJohn, it was a lucky find.
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