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.
