Tag Archives: wildlife

Highland Cattle Make for Good Merch

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Chris and Sam asked Nancy and me to join them on a visit to a local farm that has some rare breeds. Part of the collection was some highland cattle. These things are great looking animals. They were looking pretty inactive while we were there so just sitting in the field chewing the cud. However, that is not going to stop a good sales opportunity. The gift shop had more highland cattle related items than I would have imagined possible. Clearly they know what stuff sells well and a fluffy cow with long horns is going to do the trick.

Out at Sea with Your Horses

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Every once in a while, when I am going through images to review what I have, I come across something I didn’t expect. While making the crossing back from the Isle of Wight, I was up on deck taking some shots and one of the catamarans that makes the crossing to Ryde was coming off Ryde Pier Head, so I took a few shots. When I go through the shots, I zoom in to check which images are sharp and which are not. In this case, I noticed that some people were out in the water with some horses. There are sand flats out a long way at Ryde so, the water can be close to the shore while it is shallow a long way out. These guys were obviously enjoying being out some distance from the shore. For reference, the pier is about half a mile long.

Changing Continents but Still Chasing Cormorants!

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Mum and I were walking across the wall that crosses the harbour in St Helens. There were a few birds in the vicinity, but I wasn’t anticipating getting anything. Then a bird took off from the water and flew around me providing a few good opportunities to photograph it. What type of bird was it? (Unless you haven’t read the title of this post, you already know.) A cormorant. My favourite bird is just as available to me here as it was in Washington. The colours do seem slightly different but that is just a bonus.

The Local Deer Stay Out of the Way It Seems

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My regular walk near our new house provides a bunch of wildlife but it is pretty much the same stuff each time. That includes some deer. They seem to hand out on the same area each day but are always a bit far away. They seem to be pretty relaxed but not keen to get too close to the people walking along the paths around their area. Usually, they are a long way off. Early morning or late afternoon, they will be off in the distance. Only on one occasion have I found one of them relatively close to me. I thought it was going to scoot quickly but it stayed still for a while. I got a call while it was there and I thought I had lost the chance to get a shot but, no, it was quite patient!

Being Stalked by a Big(ish) Cat

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Early one morning, before work, I took a walk in the fields near the house. As I walked through an area surrounded by long grass, I saw an orange shape moving nearby. At first, I thought it was a fox. I put the camera up to my own and focused on the subject. It wasn’t a fox. Instead, it was a ginger cat that was on patrol from one of the local houses. It was watching me as I watched it. I went on my way and it went on its way too.

Springtime Means Lambs

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One of the things that I used to love about spring in the UK was the arrival of the lambs. When they are very young, they are so energetic and will be bouncing around all over the place. I thought the time would be right to see them not long after I arrived but didn’t have a good chance to see any. This led to me thinking I had missed the opportunity. However, luck was on my side.

We took a trip to Polesdon Lacey with the family and, while the house and gardens were the point of the visit, the fact that there were loads of sheep in an adjoining field and they had a bunch of lambs was not going to escape me. The lambs were gambolling energetically. There was a dip in the ground which they would jump down into. Sadly, this meant they would be out of sight but, a little patience would pay off. My favourite shots came when one of the lambs was alone coming across the field to join its friends and it bounced its way across the field. Soon they will be bigger and heavier and less cute!

 

What’s Next for Breakfast?

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Back to Winnall’s Moor again and more bird life. I had seen a kestrel hunting on a previous visit, and, on this morning, there was one sitting on a branch surveying the scene. The early light was very nice, and I was optimistic that I would get some more hunting shots. Sadly, the kestrel must have had plenty to eat, or there was nothing to catch. It sat on the branch for ages, and I was so cold, I lost patience standing around. I left it to it. I have no idea when it finally took off.

Small Birds for the Spam Filters

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Lots of bird posts since some of my early time in Winchester involved wandering around the countryside and seeing a lot of wildlife. On one of my walks, I got to see both some great tits and a single blue tit that was sitting on a tree near the river. I do wonder whether a post about these birds will cause some sort of problem with the filters on internet services that will not be able to tell the difference between slang and a bird.

Swan Takeoff

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A group of swans was swimming up the Itchen as I was out walking one Sunday morning. Suddenly they decided to get airborne, and I was almost caught out by them. The first two were by me before I was able to get a shot, but I was very close to them and struggled to get something framed. The third was close behind them and I was able to pick it up earlier. A swan at low level over the water is a graceful looking creature. I suspect I will be out and about trying to get more swan flying shots before too long.