THE RAMBLINGS OF A STRUGGLING ARTIST ON LIFE WITH TWO TERRIERS, A PONY WITH ISSUES AND OTHER WILDLIFE AND BIRDS THAT CROSS OUR PATH

10 June 2013

BITS AND PIECES 2


First sighting of Lousewort (above) this year. It stands out in the sea of what is still very brown grass. I love it. This starts another bits and pieces post; random pictures from the last week, starting with another view of the wonderful, tiny Milkwort that nestles, often hidden, in the grass. No sign of the white or pink versions yet but I like the blue best:


Mating Damsel Flies:


This little bluebell heaven is on the way up the drive to our tiny hamlet:


Bad hair day:
 

Yesterday we met some friends down at the river. The weather was beautiful and Origami Boy and his friends swam happily for ages. Snippet met his friend Bracken and two new lady Border Collies, one of whom he really bonded with:


Drinking the river:


A gorgeous Chaffinch:

 
A long view:


Another new black foal with a particularly beautiful mother:




Messy Magpie:


Middle Tor looking like a sea monster....I think so anyway!


Layers:


This Broad Bodied Chaser female was crashing about with its beautiful blue mate and then laying eggs in the water of our closest marshy puddle. I saw tadpoles and a newt in there yesterday too. Sorry it's slightly blurry but she was in flight at the time.


Today, as I prepared supper, I spotted another little Bank Vole in the same place as the other. Slightly smaller and darker, I think it may be a female whilst the other was male. I'm making this up as I really have no idea - I'm just very glad to have them and to be able to observe their behaviour. 



The House Martins are still building but I really can't see how they're going to finish in time the rate they're going, only putting in an hour or so a day. Comparing my first picture of 'mud on wall' with the one I took yesterday, there is definitely progress, but not much! Until next time, here's Ernest Snippleton (as Origami Boy called him during South Pole studies last year) in his new collar and tag, having lost the other one somewhere in a gorse bush. I should have got a red tag again....this silver one looks VERY boring. 


38 comments:

  1. I feel for the bad hair day, being well used to those. The new foal is just gorgeous though!

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    1. That's why I have mine cut so short.....there are a few less bad hair days that way. I used to ask hairdressers/barbers to make me look like a 1930's public school boy which resulted in many raised eyebrows!

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  2. Always enjoy all your photos.
    Close up of the bird is super!!!

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    1. I had to sit in the sink to get that shot!

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  3. Such beautiful shots...beautiful.
    Snippet looks so handsome ,the tag doesn't really matter!
    Jane x

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    1. It's been red for so long, he just looks a bit odd without it. Glad you like the pics.

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  4. Spring! Or is it summer now already? Beautiful photos. I'd love to see those ponies!

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    1. It's raining today unfortunately but we've had an amazing run of ten days of sunshine. That'll probably be it for summer though!

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  5. As always you have the best close-ups of the birds.
    I love the bad hair day photo and I think the mare with the new foal is very beautiful too.
    awwwwwwww the little vole !

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. I didn't think it was possible to get any sweeter than the last vole but this one is I think.

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  6. That is an absolutely, brilliantly, gorgeous photo of a chaffinch!!! Such a lovely shot of Snippet too.

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    1. Glad you like it Chris. As I said to Happy One, I had to get into the kitchen sink to get that close.

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  7. Lovely photos as always :) The chaffinch is just beautiful and I love the colours of the magpie. You are so fortunate to have bank voles and I do hope the house martins eventually finish the nest :)

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    1. No sign of them today again. Obviously they're fair weather builders.

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  8. I'm so glad the martins are still with you (even of progress is slow). Lovely photos as always Em. I'm glad to see you give your animals humorous names too. After his encounter with our snake Ted is now known as Rikki Tikki Teddy in our house! CT x

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    1. Unfortunately, one of Snippet's other names is 'Snipples' which doesn't sound very appropriate when shouted out in company!

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  9. Such beautiful photos. I love the pretty grey mare and her foal. I wonder if he/she will "grey out" as the years go by?

    At your suggestion, I have tried using the extra large format to post recent photos. It seemed to work this time, but in the past I have found landscape photos chopped off . I`ll keep experimenting!

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    1. I've left you a comment about that......

      I think all of the black ones will grey out but perhaps not the ones with the bay mothers, who appear to be going a more dusty brown colour now.

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  10. I like to come to your blog for my daily fix of little foals Em - how
    lucky you are to live so near to them.

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    1. We really are Pat. I wonder if it's raining with you today??

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  11. Gorgeous photos again, Em - and I love to see the little foals. The bluebell heaven looks enchanting. Love the bad hair day, too! Snippet always looks as though he's in the middle of having lots of fun. Harry often loses his dog tags here, too. I never find them.

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    1. Thank goodness they're quite cheap on the internet these days and can be quickly replaced! The tags that is....

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  12. You are always so good at "spotting" animals to photograph, Em. x

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    1. I scour the ground and skies when I'm out!

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  13. Always love your photos! Great bird photos, you really are able to get up close, I'm so jealous :) Snippet looks handsome with his new tag.

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    1. Most of the bird ones are taken through the kitchen window....I just keep very still and get in the sink for extreme close ups on full zoom.

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  14. Great photos and such a lovely collection of animals and plants. Snippet is a handsome boy and looks very proud with his new tag-not for long though it'll be bent and scratched in no time I'm sure. Love the Bank Vole, I hope you can get more photos as the year moves along. I had to look it up but they should have quite a few litters, with about 4 young each time, so hopefully a chance to catch a few little ones on camera.

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    1. That fact about voles has not exactly filed me with joy given how close they are to the house, but then they're one of the main food sources for predators here so I shouldn't worry really.

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  15. Ah blissful pictures! Love the black foal and his mum, a very good looking pair!

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    1. The mum was quite Araby looking on the move. Not your pure Dartmoor but then there are very few of those about in the wild now as you know. The farmers have to keep them in fields away from incoming stallions!

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  16. Lovely to see all your flora and fauna and dogs, birds insects and horses!
    I'm back in NY and it's VERY concrete!
    Your photos are bliss.

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  17. I bet you're missing Vienna. I became obsessed with Viennese coffee when I got back! Concrete has a certain beauty....

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  18. Your photos are absolutely beautiful. But, really? Don't you think those damsel flies deserved a little bit of privacy? (Um, before you think I'm a total nut job, I'm just kidding...)

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    1. Don't worry Susan....I know you're not a nut job!

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  19. It's such a treat to see your world.
    That black foal is all legs!

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    1. It's lucky they're so shy or I'd be tempted to pick them up and bring them home.

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  20. A lovely and varied collection of photos Em. Snippet and friend look very endearing together. Your time in the sink paid off beautifully!

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    1. I think I need to fashion some kind of sink cushion as it's extremely uncomfortable!

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. It's great to read them and I will always try to reply.