Day 359 – Camouflage!

 

I am finding as I come towards the end of my Project 365 that I am enjoying taking photos of particular things like clouds, flowers and birds although sometimes I don’t think they are great photographs!!

Consequently there have been a fair few of each of those things in the 300 + posts I have done in this photo journal.

Here is another!! 

 

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2012

This is, I think,  a female Chaffinch and she was just hopping about in this bare shrub so I took her photograph.

It wasn’t until I uploaded it to the computer and looked at it that I realised she is the same colour as the branches of this Lilac Tree (we call it a tree but it is a very big shrub), so she is well camouflaged!!  She’s just so cute. 

Day 351 – Redwing

I was gazing out into our garden as there was a lot of activity going on amongst the many different types of birds who come by to eat some of our pet duck Demelza’s grain and the bread we throw out for her.

They were all having a very busy session to eat loads before they went off to bed for that night.

At the end of the garden I noticed a Thrush and was so pleased to see it because we really don’t see Thrushes much at all these days, so took some photos of it.

It wasn’t until I loaded the photo onto the computer that I realised that it wasn’t a Thrush at all, it was something completely different and a visitor I have not seen in our garden before!!

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2012

As you look at this photograph you will see there are another two Redwings behind the main one, although they sort of blend into the background more!!

I took quite a lot of photos of the bird, trying to get a good photograph of what I thought was a Thrush and again it wasn’t until I had the photos on the computer that I realised there were actually six or seven of what I now knew were Redwings.

I’m very pleased as these birds haven’t come here before, so hopefully they will come again and just maybe I might be able to get a better photo of them.

Day 347 – In The Crow’s Nest?

 

Ha ha, well not really as there isn’t an actual nest in this photograph!! 

 

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2012

But it looks like a crow on a mast – hence crow’s nest, lol!!      (And I think he is a Jackdaw rather than a Crow, but you get my gist)!!! 

Day 339 – Soggy Demelza!

Awwwwww, poor Demelza!  As I have mentioned in other posts about our pet duck, Demelza was not blessed by nature when she was born.   We had her from an egg, but she was originally bred “for the table” as we have been told.  When she was born she started her life with a broken wing.  She has a plump body and little tiny legs which means that she easily trips over a twig as she wanders about in the garden.

Since she has now become older (so far a loooooooong life for a duck), she became blind in one eye virtually overnight and then not too long after that she appears to have scratched her other eye which although healed, has left her with virtually no sight in that good eye.  We know she can see something, maybe shadows but has to feel around with her beak on the floor to get any bread we put down as she can’t seem to see it.

Another problem she has had all her life is really not a good thing for ducks!  Ducks love to swim and float about on ponds, rivers and such and have no difficulties staying afloat.  Not poor Demelza though.  She sinks when in her pond!!!  She does not seem to have the oil that ducks have on their feathers to waterproof them, so Demelza sinks under the water rather than floats, so we make sure she has a rock to stand on so she does not sink too deeply and would then be unable to get out.

This photo was taken after she had had what is now becoming a very rare dip in her pond.

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2012

She must get soaked to her skin unlike other ducks.  I worry now that the cold winter months are here but she still seems a happy gal no matter that she has been rather unlucky when she was made so to speak.

Day 332 – Crane

I took this photo when we were out and about on our travels and I so wish that I could have taken it from outside the car instead of sitting in it, as I’m sure the not so spotless window doesn’t make for a really good photograph!

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2011/2012

Because I thought he might move or fly away at any time, I just took the photo without winding down the car window.  I don’t think it detracts from the image too much but I’m sure it would be that much clearer without the window between the camera and the Crane.

In calling it a Crane I am just now wondering if it is a Heron instead?  I’m not too sure which is which of these birds so it could be either one or the other.  Hopefully someone looking at this will correct me if it is not a Crane! 

Whichever bird it is I think either one of them have long legs, but this chap looks like he hasn’t got any or they look very short.  Because the photo isn’t as clear as it should be I think his legs have sunk into the mud/sand bank.  I’m pretty sure he wasn’t stuck if his legs have sunk in, as he was really quite happy there and not in any way distressed.

Day 326 – I Wanted Christmas Pudding!!

As we are getting near to Christmas when I took this photograph, we had been eating some lovely mince pies.

Because a couple were now out of date we put them on the bird table and as soon as we did, this chap came along and proceeded to eat one.

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2011/2012

(Apologies for the reflection in the window when I took this photograph).

This chap tucked into the mince pie, but he spat some out so we decided that what he really wanted was some Christmas Pudding, probably with loads of lovely thick cream on it, but he didn’t get any of that – we had that instead!! 

Day 324 – View From A Window

On this particular day the sun had been shining and apart from being cold and windy was a very nice day.

Now we had our new window we could look out and see things without trying to look at the garden through constant condensation on the window.

So, as I was looking through the window on this sunny day I thought how good this looked so took a photo!

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2011/2012

The sky looked such a beautiful blue and together with the white fluffy cloud and green treetops that I could see out of the top of the new window, I felt it was too nice to miss.

I got an added bonus with a seagull flying into view just as I took the photograph and now we appreciate our new window so much because we can actually see out of it properly! 

Day 316 – A Rainy Day

 

Following on from my Day 315 post where I mention that the day was all dreary and dull, look what we had the next day!!

 

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2011/2012

It was very dark inside the house and outside so I had to use the flash to get a decent photograph but of course did not realise until I had this on the computer that the flash shows in the pic!!

If you look carefully through the rain on the window you can just make out one of the Doves that seem to live in our garden, on the bird table.  He didn’t seem to mind getting wet!! 

 

Day 313 – Rough At Sea?

Ever since I was a child I have always thought that it must be rough at sea whenever I see lots of Seagulls inland, in fields.  I must have been told this sometime a long time ago for me to think that, although I’m not sure that that is the case when Seagulls venture more inland.

I happened to look out of our house and saw all these Seagulls in the playing field opposite us.

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2011/2012

There were actually many more Seagulls here than you can see.  Whenever I took a photo of more of them, they moved away behind the hedgerow just as I clicked!!  I took quite a lot of photos trying to show that there were lots of them here, but they moved too quick for me to catch them all! 

Day 304 – I’ve Got A Better View Than You!!!

We were out and about on our travels on this grey, dreary, end of November day and I was sitting in the car whilst waiting for Paul as he had gone to do a bit of shopping.  I became aware that there was a Seagull sitting on top of all the lampposts stretching out ahead of me and was quite fascinated as they turned around on the spot to look about them, possibly at the view, but more likely on the lookout for any dropped food from passersby!!

Original photograph taken by me - copyright 2011/2012

There are six lampposts each with a Seagull on top.  It’s not the best photo because in order to get all the posts in with the birds on top I had to pan out to get them all in, so they can’t be seen too clearly but if you take a good look you will see each post is occupied.

It got better as I watched and I wish I could have taken photos.  Another Seagull came along and decided to sit on one of the occupied lampposts, so the Seagull that was already there flew off and went to the next one to sit on, making the Seagull on the next post fly off and go to the next one and so on.  It was like watching a bird version of the children’s party game musical chairs!!  At least the antics of these Seagulls brightened up a grey day!!