Author: Rolling Harbour

Indispensible blog for Abaco Bahamas: Birds, Marine mammals, Reef fish, Bonefishing & a miscellany of hurricanes, shark attacks, shipwrecks, books, recipes & cocktails

HOUSE SPARROW CHICKS IN THE NEST IN A HOUSE…

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The gable end wall of our house is very old thick stone, and full of holes. Some are deep enough for sparrows to nest in, which they do every year. Mrs RH is quite keen to fill the holes; I enjoy the annual sparrow nesting routines in the holes, and in the gaps under the gable eaves. Last year I recorded the sounds emerging from the largest hole as the chicks grew. This year, I tried photography. The problems, without special equipment, were lighting and focus. I wasted a vast number of shots on useless photos before realising that I only had to wait until the evening sun was full on the wall. Here are some resulting photos. A few days later, they had flown!

Apart from the noise of the chicks awaiting food, nothing much to see here…Sparrow Nest Totnell 1

Half an hour later the sun has helpfully moved roundSparrow Nest Totnell 2 Sparrow Nest Totnell 3 Sparrow Nest Totnell 5

The ‘money shot’!Sparrow Nest Totnell 7Sparrow Nest Totnell 8

‘WAVING FLAGS’: MAY IRISES IN FULL BLOOM

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We recently came across this striking purple iris and I was struck by the rich colouring. They aren’t rare, I know, but they are certainly less usual than the common blue / mauve varieties; and also than the more familiar yellow ones (shown below).
Purple Iris 1Purple Iris 2Purple Iris 3Purple Iris 4Yellow Iris 1Yellow Iris 2Yellow Iris 3

VINEYARDS IN CHAMPAGNE

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Caillez Lemaire Plaque

The hillsides of the fertile valley of the Marne west of Epernay are almost entirely dedicated to the vine and its various products – not just champagne and wine, but also ratafia (like sherry only far nicer) and marc. There are major producers here, such as Moët et Chandon and Lanson. However every village – for example Damery and Cumières – has many independent producers or Récoltant manipulates (RM) who produce wine from their own grapes in small quantities. These operations are often found in unassuming and apparently small village houses, with the equipment for wine production housed in the basement.  None of this champagne is exported but  it is often of outstanding quality, outdoing many or most mainstream non-vintage champagnes at a fraction of the price. The only problem is, one has to go and get it; and a special occasion is the only way to justify the expedition… Here are some spring vineyards above Cumières. 

Champagne Vineyards above Cumières 1Champagne Vineyards above Cumières 2Champagne Vineyards above Cumières 5Champagne Vineyards above Cumières 6Champagne Vineyards above Cumières 7Champagne Vineyards above Cumières 8The Moët vineyardsChampagne Vineyards above Cumières 4

The poppies are starting to flower, a reminder of grimmer times in this areaChampagne Vineyards above Cumières 3

 

TALKING ‘JACKSON POLLOCKS’: PAINTING ON SILK

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This sequence of paintings on textured silk is an anomaly for this blog, concerning neither wildlife, countryside, buildings or any of the other random subjects usually featured. I just liked them. I wonder what you will make of them…

IMG_2520 IMG_2521 IMG_2523 IMG_2528 IMG_2530 IMG_2532 IMG_2533 IMG_2534 IMG_2536 IMG_2537

If you like the ‘pictures’ in these photos, then you may enjoy the tie I will be wearing for our son’s wedding next month – a unique creation hand painted onto silk, despite which it cost an astonishingly small amount. And if you hate it, I’m still going to wear it anyway because although it’s not a tie I’d ever have imagined wearing (and I wear them only very rarely these days) I love it!

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The Begwyns Trig Point Map 5The Begwyns Trig Point Map 4

 ‘ALL THE VIEWS, NONE OF THE CLIMB’

In Welsh border country not far north of Hay-on-Wye are the Begwyns, modest hills in unspoilt surroundings with far views to the Black Mountains to the east and the Brecon Beacons to the south. This is National Trust land: you can see their Begwyns page HERE with a useful circular walk map.  A gentle uphill stroll takes you to a feature called The Roundabout, built for the Millennium. There is a trig point nearby with magnificent views through 270º. It must be wonderful on a sunny day; ours was not, yet we could see for miles. The photos are quite poor, however…

The Begwyns Trig Point Map 1 The Begwyns Trig Point Map 2 The Begwyns Trig Point Map 3

The Begwyns - NT sign

It’s an easy ramble up from the road to The RoundaboutThe Begwyns - Enclosure 1

To the east is the northern end of the Back Mountains – Hay Bluff and TwmpaBlack Mountains from The Begwyns

To the south are the Brecon Beacons, with the summit of Pen-y-Fan in the cloudsThe Begwyns - Brecon Beacons

To the west are distant views towards CarmarthenshireThe Begwyns - Trig Point view W

The Trig Pillar stands at 414m ASL. The first 2 views looks south to the Brecon BeaconsThe Begwyns - Trig Point 1The Begwyns - Trig Point 3

This view looks south east to the southern end of the Black Mountains above CrickhowellThe Begwyns - Trig Point 4

The Trig Pillar and stone-built The Roundabout            The Begwyns - Trig Point & Enclosure

The Trig Pillar taken from inside the RoundaboutThe Begwyns - Trig Point from EnclosureThe Begwyns - Trig Pillar Plate

Within The Roundabout is a stone circle with seats round it, like a medieval meeting placeRoundabout circle

Sadly there’s no view from inside The Roundabout. Here’s the inscribed Millennium StoneRoundabout stone

ST GEORGE, PORTLAND, DORSET: UNUSED BUT NOT UNLOVED

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St George Portland Dorset 1

St George, Portland stands high up on Portland, Dorset. Built from the famed local Portland stone in an unusual mish-mash of styles, it is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, which will at least ensure its survival even if services are no longer regularly  held there. Pevsner calls it “the most impressive c17 church in Dorset”.

St George Portland Dorset 3St George Portland Dorset 2

The church and churchyard contain plenty of reminders of Portland’s past both as a significant stone quarrying area, and as a place of major nautical importance. There can’t be many churches with a memorial for those killed by a press gang.

St George Portland Dorset 4St George Portland Dorset 5St George Portland Dorset 6

The churchyard is rather wild in places and contains some large commemorative statues. We were intrigued by one quite tidy grave (below) and were left wondering about the design – the little roofed gateway, the raised apart in the top right corner. What does that indicate?

St George Portland Dorset 13St George Portland Dorset 14St George Portland Dorset 7

The thick grey walls of St George are typical of the local stone.St George Portland Dorset 10 St George Portland Dorset 11 St George Portland Dorset 12

The unkempt churchyard is a good place for wildlife, with plenty of hunting perches for kestrelsSt George Portland Dorset 8

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A BABY SONGBIRD OUT OF ITS NEST…

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Dorset Spring 17

There’s plenty of advice on this fraught topic to be found on the internet and elsewhere, much of it common sense. I haven’t seen it set out as simply  as in this graphic from the US, leavened with a good dose of humour too. Well, it made me laugh, anyway. I normally put my own stuff on this blog, but occasionally it’s worth making an exception. I have to say that if the answer to the first question is ‘Yes’ and the injury is serious, there may in fact be a need to take more swift and drastic action for the bird’s own sake. That’s another topic, however…

Baby Bird Advice ChartProps to birdandmoon.com;  baby blackbirds in Dorset RH

SPRING IN THE AIR IN DORSET THIS WEEK

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The sun is shining, the birds are twitterpating (©Disney), the trout season has opened. Also, the first swallows arrived on Tuesday, followed by the martins on Wednesday. These birds are already checking out the mud nests under the eaves that remain from last year.Martins' Nest Totnell 4.14

The hedges are suddenly greening up and the grass is beginning to grow fast. The Alpacas, formerly the official lawnmowers for the paddock, have been banished to another field to give the ground a rest. That means resorting to the mechanical method for the first cut of the year.Alpaca Totnell 4.14Paddock Totnell 2014

Some creatures appear to have got Spring fever. The rabbits for a start, who are clearly ‘going at it’ for all they are worth. And the sheep over the road surprised me one evening when I opened the kitchen door (the notice on the gate is good for their self-esteem). Sheep climbing bales Totnell 14

My first fishing of the season yesterday, on the River Piddle (as in Tolpuddle) – very pretty, pretty unproductive…  Today on the River Frome, the swallows were skimming insects off the surface of the water. There were heron and egrets, and a pair of common sandpipers clearly looking for a suitable nesting site. It’s been a great Spring week.Piddle 1 Dorset 4.14 Piddle 2 Dorset 4.14 Piddle 3 Dorset 4.14

The moon and stars have been wonderful all week. There have been plenty of moon photos around, pink or otherwise, but one evening Mars was gleaming brightly too. Only one shot was steady enough to use – at maximum zoom most of the images looked like squiggles.

Full Moon Totnell 14Mars Totnell 14

INSECT (BEE? FLY?) AND A PINK MOON (FOR NICK DRAKE?)

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First of all, what is this insect? (Amelia? Anyone? NOW SEE BELOW FOR ID) I saw a couple in the garden last year but had no camera with me. Today I at least had my phone. I’m sure it’s completely obvious – ‘a sting-snouted lesser hornet’ – but I’d like an authoritative ruling. Additional clue: they can hover.Bee Query Totnell 1 Bee query Totnell 2

Thanks to Jessica of  the excellent blog NATURE IN FOCUS  for ID as a member of the Bombylidae family, with the common name of bee-flies (see comments below). That lead me to the Natural History Museum website, where I found a very similar creature Bombylius major. The wing patterns in particular look much the same.Here’s the NHM image.

Bee Fly Bombylius maj NHM

Secondly, there’s supposed to be a pink moon either tonight at around 3.00 a.m. tomorrow morning; or possibly tomorrow night at 3.00 the next night… It’s caused by a lunar eclipse, expected to last from 2.00 am to 4.30. The pink / red is to do with angle and atmosphere (as with dawn and dusk). Apparently. I tried to photograph the moon last night here in Dorset, where the light pollution is not too bad. It shone with extraordinary brightness and ‘flared’ my attempts. I’ve pinked one up in case I don’t wake up for the real thing…Pink Moon

An opportunity to remember Nick Drake, I think… Here’s the full album for nostalgics – and just the title track to follow.

 

BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL: ARUM LILIES

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The Arum Lilies (Zantedeschia) have just started to unfurl from their green pointy stage, and the flowers are in flawless condition. I took a closer look at the yellow stick in the middle (spadix – I had to google ‘yellow stick in arum lily’).

Arum Lilies SBA 1 Arum Lilies SBA 2 Arum Lilies SBA 3 Arum Lilies SBA 4Arum Lilies SBA 7

Looking down the spadix, the tightly packed nobbles (nodules?) are beginning to open out into strange little mushroomy shapes. I have no idea what’s going on there, except that it is presumably to do with pollination. Strangely, the bees don’t seem attracted to the flower, which may be poisonous to them.Arum Lilies SBA 5 Arum Lilies SBA 6

Spring. Time to reset the sundial to summertime. This armillary (or bow) sundial was made in Dorset, and rests on a chunk of cut cornish Delabole slate. If you are passing the quarry, they have a slate pile from which you can take offcuts.

Sundial SBA 1