A WINTER BUZZARD ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT
We saw this buzzard in a tree by the ramparts of Carisbrooke Castle from some distance away. Believing it would fly away at any moment, I started to take photos every few paces as we approached the tree. It stayed put, watching us carefully. I ended up with a batch of photos that improved as we got nearer the bird. Finally I got the one I wanted, with the sun just right. Thank goodness for digital cameras and the delete button for the earlier attempts… 
FROST CRYSTALS ON DIFFERENT PLANT SURFACES – BAY, BRAMBLE, GRASS – & A POST IN DORSET
BOMBUS LUCORUM (WHITE-TAILED BUMBLE BEE)
BOMBUS PASCUORUM (COMMON CARDER BEE)
At 8.5 – 9.5 cms, Britain’s smallest bird, fractionally smaller than the Firecrest. They are part resident, part migratory but I’ve only ever seen them in winter. The last time was in our garden about 3 years ago. Then, yesterday, I saw a pair on some silver birches while I was watching a group of long-tailed tits. I managed to rush in, grab a camera, and re-locate them by their distinctive high piping call.
They move fast, and are one of the few birds apart from hummingbirds that can (briefly) hover while feeding – though I have seen robins manage this at a feeder. They were back today, in heavy rain. My photos below are the best of the bunch from yesterday – they never stopped flicking around a viburnum. Let’s hope I have another chance…
PEACEFUL COWS ON MOTTISTONE DOWN, IOW
These cows were clustered close to the neolithic Long Stone in the November sunshine
MOTTISTONE NEOLITHIC LONG STONE, ISLE OF WIGHT
This hilltop is believed to have been a place of burial. The stones are about 6000 years old, but are not in their original position. In later times – for example, the Saxon era – this was a meeting place, possibly a court (cf Witanagemot). The village name, Mottistone, derives from ‘Mooting Stone’.
SUNDIALS ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT
On a recent impromptu visit to the Isle of Wight, we came across a number of sundials. Sadly we didn’t go to Brading, so we missed the annelematic sundial and the unusual ‘public’ sundial there. On the other hand, I did get to see the Mary Watts ‘Arts & Crafts’ sundial at Tennyson’s former home Farringford (now a hotel in the process of renovation), of which more below…
1. A CHURCHYARD SUNDIAL AT GODSHILL
2. TWO SUNDIALS AT A PRIVATE HOUSE NEAR SHORWELL
This sundial was in an overgrown sunken garden. I used my phone on a dull rainy day – hence the image quality…
3. THE MARY WATTS ‘ARTS & CRAFTS’ SUNDIAL AT FARRINGFORD
Among Tennyson’s coterie of friends and regular visitors to Farringford were painter G.F.Watts and his wife Mary. You’ll find all you need – or (probably) want – to know about them here WATTS GALLERY COMPTON. Having seen this pedestal in real life, my completely amateur view is that a suggestion that our own sundial (unearthed by me as a child from a pigsty at my home) is a Watts pedestal is unlikely to be correct. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed by this one: very much Compton style, but not to my taste (if one is allowed to say that…). The lettering is incised, whereas on mine it is embossed (I’m not sure MW used that technique). So although mine has an authentic Liberty plate, the ID of the commissioned pedestal maker remains a mystery – probably lost through the standard Liberty practice of failing to credit their artists or to retain records of their commissioned work. To see the ‘Pigsty Sundial’ and examples of sundials at the Watts Gallery, click SUNDIALS and scroll down through the gallery.
FOR COMPARISON: THE ‘PIGSTY’ SUNDIAL – PEDESTAL AND GNOMONLESS LIBERTY DIAL
Photos taken on a bright November morning, with the sun high after a frosty night
ROLLING HARBOUR GALLERY 