Monday, March 27, 2006

Daft about daffs


daffodils
Originally uploaded by wherethewolvesare.
The daffs are out good and proper now, it must be spring! I'm not really too bothered about individual daffodils, although I do like the miniature tete-a-tete variety, if that's how you spell it. This said, daffs do put on an impressive show just when you need it, when it feels like it's been winter forever and spring seems to have been just round the corner for almost as long. It's like coming up for air.

I'm interested in the phenomena caused by microclimates, and I think that daffodils are one of these. As you'd expect, daffs in the city (on roundabouts, etc.) were out before those in more countrified areas but I've noticed that daffs on east facing verges are out before west facing ones, virtually without exception. Also, the difference between daffs on north and south facing verges, which I thought would be easier to explain, is much more variable. Anyone got any ideas?

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Morning flight


geese
Originally uploaded by wherethewolvesare.
As I drove to work on Monday morning, I'd just set off when these five Canada geese flew over.

This is just the sort of thing that lifts my spirits.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Cruelty

I copied this sketch from a drawing by Dave Nurney in ‘Birds in England’, about the state of the wild bird populations in England. I hope that by crediting the original I’m not breaking too many copyright laws, I wouldn’t normally copy a picture to put here on my blog, but I just found this such a striking image. Especially so in the week after reading ‘Peak Malpractice’, a report by the RSPB on the persecution, and resultant lack, of birds of prey in the northern part of the Peak District (Dark Peak), a place particularly close to my heart.

It brought to mind this quote, which I suppose could apply to so many other injustices as well:

Cruelty must be whitewashed by a moral excuse, and pretence of reluctance.
- George Bernard Shaw

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Greedy Greeny


greenfinch
Originally uploaded by wherethewolvesare.
Greenfinches are just plain greedy. They park themselves on the feeders and proceed to empty them virtually single-handed or should that be single-beaked. They drive off the other garden birds to get a bigger share. Oh yes, and they won’t win any prizes for singing either. Don’t you just love ‘em? I do…really!

Being such conspicuous birds, you’d think they’d be easy to draw but I find them so difficult. I struggle to capture that sort of scowling look they have around the eyes and the bullish head and neck shape. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve tried and failed. This weekend I persevered, and I know the Tate Gallery won’t exactly be knocking on my door, but I feel that this is my best effort to date.

What’s funny is that although I drew from life, just looking out the back window at the feeders, I got so engrossed in scribbling and splashing paint about, that I didn’t notice what a field guide pose I’d drawn. This is a rather to frequent occurrence, I think I must have spent so much time looking at field guides that my subconscious wants all bird pictures to have all of the identifiable features of the species.

Next project – abstract greenfinch in flight. Watch this space.

Friday, March 10, 2006

TGI Friday

Thank goodness it's the weekend. These sketches are of a couple of points along my drive home. They're both on my favourite part of my drive, once you get out of the Leeds conurbation and less than 10 minutes from home.

In the last month, red kite, kestrel, lapwing, grey heron, grey partridge and pied wagtail have been the most notable birds I've seen on this part of my journey. Quite a diverse little group.

Diversity not improved by a housing development being built on farmland, on the edge of Scholes which is nearby. I know people need houses but there are so many less pleasant places that could do with some quality housing built on them. I just hope they appreciate the view.

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Fly a kite

It snowed in Leeds yesterday. By our recent standards there was loads of it - about half an inch! Nowhere near enough to cause any problems (or to build a decent snowman) but just enough to cover the ground and make everywhere look very pretty.

As a result, this morning we drove to Otley through Wharfedale, in order to admire the snowy scenery. The drive out was very impressive, Christmas card views, but the sun was so strong that by the time we drove home, the only surviving snow was on north facing slopes and in the shadows of hedgerows and walls. Nevertheless, the warm sun had obviously created some thermals and the journey was made remarkable by the eight red kites riding the aforementioned thermals, within a 2 mile stretch of road.

Wharfedale is a good spot for red kite because nearby Harewood House was the site of a recent release scheme to re-introduce red kites back into Yorkshire. None of the birds I saw had wing tags, so were either long-surviving birds from the scheme or the offspring of the released birds. Anyway, my eight wasn't a bad count but the warden once reliably informed me that his personal best was an amazing twenty seven birds, all in flight together over one of the winter roosts. Wow.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Tag - you're it!


I’ve been tagged by Bonny, so, for what it’s worth, here are my answers:

4 jobs I’ve had:
Market trader’s gofer – I spent more time in the betting shop, placing his bets, than I did doing any serious work.
Sweeping up dust in a brick yard – that was a thankless task.
Postman – I hated the early mornings, but looking back it was good practice for parenthood.
Science teacher for the last 14 years.

4 movies I like watching:
The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Great Escape, Zulu and Mr Forbush & the Penguins (bar the last one - a bit of a blokey selection, I know).

4 places I’ve lived: (all in the UK)
Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.
Wolverhampton.
Nottingham.
Leeds, of course, in God’s own county – Yorkshire.

4 TV shows I like:
Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (coz I am one), Match of the Day, Countdown (sorry) and anything with wildlife in it (although I’m still waiting for someone to make a life history of the lapwing).

4 places I’ve vacationed:
Iceland, I slept through the best northern lights show in years, more than made up for by seeing Geysir and Strokkur and swimming in the blue lagoon - amazing.
Mallorca, I could sit all day just watching the oranges grow.
Isle of Mull, eagle and otter heaven, and seeing a corncrake for the first time was unbelievable.
North Norfolk, I love wild geese and this is my favourite place to see them.

4 dishes I like eating:
anything in a casserole, keema bhuna, pancakes with sugar (I wrote this on pancake day) and chicken from Nando’s.

4 Sites I like visiting:
Fire Star Arts, Middle of Nowhere (these first 2 aren’t in my favourite blogs list yet but will be when I get my finger out), Wild West Yorkshire, and the BBC’s cricket page (I couldn’t survive work without being able to get the latest England cricket score).

4 Places I would rather be now:
Anglesey.
Blacktoft Sands RSPB Reserve.
Filey.
Out in the garden, the sketch above is another sanitised view of part of our garden, in reality it needs a bit of my attention.
(Anywhere peaceful really).

4 Bloggers I am tagging:
Cindy, Nicky, Zephyr and Alice (that should cover the four corners of the globe).

Well, that was that. I quite enjoyed that, thanks Bonny.