A Cloudy Dog

Funny how the brain tries to make sense of random things. I was gazing out of the kitchen window and watching the clouds:

 

One particular formation immediately made me think of a dog lolloping along with its floppy ears bouncing and its bushy tail blowing in the wind.



By the time I got round to photographing it the shape was already breaking up.

This morning while I was processing the files I could see the dog but this time it has a cat riding on its back.



The above should give an insight of my peculiar imaginative processes. Oh dear. Does that mean I need a larger or smaller allowance of vino?

Friday at the Flicks - Woodpecker - Thrush - Young Great Tit

It has been a better week for taking some new video clips. First is the unexpected visit from a Great Spotted Woodpecker helping itself to the peanuts.



On the same morning there was a rare visit to the back garden from a Song Thrush hunting for and finding a snail. Behind the wood is gravel which the thrush is using as its anvil to crack open the snail's shell.



Finally from earlier in the week a young Great Tit on a peanut feeder.



Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Rare Visitor to My Garden

Do you believer in coincidences? Only this week I was looking at Shirl's great photos and video of a Great Spotted Woodpecker family and thinking I have only seen one once in my garden and that was a very brief visit. Early this morning you could have knocked me down with a feather. There on the peanut feeder near the end of the garden was my very own Great Spotted Woodpecker visitor:





Hopefully I also managed to get some video of it. Talk about luck - by the time I had finished the photo session both cameras were flashing warnings that the batteries were nearly exhausted.

That Yellow Flower + Pest Control

Last week I showed a short video of a flower for you to identify:



ImaBurdie and Matron correctly said it was a Buddleia ; Jan and Keith gave the full description as it was from my Buddleia Globosa bush. Well done to you all.




This afternoon I have a pest control gent coming to eradicate a wasp nest in the back garden. I wouldn't worry too much if it was in the hedge or a tree but this nest is down at ground level where it would be possible for Penny to disturb it.

Early this year I bought a frog shelter which I installed next to the garden pond:



Yesterday I though I would have a look to see if anything was making use of it - frog, newt or possibly to get my first glimpse of a slow worm. Fortunately I approached slowly as the first thing I saw was a constant stream of wasps flying in and out.

 

The shelter is now surrounded by grass and occasionally Penny likes to chew the odd piece so the quicker the wasps are consigned to their after-life the better. Needless to say the above photo wasn't taken close up with the Lumix but from a distance with a zoom lens on the 50D!


Teatime:

Simon from East Lincs Pest Control, Louth getting ready and carrying out the deed:

     

Surprise, Surprise

No. Not a visit from Cilla Black!  Penny and I went out for a last look round the back garden just before bedtime. After her usual check of the regular places where the Hedgehog roams she wandered down the gap between the shed and the greenhouse. She smelt something and went to investigate what looked at first like a large black slug. As she bend down to sniff it I don't know who was more surprised.



It turned out to be a small dark coloured Common Frog which leapt out of the way making Penny jump back. Being the brave hound she is she avoided using that path for the rest of the evening in case the 'savage beast' should try to attack her.



I couldn't stop laughing which further hurt her pride.

Louth Navigation

This morning we actually had blue sky, white clouds and sunshine so it was the ideal time for some fresh air and a change of scenery.

The old Louth Navigation Canal is often just referred to as the Louth Navigation.  It must be well over ten years since I last took a stroll alongside what remains of the canal. It is not navigable as there are no longer any locks. Their sites have been turned into weirs. The route of the canal runs from Louth, in Lincolnshire, to Tetney  on the coast where it meets the North Sea. We had a grand hour or more walking a short section.

This was the first time I had started at the start. In the past I have parked in a lay-by and joined the towpath / footpath somewhere along its route. There is parking by the Navigation Warehouse ......

 (Google Earth view on the iPad:)
 


 


.... and a short walk down the nearby road leads to the canal footpath by the site of the Town Lock which now houses a tilting weir so that the flow of water away from the town can be controlled.

 




The first section of the walk is close to the edge of the built up area and has many lifebelt stations in case of emergencies as the canal level is well below the footpath and steep sloping unfenced edges are a trap for the over adventurous. It is so nice in these days of 'elf and safety' to have uncluttered views.

 

Not a lot to be seen on the wildlife front. Near the edge of town was a large group of ducks though not a single youngster to be seen.
 
 

There are other areas nearer the centre of Louth where most congregate so maybe they breed in that area.

One lonesome Water Hen



Plenty of wild plants to be seen including bindweed ....



.... what looked like giant rhubarb plants
Thanks Jan for the ID - Burdock - reminded me of the Dandelion and Burdock drink I adored as a nipper.



.... plus  ????? .....
Thanks Jan for the ID - Himalayan Balsam



.... and a lonesome poppy.



Penny was having the time of her life  investigating everything she could reach though she remained on her lead. It was good training for her as we met many other people walking their dogs.

 

 

She was as good as gold saying hello to those which were friendly and staying out of the way of those which appeared more fractious. We met one other greyhound and owner and chatted for a while before continuing on our way.

 

All in all it was a very pleasant walk. Hard to believe that only a few yards to our right was a line of houses. Every one we met said hello - such a friendly atmosphere - we will no doubt visit again in the not too distant future.

 



We kept going until we reached the site of the next lock (Keddington Lock) which is no more though the brick pillars which supported the lock gates can be seen either side of the weir.





At which point we about turned and retraced our path back to the Navigation Warehouse.



A bit of video of the two weirs seen on our outing.



Although the water seems to be fast flowing the canal itself appeared slow moving and the water was murky with soil being washed down by recent heavy rainfall.

The Louth Navigation Canal is looked after by the Louth Navigation Trust whose official site can be visited HERE.

Sunset

About the only thing which brightens up this long period of dull, cool, dreary weather is the occasional colourful sunset like this one spotted on Thursday night.



Taken with the TZ7 using the sunset setting which brings out the colours. A standard setting usually ends up with washed out colours. Apart from cropping no modification was made to the original photo.