Sunrise

Nice Sunrise this morning. Normally I aim to take photos as we return from our early morning walkies but often end up missing it as the Sun has appeared above the horizon and the sky is washed out. Today I took a few shots with the iPhone4 using Camera+ as we set off.

The best one:



The same shot tweaked using Photomatrix Pro v4.1  ....



.... which is much nearer to what I could actually see.


The clouds were not the only orange objects in the sky. I was taken by surprise when I heard what I thought was a group of geese approaching while I was getting ready. Once they were near enough to make out what was making the loud honking noises I could see a group of five white swans whose bodies were glowing orange in the low Sunlight. Needless to say the camera wasn't at hand!

Friday at the Flicks - A Mouse and a Hedgehog

The mouse which lives under the Summerhouse makes many visits day and night to the Hedgehog House. As we approach Winter the Hedgehog visits are less frequent. Some nights with no activity so there are usually plenty of crushed unsalted peanut pieces left in the House.

In the first part of the video the mouse is eating when it obviously hears something, stops, listens, wiggles its ears a bit and sniffs the air before making a rapid dash for home.

Much later a Hedgehog makes a visit to get its share of the food:




Missed Photo Opportunity.

Out walkies about 7 a.m. this morning. As we approached one bungalow which backs on to a field I spotted what at first I thought was a dull brown cat with a bushy tail in the front garden. When it moved I could see was it was a fox. The first time I have seen one in the village for years. Unfortunately it spotted us and beat a hasty retreat. At the same time a couple of Wood Pigeons flew up from the garden so I guess the fox was looking for breakfast. As it moved Penny saw it and was straining at the leash to give chase. Once we drew level with the garden she stopped and spent ages just sniffing the air, probably working out what it was. I have no idea whether she had seen a fox before but as far as she was concerned it was smaller than her, furry and ideal for a bit of hunting activity.

Poplars

Along one side of the village cricket field is a line of Poplar trees. Many places seem to use these as wind breaks. There are several local farms where they have been planted round the dwellings, especially on flat open land where there is nothing else to break up the wind as it howls across the landscape.

I usually photograph the line of Poplars 'face on' but yesterday decided to try 'end on':



and closer views for a change:







Although they grow virtually straight up to a fair old height (50 to 165 feet) they are able to withstand gale force winds as the wood is very flexible. These are a member of the Willow family and like the weeping willow have extensive root systems and are not really suitable as a tree for small gardens.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

Lots of correct guesses for last week's mystery photo. Congratulations and the virtual gold star to TexWisGirl, Sue Garrett, Glo, Ragged Robin, Bonnie and Adrian who worked out it is an owl lurking behind all that distortion. In fact a cast concrete owl:







This week we are back to a closer view of an object.
Guess What:


Clue: I don't think any owls will be amongst its visitors.

No prizes. Just for fun.
Answer will be revealed next Monday along with any guesses left in the comments.


Stormy Weather.
Once again the news media reports very bad weather in the South of England as though all of Britain was deluged and blasted by stormy winds. Then, when did any media let the whole truth get in the way of attracting readers.

Although my part of the country was forecast to have gale force gusts this morning along with heavy rain the highest gust recorded here was around 15mph. Yesterday was worse before the storm reached us. Up to 36mph gusts were recorded. They did get the timing of the rain, if not the quantity, correct. Started about 4 a.m. and cleared soon after 11 a.m. and dumped all of 0.75 inches (19mm) in that time.

Lacewing

Just locking up the shed when this Green Lacewing crash landed next to me:

 

These are most welcome insects to have around any garden. They lay up to 20 eggs a day in the Spring. Each larvae can eat up to 50 aphids a day. They will also eat other insect pests such as thrips and red spider mite. The adults live on nectar, pollen and honeydew.

Friday at the Flicks - Feeding the Youngster

Several juvenile Wood Pigeons visiting recently - as if there weren't enough of them about already. This morning I spotted an adult feeding a juvenile:




Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Macro on Monday - Guess What

Last week's close up did resemble a bottle brush but only Sue Garrett came up with the correct identification thus gaining my congratulations and the virtual gold star. Yes, it is a brush with a long handle so that cobwebs can be easily cleared from ceilings. My thanks to all who had a go.


    



On to the new mystery photo. In fact three doctored photos of the same object. Not a macro this time but the full thing.

Guess What:



Clue: Do I want t'woo you?

No prizes. Just for fun.
All answers left in the comments, along with the answer will be revealed next Monday.