16 Nov 2009 11:45 PM

Chores out of the way, my wife said,  'Why don't you go for a walk,' and I took this to mean that she thought I should be out from under her feet. 

The light was poor but I did not need telling twice and, before long, I was driving towards one of the local nature reserves I like to visit. 

Actually, it was a grim looking day and because the winds were in the wrong direction, I knew that there would not be an influx of migratory birds.  No matter, I would enjoy the walk. 

Has it turned out; I saw a bird I had not seem for some time (A female Scaup.) The duck is a bit like a female tufted duck but its facial markings are much more pronounced and so is the colouration on the face. 

In the poor light, I only saw about 35 species of birds but, while I was sitting in a hide, two men came into the hide and one of the men told me that there had been a controlled shoot on the lake I was looking out over.

The shoot was to try and cull 'Ruddy Ducks' which are supposed to be interbreeding with a rare species of duck in Spain. 

I personally do not favour culling and prefer natural selection.  If it is so important to have culls, why are they not done is Spain?  I ask myself. 

Many years ago, when I was a young man, someone came up with the idea of culling Magpies so I conducted my own survey.  Every year, in winter, 23 Magpies came to a site I was taking particular interest in.  If one bird was killed, another bird took its place and the number 23 remained the same for several years. 

For me, getting to know that culling had taken place, on the site I was watching, it was a sad reflection on all the work, over the years, I had undertaken to try and protect the habitats and wildlife of the country.

By for now,

John. 

Add Comment   |   View Comments (3)

12 Nov 2009 2:13 AM

When I awoke this morning, I looked out of the bedroom windows and saw that there was a thick layer of Haw Frost on the grass in the park so I climbed back into bed and, strangely for me, I went into a deep sleep.  The next thing I knew I was hearing my wife's footsteps on the landing.

I was supposed to be meeting a team of people, at 9.30 a.m. but it was impossible to make the destination on time so I coasted and pulled myself round as I would normally do.  My wife is one of those people, when she awakens she is  up and running but not me; I take ages to pull round.  Having said that, my wife is an 'early bird' to bed and I am not so it works itself out in the end.

Anyway, after a little prompting from my wife, I set off to meet my friends but I did not think I would see them because I would not be able to catch up with them for I was about an hour and a half later than when they would be on their walk.

When I did leave the house, wrapped up in two layers more than I have had to since last winter, I went out in my mountain coat; it is one of those hooded and quilted coats that sub zero conditions allow you to keep warm in. The sky was cloudless and the most beautiful of azures you could wish to see.  By the time I reached my destination, all the ice had melted off the old mill pond and the water was as calm as could be.  The smaller the lake, the quicker it is to freeze over and the larger the lake the quicker it is to thaw.  Of course, that only applies if the cold weather is normal in England.  In some countries, this may not be the case, it all depends on how cold it gets!

To my right, as I stood at the edge of a lake, there was a short jetty made out of recycled car tyres although they looked like wood.  On the fence posts, adjacent to the jetty, they were lined with Black Headed Gulls that had gone there to dry out after their night's water roost.  The gulls, that could not find standing room, remained on the water.

I was on the Eastern side of the lake and the sun was still low in the sky making it difficult for me to see anything on the water.  To one side of me, Canada geese decided to fly off, after sitting on the water, and they were so low, as they passed over me, there was no need to get the binoculars out for I could see their every detail.  It is only this year I learned that Canada Geese stay in family groups.  I have heard them, in the past, calling one another but I had not thought that they could be calling their kin. 

More Canada Geese took to the air, after grazing on the fields, and opportunist Mallards swam to members of the public expecting to be fed.  Joggers, dog walkers and cyclist were on site but, so far, there were no signs of my friends.  In the distance, I could hear the constant droning sound from vehicles going up and down a nearby motorway but the noise did not drown out the sound of the birds calling from the trees.  A Robin, only feet away from me, watched me from a nearby wooden fence

I moved away from the water onto a path that was sticky underfoot.  The path was peppered with decaying slippery leaves that had, from the pounding of many feet, moved from the centre of the path to the edges of the path which created an easy walking route through for me.  Now, on my own, off 'the beat on track,' a noisy Magpies flew from tree to tree in front of me as if trying to draw me away from something.  Blackbirds, along with Blue Tits and Bull Finch, called and I thought I heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker but I could not be sure. 

The further I walked into this particular area, the less light there was to be seen and it felt much colder there. Some of the trees stood in water and looked as though they were dead but they supported green mosses that grew half way up the tree's trunks.  Puddles of partially thawed water were abundant in this part of the wood. In the darkest part of the wood, ice patches still formed like clear 'cling film' over the surface of the water.  By now, my comfortable leather shoes, which I wear for all occasions, were getting soiled, from the thin muddy soil, and would need 'spit and polish'to bring them back to their former glory. 

While I had my head down, taking notes, I became aware of a man slowly coming towards me.  He stopped, I think to rest, and after exchanging greetings, he explained to me that he would love to walk round the mill pond everyday but the steel plates, in his leg after an accident, prevented him from doing that.  In contrast, as I stood on the side of the narrow path when  a young man, I would say in his 20's, thanked me for standing to one side while he jogged past me. 

More walkers came, this time with several dogs that were curious to check out the strange man who was standing at the side of the path taking notes.  One dog, with its prized plastic bottle that was peppered with indentations from the dog's teeth, had decided that the bottle was not going to be given up to anybody that tried to take it from it.  A bird call, I was unsure about, stopped as the bird was flushed out of the tree by three unsuspecting walkers who were enjoying one another's company. 

Moving away from the men, I crossed a small bridge, sometimes used by children after being introduced to 'Poo Sticks' in one of Enid Blighton's story books,  I looked into the clean looking shallow water and saw lots of decaying leaves at the bottom of the stream. 

When taking notes, on this narrow path, it soon became easy for me to judge the speed and distance of walkers who were speaking to one another; as long as they were in a conversation I could time my sideways movement, to stand at the side of the path, long before they came close to me but, after hearing a couple of squelching sounds, made from a cycle tyre going through wet mud, I felt the need to move quicker than normal.  To my surprise, as the cyclist passed me in his bright yellow coat, the cyclist not only thanked me for moving out of his way, he actually called me Sir.  I wonder if he knew something that I did not!  Only joking!

Rounding a corner, leaving the darkened woodland, I came to an open section of wood bathed in sunlight.  To one side of the path, leading up a large field, was a 'wishing gate.' To those of you unfamiliar with the term, 'wishing gate' it is a small gate that is inside a round fenced off area.  The idea is to put the small gate in the central position of the rounded off fence, so that you can just squeeze through.  If you get through without touching anything, you are supposed to make a wish.  From the 'wishing gate,' I walked up the side of a large field that had just had one outside lane turned over by a tractor and furrow implement.  Briefly, I walked into a wood that had muddy and slippery unmade paths.  In this open wood, the light was good and I could see Ivey growing to the top of very tall trees.  Fearing that I may slip and fall on my injured shoulder, I turned on my heels and left the wood. 

Half way down a footpath, with rotting vegetation at one side of me and trees at the other, I had my head down again, making notes, when I became aware of mature voices coming my way.  When the voices drew nearer, I heard the sound of a low and menacing growl from a dog.  I carried on doing what I had started to do until the growling dog was almost by my feet.  At which point, I looked down and saw a young dog, on a lead.  I spoke to the dog and the growling instantly stopped and was replaced by a frantic wagging tail attached to a body that was bending and moving from side to side in excited movement.  The man, in control of the dog, began to laugh and said 'He's trying to see you off.' We all laughed and if the dog had not been on a lead I think it would have jumped up at me and tried to lick my face.  How wonderful for the mature couple to have such a beautiful pet.

By for now,

John.
 

Add Comment   |   View Comments (5)

1 Nov 2009 10:09 PM

My wife and I have been taking a keen interest on what the weather was going to be like for I felt like a walk to see if I could see my first Fieldfare of the year.

My wife's ankle is not good enough to go out walking, we hope it will be better soon, so I said nothing to her about wishing to wanting to put on my outdoor gear to go for a 'battery charge' in the fresh air. 

Instead of going for a walk, I drove her to the shops and when we came home, now with a change in the weather from beautiful clear azure skies to thick cloud build up, she told me that I need not stay indoors just because she could not go out for a walk.  I did not want her to think that I was teetering, almost ready to go out, so I waited for a while before I made my decision.  By the time I was ready to go, the weather had changed and thicker clouds were on the horizon.  Keeping an eye on the weather I 'fished out' another layer of clothing and set off to a reserve I knew I would feel safe.

As soon as I disembarked from the car, I took out a note pad and I had not been walking for long, about two or three minutes, when I saw, without the aid of my trusted binoculars, a beautiful male Bullfinch. The bird stayed, as if posing for me, for about a minute and I kicked myself for not taking my camera with me. 

There were lots of Crows flying around and they were making lots of noises but the calls soon faded away when I walked towards a large lake.  This walk was done easily, for footpaths had been put in, and there were lots of people out walking in front and behind me.

Many of the walkers had dogs with them but some of the exercising people were simply meandering around enjoying the fresh air.

By now, there were more leaves on the ground than there were on the trees but the remaining foliage, shimmering in the light breeze, had beautiful colours of yellow, light ochre and bronze.

On the lake, Black Headed Gulls were diving and mobbing one another and making noisy calls resembling the sounds associated with the seaside.   

The edges of the lake were like a 'millpond' yet the central body of the lake had shallow wave forms of its own and the casual observer could have been forgiven for thinking that there was a 'boom rope' partitioning the water off into two sections. 

Today, there were several ducks on the water that had been absent while they were away breeding.  Widgeon, making a diagnostic one note whistle like call, were there in their hundreds.  Male and female Goosanders were plentiful, and Pochards, Lapwings and Coot were 'cheek by jowl' on the fringes of the lake.  Many of the water fowl were at the far side of the lake and I was unsure if I would be able to get to see any of them due to the weather deteriorating.    I looked round the lake and noted that today, for the first time since the breeding season began, there were so many ducks it was going to be difficult to make an informed estimation of their numbers.  For a while, taking in the scene, I sat on a wooden bench and noted down a few birds.  Cormorants, Great Crested Grebes and Canada Geese seemed to be in every location I looked at. 

On the next seat, close to where I was sitting, a mature couple sat down.  I looked their way but they were too busy setting up their tripod and camera to notice me.  They had not been sitting long when the lady, of the duo, began to cough and the man started to blow his nose.  The couple sounded as though they should have been in bed.  Has it turned out, the birdwatchers only sat for a few minutes and then moved on in the direction of the car park. 

Eventually, I moved on for it was starting to get busy and there seemed to be large groups of people milling round where I was sitting.  I passed a tree lined area and although there were not as many leaves on the trees as there were a couple of weeks ago, I could not see the Blue Tits, Chaffinches and Bullfinches that could be heard.  On the ground, there were still lots of Clovers in flower and there was also the singular yellow flower but, because of the poor condition the flower was in, I could not tell what it was. 

While I had my head down, making a few notes, two birdwatchers passed me, one on either side of me.  One of the men, the smaller of the two, stocky and with his arms at an angle and elbows out,to take up as much room as he could, almost bumped into me as though he thought he had more right to be there than I did. It was obvious to me that he was trying to intimidate me but I had no idea why.  I was not phased by the duo for I have, over many years, met lots of new birdwatchers who think that their new found knowledge makes them feel superior to others.  My set answer to any birder, who thinks like that, is to tell them that the knowledge they have gained, over a couple of years, is simply knowledge that has been forgotten.  I remind them of the times when there was no vehicular transport, when people lived in villages, and when everybody travelled on foot. 

In those days, without an overnight stay, the average person would only usually manage to walk about a 20 mile round trip and they would, through being familiar with everything that was round them and from information handed down from 'father to son', know all the birds, plants and what could be eaten while they were walking. 

This information never goes down well with such types but I would hope the illustration may affect their judgement on what they see rather than what they think they see.  In other words, they may have made a judgement, about me, without knowing anything about me and those thought patterns may cloud their judgement when trying to decide what they had seen when they were out on a field trip.

So that I could make a few more notes, in relative comfort, I walked to the nearest wooden bird watching hide and had the place to myself.  Looking out over the water, I noticed that there were lots of male and female Mallards and Gadwall with their heads tucked under their wings fast asleep.  Dabbling Teal were back on site and Pied Wagtails were in good numbers.  Some Widgeon were in moth eaten plumage and, as they preened, they comically beat the water with their wings as if trying to beat out parasites.  The slapping sound, as they raised and lowered their wings, sounded like humans applauding.  There were a couple of Swans on site, which were still in brown pigments and this suggested to me that they were this year's brood.  The Swans kept well away from human activity and I assumed that they had been reared where humans were absent.  While I was looking at the Swans, a Goldeneye duck swam into my binocular range of view.  Goldeneyes  leave this site, in the breading season, because they nest in holes of mature trees; it is my guess that this site does not have enough mature trees for the Goldeneye duck  hence it moves to another site to breed.  Seeing Goldeneye  ducklings, fall out of a hole in a tree, before finding their way to water for the first time, is a frightening experience to someone who has not seen it happen before.  The young chicks, still in downy feathers, jump out of the tree hole, plummet to the ground, sometimes many feet, with a bump and appear to be dazed by the whole experience but, within no time at all, they pull themselves up and waddle forward to the nearest stretch of water. 

Shovelers were back and held, steadfast, at the side of a new gull roost that already boasted 100s of gulls but, as winter draws on, the roost will multiply 10 fold at least.  At the moment, the gulls are Black Headed and Lesser Black Back. 

While sitting in the hide, the light began to deteriorate and it always looks darker through binoculars no matter how good the quality of the lens is. Two visitors came into the hide but, because all the ducks on the water were spread out, instead of being clumped together, it was difficult for the novice birdwatchers to know what they were trying to look at and the birders soon left the hide. 

Before leaving the hide, now standing, I made a note of the Pied Wagtails nest that was built inside the hide during the breeding season.  Parts of the nest were still intact and I marvelled at the construction from a small bird that is constantly on the move.  Before leaving the hide, with the door ajar, I read the chalked marked notice board to read what other birders had seen that day.  While I was reading, a lone young woman walked into the hide.  At first sight, I was concerned that the young woman would be sitting in the hide on her own but, on second thoughts, I assumed she may have been entering the hide to get the 'all clear' before her partner came along. No matter, I said my salutations and bid her farewell. 

Female birders, when I first began to bird watch, over 30 years ago, were a rare breed for there were not many women prepared to sit, for hours on end, in clothing that was not as warm and waterproof as the gear we wear today, sometimes fighting bracing winds before the advent of hides.  It pleases me now to note that birding is much easier and also, to some extent, safer too. 

It was now getting to the time of day when the sun would drop below the cloud line and this would, if the sun did come out, give me a boost of light that would allow me to stay out a little bit longer.  I walked back, to where I had left the car, and, from bushes close to where I was walking, Robins trilled their winter song notes. 

I moved on, for a quick visit, to another lake but when I heard a 'bull horn,' I instantly knew there would be no birds on this lake due to the Yachting fraternity being out on the water.  Instead, I move on toward a long wide open field that supported a herd of cattle.  I was hoping to see Fieldfare and Redwing hopping around by the feet of the cattle but, no matter how hard I tried, I could only see Magpies.  At the side of this field, there was a wooden style and I proceeded to walk over it but, as I straddled the style-for I was now in a higher plain of view-I stopped in my tracks as I could see 100s of Canada Geese and also some Pink Footed Geese feeding on short grass.  Carefully, and slowly, I put my other foot over the style and crouched, to make myself small, close to a Silver Birch tree.  The heads of the geese went up and I feared they were all going to be spooked by my presence in their feeding area.  I relaxed and found an area, in my body, which gave me freedom of movement yet giving me the quietest way of going about my business. 

I made a few notes and, while I was doing this, a couple of walkers, ignoring the fact that the geese may take to the air when they entered the field the birds were in, they went lunging off up the footpath that was at the side of the field.  To my surprise, the geese lifted their heads and simply waddled away from the walkers; the birds must not have thought there was no threat to them.  Later, while I was still watching the geese, for there were Woodpigeons and male Pheasants along side of the grazing birds, and I could not see why, the whole flock of geese took to the air and did not return. 

I decided it was time to go back to the car for the shadows, in the fields, from a sun that was now very low in the sky, were getting longer and I instantly new that the cold air would soon be too cold for the type of clothing I was wearing. 

On my way back to the car, I noticed, with three other birders, the two men that had tried, unsuccessfully, to intimidate me.  One member, of the party, even though I had my car window closed, made a remark which I construed to be about me.  I suppose, had I been younger, I would have wound the window down and asked if there was a problem but my age told me that it is best to wakl away from  situations that may escalate.

Once driving, I took note of the condition of the leaves, now falling off the trees at a fair pace and piled up at the side of the road's surface, and steered a line so that I did not get too close to the edge of the narrow lane.  The falling leaves were fairly dry and not as slippery as they would have been had they been wet but I needed to give myself a little bit of 'lee way' in case another vehicle came towards me in.  Passing this particular area, without the leaves, is often a cautious drive, and today could, to the inexperienced, have been hazardous. 

Once off the narrow lanes, and onto the open road, I turned the car radio on and learned that tomorrow's weather was going to be in complete contrast to today�s weather and, has it turned out, the weather men had got the forecast 'spot on,' for they said a severe weather warning would be in place and the weather, with lashing rain, strong winds and cold temperatures,  on Sunday, proved too bad to go down the garden let alone go out for a walk with nature in mind.

By for now,

John.
                     

   

Add Comment   |   View Comments (2)

30 Oct 2009 12:07 AM

I am sorry, on this occasion, but I will have to be brief; my son is asking me to come off the computer so that he can get on with his lesson plans.

Having said that, I would like to thank you all for your kind comments.

Since I last wrote a blog, I have been to see too more artists at work.  The first, a man working in oils, who did not use any brushes and the end product was wonderful.

The second artist, used various colour mediums and his work was also good.  The two men, tacking the same subject, in their own way, were both fantastic.

Seeing these men work, in the way they did, has prompted me to have another look at their techniques and see if I can use them in my work. 

It is unfortunate that I cannot use acrylics, the drying agents affect my breathing, but I am now looking at a new paint baised agent and I may have better luck with this paint.

By for now and all my fondest wishes to you all.

John. 

Add Comment   |   View Comments (6)

27 Oct 2009 3:25 AM

In today's art apreciation class, and I hope you will forgive any spelling errors, we were given a lecture about Lutchens the designer of wonderful buildings.

Like many men of his kind, to me a brilliant designer, he did not have the life you and I may call normal.

He was always uneasy about coming from a poor backgound. Never the less, he was aways working on something and loved to draw. Some of his line drawings, of people, are trully wonderful. 

He seemed to get on well with the ladies and one of his friends was Jeekle the plants women.  He knew her well enough to be able to call her 'Bumps but did not marry her.'

When he did marry, I have forgotten who he was married to, his marriage, from the day that he had his honeymoom, did not go well and the couple spent lots of time apart but their letters, and there were lots of them, were intimate and friendly. 

Having said that, Edwin did travel to far flung places when traveling was not an easy thing to do.  He went to India, for 23 years, one year at a time, while helping to design New Delie (I belive the old Delie was eventually pulled down)  and he visited places like Australia. 

For his work on New Delie, he received a knight hood.   

I am reminded, when I learn about such people, that there are some very clever people out there and for us to expect them to live what we would call normal lives is asking too much of them. 

On this occasion, in class, I was unable to take the usual note paper and pencil so I have lost out on much of the wonderful information inparted onto us.

Our speaker, who once taught in universities, always makes his classes very interesting for us.

Next month, and I cannot wait, it is going to be Mackintosh.  You will probably know that this man was a designer of wonderful furniture and building interiors. 

Mackintosh was not an easy man to work with, for he liked all his own way, but, when he went off to form his own company, I am afraid he priced himself out of the market he was keen to get into. 

Isn't it wonderful what you get to know at the U3A  meetings?

You may remember, I know my friend Deva does, about the man who takes us for drawing and he told me, when I was not doing exactly what he had been telling me to do, to 'stick to singing,' well, in the art apreciation class interval when we were learning about Lutchens, several ladies came to have a chat with me.  One lady, who could not draw when she first went to the U3A meetings, said that the same man, who had insulted me, insulted her.  Two more ladies said they had stopped going to his class for they felt intimidated by him.

The thing is, if  he could only understand that what works for one person may not always work for another person, then that  would be fine but, I am afraid to say, if you do not do it his way then it is the wrong way.

Up until I had had my ego dented by the drawing  instructor, I used to draw every day.  Sad to say, it has been a couple of weeks now since I have felt the need to put pencil to paper but I will get back to it soon.

Art, in my view, is a progressive thing that does not stop for there is always something new to learn.  At the moment, for it is a weak spot of mine, I am reading and trying to act upon the "Paint Mixers Bible."  I can do a reasonable drawing and, when I come to try and paint it, I often make an ash of the painting.
Tomorrow, if all goes well, I am going to a demonstration to watch a man paint in oils. 

If there was a medium out there, that did not effect my breathing, when it was being used, then I would use it instead of using water colour. 

For those of you that do not know, water colour painting presents all sorts of problems that acrylic and oils do not.  Water colour paints go on the canvas or 'support' light to dark and it is often thought best not to put more than three coats on top of each other.  I have to say that I have seen many coats of paint applied and the end results still looked good.

Acrylics and oils do not matter so much for darks are usually painted first. 

If you are thinking of doing some drawing, try using a 2b pencil and a 'putty' rubber.  An ordinery rubber often scuffs the surface of the paper you want to use. 

What I have to say to you now may seem crazy but it works.  Before putting your pencil on the paper, try using the hand that you normally do not use.  I am left handed so I would use my right hand.  When you come to use the correct hand, the one you usually use, you will note how freely you pencil strokes are.  This is exactly what you are looking for.

There is, in my view, no right or wrong way to draw but you really do need to learn how to make the pencil strokes fluid isnstead of laboured. 

One method I use, depending on how I feel at the time, is to draw as lightly as is possible, so that I can see my lines, and, when I have finished honing in on the finished work, I can begin to darken the lines with stronger strokes and shading.

Some people swear by cross hatching /// \\\\, you could say it is a way of putting the two lines, I have shown here, on top of each other.

You will find, on some occasions, that your drawing skills are far better one day than they are the next, it is just how it goes. 

Last year, just for the experience, I decided to take my drawing pad down into the woods.  I was early and expected having the wood to myself.

There was still dew in the air, the pine trees let off a wonderful sticky sweet smell, the sun had still to get up out of the sky and there were shadows everywhere. 

There was a slight breeze and I soon learned that elastic bands would always have to be carried, to keep my pages in place. On this occasion, I had taken several pencils with me and a good job too for I had forgotten to take a pencil sharpener. 

I used the trees as supports and I also tried sitting on old logs.  The peace, quiet and tranquility of the wood was wonderful and, for the first time, I gained lots of inspiration from the feeling I received in the wood.

To my surprise, when I had been drawing for some time, and out of know where, a young women came through one of the darkest parts of he wood.  She was using a mobile phone and had two wonderful dogs with her.  When she reached the spot where I was standing, she stopped talking, on the mobile, and passed the time of day with me as though she had known me for years.

Later, that same morning, a young man, walking his dog, again coming from know where, came to have a chat with me about my drawings. 

Looking back to those times, for it was a summer's morning when I went to the woods to draw, it seems a long time away for autumnal days are here and they are unpredictable. 

I suppose I aught to go down in the woods now that the leaves are falling.

By for now,

John.               

Add Comment   |   View Comments (4)