Life

Elderflower foraging

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It’s been a good year for elderflowers. On a warm day the sweet smell of the blooms is a treat as you cycle past the hedgerows. In the winter a glass of home made elderflower cordial is a nice taste of summer when its wet and cold outside so it’s nice to make it now before the flowers die off. We headed out on the bicycles and collected a good crop before turning it into a few litres of sweet cordial. To me it feels like bottling summer. We used this recipe from River Cottage.

A trip to Skomer Island

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A trip to Skomer Island last week. I'd not been over to Skomer for a good few years so it was lovely to get the boat over and go and visit some of our feathered neighbours. There's so much wildlife to see on and around the island but at this time of year the puffins are no doubt the main attraction. It's easy to take for granted due to the fact that the island is just a short boat ride away but it really is a special place and going to see the puffins is an incredible wildlife experience. There's not many places on the planet that you can get so close to an animal population and watch them go about their business literally at your feet; wandering around, socialising, greeting partners with a tap of beaks, hunting and returning with a beak full of sand eels and toing and froing from their burrows; it's fascinating and of course they're pretty cute too!

We saw over 20 species on our visit which included common local sightings but also the resident short eared owl which was a treat. The razorbills and guillemots tend to be harder to photograph as they nest in areas that are a little less accessible. Greater black backed gulls watching proceedings from elevated vantage points are a reminder that many of the animals on the island are vulnerable to these predators. They will attack the nocturnal manx shearwaters that nest in their tens of thousands on the island. Also nesting in burrows, they emerge at night and so in the day the only reminder that they are there are the thousands of burrows and the carcasses of those that have been picked off by the gulls.

We were also lucky enough to coincide our visit with the red campion being in full bloom. Having missed the bluebells by a couple of weeks it was lovely that the backdrop to our visit was the bright pink campion and the vibrant green of the young bracken.

Birds in flight

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There’s a local spot I like to sit of an evening. It overlooks the sea looking West towards Solva. Over the years I’ve noticed the gulls that habitually make their way along the coast in the evening. I presume they are heading back to where they spend the night. The small outcrop I sit atop is a speed bump on their way and they will come quite close to the ground as they swoop over the top of my position. Some will fly farther out to sea and skirt around, whilst others will be more inland. It’s always been fascinating to watch their flight and a meditative experience to sit and wonder where they are going or where they have been. I’ve recently been getting used to using a long lens so have been able to get some images of their flight. Here’s a selection of the good ones. Mostly versions of the same shot but they only fly left to right from where I’m standing so apologies!

Technically it’s a tricky endeavor as holding a lens zoomed out to 600mm is tiring and trying to pan with the flight of the birds is a hit and miss exercise. Focusing on a small object moving speedily through the frame is a challenge despite the abilities of a modern camera. I’m learning that there is lots to the art of getting good wildlife images and can only doff my hat to those who capture great images of birds in flight.

Escape to Snowdonia

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It’s been a while since we were allowed to leave the county so it was not only enjoyable but quite a relief to get up to Snowdonia and play in the hills for a few days. We had perfect weather so enjoyed a few good days out on the bikes and also explored some familiar and some new parts of the area. Despite the great weather it was fairly quiet due to the fact that visitors from England are not currently allowed across the border. Up on top of the Glyders, after a scramble up Tryfan, we were treated to amazing views as the clouds parted and we were able to see them swirling and spilling around the peaks and cols.

Playing with collage

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There’s a lot of corvids around at the moment. Just down the road they are making the most of the recent muck spreading on the local fields and are pecking around for minibeasts in amongst the clumps. I always like to see what they are getting up to. One of the most intelligent birds around they are also mischievous and curious and so always worth a watch.

This is an image comprised of 3 layers. Made just for fun really.

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Wolseley 1500 at Llanrhian

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I was on my way to Porthgain the other day to go and try and get some shots of the dramatic clouds I could see out over the sea but as I drove though Llanrhian I couldn’t help stopping and having a quick chat to Rob in his garage there. A Wolseley 1500 was peeking out from between his blue doors and the scene was too good to drive past.