Card surprise

I found some photos the other day. I must admit I’d forgotten I’d taken them. Shot at the end of last year before lock-down. A beautiful Twite.

Bug’s life

You just can’t keep these Americans away! This Western Conifer Seed Bug, a native of the USA, stormed the inner sanctum of our house the other week through an open window.

These things arrived in Europe during 1999 and the UK in 2008. Since then they have become widespread. Not particularly handsome, but quite a large bug-eyed chap.

Back North

The sound of Pinkfooted Geese always draw me to the window. This flock was one of many heading out over the sea last week. They are already making their way back North.

Hope

It’s no coincidence that the Blue Whale, hanging from the roof of the Hintze hall at the Natural History Museum, is named ‘Hope’. Hope is a feeling of expectation and longing. The largest creature ever to have lived deserves a name that captures the emotion of desire.

Tania and I were on our exercise walk at the weekend and just outside we came across these Snowdrops pushing up through cold dark soil and leaf litter. A sign of Spring.

I hope you are keeping well in these dark days. I hope you, and you family, are safe and well. I hope beyond hope that you know better days are ahead. Spring and better days are on their way.

Reminiscing

Over the New Year period, being in Tier 4 Norfolk and therefore restricted to home has given me time to think and reminisce.

I have been following the reports of Fin and Humpback Whales around the Isles of Scilly this last week with interest. I would so like to have been there. Sightings of whales were coming in thick and fast. It’s difficult to tell how many of each species were present but on one particular day there appeared to be nine animals around the islands. This is purely speculative on my part of course as some of the sightings may have been double counted and remember I am 400 miles away. In time when records are examined by the more than competent guys on the ground a truer number will be agreed.

The whole event took me back to some occasions in the past when I’ve been surrounded by whales myself. One came to mind. In the bay of Funday 2016 I remember thinking I could have walked out on the Humpbacks that were gathering in the mist around the boat. Later on in the same week a pod of Fin Whales came at the boat. Let’s just think about that for a moment. Each whale around 20 meters long and weighing about 47,000 kg. moving at 20 knots, making a bow wave and coming straight towards where I’m stood on the deck of a 60 foot cruiser one and a half metres above the waterline. There were around ten of them. That’s close to half a million kilograms of flesh coming straight at the boat. You get the picture. As they neared the beam they slipped under the keel and were away. Their wash dragging the boat sideways. A heart stopping moment. Wonderful, wonderful animals.

Some of the Fin Whales in the bay of Fundy – that’s the problem with telephoto lenses … they don’t fit everything in.

Humpbacks in the mist bay of Fundy