Lesser black-backed gull v Raven

The recent post of the lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) reminded me of a photograph I took last year of this species. It was unusual because in the frame there was also a raven (Corvus corax). The two birds were scavenging for morsels of food that people had dropped at a Forestry England visitor centre in the Forest of Dean. Whilst they were strutting about in search of delicacies they were clearly keeping a very close eye on each other. As I watched them I was reminded of two wild west gunfighters, each acutely aware of the other, but pretending otherwise.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Saxifrage

Growing up in the Yorkshire Dales I became quite familiar with saxifrage once my interest in wild flowers had been kindled by a primary school teacher. A particular favourite was the purple saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) that grew among the outcropping limestone. Consequently it only seemed natural that when I came to choose plants for the garden I should be drawn to the cultivated saxifrages. Our current garden has a pink saxifrage that has just come into flower and which will be brightening that area of planting for the next several weeks.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Lesser black-backed gull

As a young bird watcher, barely into my teens, I remember thinking it remarkable that there could be a gull that lived its life without seeing the sea. Yet it isn't inconceivable that a lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) might do just that. During the 1960s I remember seeing Britain's largest colony of lesser black- backed gulls nesting on Walney Island on the edge of the Irish Sea. A little later I also saw a nesting colony on the high moorland of the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire. Today the bird can also be found nesting on the roofs of town and city buildings. The bird in the photograph was a solitary individual that had alighted on a large woodland pond in the Forest of Dean.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Goat Willow catkins

Along the River Wye in Herefordshire the goat willow (Salix caprea) are displaying their catkins. Many species of trees have flowers in the form of catkins including hazel, alder, silver birch, white poplar and walnut, as well as willow. The goat willow is also known as the great sallow and pussy willow. The trees growing by the Wye provides a useful service by anchoring the bank and slowing its erosion. In the past it was known for its medicinal value in reducing fever, acting as a pain killer and for its anti-inflammatory properties. It was also a source of charcoal, particularly for use by artists.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Holy Trinity, Tewkesbury

The church of Holy Trinity, Tewkesbury, was consecrated on 30th August 1837, a couple of months after the succession of Queen Victoria in June of that year. The architect was Ebenezer Trotman, son of Daniel Trotman, Tewkesbury's Baptist minister. The brick building with stone dressing takes Gothic forms and assembles them in quite novel ways, especially on the west front (seen above). A west door is traditional but doors in the flanking aisles are not. A large west window is also traditional but here the arch does not contain tracery or glass but opens onto a recessed blank wall with a clock: church clocks are usually on a tower The narrow, symmetrical composition of the west front is placed opposite a street that leads to the High Street and is an eyecatcher visible to anyone passing by.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

St Mary's Lane, Tewkesbury

The Gloucestershire town of Tewkesbury has more than 380 Listed Buildings, that is to say, old buildings subject to legislation regarding how they may be modified. The purpose of Listing is to preserve notable examples of of our built past. Many of Tewkesbury's Listed Buildings are timber-framed. On a recent visit we walked down St Mary's Lane and came upon this view as we were about to exit on to Church Street. The combination of aged timber, old brickwork, painted wood and plaster, and the fact that none of it had been insensitively restored, gave us something of a feel for how that thoroughfare might have looked five hundred years ago.

And what do you see when you walk out of the end of St Mary's Lane?A fine collection of old buildings each one pretty much built with no regard for its neighbour. And none the worse for that.

 photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Jackdaw

The first syllable of the name of the jackdaw (Corvus monedula) is onomatopoeic, being akin to the bird's call that is frequently transcribed as "tchack". The second syllable, "daw" is the old (at least fifteenth century) name for black, crow family members, especially the jackdaw, and also given on the basis of their "cawing" call. English church towers and spires, offering the cliff-like nesting sites favoured by jackdaws, are locations where the bird is often found. The jackdaw in the photograph was at the very top of a churchyard yew tree a few yards from the church tower.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon P900

Motorcycle reflections

The onset of spring brings with it sounds that are less frequent in winter and that will increase in volume and frequency as the weather gets warmer. I'm not referring to bird song, but rather, to motorcycles. I get the impression that today a majority of motorcyclists choose that form of transport as a hobby or past-time rather than a means of transport. It's my further impression that this is a pursuit mainly of older men who not only love to burnish their steed but also like to increase the volume of sound that it makes. Walking through a carpark recently I passed a large motorcycle with a glossy sheen that proclaimed its owner's passion, and I took this photograph of the gleaming metalwork and my reflection.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Illustrated front doors, Tewkesbury

On the basis of a couple of recent walks around Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire I have come to the conclusion that the fashion for painting an illustration on your front door is spreading. The leftmost door above has, to my recollection, been painted for a couple of years. However, the rightmost appears to be recent - or at least I haven't noticed it before. On the day I photographed these two doors I saw another newly painted example featuring a couple of silhouetted giraffes against an orange sky. Is this a local phenomenon or is it country-wide? Or even world-wide?

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Cyclamen flowers

Over the winter months a few pots of cyclamens have brightened our conservatory. Though they look like delicate plants they actually thrive in lower temperatures. Now, with the days lengthening, the sun higher in the sky, and other colours coming into view in the garden, I set out to photograph the pink flowers against their multicoloured backdrop. A macro lens with a shallow depth of field achieved the somewhat "dreamy" image that I sought.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10