Originally Mid-June, 2014 and the day before my daughter returned to the USA to reunite with her Californian boyfriend and attend his UC College graduation ceremony. Then, basically, it will be the two of them spending the next six weeks visiting, revisiting and exploring several of the more westerly and south-westerly States, including yet more of California’s west coast and its State Park plus sizeable portions of Nevada, Arizona and Utah….Not to mention a carefully planned 350…

Note the partially dislocated lower beak….Doubtless, excruciatingly painful and, ultimately, a death sentence for this unfortunate little bird.

That’s not fog, mist or low cloud in the background by the way, but sheet after sheet of rain!

….Soon to be renamed Raindrops !

Better known as insect eaters, Wagtails are often forced to visit garden bird tables to find alternative foodstuffs during extreme weather and with the British version of so-called ‘blizzard conditions’ currently gripping the Cotswolds, I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see this little fella filling up on seed-mix at the tables in my garden first thing this morning (18th January).

When Arthritis Attacks! Ernie is getting old and suffers badly with arthritis. He can barely manage to hobble a few excruciatingly painful steps these days before collapsing to the ground, but he struggles on, determined to make the best of it. “The poor thing should be put out of its misery” people say, but the thing is, Ernie still enjoys life and continues to defy the odds each year by doing his bit to help maintain Swan population levels….He’s sired no fewer than…

Ernie and I share a little bit of history (I rescued him many years ago after he was savaged by someone’s pet dog and managed to get him all fixed up….except that he was left with a fairly debilitating limp and it’s the damage caused to his leg in the dog incident which has now developed the arthritis.

….but apparently none down in the towns at all.

Silver river running silent

….of being a Labrador unless you can get muddy every day?

I only rarely do this sort of thing these days, but I did have an offer recently to produce a set of thirteen similarly rendered ‘broad spectrum’ (whatever that means) Cotswold scenes for use in a themed calendar. I politely declined, but I did have an offer recently to produce a set of thirteen similarly rendered ‘broad spectrum’ (whatever that means) Cotswold scenes for use in a themed calendar. I politely declined similarly rendered ‘broad spectrum’…

….and calculating overall numbers, determining gender ratios, establishing behaviour patterns and identifying territorial boundaries is the key to doing exactly that in the most effective way possible.

The current residents and regular visitors to this area, by the way, include two pairs of Heron, a couple of breeding pairs of Kestrel and Sparrowhawk, a pair of frequenting Peregrine Falcon, three species of Owl, several Snipe, a variety of seasonal Waders, countless Buntings, Twite, Yellowhammer and other Finch-type birds, breeding pairs of Kestrel and Sparrowhawk, a pair of frequenting Peregrine Falcon, three species of Owl, several several Snipe, a variety of seasonal Waders, countless…

As I understand it, the planning and development people (see also dumb-a*sed, greedy, self-serving sh**s) have decided to build at least two hundred affordable homes across these fields over the next five years! Well, I guess the best of them will at least look very nice featured on the cover of the sales brochures silhouetted by a lovely winter sunset just like this one….though probably with the hapless home-owners taking in the view from their brand-new affordable rooftops!