Gilbert the Good

 

Gilbert the Good – special!

It’s a special day today. It’s my birthday and I’m three years old.

 I’ve had a smashing day. I went for a splendid walk in the woods (it’s actually part of Swinley Forest) Well, I do that every day, I know, but Roxy and I went in the comfortable car today because there’s something wrong with the dog box. The air bag warning light has come on, and the speedometer and other lights aren’t working. It’s at the garage now.

Anyway, Roxy and I had lots of swimming in lots of ponds. We met some other dogs and played with them, too. It was a really excellent walk and lots of people wished me a happy birthday, so I feel very cheerful.

I’m tired now, but it’s the sort of tiredness that comes from having lots of fresh air and exercise, when my lungs have worked hard and my muscles have stretched. You may be sure that if I were invited to go for another walk right this minute, I’d be only too delighted.

Supper to look forward to now.

                                            Roll on tomorrow!

TTFN

 

Gilbert

Early August in the forest

Early August in the forest

Bill junior is lighter in colour than his father

Bill and Beatrice Crow daily demand their biscuits. Bill is still the more confident bird and comes down from the tree immediately he spots that a biscuit has been thrown for him. The two young have been reduced to one, a very noisy and insistent bird that follows Bill to the ground, not to pick up the food but to squawk to be fed. Bill flies off and the youngster follows.

Frodo, Buster, Tia, Foxy, Janice, Gus, Bertie, Jenna

We decided to visit some of the ponds we’ve seen from a distance. Since the fire of May 2011 that destroyed so many trees the Forestry Commission has worked hard to clear and replant, helped by local volunteers. 

Buster, Bertie, Gus

New ponds have been dug and are full at the moment, a magnet for water-loving dogs.

In the distance you can see the Tuley tubes, protective tree sleeves to defend young saplings from foraging herbivores. They also accelerate growth because they act as a miniature greenhouse and channel growth into the main stem and roots. 60000 trees have been planted and are growing strongly.

Gatekeeper or Hedge Brown (Pyronia tithonus)

On our way back from our walk yesterday Barry spotted this butterfly. It is a Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) or Hedge Brown and flies from mid-July to the end of August. It is common and widespread in the southern half of Britain and is gradually increasing its range northwards. This is a female – the male has a dark patch on his forewing that marks an area of scales (androconia) that produce scent to attract females.

It is known as the Gatekeeper because it is often found among flowers and grasses near field gates. Its alternative name indicates that it frequents hedges and the edges of fields.

My World Tuesday

It was a fine, frosty morning yesterday but as the day grew up so the sun shone warmly. Our walk was a delight - the bluest of blue skies, the sweetest of bird songs and fresh, clean air to breathe. 

The waxing gibbous moon shone palely, surprised at its eminence in the sunshine.

There are a number of new ponds in the forest. 

They were dug out recently, in the last couple of weeks, so the surrounding ground still bears the scars carved in it by the heavy diggers and has yet to recover. The mallards are quick to discover new waterways. We see these drakes every year. They usually accompany a single duck but she was nowhere to be seen.

Book ends, anyone?

Preening is important. A chap's got to look his best!

Aircraft flew high above, little sound audible in the clear atmosphere.

This one is a British Airways aircraft. How do I know? The BA fleet is the only one whose planes have blue undersides.

 Vapour trails dispersed quickly, an indication of a fine day in prospect.

There had been some logging. The smell of pine resin was quite intoxicating.

Strange fruit in a Scots Pine. Can you see it?

Have a closer look . . . No?

There, now! It looks like an apple or maybe an orange. Odd! 

I wasn't with Barry on the day this fruit 'ripened'. 

 It is usually to be seen in a Labrador's mouth. 

Yes, it's a Kong - the orange thing, not Gus!

The one in the tree? Barry threw it rather enthusiastically and it caught in the branches. So it hangs, being tested by the elements. I wonder how long it will remain there. The Labradors are clever and persistent but tree climbing is not one of their skills - not to twenty feet, anyway.

This is the retrieval ground to which they are accustomed . . . 

 . . . or this, though this is not strictly 'ground'!

Thanks go to the My World Tuesday team who organise and host this weekly meme. Please click here to see other worlds.

SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 34

Barry took these photographs during our walks this week on different days. It was good to be out in bright, brisk weather, though the wind was keen.

Not a thieving magpie in the bare branches of this tree but a retrieving crow. We are watched and followed by crows on the days we carry treats for the dogs. Treats are thrown into the pond/s to encourage Frodo to take a bath (though often he plunges in of his own accord) and those he misses are spotted and plucked from the water by the vigilant, clever crows.

Click on the photo to reveal two ponds. These are deep - even deeper at present after our cold, wet winter - and are frequented by three mallards in the Spring. Two drakes and a duck divide their time between the various ponds in the forest but go elsewhere to nest and raise their young so we never discover which drake is the chosen swain!
Thank you to the SkyWatch team for their hard work in organising and hosting this meme. Click here to gaze at other skies.