We enjoyed another very hot temperature with clear, pale blue, skies today.
In the garden bees laboured on rudbeckia;
Small White butterflies were ubiquitous;
sun produced X-ray images of such as hollyhocks and pelargoniums;
and cart wheels spoke to the low bark of the eucalyptus.
I wandered around for a while. As usual, titles may be found in the galleries.
Nugget flew at the closed utility room window while expressing his dissatisfaction with Jackie because she spent her time watering plants instead of digging up his breakfast. Bouncing onto the paving below he appeared to have recovered
enough to continue on his own chirpy way.
This afternoon we visited Shelly and Ron with birthday presents, just after Helen and Bill had arrived. We spent pleasant hour together, assisted with the crossword and accepted that we couldn’t put the world to rights.
Giles collected me early this evening for a birding session at the Milford on Sea hide.
As we left by the kitchen door, Nugget, perched on the patio rocker waved us on our way.
Such a hazy mist hung over Sturt Pond that visibility was somewhat shrouded. The Isle of Wight was quite invisible;
walkers on the spit and the bridge were given a nebulous quality.
A crow surveyed the scene from a wooden wire fence post.
We were joined in the hide by 8 year old Will Ryan and his parents.
I managed to identify the spread wings of a cormorant, but
I was at a loss to be sure about the redshank to which this engaging young man did his best to guide me. I may have one or two in this collection. Ornithologists among my readership may be kind enough to let me know. Bigification can be obtained from the gallery.
This evening Jackie and I dined on spicy pepperoni pizza and plentiful fresh salad.
Nugget is going to get his own blog one of these days, I predict! Thanks for sharing as always, Derrick, and please say hi to Lady J and Nugget.
Will do. Thanks very much, Cynthia
Poor old Nugget – he can’t afford too much brain damage….. The photo of him on the patio rocker is just perfect and he looks quite happy so apparently no harm done 🙂
Thank you very much, Pauline. That is quite a large crop, so I am pleased you liked it
Lovely flora and fauna photos Derrick.
Thank you very much Sheree – especially for keeping in touch while you are away
I guess Nugget gets a little cranky when he’s hungry. Poor little Nugget! Your photos of him would make a great puzzle, Derrick! 🙂 You are probably getting tired of my suggestions! Gorgeous photos! Thanks for sharing.
Many thanks, Jill. I do enjoy your suggestions. You give me ideas
I just had an epiphany; cartwheel – the move I was never able to perfect when I tried out for cheerleading in high school – is named for a cart wheel in motion.
So glad Nugget is ok! I have birds hit my windows and it always scares me so.
Hope to hear about the redshanks from someone who knows more than I do. I saw some that could be them, but I am no expert.
Thanks very much, Jodie. I would never have tried a cartwheel. We were worried about our gardener’s friend.
: )
Aww sweet Nugget ☺
Looks like a lovely day
Beautiful photos
Thank you very much, More
You’re very welcome
Nugget was lucky. We buried a little bird that had hit our window too hard for its own good today.
We did keep a look out for him all day. Thanks a lot, Tootlepedal
I love your puns, Derrick! “Cart wheels spoke to the low bark of the eucalyptus” – very good!
I am glad Nugget recovered from his accident and that you had an enjoyable evening’s bird-watching. Waders are my nemesis – I can’t help with the ID I’m afraid. 🙂
Thank you very much, Clare. I worked a bit on that sentence, so I’m pleased you appreciated it.
Derrick, the variety of flowers in your garden seemed to have multiplied over this year!
I think it has Rosaliene. Jackie never leaves a garden centre empty handed and she is very good at transplanting volunteers. Thank you very much
I, too, can’t resist buying new plants whenever I visit the garden centre 🙂
I hope Nugget learned his lesson. That kind of collision can be more traumatic than his apparently was. I was interested in the red shank. I’d never heard of the bird, and had no idea what a “red shank” might be. Now I’m all informed, although I have a terrible time with most wading birds, and probably couldn’t pick it out if it were twenty feet from me!
My main difficulty was that I couldn’t see the colour of its legs. Thanks very much, Linda
There must be a redshank in the flanks since you say so. Birding is a time consuming passion to which the lesser humans rarely subscribe.
I am more of Nugget watcher.
So am I, Uma. I rely on Giles for the knowledge. Thanks very much
Interesting pictures.
Thanks very much, Mrs W
Your welcome
I feel like I am in gardening and quasi-ornithology class sometimes here! Really, love to hear about birds. A lovely grouping.
Thank you very much, Cynthia. 🙂
We’re on the same track. I had Pepperoni Pizza last night.. only thing I could find to eat, so I had it for breakfast, as well.
🙂 Thanks very much, Judy
I think that most of the waders are black-tailed godwits but the photograph with the lapwings maybe has a redshank, back right.
Thanks, a lot, John. I was relying on you. Going over to alert readers to your comment
I found what I wanted to say about Nugget. Written by Selma Lagerlof in Christ Legends.
Robin Redbreast. Swedish Author 1908.
Then he left his nest and flew out into the air, striking wide circles around the Crucified One. He flew around him several times without daring to approach, for he was a shy little bird, who had never dared to go near a human being. But little by little he gained courage, flew close to him, and drew with his little bill a thorn that had become imbedded in the brow of the Crucified One. And as he did this there fell on his breast a drop of blood from the face of the Crucified One;—it spread quickly and floated out and colored all the little fine breast feathers.
Then the Crucified One opened his lips and whispered to the bird: “Because of thy compassion, thou hast won all that thy kind have been striving after, ever since the world was created.”
Great story. Thanks very much, Paol
I do hope little Nugget is more cautious of windows in future – it’s lucky he is so light, not enough momentum to do serious harm, i hope! 🙂 I love the photo of him on the rocker.
Your garden looks so fine now it’s hard to believe there was a storm at all last week. 🙂
Not sure about the redshank, but i do believe you have captured a juvenile yellow-legged gull, the rather large gull with the light brown markings in the bottom pic.
Here’s one in flight when he has his adult plumage: https://www.flickr.com/photos/94825301@N02/42501553390
Thanks a lot, Bob. I think the link supports you identification of the gull.
Nugget and redshanks ?
🙂 Thanks very much, Sherry
Oh! I do hope Nugget is okay! And that he won’t try that again! 😮 I’ve watched birds do that and get up and fly away. I always worry about them!
I’ve never seen a redshank, so I’m not much help. With a name like that I’d think they’d have bright red legs! Ooh, la la! Ha! 😀
I knew a redheaded man named “Hank”, so he was a redhank. But that is of no help to you! 😉 😛
Tweets to Nugget! HUGS to you and Jackie! 🙂
PS…ALL of your bird photos are wonderful today! And the birds all seem to be very active!
Thanks very much, Carolyn. Was Hank a yank? X
Ha! He is a yank. He drove a truck and not a tank. Hmm…there seems to be a possible poem here! 😉 😛 😀
🙂
So many wonderful photos here–and it seems like you had a wonderful day, too. I’m glad Nugget is OK. Maybe you’ll have to put decals on the window. I like the crow photo, and all the birds, but I can’t help you with identification. 🙂
Thank you very much, Merril
Loved those photos, Derrick. Particularly the ones of the nebulous walkers. Your garden strikes me as a wonderful oasis of calm, in which to sit and listen to the low hum of summer whilst quaffing a nice, cool, (but not chilled, of course) pint of ale.
Exactly, Mike. Thanks very much.
I hope Nugget doesn’t make it a habit of running into the windows or we’ll be seeing a bird funeral all too soon!!
Sorry, can’t help with the birds.
Thanks very much GP. We do hope so, too.
Glad Nugget is ok 🙂 I love the birding photos, Derrick. Some have a numinous quality to them for me. The grey light and the various birds going about their birdy business – very calm and beautiful. I looked hard and couldn’t say for sure that you have a redshank in there. Either way, gorgeous shots!
The rudbeckia made me smile ?
🙂
Thanks very much, Helen
Flowers are beautiful but I adore that Nugget.
Thank you very much, Rupali
Be safe, little Nugget! Fabulous picture of him on the patio rocker. One to frame.
Thanks very much, Laurie
I really like those cartwheels. Tortoiseshell Butterflies are in abundance in my garden right now.
Thanks very much, Andrew
I’m pleased Nugget recovered from his clash with the window.
A twitcher for the day and it looked very interesting too!
Thanks very much, Sue
There’s my Nugget.
🙂 Thanks very much, Leslie
I adore that little birdie! Lovely pictures, as always, Derrick. ?
Thanks very much, Julie
You had a busy day, snapping all those lovely photos. The waterfowl seem to be having a good day. I always love looking at the swans.
Thanks very much, Nikki
Your garden and Nugget are both looking lovely! I was particularly taken with the foggy seashore photos, which reminded me of how much I have enjoyed foggy seashore days on the coast of Maine.
Thank you very much, Liz
I’m glad Nugget took no harm. The garden looks wonderful in the sun. I love the cart wheel edging.
Thanks very much, Susan
Your lovely robin Nugget, is beautiful, as is your garden.
x
Thanks very much, Melanie