Lockdown Hair

I spent the bulk of the morning in boring administration, earning a trip out in the warm and sunny afternoon.

Our first pheasant sighting was just a few hundred yards away, strutting along Hordle Lane.

Most verges displayed golden celandines and varieties of daffodils. These embellished those of Barrows Lane.

Walkers at the high point of Middle Lane could, as I did, look down on a bucolic landscape featuring a grazing grey horse cropping a field.

Most forest views were dotted with foraging ponies, such as these along Burley Road,

or these beside Forest Road.

One attempted to enter the Modus

before enjoying a scratch on the lichen coated tree trunk;

another sported a fine head of lockdown hair.

In recent days we have acquired a new young couple of collared doves. While preparing this evening’s dinner Jackie, sadly, witnessed a lightning sparrow hawk swoop and carry one off, leaving a pile of fresh feathers. Its mate is wailing its grief.

Said dinner consisted of breaded cod fillets; cheese-centred haddock fish cakes; moist ratatouille; and creamy mashed potatoes, with which I finished the Cabernet Shiraz and Jackie drank sparkling water.

83 comments

  1. Beautiful shot of Pheasant! What a neat image of Jackie interacting with the pony who must be used to getting treats from vehicles, or hoping for same. Nature is harsh, but still sorry for the dove’s loss of mate.

  2. A year on, you have chosen an apt title 🙂 My own lock-down hair needs a trim too! Those spring flowers in your area look very beautiful indeed.

  3. I know how Jackie must feel. I once saw a hawk grab a squirrel and I went yelling down the common area chasing after him. Did no good either. But at least my ponies aren’t bothered.

  4. I also made ratatouille – great minds…
    Love the “lockdown hair” pony and the one asking for a ride in the car.
    Sorry about the loss of a dove, but hawks also need to eat, don’t they?

  5. Nature is wonderful, but it is sad to hear about the dove, and it’s forlorn partner. I hope it was a quick end, and that the other manages to find another mate.
    Your pheasant is magnificent. We have one who struts along the same route every night – like a proud owner inspecting his garden, all dressed up in his fine, richly coloured togs!
    I wish my ‘lockdown hair’ looked as good as that pony’s! Now that the weather is warming up, wearing a hat all the time may be a time limited solution 🙂

  6. So sorry to read about the grief of the collared dove. Animals feel emotions and suffer, the same as we do. On the other hand, the sparrow hawk has to earn its living. Sigh.

  7. A bit of a while back a hawk chased blackbird around the house but mistook the kitchen window for open skies and crashed headlong. It was stunned for about five minutes and I thought it had broken its neck but it suddenly awoke and went on about its business. Love the daffodils.

  8. I had a hawk attempt to take a dove from my feeders last week. There was a small pile of feathers left, but the hawk flew to a tree without any prey in its talons, and there was no body around, so the bird may have made an escape. On the other hand, I’ve had a pair that spend their late evenings sitting in my two platform feeders: one bird per feeder. They stay until almost full dark, and then leave. Tonight, there’s only one, and it’s waiting longer than usual. I hope it hasn’t lost its mate; perhaps they’re only sharing duties at the nest.

  9. I’m sorry Jackie had to witness the attack, but glad she got a visit from the pony. I can relate to the lockdown hair since I have not had even a trim in over a year.

  10. Such a lovely, sunny day complete with flowers and ponies! The littlest ponies are the cutest fellows. The one trying to poke his head in the window of the car looks like he is expecting snacks. 🙂

  11. So I was puzzled, and had to ask Cornell, was your Eurasian collared dove the same as the elusive, but here now, finally again, African collared dove? They are not the same. The African collared dove is different than most doves, it doesn’t fly away when you approach. Maybe it learned differential threat diagnosis in Africa before it was set loose in California.
    I love your slice of English life Derrick.
    https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/African_Collared-Dove/overview

    1. I had a look at your link, Cindy. It is hard to tell the difference, but I don’t think it was African. We’ll check with the mate later. Thanks very much

  12. All of us have had some interesting lockdown-hair-dos and hair-days this past year…some good, some not-so-good! 😉 😛 We all greatly appreciate our barbers and hair-stylists more! 🙂 (I think now of Peter and his wonderful smile!)

    What a pleasant pheasant strutting his stuff down the road! 🙂

    Aw and 🙁 on the bird attack that Jackie saw. 🙁 Those parts of nature are hard to view and think about. 🙁 I guess people would say “circle of life”, but I still get sad to see or hear about such happenings. 🙁

    The golden celandines and the daffodils such make me smile! 🙂 They are so bright and lovely! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

  13. It looked like a beautiful day with lovely pops of color from pheasants and flowers. That is so sad about the dove and its grieving mate. The ponies certainly are not shy around people.

    Quite a feast for dinner! I’m planning to make ratatouille for tonight.

    I thought your title referred to my husband and me. It’s been a year since either of us has had a haircut. Soon!

    1. I’ve only had one hair cut by Jackie, as you know, 🙂 The dove, obviously ailing, must have escaped, because it has returned. We doubt that it will be for long. Thanks very much, Merril

  14. What a fine fellow the pheasant is.
    Oh, I love the ponies.
    Oh, I’m so pleased to read that the dove managed to escape and fly back home.
    I’ve witnessed a few birds being carried off by sparrow hawks, always upsetting, I hope this one gets over the shock of its ordeal.

  15. Another day of beautiful views. The pheasant is so beautiful! Of course, the ponies always fascinate me. We had cod fillets for dinner tonight, too. With it, enjoyed a Pinot Noir from Modesto, CA ‘s Prophecy.

  16. Gosh – that must have been a shock for Jackie to witness. I have never seen a bird seizing another bird, although I have seen them carrying prey of various kinds. The lockdown haircuts made me smile. I look forward to seeing an interesting queue outside the barber’s shop when restrictions are lifted.

  17. The lockdown induced overgrowth is waiting for remedial action. No remedy will be enough for the dove who was brutally turned into an evening’s meal.

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