Avian Backing Notes

We were out early enough in the forest this morning to be held up by children being delivered to schools.

Against the soundtrack of a distant cuckoo’s call ponies breakfasted on the moorland alongside Holmsley Passage, further along which

lay a foal alongside its dam, until I approached too close for comfort, sending it to seek security from her flanks and source of nourishment.

More ponies, still shaggy in winter coats, were gathering on the green at N. Gorley, where a local resident gathered fresh manure with bucket and spade. Here the avian backing notes were provided by the cawing of vociferous rooks.

Jackie photographed a herd of deer lounging beneath trees at Gorley Common. They can be seen roughly central in the first picture.

En route to Ogden’s North her next subject was a rabbit seemingly paralysed at the roadside. She produced the next two in this gallery

while I photographed the rippling stream, its shallow bed, and its clear reflections.

It was the crowing of roosters that rent the air at Hockey’s Farm Shop

where Jackie photographed some shaggy alpacas.

This afternoon I added a lengthy P.S. to https://derrickjknight.com/2021/09/21/a-knights-tale-36-some-schoolmasters/ consisting of further memories of Wimbledon College teachers e-mailed to me by Keith Prince, who joined the school two years after me.

This evening we dined on tasty haddock fish cakes; piquant cauliflower cheese; creamy mashed potato and crunchy carrots, with which I drank more of the Merlot.

53 comments

  4. Nature all around. I’d love to hear the cuckoo. I’m in mockingbird land at the moment. The alpaca is my favourite. It reminds me of someone but I can’t think who.

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        1. She was delighted – she always feels in tune with you and your choices

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  8. We have lots of Bunnies on our walking track, but I can never get close enough to capture a decent photo, before they quickly scoot away …

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  10. Beautiful photos, Jackie and Derrick! What a joy to see all of the sweet faces that you saw!
    And the other photos, like the fence, water, trees, etc., are so artistic!
    That shaggy alpaca was having a good hair day! 🙂
    Make it a fabulous weekend! Mine will be busy! It’s Mother’s Day weekend here! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) ❤️❤️

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  13. I read this first thing, then got sidetracked by the time. I went for my Covid booster at half eight this morning and I’ve only just remembered that I hadn’t commented on your post!

    You did well with all the equine images and out and about so early too. 🙂

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  14. A beautiful day in the forest! The warmer weaterh should have all the ponies looking sleek before too long.

    I enjoyed reading the additional emails from Keith Prince you included in the older post.

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  17. Such wonderful photos from you and Jackie. I like how you filled us in on the variations in bird sounds. We don’t have cuckoos here (except in clocks and Congress), but flocks of our American robins lead the bird choir beginning about 4:30 AM.

    I’m always amazed at seeing herds of deer. That alpaca has personality!

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