Wednesday 18 April 2012

My peace and quiet disturbed..................................................... by Chinooks

The weather last week was hit and miss... today has been dull and wet.
I am so lucky with the weather... Sunday was my last day off work and the sun was shining.
I had a lovely walk around my local nature reserve.

  Cowslips covered the ground..... a lovely carpet of yellow flowers.

 A member of the primrose family.

I was chasing butterflies all morning.... this is a Small tortoiseshell.
It's probably the commonest butterfly on my patch... and a real beauty.

 Haydn's Pool is in a nature reserve on land reclaimed from a long industrial past.

The company that own the local chemical works paid for the bird hide on the far side of the pool.
This image is from the main hide.
It has an information board with images of the birds you are likely to see at certain times of year. 

This Black-headed gull had found a perch on the pool.
 Haydn's was refilled in November after last years drought left it dry... we still have a lack of rain.
The water level has dropped but this has created a shore line... great for waders.

The single Black Swan is still around... the Mutes appear to be accepting it.

Suddenly!!... all hell broke loose... and what a racket!!

It was the sound of three Chinook Helicopters (correct me if I am wrong) flying over.

The noise they made was amazing... a real roar.
I have never witnessed this before.

The birds? ... not a flinch.
http://skyley.blogspot.co.uk/

40 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

wow! surprised they sat still! i like that gull 'surfing' on the stick. :)

Joop Zand said...

A lot of different nice shots Andrew....good work.

greetings, Joop

cieldequimper said...

This was a wonderful breath of fresh air until... helicopters!

Rain, cold here.

MadSnapper said...

the gull looks like he is skiing or surfing. those choppers do make a loud noise. you were blessed with sunshine and really beautiful blue skies.

Bob Bushell said...

Brilliant images. Can you tell me, how do you get down on fat birders top 1000????????

Elizabeth Edwards said...

such a great post. lots to look at. i've never heard of "cowslip" ... or perhaps i did not realize what i was looking at. ha. ha!! what i have always wondered is how do you know if it is a moth or a butterfly? we get to see helicopters like that all the time here in va. good day to you. (:

joo said...

How beautiful is there, Andrew! Even with these helicopters>

Randi said...

Terrific captures as always. I love the shots of the birds.

Susan Scheid said...

Love the gull with the outstretched wings. As for the chinooks, oy! Glad the birds didn't mind, though.

Carole M. said...

Such a charming name 'cowslips' and made for a really pretty photo. Nice to see them up close, an interesting plant. I love that governing bodies have converted no longer industrially productive locations into reserves such as your Haydn's Pool. Great photo of the Black-headed gull; I'd never seen one before. I'm glad to see the lone black swan has been accepted. Amazing how the birds accepted the Chinooks too.

Michelle said...

It is beautiful, even with those noisy helicopters!

carol l mckenna said...

Wow! ~ beautiful photography ~ isn't nature wonderful! ~ thanks, namaste, ^_^

Meri said...

Lovely ramble with you, Andrew.

Springman said...

How huge can a chopper get?
Awesome stuff Andrew!

Tammy said...

Sounds very peaceful, well up until the helicopter evasion! I'm surprised it didn't scare off the birds.

Anonymous said...

I truly enjoyed this walk. Even enjoyed those helicopters!

Chubskulit Rose said...

That butterfly is lovely!

Nature Trekking on Holy Saturday. My first time joining NFS Waters.

holdingmoments said...

It looks a great place to visit Andrew. Good to see the Black Swan. Used to have a couple visit my local.

grammie g said...

Hi Andrew...I like that the birds ...not a flinch lol!!
Awesome photos ...especially love those first two of the carpet of blooms !
Everything is so lush and the birds are contented looking ..nice post!!
Grace xx

BlueShell said...

I Drew. What a beautiful carpet of yellow flowers...what a place! And the reflections... amazing!
The noise...I can just imagine...LOL

You are so kink... thank you for the words in your comments.
Isabel /BShell

The Herald said...

Great images Andrew. It looks like you've got a super place to nature watch there. Not too sure about those large Hoverflies though!!...[;o)

Brian King said...

Love the gull shots, Andrew! And the butterfly. You have a beautiful place to visit! I believe you are correct on the helicopter ID.

Anonymous said...

So glad you were able to take a break from the weather and enjoy a sunny day! Love the Gull on his 'longboard' surfboard!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

It's typical that it's some sort of 'man made' noise that spoils the peace and harmony! I was surprised to see the black swan Andrew, so you have many over there?

Miss Charming said...

Wow! Your walks certainly are eventful. Thanks for sharing the beauty of your area. My favorite photo is of the gull with the wings up in the air. (Newest follower)

Pantherka said...

Andrew, so many beautiful photos ... yellow flowers and a butterfly ... beautiful!

Susan said...

I love the sound of those kind of helicoptors. So military! Anyway, the birds must be used to it. Funny!

Unknown said...

That gull looks like he's riding a surf board!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Monica S Engell said...

I love your last shot! Really great!
:)

Sylvia K said...

What terrific captures for the day, Andrew! In spite of the helicopters!! I do love that surfin' gull! Beautiful butterfly, flowers and such lovely skies with the big, puffy clouds! Thanks for taking us on your walk! Enjoy your weekend!

Sylvia

CameraCruise said...

Beautiful shots!
Looks like a great place to visit.
Love to see the Black Swan.

DeniseinVA said...

Gorgeous!

Larry said...

Beautiful photos Andrew! It's amazing how different birds react to different sounds isn't it? I love that Black-headed Gull with its wings up!

Kathie Brown said...

A perfect Skywatch shot. Love the fluffy clouds and the birds! Sorry about those noisy chinooks!

Light and Voices said...

Odd that the birds didn't react to the noise of helicopters above. I really enjoyed all your photos posted this week.
Joyce M

Chubskulit Rose said...

Coming back for Skywatch!

My Sky shot, have a great weekend!

Indrani said...

Beautiful captures.

Unknown said...

Loved the birds and helicopters on the same post! :-)

Sallie (FullTime-Life.com said...

I've noticed before that planes don't seem to disturb the birds -- where we stayed in Arizona a couple of winters was under an airforce flight path apparently; there was a nearby birding park and they never flinched either.

You must live right to have your weekends be the most beautiful days of the week! I swear when we worked (and lived) in Oregon, it rained every weekend ;>)

Ruby said...

I love the gulls pictures Andrew. I will soon try to post my drawings of them. Lovely photos. Cheers, Ruby