Stoned Love
Stonechats are very territorial so I always know where I can expect to see them, their presence is usually made known by their distinctive call…these monogamous birds are always seen in pairs or family groups…when I see one I know there’s also another one nearby, like on this warm Indian summer day when I eventually managed to capture a few images of these most amiable chatters! ♥
As Timeless as Infinity…
Somehow I had managed to get lost in the woods again…the map I had drawn the evening before seemed to lack detail and somewhere inbetween heath and forest I realised how quiet it was…no buzzing, no chirping…nothing at all…just silence…had I entered the dimension of imagination, an area which we call the Twilight Zone? 😕
Crash Landing
These beetles definitely lack grace in flight…in the recent warm weather there were plenty on the heath flying about and it’s a good idea to get out of their way as they seem rather limited when it comes to steering….and landing… 😕
Something…
There’s something about the light and colours of this place…at dawn and dusk, a bit of sunshine to just set everything off and voila! 😎
Something about the colours of sedge grass and heather on the heathland seem to glow against the dark background of the surrounding forest…
Just something…je ne sais quoi… 😕
Diamonds in the Rough
In late summer the heathland is buzzing with life, the heather is in bloom and attracts all sorts of butterflies, bees and hoverflies as well as damselflies and dragonflies…so it seemed a good idea to pay this small area of heathland a timely visit.
It was a perfect situation as I surveyed the territory, stepping carefully through the heather to capture what was possible…dragonfly reconnaissance kept a watchful eye on my movements while managing to avoid getting caught in the frame. 😉
A Change of Scenery
In my search for inspiration, I always seem to visit one of the many wetland nature reserves in my area…yet in the last weeks of summer I decided to explore heathland and woodland areas instead….just because it was different, new roads to cycle, new sights to see…
Inbetween the farmland, there are forests surrounding remains from the ice age, sandy heathland full of heather and ancient pingo ruins…so different from the type of terrain to which I had become accustomed…
There is an almost intense silence which prevails here, the trees blocking out the sound of nearby roads which in turn provide shelter from the wind…grasshoppers and crickets are the main audio entertainment here other than the occasional call of a stonechat.
a heartical view 