Excremental Contemplations
A little humour to start the week is always welcome…
On one of my favourite cycling routes, on the bank of an ancient Pingo-Ruin, Burgumer Mar (lake created in the Ice-Age) I came across this hilarious sign.
Even though I realise most of you can’t understand the Dutch language I imagine you can already grasp the gist of it’s serious yet facetious warning…I shall attempt to construct a concise translation…
Headline: SHIT doesn’t belong in the water!
Poop from birds, dogs, people and horses contains vast amounts of Ecoli Bacteria, pathogens that pollute the water in which people swim.
You can help by:
Not feeding the birds.
Cleaning up rubbish and scraps of leftover food.
Not pooping in the water youself.
Although these statements contain some truth, the natural inhabitants of this area, the birds, fish and other animals are obviously going to carry on as normal…and to be honest I’ve never seen dogs, horses or people wading out into the lake because they suddenly feel the need, so to speak. Personally if I get caught short, which has been known to occasionally happen, I find a secluded area away from the beaten path, scrape out a shallow pit with a stick, and bury it afterwards…the same as man has done for centuries past…
The real problem (and I regret to have to say this) are the chartered sailing ships, century old vessels, carrying between 20-30 (mostly German) tourists thoughout the idyllic and abundant waterways of our beloved Frisian landscape. On board there are usually a couple of toilets which are constantly in use, the contents thereof lead to one big sewage tank that has to be eventually emptied where? Yes, you get it….Into the Water! If this procedure is not carried out on time, then there is a big stinking mess in one of the sleeping chambers and that really isn’t a pleasant task to clean up… Yet as a former shipmate on one of these elegant vessels, I can tell you that the Captain of the ship generally takes responsibility under such circumstances whilst the shipmate temporarily takes control of the helm. Additionally, it is protocol to always empty the sewage tank into the water during periods of actual sailing out in open water, but when the ship is docked in a harbour alongside a whole fleet of similar vessels and the point of overflow is at hand…then you can obviously guess the immediate solution….which normally takes place in the mornings for some reason….😉
Coincidentally, and I use that word somewhat sarcastically, in the summer, the lakes here in Friesland have to endure an exponential and widespread growth of toxic algae blooms and when this happens it is advisable to not go near the water at all, let alone swim in it. Obviously, I’m not a scientist or expert in these matters, I’m just a crazy artist, so admittedly I may sometimes make connections that hold no truth.
As a conclusion, returning back to the original issue of the aforementioned sign, I have noticed in the small villages across Friesland, that the locals often disregard most propaganda such as this and they don’t let anyone dictate where or how they may walk their dogs, as they are rebellious free spirits, which is a stance that I personally love and respect dearly, that’s why I feel so at home here…
In the words of the local rebels “Ik heb er schijt aan!”
Midsummer Magnetism
Neglecting to blog in the month of July means that I am still posting photographs from June…throughout the duration of this hiatus I was still getting out there with my camera, therefore I have collected quite a lot of images to sort through and arrange for the blogosphere…
However for the last couple of weeks my bicycle has been in a workshop for some serious repairs 😐 ….which in turn has given me the chance to catch up with the blog…I was able to borrow a bicycle but I don’t really feel right about cycling long distances and leaving the bike unattended in the midst of the wild…
The above image of a Meadow Pipit is from late June…this bird was still singing enthusiastically in this time amongst the long grass of the meadows which encompass the marsh. 🙂
Frequent Delays
It would have been more respectful to this Ruff to be introduced in his attractive breeding plumage…but as usual I delayed…and forgot…and became more concerned with other aspects of the natural world…almost like I’m in a permanent state of distraction.
It can be difficult to fit everything in when the seasons race by so fast…
Striking Gold
There are always Goldfinches here in the meadows and marshes of Friesland, always in restless groups, twittering as they go and always avoiding me and my camera…until this day when I managed to sneak up on them behind the cover of brambles and hawthorns… 😉
New Life
Every summer there are plenty of new arrivals on the marsh, such as this juvenile Reed Bunting viewing me from close range with youthful curiosity… 😉
Premier League Status
Acccording to the BBC nature presenter Chris Packham, the Reedling aka Bearded Tit is a Premier League bird and I can definitely see his point…
By now I have become quite used to having this amazing and colourful species around, they usually forage in groups at this time of year and announce their presence by the instantly recognizable “ping” call that they make as they skillfully flutter about through the extensive reedbeds.
Photographing this particular species remains a challenge as they are constantly on the move, I can even manage to get quite close but they present theirselves for a split second before disappearing into the seemingly impenetrable reed cover…
On the Surface
A juvenile Eurasian Coot awaiting plumage renewal which will enable it to dive beneath the surface…
One Last Chance
On this day back in the middle of June, many attempts at capturing a shot of a Meadow Pipit didn’t quite make the grade…
Until of course the moment I got on my bicycle to leave…
This young bird met me at the top of the lane and surprisingly waited while I got the camera out of the bag and made the neccesary preparations, still sitting on the bicycle I was fortunate enough to get in one last spontaneous photo session before daylight faded into night.
An Unexplained Pursuit…
These Black-headed Gulls were hunting something in the reeds…
They were using a strategy of hunting in groups, flying low over the reedbeds then diving simultaneously into the reeds…it was like they were rounding something up…unfortunately I never managed to find out exactly what they were up to… 😕
A Change Of Focus
This year so far I have been more focused on bird photography although I still keep a watchful eye on the invertebrate activity even though I do find it difficult to multi-task as my eyes and ears are primarily tuned in to the birdlife…
Being a bit of a novice concerning dragonflies, I believe this specimen to be a female Black-tailed Skimmer…
a heartical view 