landscape

My Walk this Week 248 – End of the Day

My walk this week was a much needed one towards the end of the day – a day on which I had spent all my time on the computer.

It is the sounds enjoyed on this walk that are most important to me but the images and video give a visual context to it as well.

The robin and the blackbird seem to be having a conversation – and the sheep have something to say too.

Birds and Sheep

The walk took me up a familiar footpath where I noticed things I hadn’t really paid attention to previously – such as the arboreal elbow of a tree or the integration of another tree and old build wall. Perhaps I should describe this as a take over of man-made by natural.

And from my elevation with views I descended a steep track to the valley floor and the river I have so often featured here.

Click the play button for the sound file and then the first image to view the images in sequence.

Landscape, river and route

Transitioning – Reflecting on the Light

Evening cloud reflection

Transitioning from late in the day to early evening on my walk from the past this week takes me from the muted light of the local park in the shade of the surrounding greenery with its blackbirds and dandelion clocks, to the reflection of sunlight on clouds on the surface of the Loughor River with its dark waters. Continue reading

My Walk this Week – Taste of Gower, Llanmadoc

My walk this week is another Taste of Gower walk organised by Steve Lancey with the Gower Landscapes Partnership. The walk started from the village of Llanmadoc on the northern tip of the Gower Peninsula. The weather was fine and still but with storms threatening.

We headed down to the beach which took us past the woodland we would return through and the dramatic rock outcrops that are a feature of the place – worth climbing too, but not today.

Llanmadoc Walk-1

I’ll get onto the beach in tomorrow’s post but in the meantime I have included a short sound clip of a blackbird and a cockerel welcoming us on this typical Gower lane.

Morning Cockerel

If viewing this in an email, please click the post title to see other photos in this post, thank you.

Teenage Blackbird

We have had Blackbirds in our garden every year for many years now but this year there are more than ever. A family of 5 lost one of their crew to one of the local cat recently but its youngest sibling is still around and enjoying the seed we put out for it and the other birds.

You can still see the yellow border to its beak showing that perhaps calling it a teenager is going a little beyond its age.

I like nothing better than to watch and listen to them outside my studio door. Below is one of the recordings I made of Blackbirds a couple of years ago.

Teenage Blackbird

Teenage Blackbird

Teenage Blackbird

Summer Walk in Scotland

These images are from the StillWalk “Flora and Fauna Walk” which is another walk from Galloway in South West Scotland. These are obviously three examples of the fauna.

In fact there is more than just birds and butterflies in the video but I wasn’t able to photograph some of the fauna we have seen there such as the deer on the beach or the red squirrel in the woods or the fox cubs playing on the beach in the moonlight at 3 AM . . . or the rabbits or stoats or voles . . . .

Butterfly

Butterfly – Painted Lady

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

Blackbird

Blackbird

Blackbirds and Co

Taking a walk in the park the other evening we heard and saw this Blackbird and others as well as enjoying the Bluebells. Photos and sound recorded on my iPhone.

Blackbird singing

Bluebells

Counting the Birds

The RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch is coming up again at the end of January and the other day I did a dummy run whilst waiting for video to process.

Regular feeding – Having realised that feeding the birds a little regularly is better than a lot all at once, I started on a daily regime of a couple of fat balls and some nuts. I guess they are very pleased to have it there now that we have some proper winter weather.

Jakdaw

Jackdaw

Robin

Robin

Starling

Starling

Blackbird

Blackbird

Blackbird

Blackbird

Sparrows

Sparrows

Beautiful Journeys

I have been travelling about Wales recently – not too far from home but thoroughly enjoyable. The trips I have had to schools as the Josef Herman Foundation Award Artist for 2012, have taken me over the Beacons to Brecon as well as to Ystradgynlais and back over the hills to home where the Spring / Summer sounds of a Blackbird in Coedbach Park are a welcome end to the day. You’ll need to visit the blog to listen to the Blackbird.

Brecon Beacons

Up on the Brecon Beacons

Brecon Beacons

Looking across the Brecon Beacons

River Tawe at Ystradgynlais

River Tawe at Ystradgynlais

Overlooking Craig Cefn Parc

Overlooking Craig Cefn Parc

The Josef Herman Foundation has allowed 9 and 10 year old children to create a version of StillWalks. Through an Arts Council of Wales funded project initiated by Caron McColl and Lynne Bebb at Swansea Education Effectiveness Service, the children have been doing their own photography and sound recording for their walk as well as the post production and also poetry with Emily Hinshelwood.

Screening and Exhibition – there will be a celebratory screening and exhibition in the Autumn of the work produced by the children. The children are doing a great job, so watch here later in the year to see examples of their videos and other work.