August 19th – The rains of the day had brought out the damp-loving creatures, though sadly I didn’t see any amphibians (although in my tired state I probably just didn’t notice them). These snails comfortably beat me travelling up Brownhills High Street on my mission to call in at the takeaway for a curry.
Snails get a very bad press really, but they are such fascinating things.
August 19th – Another late night return, this time after 11pm, and stopping in Walsall Wood to use the cashpoint I thought about how busy the little High Street was, despite the bad weather. Three pubs, a restaurant and takeaways were all clearly doing steady trade.
The night is always nice down here, and on a long, weary return, it was good to see.
I’ve worked 74 hours this week. I need a break.
August 17th – Another sunset return after an early start and late finish. As the more perceptive amongst you will have noticed, my main blog operations are currently on reduced power for a few days due to workload. Which is a bugger, but they do pay me so I’d better do it.
It is nice, however, to return through a twilight, almost somnambulant Walsall. The moon is still full, and rendering normally mundane views magical, and keeping me company as I pedal wearily home.
Sometimes, the moon is company, and sometimes, that’s all you need.
August 16th – A consolation of leaving work late was a very beautiful, deep sunset. With the cooling temperatures, earlier nightfall and climatic change of Autumn, we’ll soon be in the season of the great sunset again, one of the greatest consolations for the end of summer.
It was lovely tonight but I’d rather summer fought off the autumn a little longer yet…
August 15th – A real treat for the seventh day of seven days of wildlife, the challenge set me by reader Susan Forster. I was riding through Pleck, and I spotted something wriggling, right in the middle of the road; stopping to investigate, I found this elephant hawkmoth caterpillar.
About two inches in length and ½ inch diameter, this is a big creepy crawly, not for the faint heated, but harmless and rather fascinating. Camouflaged to look like a plant stalk or twig, it has fake eyes and a bulbous head to make it look far more threatening than it really is, should it be threatened. Living mainly on willowherb or fuchsias, I suspect this one had been dropped by a bird, and thus escaped being lunch, and after posing for photos, was popped back on the scrub I think it came from, thus avoiding being squished.
This is a truly huge, fascinating caterpillar, and although common, a great chance find. Read more about it here.
August 15th – North Walsall, on a warm, sunny afternoon.
Hel-LO ladies!
August 14th – And no series of wildlife pics would be complete without the bunnies. Oddly, the ones up on the dam at Chasewater seem to have vanished, so I’ve been looking for others when out an about; I saw these in a garden near Carroway Head. These are true rural rabbits; scruffy, dog-eared and showing signs of skin problems, these are animals that have seen a thing or two. But the eyes are bright and they were alert and content.
I do like the rabbits.
August 14th – A fast paced run-out to Middleton Hall, via Chasewater and Fazeley was very pleasant on a warm but overcast afternoon. Again, it was really about the curiosities; the cats by the canal in Brownhills, one alert and stately, the other clearly furious to be awoken from an afternoon nap. The wee dog at Middleton Hall that waited patiently for his owners to finish their tea. The remarkable scarecrow at Mile Oak.
I had more energy today, and the wind had died. A great afternoon ride.
August 13th – I went up to Freda’s Grave via Chase Road, and noticed that near the shale parking area, someone had been feeding the birds on an old tree stump. Sat with the camera, me and a companion took loads of pictures as a variety of songbirds swooped in and out.
Photographing these busy little birds is actually hard – they’re so fast, it’s hard to focus and get a decent picture and better reactions than mine are clearly required.
A more willing subject was found at the the deserted picnic area near Birches Valley, where Mrs. Squirrel was hoovering up the day’s dropped morsels and helpfully giving some good camera face.
Not a bad entry for the seven days of wildlife challenge…
August 13th – A good summer afternoon on the Chase was just the thing my weary bones needed. Tired from the day before, I didn’t go far and stopped lots. From Pye Green to Milford, back to Seven Springs, then Abrahams and Birches Valley. Lots of wildlife to watch, except, oddly, the two things I went to spot – rabbits and deer, which were strangely elusive.
My return through Chasewater was met with a pleasant sunset, too.
I love the Chase and the best time to go is of an evening when it’s not busy.
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