Dog Walk

Cobwebs In The Mist

9th November 20209th November 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

We’ve had a lot of rain over the past few days which is great as the River Odelouca has gone from dry to full overnight. Due to the the warm temperatures this morning we had a thick mist here in the hills.

Whilst out with the dogs I snapped a few photos on my mobile of some of the amazing cobwebs reflecting water droplets in the early morning sun as the mist was clearing.

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Morning Dog Walk: Spotted My First Golden Oriole Of The Year

17th April 202017th April 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

There has been a Starling mimicking a Golden Oriole all winter but last week I heard not only a song but a call and knew there was at least one Golden Oriole back.

This morning I heard a song near the river and it was far too good to be a Starling, soon after I heard the call. Even though the males are bright yellow, they blend in with green leaves very well. However, his continued song and call gave his location away and I managed to grab a quick record shot of him. There was two and I suspect the other was a female which is much more greener and even more difficult to spot.

Dog Walk: Viperine Snake At The River (Video)

12th April 202013th April 2020Craig Rogers1 Comment

UPDATE : I have much better photos in this blog post – Morning Dog Walk: The Viperine Was Back In The Same Place

Whilst walking the dogs, I spotted this Viperine partially submerged where the water runs through the tubes on the bridge/ford near the house.

The Viperine is a harmless semi-aquatic snake that takes it’s name from the fact that it’s head is shaped like a Viper. I think this was quite young, it was only around 25-30cms in length, they can grow up to 85cm.

I watched it for a while and it was being very clever. Due to the recent rain, the river is flowing well and it was catching small fish as they get sucked through the tube.

Photos aren’t great as they are from my smartphone which struggles to see through reflections in water.

Morning Dog Walk : First Otter Spraint In A While

21st February 202021st February 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

This morning I spotted the first Otter Spraint that I’ve noticed in a long time along our section of the River Odelouca. I often wonder what happens to the Otters when the river dries, I suspect their food source is in the farmer’s and firefighter’s barragems (man-made lakes).

You’ll notice that the Spraint is dark brown instead of the usually red colouring. This is due to the current lack of Louisiana Crayfish in the river.

Morning Dog Walk: “Bluey” Is Back

19th January 202025th April 2020Craig RogersLeave a comment

Last year you may remember I was watching and photographing a pair of Blue Rock Thrushes that were constantly defending a nesting spot in a ruin from very persistent Sparrows who wanted the same spot (although the Sparrows were there first!).

Once breeding time came, the pair disappeared as if the Sparrows got the upper hand.

This morning I spotted Bluey, the male Blue Rock Thrush (only the male is blue, the female is brown). Of course, it could be a different Bluey from last year. I was camera-less this morning but will be grabbing some shots soon. I didn’t see the female but suspect she will be there somewhere.

Here are 2 shots from last year of both the male and female.

Morning Dog Walk: The Esteva Is Flowering!?

13th December 201913th December 2019Craig RogersLeave a comment

I take a camera along on my Dog Walks to bring you some of the sightings that I see on my morning walks, these photos are rarely going to be great quality as its hard enough keeping an energetic Dog entertained and get close enough to anything. They also help me identify where species are so that I can plan to return.

I haven’t published any Dog Walk Blogs for a while and this is down to the fact that we now have 3 dogs, yes we have another rescued dog called Snowy (photos of him soon), which makes takin a camera a bit difficult, particulary as 2 of them are still being trained.

Anyway, this morning we stumbled across this line flower on one of the Esteva (Gum Rock Rose) plants. This is very strange as they normally flower in April. This is just a single flower but strange nonetheless. Maybe it’s down to lack of rain throughout the year and the sudden wetness has caused it to flower.

Shot and edited using Lightroom on my Samsung Galaxy S9+Continue reading >>