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Sacred Creatures

Writer's picture: CroneCrone

I mentioned the crows - or ravens - who flew over while I was sitting with the stone at Scorhill. That was only the start of the wildlife visitations.


Cleverly, I had taken Leanne's wildlife camera with me to get some Devon critters. With great delight, I put it out.


With some slight disappointment I saw there were only six films. Two of me. Two of a squirrel...

And two of a blackbird.

So much for the badgers, foxes and deer I had anticipated.


I had better luck with Phez.

Once Gary put the cheese out, the "table" was alive with tits, dunnocks, robins and woodpeckers!


So we went on our walk and while trekking on the moors, we had two close encounters.


A lamb ran up to me, bleating and delighted, as though I were her long lost mother. It wasn't until I could virtually touch her that she realised I was not, in fact, a sheep. That was strange enough. Later, a robin kept us absurdly close company as we walked along next to a fence. Again, virtually in touching distance. I offered him some suet pellets and he looked at them with deep interest, only to decide against them. Finally, I waled past him at which point he flew across the path, between Elise and I, and grabbed a worm from the back. He landed between us, at our feet, and proceeded to peck the feisty worm into submission. Then he began to swallow it. The worm was longer that her was! Slurp, slurp, just an inch outside his beak... and then the worm revolted and most of it came out. At which point, the bird clamped his jaws and flew off to finish it in peace.


Gary said, "That whole walk was worth it for the robin!"


This little chap was less interested in us.

The final animal "encounter" I reserve for tomorrow. This one was truly... unbelievable!!!


But I mustn't forget to add another encounter from the day before I traveled to Devon. I was at the Reserve with Mischa and Dave. He had been hoping to photograph a kingfisher at the Kingfisher Screen. When Mischa and I arrived, to give him a lift back to the Lodge, he started to pack up his camera. I peered through the camouflage netting and saw a bird sitting on the carefully positioned branch.


It took me a few seconds of watching before I computed.


"There's a kingfisher on the perch," I said.


Mischa and Dave thought I was joking (remember the baby stoat?) and when they finally looked... the bird took off in a flash of iridescent turquoise.


"I wish we hadn't seen that," said Dave, looking disconsolately at his camera case.

A silly little quick painting.

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1 Comment


maplekey4
Jul 18, 2023

Gary's right - that a memorable robin and worm story. Very descriptive!! And I like how the swan and the kingfisher are both active parts of your painting.

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