Southern Britain is experiencing unusual weather at the moment with temperatures in the low to mid 30 degrees centigrade. (In writing that last sentence, I realise that I have at last, forty years after the change, stopped thinking in Fahrenheit. I wonder how long before I stop thinking in ounces?)Anyway, less of these distractions, flit, flit, flit, is it a wonder nothing gets done?
Yesterday I was looking for a cool place to take pictures in. (That's cool as in not warm, not as in funky - does anyone still say that?) I tried to get in to the Abbey at Tewkesbury but there was a service on and I wasn't wearing the correct mindset. Instead I walked around the back of this 900 year old building and found a tree to stand under.
Above me scores - are we still allowed scores? They're non-metric. Ok, above me tens of swifts flashed past their nests in the eaves of the nave, screaming and shrilling. Every once in a while one of them would peel off and dart up to a youngster, hand over its payload - nice gnat, dear, eat while it's still writhing - and then rejoin its brethren.
Have you ever tried photographing swifts in flight? Let me rephrase that, have you ever been stupid enough to try photographing swifts in flight, in temperatures of 32C (90F - you never lose it!)? Talk about perspire. Do those things move? They are as near as damn it aeronautically perfect. I spent a good half hour melting away before I gave up.
Next time I'll do dodos.
7 comments:
would it be cheating to use PhotoShop? (I'd do it anyway) :-)
I sympathize with your weather situation. It's been in the high 90's (F-- I couldn't do C if my life depended on it) here all week with heat advisories. I am not leaving my airconditioned house, except to get into my airconditioned car to go to the airconditioned store.
Time for a swift, cool pint, I'd say.
I never tried photographing swifts in flight but I tried capturing swallows at Lowestoft in words once - it was a cold, shivery sort of day. It's been well into the 90s here, too. We are all melting away...
Dave, it's a lovely picture, it makes me feel like I'm weightless and flying myself, what a good image for me to see this morning.
This is really splendid. Your description of the birds reminds me of when I lived in the mountains and would visit a particular (episcopalian) steeple where I knew the blackbirds gathered for sunset.
They made such a fuss, much like what you described. So full of life, they are a blessing to behold.
Why is it that these beautiful birds tend to only grace the less urbanised & modernised places in England? I hope my next house doesn't have plastic soffets & fascias :)
And good job on the swift attempt, here we only have Ospreys & Falcons plus Typhoons, Gripens, Tornados and Migs... noisy birds!
I don't know, Susan, what happened to fans and cold showers?
Lee, damn, I'm always too late. Is there still hope for the passenger pigeon?
Had a few this evening, Peter. Must get back in training or stop taking the tablets!
Pauline, I imagine even Lowestoft had been warm this week unless they've found some queer, all-enveloping sea mist.
Thank you, Bluesmama, great to hear from you.
If it wasn't for the heat, Josephine, I could have watched them for hours.
We have a blackbird that sings on a tree in out garden all through the spring - magical!
Thank you, Lever, not a lot of singing from your birds, I imagine.
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