The moon at Sunset

 

Another two photos again this week which I took on different days in June both were taken at around sunset

 

This one I took out the front of our house looking towards the allotments, the afterglow from the sunset setting off the crescent moon above it was 22:15

A couple of nights later I managed to get out and take this shot of the afterglow at 21:14 

Happy Skywatch

Two Welsh Chapels

 

This week the Church Explorer visits Two Welsh Chapels. One I had seen before and wanted to stop off the other I passed on the way to visit a church. On my way back I stopped off at both of the for a few photos. Normally I would write about them individually  but decided the one post would be OK 

Blue View

 

 Only two photos for skywatch this week from a morning walk we took a month ago

After reaching the gate I took this shot of the surrounding hills and blue sky

As we walked back this view from near a tree looked good to me

Happy Skywatch

The Rat

 

Rats are not my favorite creature especially when I find them feeding on the fat balls I leave out for the birds so I decided to set a trap for it. I found out where it lives which I think is under my shed. I also caught it on my wild life camera

 

The trap was left there for it to get used to. The white powder is baking bicarbonate of soda, I read somewhere it was not good for rats so left a flowerpot tray out with some mixed with cheese. The tray dissipated along with the powder and some must of got spilled when it was taken

 

It seems interested in the trap, must smell the old peanut butter that was in it, the branch is off a bay tree though it does not seem interested in that either

 

Gets fed up so turns away

 

and heads back under the shed

 

I bated the trap and had the camera going at night and this little mouse comes along and sniffs almost setting the trap off. How it got away with it I do not know because the video shows it running off into the wood store behind. That is one lucky mouse.  Since then I have not seen the rat on the camera though something set off another trap and ran with it till it fell off by a fence nearby. There are also a few cats come sniffing around as these have been caught on the camera as well.

 

St Peter Broughton Poggs

 

This week the Church Explorer visits  St Peter Broughton Poggs a wonderful old church that looks like it is still in the middle ages 

Different Outlook

 

These photos were taken the day after I first found Pip's bench up on the hillside

On climbing the quarry I looked back over the valley to the hills where the weather was very overcast with low cloud

On the hillside I looked out over the campsite where a few people could be see in the camping field

Taking in a wider view shows the cloud covering and the sun fighting to be seen

 Further up looking back told that rain threatened. It did though only a drizzle as we walked on then back to our caravan. Next week the photos are from a different location taken later in the day

Happy Skywatch

The Wrens Nest

 

My post with the critters you might have taken some notice of the little wren chicks looking out of the nest. Well I set up a wild like camera and here are some photos of when went on.

You can see them in the photos which for my liking was a bit far away at first

So I moved the camera much to my wife horror as she thought I had put it a bit close

The chicks were poking their heads out in this cropped photo

as it got dark one of the parents came along with food

they were hungry little things

Getting fed

still hungry

I got my camera out with zoom lens and took a few more photos

There are always two heads poking out, I counted three in there when they ducked back in

I found this one a bit odd as the parent came along and did not feed them

They were actually encouraging them to fledge and take flight. This one did come out and then went back in. The video I took on the wild life camera shows the parent feeding again but after that the chicks must have fledged as when my wife checked when she went to the greenhouse they were gone. I had hoped the camera would have caught this but they are quick so I missed seeing this.

Take Care

St Peter Filkins

 

 

This week the Church Explorer visits St Peter Filkins a very nice Victorian church in this small village 

Chapel Sky

 

For the last few weeks I have been showing sky's from the same day only take in different places. This week will be the last from a couple of places I stopped off at. On my way to revisit a church to update some photos I passed by a couple of chapels, I stopped off at them on my way back to get photos.

This was the second chapel which I visited the sky behind enhanced it

The view over the cemetery

This looked even better from the perimeter wall

Wider view

There was a seat nearby so it made a pleasant place to be

After leaving I stopped off on a hillside that overlooked the Wye Valley

Looking further up the valley, in the distance is the Brecon Beacons

 

Below me the village of Erwood

The road that twists down the hill

Finally looking across the valley

Happy Skuywatch

Some critters

 

 I have to admit I have not been very good at posting on a Tuesday and have been tending to post one so it can be used on two memes. This is due my feeling I had not got any photos worth showing but this week I thought I would show some critters I have taken over that past few weeks

I do like pigs and this particular grunter was rooting in a small woodland near the campsite I visit

Squirrels this one I noticed sat on a planter eating a nut

a walk around the lake and mother coot with a couple of young

Common darter having a rest

This dragonfly was scooting around the lake but was had to get a focus on until it landed

It even swiveled its head to watch me as I got closer

How a bout closer still

 

My wife pointed out something in the wrens nest we have

 

 

Two little chicks waiting for mum. Now the thing is the nest sits in an old seating arbor I converted for my BBQ and the other week I was BBQing on in. Now the burgers will have to wait till they have fledged

Took this yesterday with my iphone, The red kit was sat on the telegraph pole opposite when I came out of the back door. I just went back in picked up my phone and went to our front room and took the photo out of the window. The kite just carried on eating the food it had in it's claws

Take Care