Manky Monkey Motors

Taken in my garden today.

Just proves you can find beauty anywhere, even on your own doorstep. Great photos.

Talking about on your own doorstep, I have got a bumble bee's nest in the eaves (I live in a bungalow) right by my doorway. There are always a few buzzing about the ventilation hole. I don't mind bees just hate wasps. I had to check which kind they were as honey bees need to be fetched by an apiarist so they can be added to a hive. Any other type of bee and they don't want to know. I have a massive buddleia (aka the butterfly bush) in the front garden and I think this might have drawn the bees too. Without sounding too mad, it might also be because I saved a bee earlier on in the year when it had been warm and then the temperature dropped quickly. I picked him up and kept him warm. Perhaps he remembers and brought the family! Ok, maybe a bit too mad.  ??? :)

Maybe.  :P

even when it rained, they took cover, clever B's

Never seen that before!

No, I think that's one grateful Bee!! :D :D :D

wandering across Dartmoor and found these, so I walked a little quicker

 ;D I have a holiday in the Scottish Highlands whenever I can. The "coos" roam free, like the horses in the New Forest. I've stepped out of the car a few times to photograph them, then thought Hang on, they're the size of a sofa, with 3 foot long horns.  :o

They're usually pretty docile unless they've just given birth.

they took an "unnatural" interest in me, and started to follow ! AND, what are they doing way down 'ere in Devon?

Maybe they're on holiday?
I'd be pretty angry too if I'd just given birth to one of those.

There are longhorn cattle in the New Forest. I love to see them. Of course there are the well known ponies but cattle, donkeys and pigs also live there. There has even been sightings of wild boar but not by me, thank goodness.

The pigs are released around Autumn to eat the acorns falling from the many oaks in the forest. This is called pannage. They are released to eat the acorns before the ponies can, as eating acorns can kill the ponies. Once the acorns are all gone the pigs are usually rounded up and removed until the following Autumn.

A holiday in Scotland meant I saw many highland cattle. They are so beautiful. As my photography is not brilliant I bought postcards of them instead.  :D

my son captured this yesterday, at a falconry day out.

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Phenominal pictures  ;D ;D

Wow! Beautiful birds. Fantastic photos.

Brilliant!.................

Now you are just showing off even if it is vicariously.  :D

Both great pictures but the greyish bird's (osprey?) position looks like pure poetry in motion. Made me think of the divers and gymnasts in the olympics

I still can't get my head around that diving bird shot, the clarity is just to good, but then again, its like our cars, bikes whatever. He has spent a small fortune on camera gear and takes shots every day.

Like I have said before, you should think of submitting your photos to competitions and the same goes for your son. Plus, calendar people are always looking for stunning photos. Best idea though is to set up a web site with copyrighted thumbnails and sell them that way.

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look at the focused eyes,

Both great photos but I enjoyed seeing the owl's legs - like he is wearing trousers.  8)

Presumably moleskin trousers?

been awhile, today met this "wise old owl" called pepper, 21 years old and nearly blind. Only let out on bright days, seems any owl over 20 is rare. 

I admire your photografficking skills Sir.

Its December, nearing that day! while digging in the veg patch this little character was eating the worms and flying back to the apple tree, keeping his eye on me for more tender morsels  :I think he likes me !

If you are one of those odd creatures who still sends Christmas cards, that would make a lovely one!

Odd creatures !! I think I class as one of them BG  :D

Oh well we all do thank goodness but I meant that PARTICULAR typw of odd!

sunrise on my garden this morning, good to be alive ;)

Beautiful!

I'd love to be up at sunrise to take lovely pictures - if only it weren't so early!

Lots of worms by the look of him, or are his feathers just puffed out!  :)  Great photo as usual. Sunrise is lovely too.

I have two robins that dive bomb me and regularly come into my workshop and sit on my vice or wherever I'm working to let me know they want some mealworms ..cheeky things

When I lived with Tazet in her run-down old cottage in Surrey, we had a huge amount of wildlife in the garden. I loved feeding them all & just sitting & watching them -the one thing I really miss from there. I'd always thought birds were boring till then, but they all had very distinct "personalities" & we had regulars that came for their meals at the same time every day. Tanya had a particularly bold female blackbird that would hop up on the patio table & complain to her if the other birds were pinching all the food she considered hers.