Dafad's-Days: SUN & STRANGE SOUNDS

Last night I am sure Thor was having a heavenly party, without the Thunderclap Band!

By 'eck was it noisy! Even my normally placid dog (who doesn't even respond to fireworks or clay pigeon shooting) was well out of sorts as the noise level of wind and rain reached several crescendos. The boards leading up to the attic spaces lifted and banged back into place, as the wind, sneakily accessed under the eaves. We slept badly due to the racket.

There were many gale warnings all around our shores on the shipping forecast and off the North Coast of Wales, Air Sea Rescue were called out at 02.00 this morning in Gale force 8 conditions, for a cargo ship, in trouble, suffering from a cracked hull. Sadly they were only able to rescue two of the beleaguered crew before the ship sank, five are still missing but a brave attempt was made by the pilots, Prince William being one of them.

So, imagine my surprise when this morning bloomed sun-bright and quiet except for a hushed breeze. The jackdaws were noisily discussing their traumatic tree-top night and all seemed so peacefully normal. Even now as I type with an uneventful sunset happening outside, they are nattering loudly from their roost, about what a fun day they've had.
An old and loved friend was due to visit today, so a brief trog in the forest with a much more contented collie and wow, what a difference! Blue skies, warm sunshine ... bliss!

The forest was alive with activity, croaking crows and various small birds. Squirrels that taunted Ffin and then scampered up into the canopy, clearly laughing at his inability to climb and ... flies, lots of them, more than I have ever seen this late in this 11th month.

As always there were small details that captured my eye, like this earthball fungus, atop a stone and a beautifully back lit hazel leaf with the grass stems silhouetted behind it

and a very interesting oak leaf with an infestation of something I can't identify.

Even stranger as we carried on along the gorse overgrown track, a prickly prospect ...

I heard a sound that I thought might be a lazy woodpecker, but this late in the year?

As I got closer. I thought it might possibly, be escaped farm chickens loose in the forest.

You think I'm joking? It was a very strange noise that I just couldn't identify which seemed more fowl than freaky. I got closer to the wind moving pines pines and finally

found the source of this very strange noise. Look closely at the two trees ...

Where they cross over near the top, they were rubbing together, creating sounds that honestly, even so close to them, sounded like happily foraging chickens.