ABOVE & BELOW

Today, the last Sunday in July and the weather according to the forecast was in for a change. It was definitely cooler here after some rain overnight and today there was a refreshing westerly breeze and as you will see, some wonderful cloud formations.

Trogging the dog, I met one of our local "birders" who pointed out this hidden nest ...

<<< a chaffinch had built this wonderful, mainly sphagnum moss constructed nest in a prickly gorse bush. I pass this way often and would never have noticed this little treasure.

A chaffinch nest, carefully built home for eggs and chicks, with sheep's wool interwoven with fresh green moss. The guy I spoke to is also an avid photographer with a huge telephoto lens which put my pocket size digital to shame but I managed to get these shots of the nest in an incredibly "thorn unfriendly" position. Sadly, he told me, that even this effort of nest building had, due to the inclement weather weeks ago, failed to save the survival of the chicks, just like my much guarded Meadow Pipit nest. For his photographs on the web.
(www.leeparsons.webs.com)

We walked on across another boundary between hayfields an the commons. The clouds were impressive in the sky above us and a steady cool breeze was blowing across the fields. Just a few weeks ago, these were being grazed by sheep but now as you can see they have turned into a potential hay harvest. I make no apologies for constantly mentioning hay over this last week, it is an essential part of winter feed for cattle and sheep. Up here on the mountain, the seasons can change dramatically and come the snow bound winters, hay is essential fodder for herd and flock.

The above shows three vast fields awaiting to be baled and the hay safely in storage. Talking to Dad today, he witnessed an an unusual sight of loads of hay and straw being transported at the same time. That ... is not normal for the south east of England! Here in the high lands of Wales, we don't grow cereal crops, our area is more meat orientated. It seems that this change in the flow of the Gulf Stream is creating havoc across the country.
After last night's rain, these hay fields are damp and will most probably baled as silage.

<<< Some unwelcome species of plants are growing unbelievably tall. The thistle shown here was taller than me and multi-flowered ... which means come the windblown spread of seeds, this particular plant will spread exponentially. Mostly inedible to sheep, this causes a huge problem on the commons. Not many animals eat thistles except donkeys (none of those around here!) On private land these are weed sprayed to reduce the numbers of plants, but on the commons there is very little thistle control, consequently they spread at an alarming rate. The sad thing is that these are attractive to many species of butterflies, bees and flies, it really is a case of who survives? The birds need the insects and seeds, we need our meat (apart from vegetarians) and the whole cycle of life is in a precarious balance, dependent on local conditions.

Meanwhile there is still a hay crop to be gathered in before the rain sets in and ... as the clouds gather in at times spectacular formation, we can at least appreciate dramatic skies.