Compassion in World Farming

The live export of British farm animals continues. Despite opposition from the public and many politicians, thousands of animals are leaving UK shores from the port of Dover.

UK Farming Minister, David Heath, has claimed to be "no fan" of live exports. Yet he has done nothing because apparently he believes he cannot act without breaking EU law. But he has got it wrong. 

Yes, current EU legislation prevents the UK from banning live exports altogether. But David Heath could amend an outdated UK law to give local authorities more power over the trade they allow through their ports. This could still put an end to live exports and would be perfectly legal under EU law. It seems pretty clear but apparently David Heath doesn't think so.

In the simplest terms amending the 1847 Act will allow UK ports to opt to refuse live exports without breaking EU law.

WHAT IS THE 1847 ACT?
The Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act (1847) states that all ports must allow the free trade of "goods". Astonishingly live farm animals are still classified as goods. So by law British public ports must allow lorries full of animals to pass through even if the port authority does not agree with the trade. This law is over 160 years old. It is high time it is amended.

Take action now, like me, and tweet @DavidHeathMP, something like:

It's simple @DavidHeathMP - amending the 1847 Act, so that UK ports can opt to refuse live exports, will not break EU law.

Woody the Woodpigeon

I have a number of Woodpigeons Columba palumbas that visit my garden every day. They will hoover up the morsels from hanging fat ball feeders that drop to the floor, dispatched there by greedy Jackdaws (these guys can make a real mess of a fat ball  in minutes). Of late however my favourite Woodpigeon, who I have named 'Woody' (original eh) has developed a new talent. I have a hanging feeder that contains a mix of seed that is supposedly attractive to finches. My guy 'Woody' has figured out a way to hang on a nearby branch and access these seeds from one of the feeder ports. This guy is a real contortionist. He can now empty a full seed feeder in two days, which presents the dilemma of how often should I refill it? This feeder was intended for small passerines but I am impressed by 'Woody's' technique of hanging in the lilac tree to get to this food source. But this seed mix is expensive.

But I feel obliged to keep filling the feeder.....

Goldfinches

These beautiful, highly coloured finches with a bright red face and yellow wing patch first visited my garden on 24th December 2012 just 48 hours after I first located a feeder containing nyger seeds in my lilac tree. In 27 years of recording birds in my garden these were the first Goldfinches to be seen. Since this occasion I have added two feeders containing sunflower seeds and these have quickly become the food of choice. Seven months on and there is hardly a moment goes by when I do not hear their delightful liquid, twittering song and call and see as many as six in the lilac tree. Most encouraging is that the number now includes two juvenile birds that have not yet developed their red faces.

They are a delight to watch and incredible time wasters.

Great English Trees

I plan to visit the 120-hectare Bedgebury National Pinetum near Tunbridge Wells in the next couple of months. This location hosts a world famous collection of conifers and boasts the tallest tree in Kent among its 12,000 trees and shrubs.This grand fir, known as 'The Old Man of Kent', was planted in 1840 by Viscount Beresford, who owned the Bedgebury estate and was a field marshall in Wellington's army.

The tree stands a mighty 51 metres (167 feet) tall.

Will need a wide angle lens on this visit...

The Flower Garden

I had just finished watering the garden when it started raining. The first rain we have seen here for quite some time. The recent spell of very hot weather has seen flowers bloom in profusion. I took a few photographs before the rain using a Nikon Coolpix P510 but missed the Small White butterfly that I had been trying to record. Here are a few flower pics:

Monochrome

With more time on my hands I am striving to improve my photographic skills. I enjoy photography but understand that I need to spend more time in composing a shot and utilising the tools that I have, to a greater extent. Having the patience to set up a tripod for landscape shots is a good example. Learning the skills of using filters can extend the boundaries and transform simple photos into something far more creative.

I own far too many cameras and intend to develop a system around Canon optics in preference to much of the Nikon equipment I own. In particular I would like to upgrade to a full-frame DSLR such as the Canon EOS 6D. I currently use a Canon EOS 600D and a Nikon D7000 along with several compact cameras.

I particularly like to experiment with monochrome, either setting the camera to compose in that format or using Apple's Aperture software to manipulate frames post capture. Here is a photo of one of my cats, Oliver, that I captured in jpeg colour and then transposed to black and white.

I use the services of Whitewall Laboratories to produce stunning prints on Ilford Baryta paper. It's an expensive service but well worth it.  https://uk.whitewall.com/photo-lab/photo-print/baryt-paper?gclid=CMGroqWezrgCFaPHtAodISUAvQ#tjn=f&t=product-details

The Rise of the Phoenix

I had completely forgotten that I started this blog some 2.5 years ago - and made one post. Well, now that I am retired I intend to post more. I envy those bloggers who are capable of posting every day, whose lives are full of interesting events. My life is now centred on my passion for photography, wildlife in general and birds in particular, with a keen interest in bumblebees, butterflies, dragonflies and moths.

Today, my wife spotted what she called an unusual bird on our garden fence. It proved to be a juvenile Collared Dove. Our feeders continue to attract a family of Goldfinches with an occasional Greenfinch.

Butterfly visitors have included a beautiful Comma and several Small Whites.

A Red-tailed bumblebee is a regular visitor along with Buff/white-tailed varieties.

Comma butterfly on daises