Location, location, location...

http://toulousearlydays.blogspot.com/

They say location is everything and I can't think of one better than this to be enjoying a Sunday breakfast of coffee; juice and Pain au Lait - fantastic views and a fair bit of wildlife to look at whilst enjoying it.

During the course of breakfast, there were two or three Nuthatches coming for sunflower seeds about two feet from my position, along with a few more timid Blue tits and suchlike.

Then along came "Tufty" - showing my age there - and with the Mission Impossible music in my head, scampered over the garden looking for somewhere to bury his nuts...

Next to appear was either a Buzzard or a Gosshawk, I have seen many, many Buzzards in Wales, and I have the feeling this isnt "just" a Buzzard. Looks like it has a roost - or whatever it is called - down in the trees at the foot of the valley, really pushing the 300mm lens to the limit and still dont have a tripod to make the most of the distance. Could probably do with an 800mm and a decent tripod if he keeps using the perch.

Also here are the promised Praying Mantis pictures, and it is a European Praying Mantis - apparently they think the female eating the male is only something that happens in lab conditions and not in the wild, hell of a way to go though!

A typical morning...?

Get up; shower; put coffee on, find a pastry.

Wander outside and fish out 3 frogs from the pool and sundry leaves after the most amazing storm last night - lightning and thunder for about 6 hours, forked lightning was spectacular, but the lightning inside the clouds during the sunset was amazing, wish I had a video camera - anyway back to the morning.

Catch fledgling Redstart flying/hoping around the living room! - not sure how long he had been there - Release to anxious parents perching on the balcony making all sorts of encouraging (for birds I guess) noises, he managed to fly to the trees so nothing wrong by the look of him.

Red Squirrel back again that's three times this week, along with about four green woodpeckers, and was awoken by the haunting sound of the Golden Oriole - still not got a good look at it, it's about as elusive as a Golden Snitch!

Set off to work 8.49 - arrived 9.15 as traffic better at the later time.... hmmm, maybe a longer lie in can be had...

Anyway off to pretend to work until the cricket starts, and then collecting Sister, husband and daughter this afternoon - already had complaints about the rain...! I am sure it will clear up...