Very Like a Bear

Friday, 3rd November 2000, West Yorkshire

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BEYOND the Figure of Three locks there's a cloudscape so perfectly lit and clearly modelled that it wouldn't look out of place in the backdrop of a Renaissance painting. It's more massive than the one in my sketch, towering in the distance in the shape of a gigantic bear's head, sidelit in a rosy flamingo tint against a pale turquoise sky. Exquisite!

But there's a rival attraction; turn around from west to south and you'll see an unofficial alternative 'sunset' where a coral red light glows through a slot in an approaching bank of grey cloud.

magpie

'Tseeip' and 'Screech!'

Those disco nights of the late 70s can't have done my ears as much harm as I'd thought. Now that I know what to listen out for I hear the Redwing contact call that I missed on Wednesday. It's not a penetrating sound, so it isn't surprising that I missed it. It's rather like the of whispering whistle that we used, as children, to attract the attention of our cat;

put tip of your tongue just behind your front teeth and take a soft intake of breath.

magpie

In contrast the harsh screech of a Jay adds a touch of drama to the quiet canal-side scene as it gets involved in a confrontation with a group of four Magpies.

Just fancy that! - last years diary entry (see link below) for the today's date also featured redwings and cloud images.

Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@willowisland.co.uk'

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