Oxpecker

There is usually a carrion crow in attendance with the three highland cows in Redhills Pasture.  There will surely be a range of benefits from this behaviour, but this crow was acting like an oxpecker on an elephant.  It was pecking what must have been parasites from two of the cows as they lounged on the grass, and the small black cow was quite unbothered by this one hopping about on its back, and even its head.  I was hoping for a shot of it perched on the handlebars, but wasn't in luck this time.   Redhill Pasture is very ticky at the moment, and I do worry sometimes for these animals who must be carrying quite a burden - I removed 4 walking ticks from Gus when we got back in the woods. 

It was a superb morning to be out early, as the cloud formation across the sky first thing was extraordinary (see extra).  By the time I took the oxpecker shot, the cloudlets were expanding and dissipating.

It was a good day in so many ways.  We enjoyed the company of Pam and Bern, who we hadn't seen for a few months.  Arnside Simon also dropped in to help remove some rusty old metal work that came out of the garden.

In the afternoon as I took Gus for a walk in the woods, a young lad on a bicycle stopped to tell me he and his cousin had found a dog wandering in the wood.  Could I help? I was so impressed at their responsibility in seeking assistance to reunite a dog with its owner.  When I told them they had done really well, their faces lit up.  As it happened, finding the owner wasn't difficult at all.  I put the dog on Gus's lead and he led me to his owner's house!