tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13238380474870870212024-03-19T04:35:01.839+00:00A Day In the Life of a Wildlife ArtistAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.comBlogger617125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-62947662841852893472017-03-01T14:58:00.002+00:002017-03-01T14:58:48.372+00:00This blog has movedThank you for following me! Please note this blog has now moved to: <div>
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http://www.robertefuller.com/diary/</div>
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Click on the link to keep on following me. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-11089578888693345782017-02-20T15:59:00.001+00:002017-02-20T15:59:14.548+00:00Why I taught my daughter not to spring clean<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CsprN2WI2G0/WKsQWKoSmvI/AAAAAAAAJDE/xr1yLplZ4Z8hqPUSj9URbvcbkMSTA19nQCLcB/s1600/long%2Btailed%2Btit%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CsprN2WI2G0/WKsQWKoSmvI/AAAAAAAAJDE/xr1yLplZ4Z8hqPUSj9URbvcbkMSTA19nQCLcB/s1600/long%2Btailed%2Btit%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Long Tailed Tit With Wool, limited edition print, £65. <a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Long-Tailed-Tit-with-Wool-Print-ZLTT.html#SID=11" target="_blank">Click </a>to buy.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was in the greenhouse preparing seed beds with my daughter
Lily when she announced, in a judgmental tone that only young children can
command, that the greenhouse was ‘full of cobwebs’. I explained that I left them there deliberately for the
long-tailed tits to use to build their nests from. She was fascinated as I showed her how these beautiful
little birds weave a soft, delicate nest out of lichen, moss or sheep’s wool
and then almost stitch it together with sticky cobwebs so that the nests can
expand as their chicks grow.<br />
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She spent the rest of the morning collecting bits of tangled
sheep’s wool and moss from the fence that lines the garden boundary and leaving
it in little piles by the greenhouse door which she bound together like little
Red Cross parcels. The idea that the long–tailed tits needed her help made me
smile because I have been known to do the same thing when I come across
material that looks soft enough for a long-tailed tit nest.<br />
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Long-tailed tits are one of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>’s earliest nest builders -
I have seen them begin in the first week of February whilst there is still snow
on the ground -but this early start can lead to problems because there is no
leaf cover to hide behind at this time. It’s not unusual to find their elaborate nests ripped apart
by corvids – especially magpies. So it’s natural to want to try to help them.<br />
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I showed Lily some photographs of some long-tailed tits that
I had watched gathering cobwebs from the greenhouse last spring. I had first seen them from my studio window. They were
checking every crevice and overhang with interest and at first I had thought
they were looking for insects.<br />
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But by the time they had made their third trip to the
greenhouse I suspected something else was up. I got out my binoculars and
camera and opened the door to the studio so that I was ready to watch more
closely when they next visited. With the door open it was a bit chilly to say the least, but
I wanted to hear them coming so I pulled over another jumper and carried on
painting as I waited.<br />
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Long-tailed tits have a very musical contact call and tend
to fly together in family groups or pairs, keeping in touch continually, so
they are easy to locate once you learn the sound. After a short while I heard this distinctive tune and looked
round to see them bobbing along the hedge, taking short flights.</div>
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I picked up my binoculars and watched as they began
investigating the greenhouse again. They were picking at spiders’ cobwebs in the
overhangs.<o:p></o:p><br />
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By the next day they had gathered most of the cobwebs from
the outside of the greenhouse and had gone inside looking for more. I heard their excited calls as they gathered up what must
have felt like an unlimited supply. I was worried about them as they had gone
through a very small gap where a window was only slightly ajar. But I noticed
that they were able to find their way out with ease and watched them carry off
their plunder towards the valley below the garden.<br />
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By lunch time, after watching these almost continuous trips
back and forth, I couldn’t resist having a look for the nest they were busy
building. I set off down the valley in the direction the long-tailed tits had
headed and waited. It wasn’t long before I heard them. They were following the
hedge line away from the greenhouse and were flying into a line of sycamores in
the valley bottom. It was difficult to keep track of them in the large trees
and I soon lost them.<br />
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I repositioned myself on the other side of the valley where
I had last seen them and then spotted them on the way back to the garden, so I
sat tight and waited for them to return. It turned out that I had positioned myself in just the right
spot as they flew right over my head and into the hedge beside me. They
followed the hedge down the valley and stopped in a dense bit of hawthorn
hedge.<br />
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I could hear them calling excitedly as I crept closer and
peered in with my binoculars. I could see them building the nest. It was cup-shaped, like most nests, but long-tailed tits
don’t stop there. I watched over the next few days as they built it up into an
intricate dome with an entrance hole near the top. Once the dome structure was
complete they went on to line the nest with feathers.</div>
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In a good year long-tailed tits can have up to 15 chicks in
a brood so the nest needs to be quite spacious with scope for expansion as they
grow! <o:p></o:p><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tPMMhaJBXp4/WKsSCUf2vvI/AAAAAAAAJDU/1sC-T8Ma5FQgurRkM3wnR7J7DAtu8BuZQCLcB/s1600/ltt%2Bblackthorn-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tPMMhaJBXp4/WKsSCUf2vvI/AAAAAAAAJDU/1sC-T8Ma5FQgurRkM3wnR7J7DAtu8BuZQCLcB/s1600/ltt%2Bblackthorn-blog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Longtail tits on Blackthorn, by Robert E Fuller.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This nest was well hidden, despite the fact that the
hawthorn was not yet in leaf, and escaped predators. Long tailed-tits have strong family ties and often siblings
that have lost their own nests will help feed the growing brood.<br />
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Lily and I have kept a close watch for long-tailed tits at
the bird feeders. Over the winter I had nine long-tailed tits visiting the
garden once or twice a day, feeding on fat bars just before dusk. I like to think it was the ones from the nest last year but
I couldn’t be sure. Lily is quite certain it is and has now begun her own vigil
of the greenhouse, keen to see if her little parcels are going to be taken up.</div>
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I’m glad of the opportunity to show my children that nature
has its own way of spring cleaning.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-65621314709403874662017-02-15T16:08:00.001+00:002017-02-15T16:08:17.713+00:00Ten tips on how to put up a nest box<div class="MsoBodyText">
This week is National Nest Box Week, when people are encouraged to put nest boxes up in their gardens. A shortage of natural nest sites is one of the reasons for the decline of some garden birds and so adding a nest box to your garden is an easy way to provide a safe place to breed. </div>
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My own garden is full of nest boxes and I also advise local landowners on the best places to put up boxes to attract barn owls and other species on their land. The advantages of persuading birds to nest in your garden are that you get to watch their young as they grow and eventually fledge - right on your doorstep.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-61Z7W3OH0E0/WKRZgKbrSII/AAAAAAAAJAg/IPUajuXK39M6D4FuW3nXc6pCzPguZHj2QCLcB/s400/tawnyowlchick%2B%2528acrylic%2Bpainting%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="281" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tawny Chick, limited edition print by Robert E Fuller.</span></td></tr>
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For me, having nest boxes right outside the house means I can be there to photograph and eventually paint the birds I see. Many of the nest boxes in my garden are made from reclaimed tree stumps that have been carefully selected as backdrops for my paintings. <span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"> </span>The painting above, of a tawny owlet peeping out of a hold in tree trunk is just such a prop. And the one below of a barn owl actually features part of an old elm stump which I salvaged and adapted as a nest box. It was heavy and had to be hoisted into a sycamore tree.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cLuMuxvzKuo/WKRZFi6rX5I/AAAAAAAAJAc/NsshkrMHiuQzBvCLk1P3EFWTeD8LW4AxQCLcB/s1600/barn%2Bowl%2Bin%2Btree%2BentranceBLOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cLuMuxvzKuo/WKRZFi6rX5I/AAAAAAAAJAc/NsshkrMHiuQzBvCLk1P3EFWTeD8LW4AxQCLcB/s1600/barn%2Bowl%2Bin%2Btree%2BentranceBLOG.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Barn Owl in Elm Stump, painting by Robert E Fuller. 17.5" x 21.25"</span> £6,550 <a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Barn-Owl-in-Elm-Stump-Barn_Owl.html#SID=23" target="_blank">Click</a> to buy</td></tr>
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Nest boxes don’t need to be quite as elaborate. You can buy them off the shelf or you can even leave out an appropriate space for nesting birds in the garden - I have had wrens nesting in a bunch of shallots and also in an old walking boot, a robin in a kettle and little owls in a wine box.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m78MQTPsxJ8/WKRex7igcdI/AAAAAAAAJA0/eARdGzxB_AoSjjegNSnTu3eob4Y94xCUgCLcB/s1600/robin%2Bon%2Bteapotblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m78MQTPsxJ8/WKRex7igcdI/AAAAAAAAJA0/eARdGzxB_AoSjjegNSnTu3eob4Y94xCUgCLcB/s1600/robin%2Bon%2Bteapotblog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Robin on Teapot, limited edition print, Image size 30x15cm £65 <a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Robin-on-Teapot-Print-ZRT.html#SID=11" target="_blank">Click </a>to buy.</span></td></tr>
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Now is the time to <span style="text-indent: -24px;">put up your nest box. Birds rarely move in straight away, they like to check that the boxes are suitable first. </span>In order to support National Nest Box Week this week I've put together my ten top tips on how and where to put up a nest box. </div>
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<b>1. Choose your site carefully.</b></div>
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The important thing is to site your box correctly. Don't forget it needs to be in the best place for birds and not for your own viewing opportunities! </div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Your nest box needs to be at least 1.5 metres high and no higher than 5.5 metres and l</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">ocated near a hedge, bush</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> or branches to help fledglings on their first flight. </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Make sure you avoid prevailing winds and direct sunlight. It can get very hot in the summer and cold if the chicks are directly in a breeze!</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b>2. Choose the optimum size to attract the species you most want in the garden.</b></span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">If you are not particular about which species you want then the box that appeals to the widest range</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">of common garden birds is around 28cm high, 15cm wide </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">and 13cm deep with a 32mm hole.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">But if you want to be really specific here is a list of what size entrance hole suits which species.</span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -18pt;">Hole size Suitable for</b></div>
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25mm Blue/coal/marsh/willow tit<o:p></o:p></div>
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32mm House/tree sparrow, great tit, nuthatch, pied flycatcher<o:p></o:p></div>
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45mm Starling<o:p></o:p></div>
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50mm Great spotted woodpecker<o:p></o:p></div>
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70mm Little owl<o:p></o:p></div>
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200mm Stock dove, tawny owl<o:p></o:p></div>
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For robins, wrens, blackbirds, spotted flycatchers, pied/grey wagtails or song thrushes choose open<br />
fronted boxes.<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Make </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">sure the front or the top of the box opens for cleaning.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><b>3</b>.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Choose a wood-crete box</b>. </div>
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There are plenty of nest boxes available on the market made from wood or terracotta, but I really<br />
recommend woodcrete<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">(a sawdust and concrete composite)</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">. These boxes are indestructible and</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">provide </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">great insulation too!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "symbol";">4. </span> Don't Use Diamond Shape Boxes</b></div>
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I really don't recommend this shape because it doesn't give birds enough space to fill with nesting </div>
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material.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "symbol";">5. </span>For House Sparrows use a terrace </b></div>
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House sparrows are very sociable and like to nest together. A terrace, like the one pictured below, will<br />
fit several pairs of these birds. They should be at least
30cm high, 38cm wide with</div>
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a 32mm hole.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hC7vExlPBoQ/WKRyQe03nOI/AAAAAAAAJBQ/tMKs8JNkWqcsHcByQ3MFJiCwncNhiZMTwCLcB/s1600/6.%2BRobert%2Binspects%2Ba%2B%2527block%2Bof%2Bflats%2527%2Bblog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hC7vExlPBoQ/WKRyQe03nOI/AAAAAAAAJBQ/tMKs8JNkWqcsHcByQ3MFJiCwncNhiZMTwCLcB/s1600/6.%2BRobert%2Binspects%2Ba%2B%2527block%2Bof%2Bflats%2527%2Bblog.JPG" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "symbol";">6. </span>Try a box with a triangular slip or hole to attract teecreepers </b></div>
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Tree creepers naturally nest in narrow gaps and clefts behind loose bark. A triangular slit
or hole</div>
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replicates this.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "symbol";">7. </span>Attract little owls by screening off the back of your box</b></div>
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Little owls like
to nest in dark cavities, so screen off the back part of the box to create a
baffle and use</div>
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a 7cm hole. Site it high enough to deter predators and in a quiet
area.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "symbol";">8. </span>Choose a tall-sided box for tawnys</b></div>
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A tawny owl’s box
needs to be tall so that chicks can’t fall out before they learn to fly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";">9.</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->House martins</b> </div>
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House martins build mud nests on the eaves of buildings, often in colonies averaging five nests.
They</div>
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need enclosed nests with a small opening.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><b>10</b>. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><b>Swallows </b></div>
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Swallows<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"> </span>prefer
open nests sited inside a building with easy access, such as a garage, porch or
stable.</div>
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UOo8QKjsQtM/WKR7FwHjNWI/AAAAAAAAJBk/ZW1Wk8ypZ0En6SiLmTbIW8j_XNXlKjA4QCLcB/s1600/swallows-sized.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UOo8QKjsQtM/WKR7FwHjNWI/AAAAAAAAJBk/ZW1Wk8ypZ0En6SiLmTbIW8j_XNXlKjA4QCLcB/s400/swallows-sized.tif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Swallow fledglings, limited edition print by Robert E Fuller. Image size 30x15cm £65 <a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Swallow-Fledglings-Print-ZSW.html#SID=11" target="_blank">Click </a>to buy. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Good luck. And remember. If your nest box is unoccupied for two full breeding seasons - try </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 18.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">relocating it.</span></div>
<div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-61Z7W3OH0E0/WKRZgKbrSII/AAAAAAAAJAg/IPUajuXK39M6D4FuW3nXc6pCzPguZHj2QCLcB/s1600/tawnyowlchick%2B%2528acrylic%2Bpainting%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-61Z7W3OH0E0/WKRZgKbrSII/AAAAAAAAJAg/IPUajuXK39M6D4FuW3nXc6pCzPguZHj2QCLcB/s1600/tawnyowlchick%2B%2528acrylic%2Bpainting%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-38040960082747733622017-02-10T12:44:00.000+00:002017-02-10T12:44:58.617+00:00Grebe Reed Dance: Is this the most romantic Valentine gesture ever?<div class="MsoNormal">
It's Valentine’s Day soon. Perhaps you’ll buy a card,
choose a bunch of flowers or reserve a table for two to show your loved one you
care. For most courting birds, however, such gestures would not be
nearly enough to woo a suitor.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Pairs of great crested grebes need to be congratulated for
putting in the most effort in this department. Their courtship dance is surely
the most elaborate of any bird on the <st1:place w:st="on">British Isles</st1:place>. For them, courting is multi-staged and unfolds over a number
of weeks. It involves carefully choreographed displays of head shaking, diving,
ritualised preening, some serious feather fluffing as well as a finale of the
well-known but seldom seen ‘reed dance’.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_YyKFWAuQxM/WJ2kimn8lbI/AAAAAAAAI_o/G6X0hJmqAPYEUJwWBcemaXEUK8Dszc6PgCEw/s1600/grebes-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_YyKFWAuQxM/WJ2kimn8lbI/AAAAAAAAI_o/G6X0hJmqAPYEUJwWBcemaXEUK8Dszc6PgCEw/s1600/grebes-blog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Great Crested Grebes, painted by Robert E Fuller</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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In Olympic terms, their display would deserve a silver
medal, bettered perhaps only by that of the delightful bower birds of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Australia</st1:country-region> and
possibly narrowly pipping the South American manakins to the post. Yet, whilst for the other two contenders it is the male
alone who leads the dance, the grebe’s courtship is performed equally by both
partners. The courtship begins in January when both male and female
transform their plumage from a drab off-white and muddy matte brown to
his-and-hers matching breeding finery. Their heads are adorned with a double crest and orange and black
ruff. Their dazzling white faces set off a glinting ruby eye. It’s difficult, but not impossible to distinguish the male
from the female. The male’s crest is fractionally more magnificent and his body
slightly larger. </div>
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Large lakes can accommodate quite a number of grebes and as
they start to divide into pairs, they carve out territories and draw invisible
boundaries on the water’s surface. Competition for the best fishing and nesting sites is
fierce. But once resolved the elaborate courtship can begin. I watched a pair of grebes for a week one February and was
rewarded with a magnificent display. First, the male caught three small fish and ate them whole.
Then, he caught a huge nine inch one which he gleefully presented to his mate.
He was showing her that he could easily provide for her and their family
together, given the chance.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uVQbXLIoO00/WJ21SI_32BI/AAAAAAAAJAI/aagmK3xN8Zk3xCsjGsEpnFY5HQGP-XL2wCLcB/s1600/APR2011_0297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uVQbXLIoO00/WJ21SI_32BI/AAAAAAAAJAI/aagmK3xN8Zk3xCsjGsEpnFY5HQGP-XL2wCLcB/s1600/APR2011_0297.JPG" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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She was clearly impressed with this engagement present and
to my amazement swallowed the fish whole. She had found her match. Simultaneously they turned to face each other, held their
heads high and, with their crests and facial ruffs erect and extended, started
to wave their heads from side to side repeatedly. As one bird looked one way the other looked in the opposite
direction with precision timing as if they were too timid to look each other in
the eye.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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This ‘face-off’ dancing went on for nearly a minute and was
followed by ritualistic preening. Each bird took turns to select a long feather
from their back and extend it out to the side in a perfect arch, as if casually
grooming. The synchronisation was so perfect that it was almost as if
they were working as one.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The courtship process was intense. Often, a fishing break
was required in the midst of the proceedings or time out taken to patrol the
boundaries. If the male spotted any other grebe on his patch, he swam
towards it like a guided missile; head and face flush to the water. At the last moment he flew above the surface, paddling,
splashing and generally making as much noise as possible in order to be seen both
by the intruder and his own mate. Sometimes, he decided on a cunning surprise attack diving
down and then grabbing the bewildered intruder from below.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This aggression is mainly directed at sub-adult grebes; only
these younger ones would be naïve enough to enter another’s arena. However, it is not only directed at their own species. As I
watched, the grebe cunningly dived below a pair of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> geese and began viciously
assaulting them. He kept pecking the geese hard with his razor sharp beak
until they had no option but to swim ashore and seek refuge on dry land. It was hilarious to watch these large birds, who are often
the playground bullies of the waterways, leaping up and down from the water’s
surface in fright.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Smug in the knowledge that his lady had watched the entire
episode, the grebe headed back to her. As he approached he dived down just below the water’s
surface, creating an impressive bow wave from which he emerged, just as it
broke, by her side. Talk about cool!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Duly impressed by his antics, she greeted him with wings
splayed, head held back and calling, as if she were cheering. He went one
better and finished his performance with an upright dance, effortlessly
treading water in front of her. More head-wagging and preening continued throughout the day.
But just as I was about to pack up the moment I had been waiting for; the
crowning glory of the water courtship commenced – the reed dance at last.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The grebes swam away from each other and dived down
simultaneously only to reappear on the surface at the same time. The male was holding a clump of weed plucked from the bottom
of the lake and I had my camera poised. The female, I noticed, had been distracted while she was
under and had caught a fish. The male rushed towards her, weed to the ready,
his head and neck low in the water. Then he too realised that she was holding a fish in her beak
and not the clump of weed he was hoping for. He dropped his weed instantly, almost
embarrassed that he had misread the situation. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e3HR9mBQa04/WJ21WOLNK1I/AAAAAAAAJAM/zYNfO1BpfPsJR66foFeWqz-mQsi52N_IgCLcB/s1600/APR2011_0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e3HR9mBQa04/WJ21WOLNK1I/AAAAAAAAJAM/zYNfO1BpfPsJR66foFeWqz-mQsi52N_IgCLcB/s400/APR2011_0300.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was night fall by this time and I packed up and returned
the following morning at dawn, weighed down with cameras, tripod and flask.
Just as I reached the edge of the lake I noticed the full reed dance being
performed right in front of me. The climax of the prenuptials involved both birds treading
water bolt upright breast to breast with beaks full of weed whilst also shaking
their heads from side to side. It was over in a flurry and unfortunately my
camera was still in my bag.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I cursed myself, if only I had walked faster or not spent so
long over breakfast. You have to be patient to see the full courtship of a
great crested grebe, but you need a bit of luck to photograph it too. Grebes don’t mate for life so they may well be reed dancing
with someone new next year. A season of devotion brings no guarantees, in spite
of all their effort.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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The reed dance only lasts for a few seconds but it something
that will stay in my memory forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-17381001864974004962017-02-08T16:31:00.004+00:002017-02-10T11:46:30.360+00:00Valentine lore: Are Animals Romantic?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JmPylI6AOjk/WJtF8-K7_HI/AAAAAAAAI-U/VeKwjiIbVLQq4VweBiRGvJi8_aWxRPuVwCLcB/s1600/waved-albatross-home.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JmPylI6AOjk/WJtF8-K7_HI/AAAAAAAAI-U/VeKwjiIbVLQq4VweBiRGvJi8_aWxRPuVwCLcB/s1600/waved-albatross-home.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Waved-Albatross-Print--ZWALB.html#SID=12" target="_blank">Albatross Pair, painted by Robert E Fuller</a>.<a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Waved-Albatross-Print--ZWALB.html#SID=12" target="_blank"> More info and to buy</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
As Valentine’s Day approaches I have been thinking about whether animals
experience the same emotions that we do. And, in particular, whether they feel love in the same way?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
As someone who has spent my life observing animals and birds in the
wild, I believe they do, although obviously they are not as intelligent. I think we share all the same emotions - grief, lust, fear and love -and
all the subtle feelings in between. This complex range of emotions is a necessary part of survival.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Some species, for instance, form life-long bonds to raise their young.
Their offspring depend on their parents to work together as a pair to defend
and feed them. But it’s not all about finding a mate and a territory. It is well known that elephants,
for instance, experience grief and will mourn the loss of one of their herd by visiting
their remains in ‘elephant graveyards’ for some years afterwards, stroking the
bleached bones of the dead with their trunks in mournful vigil.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8w-bxkLZhDE/WJtGjg0aMtI/AAAAAAAAI-Y/ceURy8arW44iRtNHwxKRnUpnJteBhn_MACLcB/s1600/Following%2Bin%2Bfootstepsblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8w-bxkLZhDE/WJtGjg0aMtI/AAAAAAAAI-Y/ceURy8arW44iRtNHwxKRnUpnJteBhn_MACLcB/s1600/Following%2Bin%2Bfootstepsblog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Following in Footsteps, limited edition print by Robert E Fuller.<a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Following-in-your-Footsteps-Print--ZLFFS.html#SID=12" target="_blank"> More info & to buy</a> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The link between humans and chimpanzees has been well documented. Comparisons of our genetic blueprints show
that we share 96% of our DNA sequence with these apes. I have been trekking
with chimps in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Tanzania</st1:country-region>
and it really is amazing to see how similar their actions are to ours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Closer to home, I’ve seen almost the same range of emotions as humans
experience expressed by British wildlife. <o:p></o:p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HEorVK-d1BY/WJ2g0Wv-xXI/AAAAAAAAI-8/WFUNEEFc6NUSLMeaGexbYcqEY0iaMhTUACLcB/s1600/CHIMP-lrge.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HEorVK-d1BY/WJ2g0Wv-xXI/AAAAAAAAI-8/WFUNEEFc6NUSLMeaGexbYcqEY0iaMhTUACLcB/s400/CHIMP-lrge.gif" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Chimp of Mahale, by wildlife artist Robert E Fuller. <a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Chimp-of-Mahale-Print-ZCM.html#SID=12" target="_blank">More info and to buy.</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The animal kingdom spends a great deal of energy and effort in courtship
and territorial defense. It is everywhere
from bird song, to the roar of a stag or the colourful and elegant plumage of a
kingfisher.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
For evidence of subtler emotional bonding, you only have to watch a clan
of badgers on a warm summer’s evening grooming one another whilst their cubs
play about them. Their social structures are quite complex and depend on the need
to form a cohesive group in order to defend their territory from rival clans.
So they spend a lot of time grooming and scent marking each other as a way of reaffirming
their connections. Literally, its ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIuX-b8nlTI/WJ2iLffR7xI/AAAAAAAAI_I/oNyw6UDfbdoaFJZYVccsWlo0BW7lLbTJACLcB/s1600/badger-bond%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIuX-b8nlTI/WJ2iLffR7xI/AAAAAAAAI_I/oNyw6UDfbdoaFJZYVccsWlo0BW7lLbTJACLcB/s1600/badger-bond%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Badger Bond, taken from a painting by Robert E Fuller</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I spent a week watching a fox raise her five cubs and witnessed envy and
smugness too. The vixen quite clearly had a favourite cub, a female, which she
groomed more and spent more time with than the others, and this little cub had
grown proud and spoiled as a result. One day I watched this favourite cub goad
and tease a larger male sibling with a pigeon feather which she held in her
mouth. The larger male took chase but he couldn’t quite match her agility and,
disgruntled at the fact that he was unable to take her prized feather, slunk
off sulkily. The little cub gleefully took up her position next to her mother
and there’s little doubt she was gloating.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zjG1Yiquyis/WJ2jA-QJxOI/AAAAAAAAI_Q/DXzC6-Kro7oGlXYlLaxT3_7Cao5B84erQCLcB/s1600/foxandcubs2016_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zjG1Yiquyis/WJ2jA-QJxOI/AAAAAAAAI_Q/DXzC6-Kro7oGlXYlLaxT3_7Cao5B84erQCLcB/s1600/foxandcubs2016_blog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fox and cubs painted by Robert E Fuller.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
And as for love, it’s hard to ignore the vast array of complex courtship
rites practised by birds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Great crested grebes have the most elaborate courtship dance of all <st1:country-region w:st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>’s
birds. It involves carefully choreographed displays of head shaking, diving,
ritualised preening, some serious feather fluffing and a spectacular ‘reed
dance’ finale.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Grebes courting, by Robert E Fuller.</span></td></tr>
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You can see these mating dances right now on lakes and ponds and they
are fascinating to watch because, unusually, the females take almost as active
a role as the males.<br />
I have been feeding a pair of tawny owls from my garden bird table for
some years now and I regularly watch them out of my kitchen window. One night last
month I turned my security light on and saw the pair on the garden fence
sitting so close to each other they were touching. The male began to lightly
preen the female’s facial disc and I could hear her ‘churring’ with pleasure as
she moved her face around to make sure he preened just the right spot.<br />
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These birds don’t actually start to lay eggs until March so it was early
for pre-nesting courtship. Instead these two were enjoying the simple pleasure of
physical contact. In the spring and summer if I go anywhere near this pair’s nest the male
swoops down and attacks me. Twice he has actually knocked a chain saw helmet
off my head and once his claws punctured my back in eight places!</div>
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This tawny owl clearly has fiercely strong feelings of protection
towards his chicks and I’ve learned now to stay well clear. And these little ‘mini-dramas’ are not limited to courtship rituals, they
also involve the more subtle twists of jealousy and betrayal.<br />
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Take for instance the day I watched an unfaithful curlew skulk away after
his mate caught him playing away from home. I was in Teesdale at the time watching a black grouse lek, itself an
intricate and complex mating dance, when I spotted a female curlew on her nest.
There was something about her restless behaviour that caught my eye. It was as
though she just couldn’t concentrate on the job of incubating her eggs.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Unfaithful male curlew is challenged by both females, photograph by Robert E Fuller. </span></td></tr>
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Then I noticed that she was watching her mate closely. She seemed so
agitated that she would often leave her eggs unattended and fly over to join
him where he was feeding. Then one morning, after several days of this unusual behaviour<b>, </b>I realised what all the fuss was
about. I spotted the male near my hide feeding with another female. Curlew
males supposed to stand guard whilst their mates sit on their eggs but he was
clearly flirting.</div>
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As I watched him, he began to posture and show off his size to the new
female. His mate clearly wasn’t going to stand for this and she left her nest
and flew across to join them. At this point he began to look very uncomfortable and started to strut
around picking up moss and grass with his long curved beak and flicking it up
into the air in a futile attempt to distract the two females. In the end, like the two wronged heroines that they were, the girls
rounded on him and he quickly scarpered leaving them to battle it out amongst
themselves.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Curlew in Wildflowers, painting by Robert E Fuller</span></td></tr>
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All these little observations make me think that if we have feelings why
can’t animals and birds have them too? I don’t accept the argument this is
‘anthropomorphism’ - the act of people giving animals human qualities. I just
think animals and birds need a lot more credit than they get.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-61257171806880896572017-02-03T10:52:00.000+00:002017-02-03T10:52:07.577+00:00ITV's Calendar on how I have adapted my garden to study wildlifePeople often ask my about how I capture the character of an animal or bird in paint so I thought I would share this TV clip since it describes how closely I watch wildlife for my work. The piece was recorded for ITV Calendar News to promote my exhibition last summer but it remains relevant.<br />
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You can see how I encourage wildlife into my garden using nest boxes for owls and garden birds and how I made a nesting chamber to attract a family of weasels here.<br />
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My animal nest boxes are all wired up with surveillance cameras so that I can watch what happens when the wildlife disappears from view.<br />
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I also have hides dotted about the garden, which I can move about depending on where the action is.<br />
And best of all look for the moment where you can see my new tunnel that leads directly from my living room to a hide opposite the spot where I feed tawny owls each night.<br />
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This device means I can get from my house into the hide without disturbing the weasel family or the stoats that also visit. I've got some incredible photographs from this location and I use these to paint from.<br />
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The video promotes an exhibition I held here last summer celebrating how much fun it is to watch wildlife and includes some of my own footage of joyful moments like when the weasel kits first discovered snow. So please enjoy it and look out for some laugh out loud clips of the wildlife I have photographed here at my home and gallery in Thixendale.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/616X7dm9Yo0?list=PLx09JDaWUEFMXu1iX-Eh-nK_EewBuSdF1" width="500"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-83317847420950567292017-02-02T15:00:00.000+00:002017-02-02T16:11:05.105+00:00Fidget the Weasel to star on TV <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A camera crew from The One Show are in my studio today filming Fidget, the weasel I took in as a tiny kit after he was found abandoned in York last year.</div>
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Followers of my blog will know that I have spent the last few years studying weasels in the wild for my paintings. I've had surveillance cameras trained on a family of wild weasels living in my garden and have monitored their behaviour closely. The information I collate informs my paintings.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hhQEr9b4bf8/WJM3KuRLI3I/AAAAAAAAI98/KMwnpUeUvzEdaIk5VAHJHQ3WIEdJQACvgCLcB/s1600/weasel-1BLOGSIZE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hhQEr9b4bf8/WJM3KuRLI3I/AAAAAAAAI98/KMwnpUeUvzEdaIk5VAHJHQ3WIEdJQACvgCLcB/s1600/weasel-1BLOGSIZE.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Weasel Wall, painting by Robert E Fuller.</span></td></tr>
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When Fidget arrived he was too small to release into the wild and I grew so fond of him I ended up keeping him. He keeps me company as I paint but he is so active that I've found myself building him things to climb up to keep him busy. Watching him test his strength and agility is also important to me since I get the opportunity to see how his muscles move and to photograph him in a variety of poses - these photographs make up my background studies for future paintings.<br />
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Above you can see him slipping behind the paintings in my studio - and knocking one off! And below is his 'spider-weasel' moment when he sheers up the wall and then balances on top of my paintings!<br />
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To really put him to the test I built him this maze. He was very quick to learn when I tested him out this week. They are really very intelligent animals. I built the maze out of wood and then pushed a mixture of concrete and sawdust into the spaces with my hands. Here he is just coming through.<br />
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The maze then leads on to more obsctacles made out of hamster tubing and over a bicycle wheel and onto a slalam.<br />
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I hope he manages to complete the whole obstacle course for the TV crew today. I will let you know when its due to be screened.<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-6573746499754430152017-01-25T12:00:00.002+00:002017-01-25T12:07:24.795+00:00A skating stoat!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yD0H9ohgSX4/WIiRAFFZlTI/AAAAAAAAI8o/HODZf2kr5f0lnIo4_w2z6iic0Jzg70rBACLcB/s1600/stoat-cubs-2016-for-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yD0H9ohgSX4/WIiRAFFZlTI/AAAAAAAAI8o/HODZf2kr5f0lnIo4_w2z6iic0Jzg70rBACLcB/s400/stoat-cubs-2016-for-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Playful stoat cubs, acrylic painting by Robert E Fuller</span></td></tr>
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I have a fantastic video clip of a stoat examining the ice on the pond in my garden. It's incredible to watch the stoat as it encounters the thin film of ice on the water. This young male is just a year old so it could possibly be the first time it has come across ice. Watch the video link below to see how it pauses as it lowers its head to drink in the pond and then, incredibly, slips its whole head under the ice to take a look at it from underneath!<br />
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It doesn't take long before the stoat has figured out that it can actually walk across the pond.Watch how the animal slips over the thin ice. What balance! It's not long before it can skate with confidence.<br />
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As a wildlife artist I have positioned surveillance cameras throughout my garden so that I look into the secret world of wildlife. Moments like this make up the whole story of the animals that I pose and I use this research to inform my final paintings. Take a look at my latest stoat studies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IHI4OUHLO7k/WIiQVszHWzI/AAAAAAAAI8g/hc4E9svc4ooqQp38ooTLAXXgTjVyNpKDwCLcB/s1600/stoat2016blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IHI4OUHLO7k/WIiQVszHWzI/AAAAAAAAI8g/hc4E9svc4ooqQp38ooTLAXXgTjVyNpKDwCLcB/s1600/stoat2016blog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stoat, acrylic painting by Robert E Fuller</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Stoat painting in acrylic, by Robert E Fuller.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Playful stoat cubs by Robert E Fuller.</span></td></tr>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-1698958854074491632017-01-19T10:51:00.000+00:002017-01-19T10:53:30.880+00:00A brambling bonanza thanks to the farmer next door.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year my farming neighbours, John Midgley and his son Richard, provided me with the most priceless bird watching season that I have ever experienced. From my studio window, I have a commanding view over four
miles of one of the most beautiful parts of the Yorkshire Wolds. This landscape
is where I get a lot of my inspiration from for my paintings. It is also where
most of my wildlife encounters take place.</div>
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Last May, my neighbours drilled a 40-metre wide strip of wild bird
cover mix in the land adjacent to my garden. They left the rest of the field as
stubble as part of their commitment to the government's Higher Level Stewardship Scheme. This strip has attracted literally thousands of birds and
animals in the last eight months – and they’re still coming. By day the sky is
filled with mixed swarms of birds, which explode back and forth from the crop
like fireworks.</div>
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Such strips are designed to help birds through the long
winter months by providing seed for small species like finches and bunting. But
this particular strip was bringing in wildlife from the moment it was first drilled.</div>
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I was brought up on a farm in the Yorkshire Wolds hamlet of
Great Givendale, where my father, Richard Fuller, was farm manager for 32
years. Although commercially minded, my dad also has a great
interest in conservation. Forty years ago, he was digging ponds, whilst others
drained them, and planting hedgerows, whilst others ripped them out. Thankfully, thinking has really changed with
farming and conservation now coming together.</div>
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Even though I have
not done any farm work since I was a teenager, I still have a deep and long
lasting interest in farming and I watch the landscape around me undergo changes
through the seasons with more than just passing sentiment. So I was particularly interested in watching how things
developed on this strip. Straight after sowing stock doves, partridges, even
tree sparrows flocked en masse to the bare soil trying to peck any seed which
was not drilled deep enough.</div>
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Then, as the crop started to emerge from the stony soil,
hares and wood pigeons appeared and nibbled on the first green shoots. In spite of all this plundering, the crop shot up and was soon
three foot high and flowering. I made a point of walking along the field edge
to see what was happening. I could clearly recognise some species, like
sunflowers, which weren’t faring so well, but I didn’t recognise some of the other
species, one of which turned out to be fodder radish. As I walked along I was struck by the sound of
buzzing – the crop was alive with a multitude of different insects.</div>
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By autumn, the white flowering heads of fodder radish had
turned into seed pods. I popped one of the pods, which even though it was still
green, was full of seeds. I walked down the hedge alongside the crop and admired the
millions of pods, all brimming with seeds. I rubbed my hands together with
glee; I was expecting a bird bonanza later in the year. And, it was going to
happen right on my doorstep.</div>
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I heard a sharp ‘cheep’ bird call ahead of me - the sound of a yellow hammer - and I looked up
to see a handful of these bright yellow birds flying out of the crop and into
the hedge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I walked up to where
they had just flown from and found seed cases that had been carefully picked
open. The seeds were gone. I opened a seed pod out of interest and couldn’t resist
trying one of the seeds for myself – they were delicious – no wonder these
birds were coming. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As these seed pods dried over autumn, the variety of bird
species increased. Linnets, goldfinches and tree sparrows all flocked in huge
numbers to the strip. Next came winter visitors from Scandinavia: bramblings.
Bramblings are beautiful birds, but because they are not resident to this
country most people don’t get a chance to see one up close.</div>
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They have intricate feather markings which give them a
striking look. They have an orange buff breast with white under parts and white
rump which can be seen when they fly, a delicately flecked grey and black head
and exquisite grey-brown markings along their flanks which look like they could
have been painted on. The flocks were always a mixture of different species in
flight. They were fast moving and difficult to distinguish from a distance. </div>
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By November there were more than 2,000 small birds feeding
on the bounty, swirling overhead in the sky before zooming down in formation
onto the seeds. I saw half a dozen
reed buntings visiting the crop. I don’t normally expect to see them around
here. They favour areas with water in summer, but this bounty had brought them
in. They are a shy bird and so didn’t flock together with the others. They
preferred to perch on my hedge, fly into the crop to forage for seeds and then
return to the hedge for safety again.</div>
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All this was good news for visitors to my annual Christmas
exhibition who were treated to this spectacle from my studio window where I had
set up a telescope.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One old boy eyed up my scope set up next to my easel and
said: “What have you got out there lad?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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As he spoke a cloud of finches took off. I pointed out
linnets, goldfinches and bramblings that were flying among them. “Cor, I’ve
never seen a brambling before,” he admitted. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“You have now!” I replied. The flock divided in flight. The linnets
landed on nearby trees while the bramblings landed in my garden. There were
more than 60 of these winter visitors. I
trained my telescope onto them and invited him to look through the lens.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“By, they’re beautiful - aren’t they little crackers?” he
said of the bramblings. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Not long afterwards I captured this flock of bramblings on my pond. It was such a treat to see so many at once:<br />
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While the birds were resting in between feeds the sound of
their calls was incredible to hear. The linnets were the most numerous. They
are noisy little birds; that historically were kept as pets in bird cages in
Victorian homes on account of their musical song. They sat in the trees and hedges chatting to
one another at the tops of their voices. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then, all of a sudden there would be a rush of wings and the
linnets would explode into the sky in a dense swarm. They performed an
acrobatic flight over the crop first before landing in amongst the seed heads. These
aerial stunt flights were not for show, but to check for predators since there
is safety in numbers. But with such large numbers these birds had more chance
of attracting predators!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was hoping an over-wintering merlin might find the flock,
but instead my local sparrowhawks were kept busy, especially one male. I found
his plucking post in a quiet corner of our garden and was able to see what he
was catching each day. I collected the feathers of linnets, bramblings,
goldfinches and tree sparrows. I put up a hide on stilts on the edge of my garden where I
could get a vantage point over the feeding frenzy. I enjoyed photographing the
spectacle of 2,000 noisy birds swirling around me before landing in to feed. I
was hoping a sparrowhawk would fly in but instead a kestrel hovered above. The
kestrel wasn’t in fact a threat to these birds. But the birds were nervous nonetheless
and I heard a rush of wings as they all flew up at once and formed a
tightly-packed flock to confuse this bird of prey. They landed in some sycamore
trees nearby, all twittering to one another until they had decided the coast
was clear. </div>
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I felt so privileged to have so many birds here on my home
turf. What a treat it has been.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Don't forget to come to my Big Birdwatching event at my gallery in Thixendale between January 27<sup>th</sup> – 29<sup>th</sup> . I've got videos and information boards on different bird species, a bird watching safari into the Yorkshire
Wolds at 10.30am on Friday, January 27<sup>th</sup>, and, on Sunday 29<sup>th</sup>,
an ornithologist will be on hand to point out the different species in the
artist’s garden through a telescope.</div>
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I want to encourage as many local people as possible to
take part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch because I think it is an important
way to help keep count of bird populations nationally and see how they compare
with numbers in Yorkshire.</div>
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My event is free to
visitors. The bird watching safari takes place on Friday, January 27<sup>th</sup>,
at 10.30am and costs £9.50. To book a place click <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/birdwatching-in-thixendale-tickets-30323198503" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-79109710315456184112017-01-13T15:20:00.002+00:002017-01-18T09:58:44.884+00:00A Brave Barn Owl Sees off a Tawny Owl AttackWatch how this barn owl holds its own when a tawny owl twice its size flies into the tree it is roosting in!<br />
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The barn owl bows its head when it spots the tawny coming in, then goes into an impressive defense posture: head lowered, wings up and extended back. This pose is known as 'manteling': making a mantle of his wings to make himself look bigger. Like a superhero posturing or a bullfighter fanning out a cape. The two birds lock together in battle then in an instant the barn owl has won the spat. But the tawny is not deterred that easily and moments later it's back for another go. Again the plucky barn owl stands its ground in defending what is potentially a future nest site.<br />
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Interestingly not long after filming the tawny male I captured this footage of the male tawny back at a nest site it had already occupied and preening with its mate.<br />
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The tawnys have already begun their courtship process and the way they sit so close and tenderly plucking at one another's feathers is so touching - who said owls don't have feelings!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-23741410337797571342017-01-12T12:19:00.001+00:002017-01-12T12:19:39.111+00:00Watch My TV tour of Wolds Way Way on BBC1 on January 20th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm going to be giving a tour of the wildlife to be found along the Yorkshire Wolds Way in a new series on TV next week.<br />
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'The Yorkshire Wolds Way' is a new two-part programme due to be aired across the Yorkshire region, spanning both the Leeds and Hull areas, on Friday 13th and 20th of January, and then screened nationally on BBC2 in March. I feature in the second episode on BBC1 on Friday the 20th.<br />
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The series follows the arctic explorer <a href="http://www.paulrose.org/" target="_blank">Paul Rose </a>as he walks this beautiful national walking trail. I met Paul back in June 2016 and gave him a tour of the wildlife to be found along the section of the walk that borders my gallery in Thixendale. It was so interesting to show Paul, who has travelled the globe, what there is to be found on his doorstep.<br />
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The Wolds Way runs for 79-miles through unique dry river valleys. These steep-sided valleys consist of chalk limestone that supports rare wild flowers, including orchids, and a wealth of wildlife. It is one of the quietest national trails and so you are likely to spot hares, buzzards, red kites and roe deer as you walk along it. I took Paul to see a pair of tawny owls and their chicks that live just off the trail.<br />
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I also gave him a tour of my gallery, which is located just a few hundred yards from the Wolds Way, and showed him how I use surveillance cameras to watch the everyday lives of owls, weasels, stoats and kestrels via TV monitors inside my gallery and studio.<br />
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He was fascinated to learn how I encourage wildlife into my garden so that I can follow the lives of my painting subjects from my studio. I showed him the weasels, stoats and birds of prey that are resident in my garden and took him to the spot outside my studio where I film these creatures.<br />
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Tune in at 7.30pm on Friday 20th to watch the programme!<br />
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You can find out more about Paul Rose and his new TV series <a href="http://www.paulrose.org/" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-28595649752095141902017-01-11T12:42:00.002+00:002017-01-12T13:32:58.267+00:00Brush up on your ID skills with me for the RPSB Garden Birdwatch <div class="MsoNormal">
Visit my gallery in Thixendale later this month to learn how you can become a civilian scientist for the RSPB's annual bird census. Brush up on your bird knowledge with my informative display on how to identify birds and join an expert ornithologist on Sunday Jan 29th to identify species in my garden. There will also be a video on how to recognise different species.<br />
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The <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">RSPB annual ‘Big
Garden Birdwatch</span></a>’ is an opportunity for us all to help the
conservation charity count up Britain's bird numbers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This national counting exercise is, in fact, the largest
citizen-nature observation in the world, and last year around 500,000 people
got involved. I think it is a great thing to do and usually take time out
to count the birds in my own garden with my two young daughters.</div>
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It only takes an hour and you can choose when you would like
to sit and do it. We usually have great fun ticking off the birds we see on an
identification sheet downloaded from the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch website. The RSPB has run this event for 30 years and relies on the
results to create a snapshot of bird numbers in each region, gaining a good
indication of where there are serious dips in bird populations.</div>
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In 2015 the friendly blackbird was the most observed bird,
but other common species included house sparrows, blue tits and starlings. And last year long tail tits were among the top 10 most observed
birds. There were also more sightings of goldcrests than ever before, which goes
to show that the work people put in to feeding the birds in their gardens is
helping British species along.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3uz4I4vk_EA/WHYbG2mscWI/AAAAAAAAI5E/2t4z4zfJbbww-SjIHLosdY9aar81U3n8gCLcB/s1600/goldcrest%2B2014blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3uz4I4vk_EA/WHYbG2mscWI/AAAAAAAAI5E/2t4z4zfJbbww-SjIHLosdY9aar81U3n8gCLcB/s1600/goldcrest%2B2014blog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Goldcrest painting by Robert E Fuller.</span></td></tr>
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The bird-feeder outside my studio window is usually teaming
with birds and when we sit down at home to count them it isn’t long before the
girls start shouting out ‘sparrow’ or ‘blue tit’. But trying to get an accurate figure of how many of each can
be amusing since they flit about so fast. My house is very rural and so I get a wide
variety of birds, including dunnocks, fieldfares, bramblings and red wings.</div>
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But whilst I have a very healthy population of birds at my
home and gallery in Thixendale, it wasn’t always the case. When my wife and I
first moved to our former farmhouse at Fotherdale in 1998, there was just one
pair of tree sparrows here and very little else.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was no water source and the garden had just two
plants: a fushia and a red hot poker. For birds to thrive they need water, both
to drink and to bathe in, and they need food; insects, seeds or berries. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The first thing my wife Victoria and I did was to pour our
energy into turning the garden into a wildlife haven. We dug a water course and a pond and then poured 24 tonnes
of manure on to the site. The house is built on an exposed hillside and there
was just 4" of top soil above hard limestone.</div>
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We set about planting a spinney, which now provides ample
nesting sites and cover for birds, and perennials, herbs and shrubs; choosing
species that gave the birds berries in the winter and cover in the summer.
Recently we also added a wildlife meadow which attracts hosts of insects and
butterflies.<br />
The results have been incredible. There are now more than 60 different bird species
here, including rarities such as corn buntings, twite and redstart.<br />
<br />
And from that one breeding pair of tree sparrows back in 1998, there are now 35
pairs. At the end of each breeding season there can be up to 300 tree sparrows
here, a species that is on the RSPB red list!<br />
In return for giving all these birds a home, I paint their portraits. So
many of my paintings now are of the birds that live in the garden. I like to
think of them as my models and put out food for them every day. I photograph them from my studio window or from hides in the
garden and then paint directly from the photographs.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a9oeDFmoi94/WHYfxe-kgkI/AAAAAAAAI5k/nCZI4vALzDAid3prOVnSNpLCqh3jVeh4QCLcB/s1600/2.%2BBullfinch%2Bon%2BApple%2BBlossom%252C%2Bby%2BRobert%2BFullerBLOG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a9oeDFmoi94/WHYfxe-kgkI/AAAAAAAAI5k/nCZI4vALzDAid3prOVnSNpLCqh3jVeh4QCLcB/s1600/2.%2BBullfinch%2Bon%2BApple%2BBlossom%252C%2Bby%2BRobert%2BFullerBLOG.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bullfinch on Apple Blossom, painting by Robert E Fuller</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1pMbKNZgKYI/WHYgW8_iYLI/AAAAAAAAI5o/c83Rl730jEYMi0uUnJV0WkMK22HGx7llwCLcB/s1600/wrenonhook%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1pMbKNZgKYI/WHYgW8_iYLI/AAAAAAAAI5o/c83Rl730jEYMi0uUnJV0WkMK22HGx7llwCLcB/s1600/wrenonhook%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wren on Hook, painting by Robert E Fuller</span></td></tr>
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I like to put props out in the garden for these models to pose on. One of my most popular paintings is taken directly from a photograph of a wren striking a beautiful pose on an old hook in the garden. Another is of a robin that nested in an old kettle I used to keep seeds in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cxVd0yFgMDo/WHYi6YaWDYI/AAAAAAAAI54/pn6zQy4IVJEEo4GCUT-lNnYuMyTK4Q07wCLcB/s1600/robin%2Bon%2Bteapotblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cxVd0yFgMDo/WHYi6YaWDYI/AAAAAAAAI54/pn6zQy4IVJEEo4GCUT-lNnYuMyTK4Q07wCLcB/s1600/robin%2Bon%2Bteapotblog.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Robin on Teapot, painting by Robert E Fuller</span></td></tr>
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The RSPB Garden Birdwatch takes place from January 28th to 30th and I’'m hosting a free event from January 27th-29th at my gallery in Thixendale to teach
visitors how to identify birds. I’ll have information boards and a video showing different species and their songs and there will be an expert ornithologist here on Sunday 30th to point out different species in my garden.</div>
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There will also be a two hour bird watching trip from
the gallery on Friday January 27<sup>th</sup> at 10.30am. Tickets cost £9.50. Click <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/birdwatching-with-jack-aston-booth-tickets-30323198503" target="_blank">here </a>to book a place. </div>
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I hope these events will encourage people to join the RSPB
count in their own homes over the weekend of January 28<sup>th</sup>-30th. It’s
easy to do. The RSPB have an identification sheet that you can download <a href="https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch" target="_blank">here </a>so all
you need to do is tick off the birds as you see them. The idea is to identify
and count as many different birds as possible in an hour. You can then submit
your observations online via the RSPB website. www.rspb.org.uk<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-15112124201689729272016-12-19T14:17:00.001+00:002016-12-19T14:17:45.616+00:00Kestrel kicks at my 'bird table with a difference'<div class="MsoNormal">
This month BBC’s The One Show featured the bird table in my
garden in Thixendale.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My bird table is unusual because it caters both for birds of
prey such as kestrels and tawny owls and seed-eating birds, which include tree sparrows, goldfinches, blue tits,
robins, wrens and even rarer birds like bramblings. It even draws in insect-eaters like pied wagtails, which
feed on the blue bottle flies attracted by the meat that I leave out for the
birds of prey.</div>
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At times the atmosphere can get a little edgy, but on the
whole the arrangement works and I get to enjoy spectacular sightings of a great
variety of birds for my paintings all in one place. Kestrels mainly eat rodents but they will occasionally take
a garden bird, especially a young one, if the opportunity arises. But the kestrels
that visit my garden know that I have left food for them and so they leave them
alone. As for the robins and sparrows, they have learned to
accommodate the birds of prey - simply flitting into a nearby shrub whenever a
kestrel swoops in and then resuming their feed as soon as it leaves. Although when
the TV crew visited, one bold robin actually fed alongside a kestrel and I have
filmed moments when tree sparrows and great tits barely budge as it swoops in.</div>
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This year, to get an even greater insight into their
behaviour, I built a seven-metre long tunnel leading from my house to the hide
so that I can get to the hide without being noticed by the birds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It leads straight from a door in my living room, and going
along it can feel like a modern day re-enactment of the Great Escape. You have
to lie on a trolley and pull yourself along its length with a rope. Watch me glide along here!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lDSt3hneWfQ?list=PLx09JDaWUEFP4L74XxNZBo_Crkxt_KN42" width="500"></iframe></div>
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But when you get to the hide you are treated to a close-up
view of all of the birds that visit here.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In August I wrote about a
two-timing male kestrel that has been visiting my garden for over a decade.
This year he decided he would raise a family of five with his long standing
partner, then sneak off to another nest down the road and raise a second brood
with a new and unknown ‘mistress.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now I had two kestrel families feeding from the same bird
table! And my tunnel allowed me to get to the hide without alerting them to my
presence. It was a bit like watching a soap opera. The females would clash
whenever they met in an aggressive aerial duel, talons locked they would spiral
to the ground as they tussled. But it wasn’t until the first brood fledged that
the real fireworks started.</div>
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These newly fledged chicks quickly learnt to take the food
from my bird table and the mistress was not happy about it at all. She tried to
push them out of the area by repeatedly dive bombing them and knocking them,
quite literally, off their perch. The long standing wife tried to defend her
chicks, but things really got confusing when the mistress’ brood fledged too.
There were now eight kestrel chicks and three adults coming to feed. It was an
amazing spectacle – there was never a dull moment! A local rescue centre gave me three more kestrel chicks
which I released these into the kestrel clan. Soon these were feeding alongside
the others. Now there were 14 kestrels flying around my house and queuing up to
be fed.</div>
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By Autumn, most of these had dispersed into the surrounding
countryside. Although I noticed that my philandering male kestrel had taken a
shine to one of the released female kestrel chicks and had been courting her.
It wasn’t true love however, as he was later seen mating his long standing
partner and making nest scrapes in preparation for next year’s breeding season.</div>
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I started feeding the birds of prey in my garden one bitterly
cold winter’s day in 2006 when I spotted a young male kestrel hunting through
my kitchen window. He wasn't having much luck and I soon got worried about his
chances of surviving the cold.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I caught a mouse in a trap and put it out on a nearby
fence post. By the end of the day the mouse had gone. So the next day I put
another mouse out. Again it disappeared. The kestrel soon became a regular
visitor, sometimes appearing up to four times a day. I could whistle as I put the food out and it
would take the food before I got back to the house. Feeding the kestrel and his
partner that came the following Spring, soon became an established part of my
routine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First thing in the morning it's time for the kestrels’
breakfast: three dead chicks tied to the branch just above the bird table. Then I fill up the bird feeders with a cocktail of seeds,
which includes nyjer seeds for the goldfinches, peanuts for the blue tits, and
sunflower hearts for greenfinches, tree sparrows and blue tits, and fat bars
for woodpeckers and robins. I also sprinkle mealworms into a dish for dunnocks
and wrens. Then at lunchtime the kestrels get more chicks, and some
more again at teatime. At the peak of the breeding season I put out 40 to 60 dead
chicks a day. </div>
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But around nine years ago I realised that I also had nocturnal
visitors. The kestrels can feed very early in the morning and to save time I
got into the habit of leaving the food out the night before. One morning I woke
early and saw that the food had gone. I stayed up the following night with a
torch to find out what was going on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I discovered that a tawny owl had cottoned on to the evening
service I was providing. The owl, and later its mate, soon became regular
customers. This year the tawny owls raised a brood of three chicks in
the trees next to my gallery. I surrogated a further four owlets which had been
handed into a local wildlife rescue centre onto this family. It’s a great
technique that I’ve honed over the years which means that these rescued owlets
get a chance at being brought up by wild owl parents. The adults can only
manage to bring up so many because of the food that I put out for them on my
bird table.</div>
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The pair managed to rear an ambitious seven chicks to
adulthood. And each evening at dusk the garden is filled with the noise of
hungry chicks. They come swooping into the garden from nearby sycamore trees.
First one, then another and another land and queue up. It is an impressive
sight to see up to seven chicks poised along one branch! Next their parents
swoop in and help them get the food from my specially modified bird table.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This summer I painted three of this year’s chicks perched on
the branch, their heads cocked inquisitively as they peered out of the picture.
I was particularly proud of the painting as it makes all the hard work I put in
to catering for them worthwhile.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-58911047221181297552016-12-09T13:46:00.001+00:002016-12-09T13:48:25.207+00:00Seal Pups on the Beach<div class="MsoNormal">
I have a painting of a grey seal pup that I am yet to finish. I was inspired to begin it after watching seals at Donna Nook, an RAF-owned beach in <st1:city w:st="on">Lincolnshire</st1:city>. Every year between November and January huge numbers of
these lumbering sea mammals haul themselves up on to this beach to give birth. It is the only place near here that one can really study them
up close and it is bizarre that this natural spectacle takes place on a firing
range.</div>
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The mass gatherings are known as rookeries and are made up
of both local seals and others that have travelled from further afield. I’m not
the only one that goes to see them. The new seal pups attract hundreds of
visitors every day. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust encourages visitors not to
venture onto the beach and disturb the colony. They have erected a fence to
keep the seals safe.<br />
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Whether as a result of this buzz of human activity or as a
precaution, some female seals are too shy to come right up to the beach and
instead give birth on a sand bank about a mile from the shoreline. Tragically,
just before I was due to head there, I heard that there had been a freak high
tide, two and a half metres higher than usual, and the pups on this sandbank
had been washed away. But there were still plenty of pups on the beach when I
got there. <o:p></o:p><br />
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At first glance the seals don’t seem to be doing much. They
look like large beached sausages on the sand. But I stopped and waited and sure
enough I was rewarded with some wonderful action. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I watched as a cub rolled playfully beside its mother. Its large
dark glossy eyes and luxurious white coat were so appealing. It called out with
a mournful sigh.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Of course I didn’t get to see any pups being born, because
this happens under the cover of darkness. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But I did see some that had been born the night before. They
are easy to spot because their umbilical cord is visible for the first few days
and their skin is loose and wrinkled. Despite looking tiny against their mothers, they actually weigh
about 30lbs and measure about three feet long at birth.</div>
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And they fill out quickly, trebling their weight on their
mother’s rich, fatty milk with a layer of blubber which protects them from the
cold. I also saw pups that were ready to wean. These pups are just
three weeks old. Their downy white puppy-coat moults and is replaced with a
sleek mottled grey pelage.<br />
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<br />
These ones were becoming adventurous. I watched one blowing
bubbles and splashing in pools on the shoreline. I photographed another which I could have sworn was laughing.
Its dog-like mouth opened wide in an engaging smile. Another rolled over and waved a shiny flipper at me. At last
I was getting what I needed to make my painting come alive.<br />
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It was a good thing I went when I did because when these
pups are five weeks old hunger and instinct forces them out to sea where they
begin hunting for themselves. But it is still worth visiting Donna Nook since this is also
the time when the adults mate. It hardly seems fair on the female, who, after three weeks
of feeding her pup and not feeding at all herself, has often lost a
considerable amount of weight. Nevertheless she becomes receptive to mating and the beach quickly
turns from caring nursery to brutal mating platform.<br />
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I watched as aggressive males staked their claims over the
females. The largest of the bulls are known as beachmasters. They herded the
females up into harems of up to 10 and began posturing like heavyweight champions. One that I saw was covered in bloody battle scars from a
previous battle. He growled threateningly at any rivals that dared approach.<br />
<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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This is a dangerous time for the pups since they can easily
get crushed as fights break out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After mating the female can at last have a break and she goes
out to sea to feed up before the worst of winter. Delayed implantation, which means that the female holds
fertilised eggs in her uterus in a suspended state of development, ensures that
her pups are not born until the following autumn.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Watching the youngest of the seals roll playfully on the
sand, I felt a pang of concern for them knowing that in just a few weeks they
would have to brave the cold <st1:place w:st="on">North Sea</st1:place> on
their own.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-23687664559710692952016-12-07T11:45:00.001+00:002016-12-07T11:54:45.571+00:00Christmas Shopping in York tonight? Look up for a spectacle worthy of Planet Earth II<div class="MsoNormal">
At this time of year York is humming with shoppers, heads
bowed as they plough up and down the streets fixated on the job of getting
ready for Christmas. But if you happen to find yourself amidst the throngs at St Nicholas market on Parliament Street at dusk, it’s worth taking a moment out
from the hubbub to look up past the brightly-lit stalls and up into the trees.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Up there you’ll find the branches abuzz with a very
different sort of get together. Hundreds of pied wagtails gather every evening in
the London Plane trees outside Marks and Spencers – right above the heads of the shoppers. Drawn by the warmth generated by the lights of the city,
these small black and white birds flit about overhead, chittering noisily and
wagging their long tails in a huge communal gathering before settling down to
roost. At first glance they look like Christmas decorations hanging in the
trees.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Like the shoppers, these tiny birds come from miles around
for this annual winter get together. They flock together above the street
lights where it is warmer and, again like the shoppers beneath them, tuck into
extra snacks available - in their case snacking on the insects that are also
drawn by the warmth of the city centre. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pied wagtails weigh on average just 21g and during the cold
winter nights can lose up to 20pc of their body weight. So huddling together at
this time of year is a vital survival technique. I spotted them for the first time some years ago while I was
late night shopping with my wife in York. We arrived just as dusk started to
fall and looked up to see a flock of more than 20 on top of the roof of Marks
and Spencers.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t long before a second and then a third large flock
joined them. These elegant birds like to roost communally so that they can keep
warm and these huge congregations are quite sociable occasions for them. In a short while there were more than 200 pied wagtails
noisily chittering amongst themselves as the shoppers below them walked past
seemingly oblivious.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As I watched the birds, I noticed the sound of their affable
song change tone. What had been an easy, social chit chat turned into higher,
faster-pitched, noisy calling. The flocks began flitting uneasily from one
rooftop to the next as they let out these sharp warning sounds. Then I realised why. A sparrow hawk suddenly appeared out of
nowhere and immediately set to, chasing wagtails before him. There was chaos in
the sky as the black and white birds flew and swerved in all directions.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some wagtails even dared to try chase the hawk away and the
tactic worked monetarily as after a while the hawk retreated. The wagtails, now
all grouped together in one flock, settled uneasily back down onto the roof of
Marks and Spencers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But before long the hawk was back. It flew flat out across
the facia of the Halifax bank building, banking away when it was just inches
away from the wall. As it flipped up over the roof top, clouds of pied wagtails
took to the air. Again the hawk failed to catch a wagtail. But then on the
third fly-by it was successful and plucked one from the flock with its sharp
talons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The wagtails were very flighty after this aerial assault and
flew around frantically, landing on different roof tops intermittently before finally
settling on top of Barclays bank. Then when they thought the danger had passed the
flocks swooped back down into the London Plane trees that line this popular
shopping street and at last settled down to roost for the night.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The noise of all the birds during this aerial attack had
been incredible – in my opinion the scene wouldn’t have looked out of place on
a Planet Earth II episode - and yet not one of the hundreds of people in the
street below even looked up!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was surrounded by folk and felt like shouting out, ‘Wow
did you see that!’ but thought better of it. The shoppers, focussed on their
own world, had missed this incredible drama in the sky taking place right above
their heads in the centre of York. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>I will be
selling mylimited-edition prints, tableware and greeting cards at a stall
opposite the Disney Shop in York's St Nicholas market this year. If you are
passing at dusk let a member of staff on my stall point out the pied wagtail
roost to you. They begin to congregate at 3.30pm and are usually settled into
the roost by about 5pm. Bring along your binoculars!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-72981644620188825252016-11-23T12:30:00.000+00:002016-11-23T12:30:53.318+00:00Guest Blogger: Dr Amy Jane Beer on Noticing Nature<div class="separator" left="" style="clear: both> <span style=;" text-align:="">
In the first of what I hope will become a regular occurrence, I'd like to introduce a guest blogger whose work I admire. Today it's Dr Amy-Jane Beer, who lives in North Yorkshire. Dr Beer is a biologist, writer and editor. She has authored and co-authored over 30 books on natural history, is a regular contributor to <i>BBC Wildlife</i> magazine and edits <i>Wildlife World</i> magazine for the People's Trust for Endangered Species. She runs occasional courses in nature writing and is working on her first novel. Below is her contribution:<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeROFwnd1Tc/WDV8SRSvTVI/AAAAAAAAI0w/0obPetV65b04Faza0-jssiRWgZlnzW94ACLcB/s1600/d194-0141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeROFwnd1Tc/WDV8SRSvTVI/AAAAAAAAI0w/0obPetV65b04Faza0-jssiRWgZlnzW94ACLcB/s400/d194-0141.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><div class="separator" left="" style="clear: both; text-align: right;" text-align:="">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Read more from Dr Amy-Jane Beer at <a href="http://www.wildstory.co.uk/">www.wildstory.co.uk</a> @AmyJaneBeer</span></div>
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Noticing Nature</div>
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Anyone that spends a significant part of their time in
nature knows that it is powerfully addictive stuff, and even those who never
stray from city life welcome images of nature – in the art they hang on their
walls, the TV they watch, the plants they grow in garden or pot. And if they’re
not admiring nature, they’re often choosing something with similar ability to
captivate, like music. To me the appeals of music and nature have much in
common – complexity, pattern recognition, and a requirement for emotional and
observational focus. And these are things we seem to need.</div>
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Our fascination with nature stems with a natural human gift
for noticing. At the age of two, well before he could read or recognise numbers
my son could identify the seemingly endless multitude of tedious engine
characters in <i>Thomas and Friends</i> and
would correct me when I got them mixed up. I had particular block over Gordon
and Edward – both big, blue, and both, well, engines. Not my thing, I’ll admit.
One day I asked him how he knew the
difference. He gave me a pitying look and said, ‘It’s easy Mummy. Edward has
round buffers, Gordon’s are a long shape.’ What he was describing perfectly was
a search image – the key feature he naturally homed in on in order to sort and
classify. Our brains use search images as a short cut to recognition. Now, aged
five, he uses the same technique to organise his knowledge of cars, birds,
dinosaurs, bugs and so on. It’s not cleverness. It’s an instinctive human
ability.<br />
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I know some exceptional naturalists. People who have filed
away so many search images they can identify species almost without conscious
thought. In some cases their abilities seem supernatural. They might
distinguish ten different speedwells without needing a book. Or name 400 moths
at a glance. There are others who will pause midsentence because they’ve heard
amid background woodland chatter a snatch of an early migrant song, or
recognise the flickering outline of a distant bird I can barely even see.
People like Robert Fuller, who makes a living out of noticing and recording the
kind of details that entrance us. Believe me, he doesn’t just paint! Back track
a few thousand years and finely honed powers of noticing like these would have
been commonplace but a matter of life and death. In some places they still are.
In truth they are no more remarkable than your ability to glean meaning from
the letter characters I’m typing now. But like many such innate skills, they
need practice.<br />
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It’s one thing to say we have an inborn appreciation of
nature, but another to explain why. The American biologist Edward O Wilson explored
the idea that humans have an innate bond with nature – a special form of love
for other living things. He called it <i>Biophilia</i>.
It’s not a new idea, in fact it’s been recycled many times – even Aristotle
discussed biophilia as a specific type of human love. It’s not the romantic,
passionate, or even the caring or nurturing kind of love, although it is often
couched in those terms. It’s an affinity, which Wilson and his colleagues set
out to explain in evolutionary terms. For example he suggested that we are
attracted to flowers because they mean food, and we like cute animal faces
because they stimulate the nurturing behaviour we need to exhibit in order to
rear our phenomenally demanding and dependent young.<br />
<br />
I’m oversimplifying hugely
of course. But I wonder how much our love of nature is bolstered by our powers
of observation and discernment, which are perhaps greater than those of any
other animal on the planet. This is not to say our senses are more acute than
those other species – our eyesight is pretty good, but in smell, touch and
hearing we’re pretty poor, and the electrical and magnetic senses of sharks and
birds senses are completely lost on us. Where we excel is our ability to
identify tiny differences and remember them. There appears to be no other
animal that matches us for powers of discernment. Perhaps for most other
species there is no need for discrimination of other life forms beyond
identifying potential food, potential mates or potential threats. So why do we
bother? For me, noticing and appreciating nature’s endless diversity is an
important component of biophilia.<br />
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Another thing about noticing nature is that it appears to be
good for us. It’s well documented that hospital patients recover faster with a
view of trees. In Japan there’s a practice known as <i>Shinrin Yoku</i> or forest bathing – therapeutic trips to forests are found
to reduce stress and used to treat depression, anxiety, anger, insomnia, obesity,
diabetes and heart disease. Our need to connect with nature is so great that we
suffer when we don’t do it. Noticing nature is what our brains are for, and if
we stop using them for that, it’s not so surprising that we find ourselves in
trouble.<br />
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The condition known as nature deficiency disorder is especially
prevalent and worrying in children. Concerns about safety, and litigation as
well as relentless urbanisation and the advance of technology into every aspect
of life have distanced each generation of children a little further from nature
and robbed them of time to just sit and notice.
There are various schemes designed to address this – the National
Trust’s 50 Things to do before you’re 11¾, Project Wild Thing, Forest Schools.
All doing great work, no doubt, but they also depress me. That they are <i>needed</i> depresses me, because we are all
wild things. How can we have forgotten?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-66609645660975294012016-11-17T12:54:00.000+00:002016-11-17T13:11:51.760+00:00A trampolining stoat<div class="MsoNormal">
This year John Lewis' Christmas advert featuring a troop of woodland creatures bouncing on a child's trampoline reminded me of a stoat that often has a cheeky flip on my garden furniture. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The John Lewis ad, which stars CGI
images of a badger, a fox and a hedgehog taking a turn on a child’s brand new
trampoline on Christmas Eve, was a huge hit when it debuted on TV last week. But I filmed this stoat leaping and bounding across the trampoline in my garden last year.</div>
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And in fact there is a family of wild stoats that regularly
bounce on the cabbage netting stretched over the vegetable patch - they prefer this to the trampoline!! I got these fantastic photographs of one of the stoat's leaping. </div>
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My footage dates back to last winter when I noticed tracks in a fresh fall of snow on the
children’s trampoline. I was fascinated that these animals appeared to have been playing on the garden furniture so I trained a camera trap on the scene. It caught one
of the stoats bouncing on my daughters' trampoline.</div>
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After that I began watching the stoats more carefully and discovered that these
animals were also bouncing on the cabbage netting I had stretched over the
vegetable patch. They were clearly enjoying themselves. Jumping and even
doing flips! I think they preferred the buoyancy of the cabbage netting to the trampoline.”</div>
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I’m not sure whether the makers of the John Lewis realise
that this can actually happen! But of course it is very difficult to capture
animals at play like this in reality.”</div>
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I like to watch wildlife for my painting subjects closely so that I can follow every muscle change accurately. These pictures gave me a really good insight into how agile and supple these creatures are. Take a look at the paintings I went on to produce.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lWG20ie6jpE/WC2nUKLMTDI/AAAAAAAAI0Q/OJ89REk6niEsImo6iF2O1P_MZVx3oRqWQCLcB/s1600/stoat-on-log-2015-mergedBLOG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lWG20ie6jpE/WC2nUKLMTDI/AAAAAAAAI0Q/OJ89REk6niEsImo6iF2O1P_MZVx3oRqWQCLcB/s320/stoat-on-log-2015-mergedBLOG.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-69094444789993801432016-11-10T13:23:00.001+00:002016-11-10T13:35:47.535+00:00An Exclusive Preview of My Latest Original Paintings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My winter exhibition opens on Saturday, but in case you live too far to visit, here is a selection of the original paintings going on show.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bjfQvHR5a0I/WCRWRQNCtII/AAAAAAAAIzY/UptGrwWR2hoyY59PwwTXt49GjAAmdSrGACLcB/s1600/redstagblue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bjfQvHR5a0I/WCRWRQNCtII/AAAAAAAAIzY/UptGrwWR2hoyY59PwwTXt49GjAAmdSrGACLcB/s1600/redstagblue.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Red Stag of Studley Royal</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Curlew-In-Meadow-936.html#SID=23" style="color: white; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"> </a></span>Original Acrylic Painting <span style="font-family: inherit; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Curlew-In-Meadow-936.html#SID=23" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">£3450</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Framed Size: 23.5" x 18.75" Image Size: 9.25"x 13.<span style="color: darkgreen;">5"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">One winter after heavy snows I woke up to find it was minus eight degrees. The landscape was twinkling with a haw frost. On the spur of the moment I decided to visit Studley Royal near Ripon to see the deer. When I got there it was thick fog and very cold, but by late afternoon it began to clear and this magnificent stag appeared out of the mist. Click </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Curlew-In-Meadow-936.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here </span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: navy; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">o buy. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-brGYE6tfR3E/WCRWQQKAPlI/AAAAAAAAIzs/7UTXvKOcxiwVxjG_koJmHI0ebKHK1NjLACEw/s1600/redlegpartridge%2Bproud-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-brGYE6tfR3E/WCRWQQKAPlI/AAAAAAAAIzs/7UTXvKOcxiwVxjG_koJmHI0ebKHK1NjLACEw/s1600/redlegpartridge%2Bproud-small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<strong style="font-size: x-small;">Proud Partridge</strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Original Acrylic Painting <strong style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-weight: normal; text-size-adjust: 100%;"> £2,950</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Framed Size: 22.5" x 17.75" Image Size: 8.25"x 12.5"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: right;">I love it when it snows. I like to watch how wildlife copes with the white-out as food becomes scarce. Red-legged Partridges seem to peck at anything above the show – to see if it’s edible. Click</span><span style="color: darkgreen; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Stag-of-Studley-Royal-937.html#SID=23" style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here</span> </a><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: justify;">to buy</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tT4fi_A6P8I/WCRWGE03pgI/AAAAAAAAIzs/FcDwnaO7NM8lv1JTTSift5dNR0zEYPVSgCEw/s1600/black%2Bgrouse%2Bstrut%2B2016_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tT4fi_A6P8I/WCRWGE03pgI/AAAAAAAAIzs/FcDwnaO7NM8lv1JTTSift5dNR0zEYPVSgCEw/s400/black%2Bgrouse%2Bstrut%2B2016_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;">Black Grouse</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Original Acrylic Painting <span style="background-color: transparent;">£2,150</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image Size: 10" x 7</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I think watching black grouse performing their courtship dance is one of the most spectacular wildlife encounters that you can have in the UK. They perform this dramatic display on a designated area known as a ‘lek.’ I have been especially lucky to have been able to watch it right on the edge of the lek itself, hidden inside a small hide. Click</span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica";"> </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Black-GROUSE.html#SID=23" style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica";">to buy</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: justify;">. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OwxkA2Tw5_c/WCRWWLwquBI/AAAAAAAAIzs/Wlv9fePA7DEchk-jy_1FBGnx68kekq36QCEw/s1600/tawnyowlsmerged2-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OwxkA2Tw5_c/WCRWWLwquBI/AAAAAAAAIzs/Wlv9fePA7DEchk-jy_1FBGnx68kekq36QCEw/s400/tawnyowlsmerged2-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Tawny Owl Chicks</span></span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting</span><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Tawny-Owl-Chicks.html#SID=23" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"> <span style="color: black;">£7,950</span></a></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Framed Size: 41.5" x 34" Image Size: 28.75" x 21.25"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Every year I use my pair of local tawny owls as surrogate parents for owlets that have been handed in to rescue centres. Some years this pair has raised up to 10 chicks, which I supplement feed in my garden. They land on this particular branch on the edge of my garden at dusk every night. Click </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Tawny-Owl-Chicks.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here</span><span style="color: navy;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">to buy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EstnVbUN3mA/WCRWD6eL3YI/AAAAAAAAIzs/e9IUCDbIf3wSUurAadEbmYQ7B23w6scegCEw/s1600/barn%2Bowl%2Bin%2Bentrance%2Bsmaller.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EstnVbUN3mA/WCRWD6eL3YI/AAAAAAAAIzs/e9IUCDbIf3wSUurAadEbmYQ7B23w6scegCEw/s1600/barn%2Bowl%2Bin%2Bentrance%2Bsmaller.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Barn Owl in Elm Stump</strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">£6,550</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Framed Size: 29" x 33.5". Image Size: 17.5" x 21.25"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">I put this old elm stump into a tree near my house to make a natural nest box. Kestrels and tawny owls have used it in the past to nest in but 2015 was the first year in which a barn owl used it. The male barn owl overthrew a pair of kestrels which were planning to nest there. It was an hour-long battle but the barn owl won. This is the female which arrived two hours after the male's fight with the kestre. It was very interesting watching the barn owls meeting for the first time. Click </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Barn-Owl-in-Elm-Stump-Barn_Owl.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here</span><span style="color: navy;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">to buy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C-jar9CKhbk/WCRWBsQxTRI/AAAAAAAAIzs/rrFtRgvkZY8h4fpCAbXOw5fB2WuGf5MTgCEw/s1600/Hare%2Bin%2Bsnow%2B2016-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C-jar9CKhbk/WCRWBsQxTRI/AAAAAAAAIzs/rrFtRgvkZY8h4fpCAbXOw5fB2WuGf5MTgCEw/s1600/Hare%2Bin%2Bsnow%2B2016-small.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">Hare in Snow </span></strong></span><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">NOW SOLD</span></strong><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting Image Size: 7.5" x 5.75"</em></span></div>
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I was just heading back to my car after a long day photographing hares. The sun was low in the sky, giving the surrounding snow a warm glow. I decided to leave the hare small in the picture to give it a sense of scale.</div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Colourful Kingfisher </strong><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: maroon;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">NOW SOLD</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">I spent three years studying kingfishers along a stream. I positioned a hide up stream of the nest and tempted them closer by putting small fish in a tank in the stream. One year the pair raised three colourful broods! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">A customer of mine got in touch to let me know he had seen a rare black fox near his home in Halifax. There are only thought to be a handful of black foxes in the UK. Although black in colour, these foxes are technically known as ‘silver’ foxes since the fur is tipped with white. The unusual black colouring is thought to be a genetic anomaly. Historically these foxes were valued for their fur.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Curlew in Meadow </b> </span><span style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #990000;">NOW SOLD</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">One day, I found a curlew’s nest. They scare easily, so to put a hide up nearby I had to build it very carefully, putting just one piece of the hide together at a time. The day the chicks hatched I spent a full day taking photographs as they took their first wobbly steps – what a privilege! The following day they were fully mobile and looking for insects in the grasses.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">Goldfinch at a Nest <span style="color: #990000;"> NOW SOLD</span></strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;"><em>Original Acrylic Painting Framed Size: 14.75" x 18.75" Image Size: 9" x 13"</em></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Goldfinches are one of Britain’s most beautiful birds. This pair nested in an elderberry tree next to the back door of my parent’s house. I put a hide on top of their porch roof to study this nest up close.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">Little Owls </strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting </span></span><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"> </strong><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">£2490</span>Image Size: 10.5" x 7.5"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">I photographed four little owls as they fledged from a tree close to my gallery in Thixendale. They took shelter in a rabbit hole under a large rotting log. Little owls are known to nest in rabbit burrows where nesting sites are scarce, but I have never known fledglings to leave the safety of the trees and go to ground.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> As I watched one evening, a chick rushed out of the hole under the log and pounced onto a beetle whilst the others looked on. The way their tilted their heads to locate their prey was so funny to watch. This owl quickly polished off the beetles; to the envy of his siblings, who were still dependent on the food their parents brought them. Click </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Little_Owl.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">to buy. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">Sparring Sparrowhawks NOW SOLD</strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;" /><em style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting<br />Framed Size 30.5" x 31.5" Image Size: 17" x 17"</em></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">I have a love hate relationship with sparrowhawks as they can cause such destruction to the song bird population in my garden. I decided to try and entice a female sparrowhawk who was a regular visitor to my garden to feed on dead pigeons that I put out for her, instead of preying on my garden birds. It worked and I fed her every day for around 5 months.One day a new and more aggressive young female sparrowhawk spotted her eating my daily offering and launched an attack. I was fortunate to have been in the hide with my camera when it happened.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Rhino.html#SID=237950" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank">Black Rhino </a></strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">£2750</span><br />Framed Size: 25.5" x 21" Image Size: 15" x 10.5"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span><br />
There is usually a dramatic moment or two when I go to Africa and this was one of them. I spotted this black rhino in the distance walking across a plain of Etosha National Park in Namibia. I set off on a 30km detour to see if i could photograph it coming towards me. I got there just in time, but when it heard the engine of the landcruiser it broke into a fast trot, heading straight for my car. It veered off at the last moment, just before it got to me - phew! Click<span style="background-color: white; color: darkgreen; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Rhino.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here</span><span style="color: navy;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">to buy.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umOsOCh8-W0/WCRWHBxE5sI/AAAAAAAAIzs/yZDMk0gciwQULqdHFegM73ytSfmg29DIwCEw/s1600/chaffinch2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umOsOCh8-W0/WCRWHBxE5sI/AAAAAAAAIzs/yZDMk0gciwQULqdHFegM73ytSfmg29DIwCEw/s1600/chaffinch2016.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Chaffinch-on-Blackthorn-Blossom-Chaffinch.html#SID=23" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank">Chaffinch on Blackthorn Blossom </a></strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting </span><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;"> </strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">£2750</span>Framed Size: 16.5" x 24" Image Size: 6.25" x 12.5"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Male chaffinches are beautiful birds. Their melodic song is very distinctive. It is a short, fast rattling sound, best remembered by imagining a cricket bowler running up to the crease with the ball and then delivering with a flourish. Usually rendered as "chip chip chip chip chip - chooipchyoo." Click</span><span style="background-color: white; color: darkgreen; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Chaffinch-on-Blackthorn-Blossom-Chaffinch.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> to buy.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;"><b>Courting Frigate Birds </b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting </span>£3,450<br />Framed Size: 26" x 26" Image Size: 12.25" x 12.25"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">I watched these magnificent frigate birds on my trip to the Galapagos Islands. During the breeding season the males puff out their throats a bit like toads to create incredible displays. The way in which the females seem to snuggle up to these inflated red chests is so tender. I wanted to capture the intimacy of this ritual in my painting. Click </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Courting-Frigate-Birds-440.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">to buy.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;"><b>Galapagos Penguins </b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting</span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">£3,450</span><br />Framed Size: 26" x 26" Image Size: 12.25" x 12.25"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">These penguins are only found on the Galapagos Islands. They are also the only penguins to live north of the equator. There are less than 1000 breeding pairs left in the world, so they are considered to be an endangered species. Click </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Galapagos-Penguin-Pair-850.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here</span><span style="color: navy;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">to buy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IqVWQ1UWNQw/WCRWN_QmcmI/AAAAAAAAIzs/gtrXqbFV6zcw0779CZ4QpaG8o3BD-qcvgCEw/s1600/gianttortoise%2Bpainting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IqVWQ1UWNQw/WCRWN_QmcmI/AAAAAAAAIzs/gtrXqbFV6zcw0779CZ4QpaG8o3BD-qcvgCEw/s400/gianttortoise%2Bpainting.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">Giant Tortoise: Super Diego </strong><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">Original Acrylic Painting </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; text-align: center;">£3,450</span>Framed Size: 26" x 26" Image Size: 12.25" x 12.25"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Most people have heard of Lonesome George, the last giant tortoise his kind, but how many know about Super Diego is a giant tortoise who is largely responsible for bringing his own subspecies back from the brink of extinction. Super Diego is a 135 years old giant tortoise and 'mega-dad.' He is thought to be solely responsible for bringing the saddle-backed Espanola tortoise back from the brink of extinction after fathering an estimated 1,700 baby tortoises since being acquired by the Foundation in 1977. Click</span><span style="background-color: white; color: darkgreen; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> </span><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/Giant-Tortoise---Super-Diego-777.html#SID=23" style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><span style="color: darkgreen;">here</span><span style="color: navy;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">to buy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ig3r-5sXKhg/WCRWCnFuThI/AAAAAAAAIzs/kIBnP4ZOf98tBzpKReqBRxxedZMJnYk4ACEw/s1600/King%2Bof%2BSavute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ig3r-5sXKhg/WCRWCnFuThI/AAAAAAAAIzs/kIBnP4ZOf98tBzpKReqBRxxedZMJnYk4ACEw/s400/King%2Bof%2BSavute.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b>King of Savute </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Original Oil Painting </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">£8,950</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Framed size: 37" x 29" </span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The title of this painting 'King of Savute' really sums up this magnificient painting of this male lion. I photographed him in Botswana in 2000, and I remember as I watched him that he really exuded power & presence.</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-62197232122411496222016-11-04T12:30:00.001+00:002016-11-04T14:34:03.324+00:00An Animal Version of You've Been Framed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IiiRq_-5M74/WBx86i4gHKI/AAAAAAAAIxY/2-KAkB3Cad4zLyz8oUMuw_FnZTZWhl8JgCLcB/s1600/pheasantJan15_0918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IiiRq_-5M74/WBx86i4gHKI/AAAAAAAAIxY/2-KAkB3Cad4zLyz8oUMuw_FnZTZWhl8JgCLcB/s1600/pheasantJan15_0918.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
Take a look at my video of some of the funniest moments I've witnessed whilst watching animals for my paintings.<br />
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I've got endearing wildlife moments and slip-ups that play like an animal version of You've Been Framed. Look out for the tug of war between two kestrel chicks that ends in a 'Lady in the Tramp' moment - similar to when the dogs in the cartoon are sharing a spaghetti strand and end up nose to nose!<br />
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There are over excited badger cubs tumbling down a hill together, tawny owl chicks jostling for position at the entrance to the nest hole, and even a stoat bouncing on my children's trampoline!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c9epOlSiYXQ?rel=0" width="500"></iframe><br />
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My exhibition, Animals Do the Funniest Things, opens on Sunday November 12th at my gallery in Thixendale. I'll be exhibiting my research photographs and video gathered over a lifetime of watching animals in the wild.<br />
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Below is a selection of some of the photographs of animals in comical positions due to go on show. Keep scrolling down, I've saved the most uncompromising for last!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jsSfOx6d2AM/WBx86EWWAFI/AAAAAAAAIxQ/AjuTWmLqRkkTYIvz0wLvUowgj4ffuTnyACLcB/s1600/funnylittleowlApril2012_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jsSfOx6d2AM/WBx86EWWAFI/AAAAAAAAIxQ/AjuTWmLqRkkTYIvz0wLvUowgj4ffuTnyACLcB/s1600/funnylittleowlApril2012_0014.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Little Owl Burp</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MGFB-roh3Cg/WBx82m2-zGI/AAAAAAAAIxE/TosdaKj-Wugg-SHwxUk0ha3AyIr_bWesQCLcB/s1600/Have%2BI%2Bgot%2Bnews%2Bfor%2Byou.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MGFB-roh3Cg/WBx82m2-zGI/AAAAAAAAIxE/TosdaKj-Wugg-SHwxUk0ha3AyIr_bWesQCLcB/s1600/Have%2BI%2Bgot%2Bnews%2Bfor%2Byou.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Gossiping Penguins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--LlMGopQUo8/WBx82LNhYdI/AAAAAAAAIxA/wWLp8J6PFsQ0-Ev0VNKnqmiSosx3UEheQCLcB/s1600/Late%2Bfor%2Ba%2BDate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--LlMGopQUo8/WBx82LNhYdI/AAAAAAAAIxA/wWLp8J6PFsQ0-Ev0VNKnqmiSosx3UEheQCLcB/s1600/Late%2Bfor%2Ba%2BDate.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">The Hare Hop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kz0WqxX9wgQ/WBx88Qa3cwI/AAAAAAAAIxc/8_IY8iaDEdQQIkahyKEirVTsQZ8kmSP9gCLcB/s1600/rockhopper%2Bblog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kz0WqxX9wgQ/WBx88Qa3cwI/AAAAAAAAIxc/8_IY8iaDEdQQIkahyKEirVTsQZ8kmSP9gCLcB/s1600/rockhopper%2Bblog.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">The Rockhopper Hop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wQFXxml-e74/WBybcR6cIYI/AAAAAAAAIyA/NBox0QGwU5scpBlXZzF-vPaMHvDiAI-KwCLcB/s1600/penguinchick13aaa53funnyblog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wQFXxml-e74/WBybcR6cIYI/AAAAAAAAIyA/NBox0QGwU5scpBlXZzF-vPaMHvDiAI-KwCLcB/s1600/penguinchick13aaa53funnyblog.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Sad reflection</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aX_hb43qcBY/WBycG_Ix17I/AAAAAAAAIyE/ObjMQ9grfNkZ4p1envo09ectblXLg8kMQCLcB/s1600/squirrelsnowballJan15_0525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aX_hb43qcBY/WBycG_Ix17I/AAAAAAAAIyE/ObjMQ9grfNkZ4p1envo09ectblXLg8kMQCLcB/s1600/squirrelsnowballJan15_0525.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Squirrel snowball</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6LgfXo-SuU/WBx881-WI_I/AAAAAAAAIxk/n-u0f2T8ajA3I6wWIznOnhl2ujRcoEqWgCLcB/s1600/stagtossblogNov15_0734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6LgfXo-SuU/WBx881-WI_I/AAAAAAAAIxk/n-u0f2T8ajA3I6wWIznOnhl2ujRcoEqWgCLcB/s1600/stagtossblogNov15_0734.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">The Toss</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LiLRXkmXeo8/WBx8-iUqa4I/AAAAAAAAIxo/Jw-7B-fMUpYLWw_w-_Z4Sd948hRAVVnFACLcB/s1600/tawnyblogjunee100203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LiLRXkmXeo8/WBx8-iUqa4I/AAAAAAAAIxo/Jw-7B-fMUpYLWw_w-_Z4Sd948hRAVVnFACLcB/s1600/tawnyblogjunee100203.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">A tawny owl chick blinking in the sunlight</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zkfvLMTiHY8/WBx82iAVUZI/AAAAAAAAIxI/jL4xkhPPytIUSjyTD55WzNlZkpk3UotHQCLcB/s1600/Embarrasing%2BHare%2BMoment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zkfvLMTiHY8/WBx82iAVUZI/AAAAAAAAIxI/jL4xkhPPytIUSjyTD55WzNlZkpk3UotHQCLcB/s1600/Embarrasing%2BHare%2BMoment.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Perhaps this is why they call a male hare a buck</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lDjYr97yvc8/WBx83-52eUI/AAAAAAAAIxM/CQpyVnRnP64F_SsHJssMSYwAcr6wEKP4wCLcB/s1600/baboonblogsept13_1310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lDjYr97yvc8/WBx83-52eUI/AAAAAAAAIxM/CQpyVnRnP64F_SsHJssMSYwAcr6wEKP4wCLcB/s1600/baboonblogsept13_1310.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Gorilla</td></tr>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-46493023517560175362016-10-31T12:16:00.001+00:002016-10-31T15:26:21.534+00:00Nature's Funniest Moments. Artist Exhibits His Funniest Animal Research<div class="MsoNormal">
Watching and painting animals for a living has got to rank
amongst the best jobs in the world since animals can do such funny things. Over
the years I’ve had some hilarious encounters. Next week I will be sharing my favourite anecdotes at an art
exhibition of my work at my gallery in Thixendale.</div>
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They include the winter I watched red squirrels in the
Yorkshire Dales. These beautiful creatures are an increasingly rare sight, which
is a shame because they are such a joy to watch. I had been following a scurry of squirrels and come to know
their individual characters. Among them one particularly cheeky squirrel stood
out. It had a slightly kinked tail and prominent ear tufts and I got some
really great photographs of it contorting its body in the snow to scratch its
behind. This squirrel had a cache of nuts that it protected fiercely
and one day a pheasant wandered a little too close to the stash. It was so
funny watching how the squirrel saw off this intruder; it looked like it was
arguing with it.</div>
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Many of my paintings have been inspired by endearing animal
behaviour I have witnessed and this is especially true of my paintings of
puffins. With bright orange legs, colourful bills and a waddling walk,
puffins are the clowns of the UK wildlife scene. It’s hard not to smile when
you see one – especially if you spot it in flight; wings whirring away as it
propels its squat little body through the air. Puffins spend eight months out at sea before flying in to
our shores each spring to breed. These noisy cliff top reunions, which involve
scenes of courting and fighting, are so interesting to watch.</div>
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One of my paintings features a herring gull glaring
condescendingly down at a puffin. </div>
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I had been photographing a group of puffins
socialising on a rock when this gull had landed amongst them. All the puffins,
bar this brave one, immediately scattered – after all some species of gull will
swallow a puffin whole. I watched for an anxious moment as this plucky penguin
held its ground. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The herring gull was quite still for a moment as it looked
down its beak at the puffin, which stood at a fraction of its size. At that,
the puffin rocked back on its heels momentarily before fleeing. I named my painting
Size Matters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amongst the most rewarding animal interactions to watch are
young mammals playing together. Of course whilst it is endearing to see
creatures such as fox cubs tumbling about in the grass, there is actually a
very important reason for their rough play since these youngsters are learning
to hunt.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Throughout the last two years I have been watching a family
of weasels via cameras hidden in my garden and I have some really endearing
video clips of the weasel kits splashing about in a small pond I built for
them. They dive and splash about in the water, chasing one another around like
children in a paddling pool.<o:p></o:p><br />
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But whilst this looks like pure fun and frolic, their
behaviour is a very important part of their development. Weasels are such small
animals they need make up in tenacity what they lack in size and during this
play they get to test out one another’s strength in preparation for when they
will have to survive on their own and form their own territories. </div>
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They say you should never work with animals or children, and
whilst I understand why the adage exists, of course as a wildlife artist and a
father, I’ve done both. Like when I encountered a particularly aggressive pheasant
whilst on a family holiday in the Dales. Pheasants can be fiercely territorial
and this bird went for me, pecking at my arm and really trying to see me off. But its feisty nature meant that I could get really close to
it and I decided it would be a good subject from which to get some photographic
studies of this species’ beautiful iridescent feathers.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, after retreating from its initial assault on me, I
ventured back into its territory to watch it the following day. The problem was
I was meant to be in charge of my eldest daughter, who was just two at the
time. I decided to let her join me. But despite being a very helpful assistant,
at one point she decided to climb on my shoulders as I tried to photograph the
pheasant, rendering the job almost impossible, but great fun nevertheless. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And that is the point of working with animals, or children.
They can behave in such an endearing manner and at times do such utterly
unpredictable things. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>My exhibition, ‘Animals do the Funniest Things’, opens on Nov 12th and runs until
Dec 4<sup>th </sup>. For details see </b><a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/"><b>www.robertefuller.com</b></a><b> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-28188281229753689222016-10-26T13:19:00.000+01:002016-10-31T11:23:40.662+00:00Animal Anecdotes<div class="MsoNormal">
I spend many hours watching animals interact in the wild for
my paintings and I can honestly say it’s the most rewarding job in the world. When I’m watching an animal or bird up close I’m more or
less guaranteed at least one heart-warming or laugh-out-loud moment.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ40VCI9ocs/WBCSYZ5UctI/AAAAAAAAIvI/x7L3YVDIoJIIkbSXsNteztLkXbWsy4LiQCLcB/s1600/Puffin%2BPair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ40VCI9ocs/WBCSYZ5UctI/AAAAAAAAIvI/x7L3YVDIoJIIkbSXsNteztLkXbWsy4LiQCLcB/s400/Puffin%2BPair.JPG" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><i>Puffin Pair, painting by Robert E Fuller.</i></td></tr>
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This November I’m holding an art exhibition at my gallery at
Thixendale to showcase the instants that have evoked the greatest belly laughs. Among them was the time I traveled to Antarctica to watch
penguins. Seeing them as they marched smartly in procession, with their wobbly,
upright gait, and black and white tuxedo-looking feathers, was comical in
itself. But the scene became even more amusing when I witnessed an instance
of beach rage between a young king penguin and an elephant seal. The beach was
crowded with elephant seals and this plucky penguin had tried to barge its way
through the crowd to the water’s edge.</div>
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Pushing its way through this wall of blubber, the penguin
walked into the path of a very large and grumpy elephant seal. The seal roared
a warning at the penguin, but instead of retreating to safety like an older and
wiser penguin might have done, the penguin retaliated; slapping the huge seal
right across the face with its flipper. You should have seen the elephant
seal’s face!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Closer to home, puffins are the clowns of the UK wildlife
scene. With bright orange legs, colourful bills and a waddling walk, it’s hard
not to smile when you see one – especially if you spot it in flight; wings whirring
away as it propels its squat little body through the air. Puffins spend eight months out at sea before flying in to
our shores each spring to breed. These noisy cliff top reunions have been the
inspiration for many of my paintings.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2-Q9SVF6xis/WBCUZOtDViI/AAAAAAAAIvg/_bRXOs-pFycdUpec2qB2GxkO5bJS0jaIwCLcB/s1600/size-matters6blogsize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2-Q9SVF6xis/WBCUZOtDViI/AAAAAAAAIvg/_bRXOs-pFycdUpec2qB2GxkO5bJS0jaIwCLcB/s400/size-matters6blogsize.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><i>Size Matters, painting by Robert E Fuller.</i></td></tr>
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One of these features a puffin looking up at a herring gull.
I had been photographing a group of puffins socialising on a rock when the gull
landed amongst them. All the puffins, bar this brave soul, immediately scattered
– and wisely so since some species of gull will swallow a puffin whole. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I watched for an anxious moment as this one held its ground.
The herring gull looked down its beak at the puffin, which was a fraction of
its size. At that, the puffin rocked back on its heels momentarily before fleeing.
I named my painting Size Matters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At times I find myself adding a story line to interactions I
see. Like the time I had been watching two hares courting. The male had been trying
to impress the female for three days but was yet to gain her favour and mate. He
had just put on an impressive show of boxing and was resting by her side, waiting
for an opportunity to mate, when a male pheasant and his harem walked onto the
scene. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The male pheasant glanced condescendingly at the hare buck
and then suddenly began to mate with a female – right there next to the two
hares. The pheasant then dismounted and, all cocksure, walked right up to the
hare buck, looked him in the eye and puffed out his feathers as if to say: ‘That’s
how it’s done’. The buck was duly miffed by this cocky display and rose onto
his back legs as if to box the cheeky pheasant.</div>
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The mating rituals of birds can be amusing when you see them
for the first time. Black grouse, for instance, perform a mating dance known as
a ‘lek’ which involves the males, tails feathers fanned, strutting about making
bubbling noises and leaping high into the air calling. The whole procedure is
especially ludicrous when you notice that the females standing on the edge of
the lek look so nonchalant, as if they are utterly unimpressed by the whole
performance. But whilst highly amusing to us, this behaviour is quite normal
for black grouse and in fact the females are carefully selecting the best male mover.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Often there is a scientific reason behind behaviour we find
funny. For instance it’s hard not to smile when you see an owlet bobbing its
head up and down as it watches you. But this
head-bobbing helps make up for an anatomical limitation: an owl’s eyes are
fixed in position, so to look up, down, or to the side, it has to move its
head. They also have flexible necks and can do 270 degrees of a full head
turn, looking over one shoulder, around the back, and almost over the opposite
shoulder, to help them judge the position and distance of things.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyt8G-tTBzKT8tBeMrcOTwL9pdjytLNOANuEMW0vPeUTs8AhTuWx7tbmOGQjZWw7g61srPmODUCj8dJ__N6fQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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In recent years I’ve been watching the birds of prey that
live near my garden in Thixendale via cameras hidden in their nests and have
been privy to some truly priceless moments. Sometimes their behaviour is so like our own. Like the fussy
female kestrel I filmed who niggled over the details of each potential nest
site her mate found for her. They were like newly-weds touring real estate!</div>
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She was so persnickety she even rejected a nest box the male
had won for her in a bitter battle with a barn owl. Despite his heroic efforts,
she nit-picked and fussed over the box, sitting down in a nest scrape he had
dug for her and puffing out her feathers in such a show of dissatisfaction that
it was difficult not to laugh out loud. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the end she decided to go back to a nest site that she
had rejected a week earlier, which had since been filled with twigs by jackdaws.
It made me smile when she then left her browbeaten mate to sort out the problem
of how to remove the criss-cross of sticks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another time I watched with empathy as a first time barn owl
mum struggled to work out how to brood her newly born owlets. She tried to
snuggle them under her, but didn’t know where to put her long talons. She kept
lifting one foot and then the other, clenching her claws into a tight fist, but
still managed to stand on the young chicks in the process.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even funnier was how, after a lot of fidgeting, she finally
managed to sit on her new brood only to be disturbed by the arrival of her mate.
Barn owls usually mate when the male arrives with food for the growing brood.
But when he approached her she was shocked by the very idea of it. She looked him
straight in the eye and pecked at him in disbelief.He took a step back in confusion, as if to say ‘What’s wrong
with you tonight?’ But she was having none of it and stood up with her wings
out and pecked at him again, forcing him into the far corner of the next box
where she made him stay while she sat back carefully onto her cherished owlets.
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At times the table has been turned and it has been the
animals that have turned me into a laughing stock. I’ll never forget the moment
a warthog pushed me into a flower bed in Zimbabwe. I had been trying to photograph a family of these wild hogs
grazing together in the grounds of a hotel. But they looked ridiculous. They
were kneeling on a manicured lawn on their front legs with their backsides
pointing up in the air. It was hardly the shot I wanted!</div>
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I walked up to the nearest one to try to get it to stand up
straight, but, without warning, it charged at me. It head-butted my foot and sent
me, hopping backwards, across the lawn. It carried on pushing me back until we
got to the edge of the lawn where it tossed its head and sent me and my camera
flying. I landed less then gracefully in a flower bed that was being irrigated
by an automatic watering system and got soaked! It was quite a fall from grace,
but what I hadn’t realised was that I had an audience! I rose from the flowers to
rapturous applause and laughter coming from the hotel bar and pool area.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Despite these dramas animals and birds make such good company;
I wouldn’t have it any other way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Animals
do the Funniest Things’ includes photographs and video footage of my comic
encounters as well as guided walks and falconry events.For details see my website: <a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/">www.robertefuller.com</a> </i></b></div>
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<b><i>Don’t miss my slideshow and talk on all my most amusing animal anecdotes at my gallery in
Thixendale on Nov 19<sup>th</sup>. </i></b></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-1133850910200225492016-10-14T15:17:00.000+01:002016-10-17T10:00:42.230+01:00A Winter Art Exhibition: Animals Do the Funniest Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Christmas art exhibition runs from November 12th - December 4th at my gallery in Thixendale.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWs_5IdUPe4/WADh8h9aTWI/AAAAAAAAIuw/uIrxYKjzK9oBMzYRLot9kqU-EnD43XX4ACLcB/s1600/redstagblueBLOG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWs_5IdUPe4/WADh8h9aTWI/AAAAAAAAIuw/uIrxYKjzK9oBMzYRLot9kqU-EnD43XX4ACLcB/s1600/redstagblueBLOG.jpg" /></a></div>
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Join me for a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie whilst you browse my latest art work at this seasonal show.</div>
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Don't miss a special exhibit of my photographs and video clips of some of my funniest animal observations.</div>
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I spend most of my working life watching wild creatures in their natural habitat before picking up a paintbrush. I'll be sharing some of the most comical moments I've captured during this intensive process. </div>
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Among them a penguin in Antarctica so overcome by beach rage it slaps a fur seal across the face.</div>
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It takes a lot of patience to get the
shots I need for my paintings, but when the birds and animals I’m watching
occasionally do something funny it always helps lighten my day.</div>
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They say you should never work with animals, but I wouldn't swap my job for the world. </div>
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The exhibition includes walks into the countryside, a talk and slideshow on my amusing anecdotes and falconry events for children </div>
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The gallery is open weekdays, 9.30am-4.30pm, and weekends, 10.30am-4.30pm throughout the exhibition. </div>
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<b>Below is a list of accompanying events. Please click on the relevant dates to book.</b></div>
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<b>BIRDWATCHING<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;">Red Kite Roost with Michael Flowers</span></b>,
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/red-kite-roost-with-michael-flowers-tickets-27929144824" target="_blank">Sun 13th Nov</a> & <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/red-kite-roost-with-michael-flowers-tickets-27992776147" target="_blank">Sat 26th Nov</a>, 2pm-4pm, Meet at Warter car park Tickets
Adults £9.50 A guided walk to see these protected birds swoop and dive over the
Yorkshire Wolds.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;">Winter
Wildlife Walk with Jack Ashton Booth</span></b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;"> </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/winter-wildlife-walk-tickets-27990245578" target="_blank">Sun 27th Nov</a>,10am-12 noon
Tickets Adults £9.50 A guided walk through Thixendale to spot winter wildife.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>KIDS EVENTS</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;">Family Falconry</span></b>,<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kids-fly-a-falcon-tickets-27927707525?aff=erelpanelorg" target="_blank"> Sun 13th</a>, <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kids-fly-a-falcon-tickets-27988831348?aff=erellivmlt" target="_blank">20th</a> &
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kids-fly-a-falcon-tickets-27989859423?aff=erellivmlt" target="_blank">27th Nov</a>, 10-11am Adults £6 Kids£4 <o:p></o:p></div>
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Handle birds
of prey and learn how to fly one for yourself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;">Tiny Tots Falconry</span></b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;"> </span> <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tots-falconry-tickets-28038424683?aff=erellivmlt" target="_blank">Sun 4th Dec</a>, 10-11am Tickets Adults £6 Kids £4
Falconry for the very young, these classes are aimed at children aged between
two and five years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;">Kids Red
Kite Roost</span></b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;"> </span>with Jack Ashton Booth.<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kids-red-kite-roost-with-jack-ashton-booth-tickets-27989567550" target="_blank"> Sun 27th Nov</a>, 2pm-4pmTickets
Adults £6 Kids £4 Children can build their own red kite nest and then go and
see these magnificent birds on the Wolds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>ARTIST'S TALK<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #4a442a; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 64;">Animals do the funniest things</span></b>, <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/artist-talk-slideshow-animals-do-the-funniest-things-tickets-27930319337" target="_blank">Sat19th </a>Nov 7.30pm Tickets Adults £9.50 Robert spends his days watching wild
creatures in their natural Join artist Robert E Fuller for an evening of animal
anecdotes and see his rare footage of some truly priceless animal behaviour.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-20515783618871564852016-10-06T11:39:00.000+01:002016-10-06T11:39:24.293+01:00Pine Martens Close Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o7k-_pmAIMk/V_YmuoqyyII/AAAAAAAAItg/5bUZKzRmO_UUTnbI8bnYdMK_73EKJugbwCLcB/s1600/PINEMARTEN%2BBLOG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o7k-_pmAIMk/V_YmuoqyyII/AAAAAAAAItg/5bUZKzRmO_UUTnbI8bnYdMK_73EKJugbwCLcB/s1600/PINEMARTEN%2BBLOG.jpg" /></a></div>
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Pine martens were once Britain’s second most common
carnivore. But following years of persecution you now have to go to some effort
to see one. This summer, I headed to the remote Ardnamurchan peninsular in Western Scotland, one of the few remaining strongholds,
to try my luck. I had visited this
area before but the trip had been thwarted by relentless rain and poor
sightings. This time I was
hoping for better success. As I drove north the temperature on the car
thermometer dropped dramatically. Then it started to rain and I began to have
serious misgivings. But at the cottage
that I had booked, I was told that that if I put food on the table on the front
deck the pine martens would come that evening.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I had brought an
entire Landrover full of cameras, lighting, camera traps, surveillance cameras,
TV monitors, hides, tripods, flash guns, tools and torches. I had even strapped
some small tree trunks to the roof which I hoped the pine martens would pose
on. As I began unloading
the car I couldn’t help but pause to admire the stunning view of Loch Sunart
and the Isle of Canna that stretched before the cottage. All I needed was a
pine marten! I put a small dollop
of peanut butter on the table and positioned my tree trunk props around the garden.
I nipped into the cottage to fetch my cameras and was just about to go back out
when I spotted a female pine marten already polishing off the peanut butter.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GGL3-Ja_ggc/V_YnHXHRhnI/AAAAAAAAItk/AYaxG4d4inchmhdoxw9GziwJh3la17uvgCLcB/s1600/FemaleBLOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GGL3-Ja_ggc/V_YnHXHRhnI/AAAAAAAAItk/AYaxG4d4inchmhdoxw9GziwJh3la17uvgCLcB/s1600/FemaleBLOG.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Large female. Note the non-retractable claws</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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She was just five
feet away from me. I froze, watching her through the French windows. This was
the best view I had ever had of a pine marten. A chocolate brown
body, yellow bib and long bushy tail are the first things you notice about a
pine marten. But I was transfixed by this female’s huge feet as she bounded
around the deck. These were pristine, white, with sharp catlike claws that were
built for climbing. These claws are non-retractable so when pine martens are
not climbing, they have to walk on their pads making them look unusually
prominent.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a promising
start. I rushed about setting up my cameras and props so that I would be ready
for her next visit. Instead of leaving
food out on the deck, I smeared peanut butter and jam on rocks in the garden
and the tree trunks I had brought, so that my photographs would have a more
natural looking backdrop. But as dusk fell I became quite anxious that the pine
martens might not find the food, as it was now 20 metres away from the decking.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9hnOmH-e1A0/V_YncBIbSII/AAAAAAAAIts/FGvqCzYxdOELPs2mwR4XODjVlcv4FdVCACLcB/s1600/Female%2BKitBLOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9hnOmH-e1A0/V_YncBIbSII/AAAAAAAAIts/FGvqCzYxdOELPs2mwR4XODjVlcv4FdVCACLcB/s1600/Female%2BKitBLOG.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">The female kit: her yellow bib is distinctive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Suddenly two pine martens
came running across the grass and climbed straight on to a rock. These two were
smaller than the female I had seen earlier and had fuzzier coats. I realised
these were kits, a male and a female, as one kit was much bigger than the
other. The female joined
them and as the three bounded round the garden it was hard to know which one to
photograph first. As it got dark I lit up the garden with a spotlight and
powerful torches. The pine martens didn’t mind this artificial light and the
kits even jumped up at the flashguns inquisitively. I watched them until gone midnight.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning I
was up at 5am to put more food out. It was a beautiful day, the water in the
loch was like glass and I wondered if I would get some pictures of the pine martens
in daylight. I spotted an otter
fishing in the bay, but I resisted an urge to follow it and devoted my day
instead to re-arranging my tree trunk props to greater effect. By evening it
was all ready: the branches smeared with peanut butter, raisins and jam.The plan was nearly
dashed when I spotted a red deer licking these offerings from the branches. I
tried to shoo it away, but it just looked at me and went back to scoffing the
peanut butter. It wasn’t until I walked right up to it that it wandered down to
the banks of the loch.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-itebrt6qBXw/V_Yn2mT95EI/AAAAAAAAIt0/8bZ2bOc145IBRvTmmzkS4ls25DsxiTGqwCLcB/s1600/red%2BdeerBLOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-itebrt6qBXw/V_Yn2mT95EI/AAAAAAAAIt0/8bZ2bOc145IBRvTmmzkS4ls25DsxiTGqwCLcB/s1600/red%2BdeerBLOG.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Red deer enjoying the treats left for the pine martens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A hedgehog had also
found the food. Just as I was beginning to worry that there wouldn’t be any
left the pine martens turned up - first the female, then the two kits. I
watched them for over 4 hours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent over 10
hours a day watching and waiting for the pine martens and reviewing my camera
trap footage. I noticed that they
were mainly active on dull, overcast days or at dawn and dusk when the light
was poor. Most days I had wall to wall sunshine, but I did get three sightings
of the pine martens in good light. I was so pleased, but there was one thing
missing – I had yet to see the male. He was the missing piece of the jigsaw.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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On my third day an
adult male pine marten in his prime visited my tree trunks at 6am. He was much
larger than the female, as big as a large cat, and remarkably agile for his
size. I was delighted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, on the fourth
day I was rewarded with some fascinating behaviour between the male and female
too. The male arrived and
climbed up a dead oak tree, followed soon after by the female who headed
straight up to join him. I could hear them chittering to one another. She
climbed over him and then under his legs, brushing her body against his.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OUf-PxVAlwk/V_YoJ_6kRAI/AAAAAAAAIt8/smpf9x2U3jw19BdNPbaw2i9FS22e_CdQwCLcB/s1600/Adult%2BMale%2Band%2Bfemale%2Btogether%2Bmale%2Bis%2Bat%2Bthe%2BtopBLOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OUf-PxVAlwk/V_YoJ_6kRAI/AAAAAAAAIt8/smpf9x2U3jw19BdNPbaw2i9FS22e_CdQwCLcB/s1600/Adult%2BMale%2Band%2Bfemale%2Btogether%2Bmale%2Bis%2Bat%2Bthe%2BtopBLOG.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Male and female together: their social interaction was closer in character to that of badgers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They then fed peacefully
alongside one another. Once they had finished they both came down onto a large
rock and he started to feed. As he did so she climbed on top of him and lay
down on his back, top to tail, her back legs dangling over his sides and her
mouth open as if she was panting. She slid over him, rubbing her lower body
along the length of his back and along his tail to leave a trail of scent. It
was clear she was marking him as if to say ‘you’re mine’. After this she rubbed her cheeks in a patch of
soft moss and I wondered if she was marking the area with her scent. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The male was significantly
bigger than she was and they appeared to have a strong bond.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pine martens are
mustelids, a group of mammals that also includes badgers, otters, stoats and
weasels, and it was interesting to notice that although they look similar to
stoats or weasels their behaviour and social structure seemed closer to that of
badgers. Their diet was also
similar to a badger’s in that they are omnivorous and eat a selection of
berries, fruit, fungi and small birds and mammals – whereas other mustelids are strictly
carnivorous.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qh7s7xO1JeM/V_YoaKejuQI/AAAAAAAAIuA/zqJBn4PrjQQuttIAuZrt5ij8P1xlaXlXgCLcB/s1600/adult%2BmaleBLOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qh7s7xO1JeM/V_YoaKejuQI/AAAAAAAAIuA/zqJBn4PrjQQuttIAuZrt5ij8P1xlaXlXgCLcB/s1600/adult%2BmaleBLOG.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">The adult male was as big as a large cat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I watched as the
pair ate jam and raisins for a starter and then noticed the male tug at the
dead chicken chicks I had tied to my tree trunks. He tore one off and ran
around the cottage to eat it under my car, this time a little less willing to
feed alongside his mate. Meanwhile the female chased him back and forth trying
to steal the chick from him. </div>
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<br /></div>
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As I was packing up
on my last day the male kit arrived. I got some of the best photographs of the trip
as he climbed up the trunk of a tall silver birch tree and then, effortlessly,
down again - wrapping his back legs around the vertical trunk. Like squirrels,
a pine marten’s legs are prehensile, meaning they can wrap around an object,
and their feet actually rotate at the ankle so that they can dig their claws in
on the way down. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qjbYKK4Sf48/V_Yo5XhqOHI/AAAAAAAAIuI/X46Do6-4oMYod6wYNT2WJFIdDpeeujRPwCLcB/s1600/the%2Bmale%2BkitBLOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qjbYKK4Sf48/V_Yo5XhqOHI/AAAAAAAAIuI/X46Do6-4oMYod6wYNT2WJFIdDpeeujRPwCLcB/s1600/the%2Bmale%2BkitBLOG.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">The male kit in the rain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lEZpM93Ev3U/V_Ype3l-FiI/AAAAAAAAIuQ/ILEjRhNKx1sYkXjIoDOmD6LpMYJxz_RugCLcB/s1600/the%2Bfemale%2Bkit%2Bin%2BrainBLOG.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lEZpM93Ev3U/V_Ype3l-FiI/AAAAAAAAIuQ/ILEjRhNKx1sYkXjIoDOmD6LpMYJxz_RugCLcB/s1600/the%2Bfemale%2Bkit%2Bin%2BrainBLOG.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Clambering up tree trunks I brought from Yorkshire to use as props.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As I sat on the
doorstep photographing the kit, the female came onto the deck and jumped onto
the bench next to me. She put her front paws up on the arm rest, looked me in the
eye and sniffed me. She was just three feet away. It was an amazing end to a wonderful trip.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
www.RobertEFuller.com<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-79897344567360120312016-09-30T11:42:00.000+01:002016-12-05T16:09:57.284+00:00A bird table with a difference<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E6mGLEQzx9s/V-Ew2W_gcRI/AAAAAAAAIsc/YevwWjIDmssGa0LmxLOhkadgQbfg3GkBwCLcB/s1600/Tawny%2BOwlets%2BBlog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E6mGLEQzx9s/V-Ew2W_gcRI/AAAAAAAAIsc/YevwWjIDmssGa0LmxLOhkadgQbfg3GkBwCLcB/s400/Tawny%2BOwlets%2BBlog.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I have just finished this painting of the three tawny owl chicks that visit my garden bird table with their parents every night.</div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3uem_qxNSSU?list=PLx09JDaWUEFP4L74XxNZBo_Crkxt_KN42" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Click on the video to watch a video of how I painted it from the very first brushstrokes to the finished painting.<br />
<br />
Tawny owls have been bringing their young to feed at my garden bird table for some 10 years now and I regularly pull up a chair in the evenings to enjoy the show as they all swoop down in front of my living room window. I've had up to 10 at once balancing on a branch outside the window in the past and it really is a spectacular sight.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-haagjzYRa3U/VFOd4sXZK0I/AAAAAAAAF6k/yvdrYjt9dO4oF6tMGqDDKG8yrdQll56lACPcB/s1600/June14_0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-haagjzYRa3U/VFOd4sXZK0I/AAAAAAAAF6k/yvdrYjt9dO4oF6tMGqDDKG8yrdQll56lACPcB/s400/June14_0308.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My bird table is unusual in that it caters for birds of prey,
in particular kestrels and tawny owls, alongside the seed-eating birds you are
more likely to see in most people’s gardens. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
This summer I invited a camera crew from TV's The One Show to see how friendly tree sparrows like this make way for heavyweight falcons like kestrels and barn owls at mealtimes.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gSwQozsIjZ8?rel=0" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
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Kestrels and owls mainly eat rodents, but they will take a
garden bird, especially a young one, if the opportunity arises. Thankfully the
ones that visit my garden know that I have left food for them and so they don’t
bother.</div>
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<br /></div>
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These predatory dinner guests make for an edgy atmosphere around the garden table. But it works <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">and
I get to enjoy spectacular sightings of a great variety of birds for my
paintings</span>.Watch this robin below. It is literally a few feet away from the kestrel. </div>
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<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YXFSJ-ssnOA?rel=0" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
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This unorthodox dining event began one bitterly cold winter when I spotted a young male
kestrel hunting from my kitchen window. He wasn't having much luck and I soon got worried about his chances of surviving the cold.</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1b6Skew4Ekk/V-FFrumTSiI/AAAAAAAAIss/9l7GnzgkGz07COxekkPcoOE5DQ1WqjNjgCLcB/s1600/fotherdale%2Bkes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1b6Skew4Ekk/V-FFrumTSiI/AAAAAAAAIss/9l7GnzgkGz07COxekkPcoOE5DQ1WqjNjgCLcB/s1600/fotherdale%2Bkes.JPG" /></a></div>
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I decided to do what I could to help so I caught a mouse in a
trap and put it out on my bird table. By the end of the day the mouse had gone. So the next day I popped another mouse out on the table. Again it disappeared. The kestrel soon became a regular visitor, sometimes arriving
up to four times a day and it wasn’t long before I couldn’t catch enough mice
for him.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I discovered it was possible to buy dead day old chicks, cockerels that are a by-product of the hen
laying industry, so I decided to order some in. I also found myself picking up road-kill rabbit and pheasant to give to the kestrel. In this way I helped this kestrel survive the winter. The following spring he brought a girlfriend along to share this regular food supply and I was absolutely delighted when they nested nearby.</div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The kestrel became so tame that I could whistle as I put the
food out for him and he would have taken it before I got back to the
house. I took to tying the food onto a branch so that he stayed for long enough
for me to get my camera out!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before long I was ordering chicks by the 1000s to feed the kestrel’s expanding family, as well as a pair of tawny owls that had cottoned on to the evening service I was providing. During the late summer months the tawny owls began to bring their chicks to the table.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cHbTUUhrt_E/V-46LE_rgHI/AAAAAAAAItQ/eMnud9hSqCwfRrMCnoA-Bd-UO_LUNsVcwCLcB/s1600/July2016_2354blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cHbTUUhrt_E/V-46LE_rgHI/AAAAAAAAItQ/eMnud9hSqCwfRrMCnoA-Bd-UO_LUNsVcwCLcB/s1600/July2016_2354blog.JPG" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Although this brought fantastic photographic opportunities, it also became a logistical challenge.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not only did I need to ensure I had enough ingredients to keep up with their ever-expanding menus, I also needed to timetable the arrival times of my avian guests to avoid any serious consequences of a clash between predator and prey. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Feeding the kestrel soon became an established part of my routine and when I was away staff in my gallery took on the job – some of them donning marigolds before they picked up the dead chicks. Before long I was ordering chicks by the 1000s and feeding barn owls and tawny owls as well. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N1sCgzu8TaA/V-J0jgp0khI/AAAAAAAAIs8/7RR2myq3SrQaie3JjuLeVJjqAcpmUe6VwCLcB/s1600/Bird%2Bwatch%2Bfeeders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N1sCgzu8TaA/V-J0jgp0khI/AAAAAAAAIs8/7RR2myq3SrQaie3JjuLeVJjqAcpmUe6VwCLcB/s1600/Bird%2Bwatch%2Bfeeders.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
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More than 60 species of garden birds visit my table over the
course of a day and I begin each day by filling up the bird feeders and hanging
fat bars. I usually serve a cocktail of wild bird seeds, which includes nyjer
seeds for the goldfinches, peanuts for the blue tits, and sunflower hearts for
greenfinches, tree sparrows and blue tits, and fat bars for woodpeckers and
robins. I also sprinkle mealworms into a dish for dunnocks and wrens. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At mid-morning it's time for the kestrel’s breakfast: three
dead chicks tied to the branch just above the dining table. Then at lunchtime
another three dead chicks and another three at teatime. As the kestrel approaches, my other,
seeding eating, dinner guests flit into surrounding tree cover and wait until
it has gone before daring to resume their meals. Shortly before dusk, I cater for my nocturnal visitors,
tying more chicks or mice to the same branches that the kestrel uses. At the peak of the breeding season this year I was
supporting a kestrel family and a tawny pair with seven chicks. I was putting
out an average of 30 to 40 chicks a day. </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Look out for the story of my bird table on BBC1s The One Show this month. I will be posting news of its screening on my Facebook page. Search for Robert E Fuller.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323838047487087021.post-5759418297106456662016-09-08T10:20:00.002+01:002016-09-08T10:29:44.709+01:00I've won the British Seasons category of the British Wildlife Photographer of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Very excited to announce that this week I won a prize in the highly esteemed 2016 British Wildlife Photography Awards for a series of photographs I took of weasels in my garden.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The four pictures, which follow a weasel family from the the first flowers of spring to late winter snows, won the British Seasons category and go on show in a travelling exhibition that opened on Monday at the Mall Galleries in London.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I've only just returned from opening night where I got to meet and admire the incredible work submitted by the other contestants.</div>
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The judges told me that they chose my pictures because it is so rare for anyone to get close up shots of weasels in the wild. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Weasels are so small and lithe that it is very difficult to see more than a fleeting glimpse of them in the wild and very few close up portraits exist. Yet I took these in my own garden:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NI2NMXTL_AA/V9AHf7otHNI/AAAAAAAAIrY/XWZWB0U4Zw4RzkJFD2LxDVPfgv78vJXbQCLcB/s1600/spring-blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NI2NMXTL_AA/V9AHf7otHNI/AAAAAAAAIrY/XWZWB0U4Zw4RzkJFD2LxDVPfgv78vJXbQCLcB/s1600/spring-blog.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Spring</b>: Most of the action took place outside my kitchen where I
could photograph it through the window. The female cached its rodents in a
mouse hole under a blossoming mound of pink saxifrage. Moments before I took
the photograph she had been carrying a wood mouse to her nesting chamber when
the male appeared. At nearly double her weight, she was rightly very wary of
him and so she dropped her catch and watched him intently, pausing just long
enough for me to photograph her against the bloom. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B51FhHvyjyw/V9AHganjKNI/AAAAAAAAIrc/xnlUW-d_Bt4Y945MFDBoFxUq5sAiexn9wCLcB/s1600/summer-%2Bcarrying%2Bkits%2Bblog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B51FhHvyjyw/V9AHganjKNI/AAAAAAAAIrc/xnlUW-d_Bt4Y945MFDBoFxUq5sAiexn9wCLcB/s1600/summer-%2Bcarrying%2Bkits%2Bblog.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Summer</b>: Here the female is carrying one of her kits to a new
location. The kits were just 17 days old and she carried them one by one with
such a delicate grasp it was a touching to see. I had been watching her via a
camera hidden inside her nest and as soon as I saw her start to pick up the
kits I rushed to my camera to capture this rare moment. The photograph shows
her struggle as she keeps a wary eye out for danger whilst manoeuvring this kit
through the entrance hole to a new location.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ROVfEW-b010/V9AHhsz4siI/AAAAAAAAIrg/eEVtLI-fQ_4Ia6Zrr3jCOsscI1fPBxqyQCLcB/s1600/Autumn%2Bleaves-blog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ROVfEW-b010/V9AHhsz4siI/AAAAAAAAIrg/eEVtLI-fQ_4Ia6Zrr3jCOsscI1fPBxqyQCLcB/s1600/Autumn%2Bleaves-blog.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><b>Autumn</b>: This
photo is of one of the male kits in his first autumn. I took it just as he
popped his head up through a pile of roots and leaves. Underneath the roots I
had placed a feeding box. The kit was almost fully grown. Unfortunately its
mother had been predated by a stoat. But luckily weasels mature fast and it was
already fending for itself and took up the territory in my garden</span>.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qc9yZ0AHB1g/V9AHidkyHxI/AAAAAAAAIrk/YASiT9F6qfQgNXt28aXPueDb-xjcvMuyQCLcB/s1600/winter%2Bblog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qc9yZ0AHB1g/V9AHidkyHxI/AAAAAAAAIrk/YASiT9F6qfQgNXt28aXPueDb-xjcvMuyQCLcB/s1600/winter%2Bblog.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Winter</b>: This photograph was taken from my kitchen window on a cold
January day. I normally head outside as soon as it snows to capture wildlife
against a white backdrop. But this year I was so absorbed with photographing
the male weasel’s first winter I stayed at home, my eyes ever trained on my
weasel surveillance screens and the windows looking out onto the weasel’s
territory. I was struck by how pristine the tiny predator looked against the
white. It was as though he had dressed for the occasion. His whiskers were
perfectly symmetrical, his bib as clean as the surrounding snow.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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My winning shots go on show in my gallery in Thixendale from this week and this beautiful book, see below, featuring all of this year's BWPA winners can be purchased online by following this <a href="http://www.robertefuller.com/acatalog/British-Wildlife-Photography-Book-Collection-7-2016-BWPA.html#SID=38" target="_blank">link </a>to my website. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdnNMJHNxQA/V9AeRIYsq3I/AAAAAAAAIr4/wIVxyM39_W8riqb66KCENPlXs2k-TTY1ACLcB/s1600/photo%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xdnNMJHNxQA/V9AeRIYsq3I/AAAAAAAAIr4/wIVxyM39_W8riqb66KCENPlXs2k-TTY1ACLcB/s320/photo%2B2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A sleek coffee table edition, it measures 27cm x 27cm and costs £25.</div>
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The story of how I got up close to these elusive predators was also featured this year on BBC's Springwatch. You can read the background to the tale of how I got close enough to a family of weasels to paint them by clicking <a href="http://robertefuller.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/weasels-in-my-garden-story-behind-film.html" target="_blank">here </a>and, for all the latest on the weasels in the garden, click <a href="http://robertefuller.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/weasels-in-garden-part-ii.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.robertefuller.com</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10205287706837811466noreply@blogger.com2