Deserts, Kings & Legends...

Dozmary Pool

It was to this dark, still and melancholic pool nestled within the bleak unforgiving landscape of Bodmin Moor that Sir Bedivere is said to have brought the dying King Arthur, who instructed him to cast Excalibur into the sullen waters of Dozmary Pool...

'King Arthur's final quest...'  painted in 1658 (and in black and white for some reason?)

A depiction of Sir Bedivere and the Kings final journey to cast the sword in to the lake.

They had very good signage back in the olden days, good signage and lovely cyclical home furnishings. 

The painting now resides in Rick Stein's 'Fishy on a Dishy' restaurant in Helston.   

Twice he returned to his dying king unable to dispose of such a beautiful sword, on the third occasion,however, the loyal knight had reluctantly complied with Arthur's wishes and thus when questioned was, according to Tennyson able to reply...

"...with both hands I flung him,wheeling him;      

  But when I looked again,  behold an arm,

  Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,

  That caught him by the hilt,

  and brandish'd him Three times,

  and drew him under in the mere..." 

As well as an infamous dumping ground for antiquated military hardware, Dozmary Pool was also playing host to a rather fine drake Lesser Scaup which had originally come all the way from North America.

I was hoping for this!!!

But was more than happy with this...

Talking of legends... I met up with this one for a most enjoyable morning bird spotting at Hayle Estuary, Adam was able to point me in the right direction of many of the wintering specialities 

including an angelic Iceland Gull and a furtive Water Pipit on Ryan's Field.

White winger

Sneaky Whippit

Here's some video highlights of my trip to Kernow!!

Who knew that was coming!!

Please view at 1080p... some bits are fuzzy...two cameras...different frame rates...decisions had to be made...difficult decisions... it's a first world problem, but like, the struggle is real...right? 

Not featured on the vid is footage from a very pleasant morning spent at Trevose Headland looking for Lapland and Corn Buntings (a scarcity in Cornwall I'm reliably informed) I did manage some record shots of these birds which even in winter plumage are rather special.

 




All too soon our time in Cornwall with my aunt and uncle had come to an end but a detour on the way home into neighbouring Devon was just the ticket to lift the mood.

And so it was that we traversed the tiny little roads of south Devon winding our way through chocolate box villages and hub rubbing verges down to Thurlestone on the southern coast.

We parked, as instructed, in the visitors car park adjacent to the small golf course and walked the one hundred or so yards to the small beach all the while in glorious warm sunshine...
there to greet us was the U.K's longest staying Desert Wheatear.

Quite pleased with how this came out especially from a bridge camera
it would of course been a whole load f**king better without 
the ring on its leg!!!

Desert Wheatear 1w male please view at 1080p HD all filmed on the Nikon P900 (no fuzz all buzz).

He was actually singing quietly which was a privilege to hear though unfortunately the mic didn't pick it up so it's just the 'guitar jazz' for you I'm afraid.