Bowood 2013 #22: Feathered Friends' Week

This was the last day of Tractor Ted's Feathered Friends' Week, during which their two calves had been temporarily replaced by three rheas. Two of these were female and the male, named Frank, was unusual in being largely white, or melanistic. Another area of the Little Farm had been opened up to accommodate more feathered friends, including turkey chicks, goslings, a muscovy duck and chicks, white geese and some Light Sussex hens.

I had seen the rheas the previous week when they had just arrived, the day before the Week had begun and the keepers were saying they would be mugging up on rheas in readiness. As we chatted about them I remarked how small their brains were, and they added that they were smaller than their eyeballs. I then went on to say that they were an especially old bird, possibly descended from pterodactyls and the like, and so remarkably successful despite their tiny brains.

Afterwards, I began to doubt my facts and hoped I hadn't supplied misinformation to be passed on to impressionable young minds, but having checked on Wikipedia I find that the entire Rheidae family of flightless ratite birds first appeared during the Paleocene epoch, a geologic period that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago.

Afterwards, I drove on to the Hyundai dealers to see if my new car, ordered back in March and now a few days overdue, had appeared yet. In fact, it had come in that day, I was told, and was parked outside. They opened it up for me so I could sneak a peak at the interior, and it would be ready for collection in a few days.

L.
29.7.2013

Blip #1030
Consecutive Blip #000
Day #1218

Alternatives:
Goose
Muscovy Duck Family
Light Sussex Cockerel
Female And Male Rheas

Lenses: Pentax 17-70mm, Sigma 70-300mm

Bowood series
Bowood 2013 (Flickr collection)(Work in progress)


Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Rolling Stones - Little Red Rooster (1964)
In honour of the Light Sussex rooster at Tractor Ted's and of Mick Jagger's 7oth birthday on this day, this is the Stones' version of Howlin' Wolf's The Red Rooster from 1961. The Stones' version was taped at the Chess studios in Chicago where the original was recorded. Both slide guitar and harmonica were played by Brian Jones  on the record (although Mick Jagger would mime to the harmonica on TV appearances). A few years later Howlin' Wolf would record a new version with most of the Stones in London. This is an unofficial stereo remix with some unobtrusively added rhythm guitar.

R.I.P. JJ Cale (d. 26.7.2013)