Beautiful Journeys

I have been travelling about Wales recently – not too far from home but thoroughly enjoyable. The trips I have had to schools as the Josef Herman Foundation Award Artist for 2012, have taken me over the Beacons to Brecon as well as to Ystradgynlais and back over the hills to home where the Spring / Summer sounds of a Blackbird in Coedbach Park are a welcome end to the day. You’ll need to visit the blog to listen to the Blackbird.

Up on the Brecon Beacons

Looking across the Brecon Beacons

River Tawe at Ystradgynlais

Overlooking Craig Cefn Parc

The Josef Herman Foundation has allowed 9 and 10 year old children to create a version of StillWalks. Through an Arts Council of Wales funded project initiated by Caron McColl and Lynne Bebb at Swansea Education Effectiveness Service, the children have been doing their own photography and sound recording for their walk as well as the post production and also poetry with Emily Hinshelwood.

Screening and Exhibition – there will be a celebratory screening and exhibition in the Autumn of the work produced by the children. The children are doing a great job, so watch here later in the year to see examples of their videos and other work.

Tilting at Windmills

Birdsong ID – Last weekend I enjoyed a walk up to Lliw Valley Lower and Upper Reservoirs outside Swansea with bird song expert Bob Tallnack and a couple of others. Amongst many other birds we heard Black Caps, a Reed Bunting, Nuthatches, a Goldcrest and a Redstart. I recorded some of them and you can listen to them via this blog or on SoundCloud.

Wind Turbines – When we reached the Upper Reservoir I was told that there was a plan to erect a wind farm along the hills above and I inferred that those with me were not in favour of this. I kept quiet to begin with but eventually spoke up.

Lliw Valley Upper Reservoir

Hydro Power – When told about the turbines I initially assumed that they were talking about hydro turbines as we were by the reservoir and I had been involved with a project a few years ago where  Talybont-on-Usk Energy Group installed a hydro electric turbine in their local reservoir. It seems obvious and logical to me to make use of the sustainable resources of water, wind, sun and sea. Resources such as coal, gas, oil and uranium will eventually run out! We now have Solar PV (HomeSun) panels on our roof and enjoy a significant reduction in our electric bills as a result.

We need to use these carbon resources at the present and will need to continue to use them throughout a transition period to other energy sources but there is no logic in delaying further development of sustainable energy technologies because the time it will take may be considerable – so better to start investing seriously now.

My resolve on wind turbines was tested a year or two ago when a proposal was made to site a wind farm in a very beautiful place I know well and love. On that occasion the development did not go ahead but wind turbines on the hills may be something we have little choice about if we want to continue using power to the extent we currently use it.

Saving the Planet? Hmm! I think it is more a matter of saving ourselves, our children and grandchildren. However, whether or not you believe we are destroying our planet with our use of fossil fuels etc., to me, that is not the issue. It simply comes down to the fact that those resources will definitely run out whether it be in 50, 100, 200 years or more. It seems mad to me and utterly illogical not to invest the same will and ingenuity in developing alternative energy technologies as went into the development of our current energy generation.

Upper Lliw Reservoir

What’s That?

Red Kites

Lliw Valley

Who’s That?

Early Start for Dawn Chorus Day

It was fun to get up at 5.30 AM last Sunday for Dawn Chorus Day to go and join the Friends of Coedbach Park and Helen Grey from Swansea Nature Conservation Team. Helen organised the event and arranged for Martin Humphries to lead us on a walk and help with birdsong identification. A great time was had by all and I was able to record much of what was going on with the birds in the ancient oak woods.

Sound Clips and Spectral Images – A set of these sound clips can be found below (remember to click through to the blog if you are reading this in an email) along with a couple of the spectral displays from the clips.

Tree Creeper Spectral

Tree Creeper

Black Cap Spectral

If you are interested in viewing the other spectral display images, you can see them in this StillWalks Flickr Set.

A set of photos from this park event can also be seen on the StillWalks Flickr page.

Bluebells at Coedbach

Oak Woods in Coedbach Park

Listening to the Dawn Chorus

Rainy Days in Wales and England

Sorry to those of you who noticed the lack of a blog entry last week. Here are a couple of the many reasons for the omission.

Pant-y-Sais Fen – Last Friday I discovered this place by Jersey Marine near Swansea. This was part of a bird song identification walk with Bob Tallnack and others from the Gower Ornithological Society. It was most enjoyable in spite of the rain and the fen by Neath Canal is a beautiful place where I hope to do produce a StillWalk on some dry day in the future. More photos can be seen on Facebook.

You’ll need to click on the blog title in order to listen to the Chaffinch in this place as it can only be viewed on the actual blog.

Neath Canal near Pant-y-Sais Fen, Jersey marine.

York’s River Ouse oozes out – It was still raining when I attempted a production day in York last Sunday – the photos here show the evidence. Fortunately, Monday morning brought the sun with it and although the waters had not receded much, I was still able to get the images and sound I need to produce a new StillWalk.

River Ouse, York

River Ouse, York

Millenium Bridge, River Ouse, York

From the Millennium Bridge, Millenium Bridge, River Ouse, York

River Ouse, York

Monday Sun, River Ouse, York

If I were to associate a StillWalks with this blog entry, I think it would be Quarry Walk – Autumn Rain even though it is the wrong season.

Trees and Deer at Gelli Aur / Golden Grove

This gallery contains 11 photos.

Featured StillWalks, Spring – I recently discovered that the Arboretum and Deer Park at Gelli Aur / Golden Grove in Carmarthenshire are going to be closed to the public for a while. I will miss being able to walk round … Continue reading →

Therapy at its Best in Scotland

This gallery contains 10 photos.

Featured StillWalks – Coastal Walk Spring For me, this is therapy at its best! Recently we had some unexpectedly good weather for the time of year and it reminded me of slightly later in the Spring last year when this … Continue reading →

The Horses have It

StillWalks-Equestrian is a new website and service born from the interest taken in my photography for the production of StillWalks.

Ready and Waiting

Relaxing virtual walks for horses? – No Maybe there will be some StillWalks made for horse riders in the future but they might require me to take along step ladders on production day in order to get the same sort of view point as the riders. In fact, many existing StillWalks routes have had evidence of horses along the way.

In Action

The sound of the show – One of the aspects of StillWalks I enjoy the most is sound recording. As yet, I have only done this at one show and I have not published the StillWalk produced. I look forward to the next opportunity as the sounds at a horse event are so distinctive. Here is a clip from the unpublished Bont Show Walk – remember, you’ll need to go to the blog to see (and hear) this clip.

Examples of photography for StillWalks-Equestrian can be seen on the website at www.equestrian.stillwalks.com with all images being available for sale at www.photoboxgallery.com/stillwalks-equestrian

Taking Off