2018 week 30: Resting sheep, peek-a-boo

These guys graze all day and night and I caught them as they were taking a little break.

We are experiencing a prolonged dry spell this summer -- the infrequent rain has been too short in duration and too little in quantity. I just read that many farmer are sending their cows to slaughter early because there's not enough grass to graze on.

2018 week 19: Cat, prey and wildflowers

Okay, I admit, the prey isn't visible in the photo. It's been a good week to enjoy being at home.

2018 week 15: Springtime

I'm enjoying the spring weather. The vibrant green. The bells on the sheep across the way. The twittering of birds. I wish you all something nice to enjoy, and a good week ahead.

Birds on a tree on a snowy day

Did I say I would try to post weekly? Gah, where does the time go?!

A few days ago we had some snow and I took some pictures. This is one them. Perhaps you can make out the huddled birds.

This year's cyanistes caeruleus

Best wishes for a good 2016 to you all.

I photographed this blue tit outside the kitchen a few weeks ago and figured I would add it to my collection.

43. Cat ladder and cat rump

Another cat ladder in the Zurich area of Wipkingen.

42. Another generation of sheep

30. Cat ladder in Wipkingen Zurich

This is for my friend at catladder.blogspot.ch
Location: Wipkingen in Zürich.

29. A solitary horse

This is another photo from 2011 and I honestly can't remember where I took it. Given what looks like an emu in the back, I'm guessing it was at the rescue zoo in the neighboring village of Rüfenach.

28. A tribe of llamas

I couldn't find a proper collective noun for llamas, so tribe will have to do.
(Photo from 2011).

27. A brood of chickens

(This photo is from 2011).

22. Cat on a radiator

Seen through a storefront in the old part of Zurich. I might even have posted this before, but it didn't come up in a search of the blog. I think the shop is one where they restore furniture and such. 

19. A man and his dog (2)

I don't know what this breed is for sure. I looked up white dog breeds and maybe this is a Samoyed or American Eskimo (which is actually a German breed). Next time, I'll have to ask.

18. A man and his dog

A Bernese mountain dog, by the way. Lovely creatures.

9. Cyanistes caeruleus

At this time of year it is common to see blue tits feeding on suet that people put out for them. They brighten up the day for me.

View from Besserstein II

Among the regular houses here we see the llama farm that has popped up on this blog time and time again:
<http://basedinvilligen.blogspot.ch/search?q=llama>.

The quadrant with the round corral is mostly used for horses as far as I've seen.

Cow grazing

Yes, we've got lots of grazing cow shots.

Nice mix of types, from the black-and-white to the mousey-brown.

Grazing cows

A few dairy cows grazing just outside Villigen.

Cows in the corner

I don't know if you can even see the animals in the upper left corner. Perhaps you can make out some flecks of brown and white. For shots like these I do miss my old power-zoom point-and-shoot.

There are these bits of land around Villigen that are used to pasture animals during the summer months. I should try to find out more about how the system works.

Today's side topic is lab-grown meat. I quote from The Independent newspaper (link) in the UK, to describe how it came about:

... the culmination of years of work by Mark Post, a medical physiologist at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. 

And about the points in favor of the stuff:

One assessment, published in 2011 by scientists from Oxford University, estimated that cultured meat uses far less energy than most other forms, apart from chicken, and some 45 per cent less energy than beef, the most environmentally destructive meat.

They also found that synthetic meat needs 99 per cent less land than livestock, between 82 and 96 per cent less water, and produces between 78 and 95 per cent less greenhouse gas. In terms of relative environmental damage, there was no contest. 

I think the greatest challenge will be to get people to eat it. But for the sake of the world, I hope something will change in the meat business.

20130720 e-p2

The gourmand among the llamas

Seem this llama had found an especially tasty patch on the other side of the fence.