Paul Marfell

Over the last few years I have taken photos of the tanks of the bikes at the Harley Rallies and put them in a single image grid. This year I have widened the frame a little to include more of the bike, and not put them into a single image file. I also took a few wider shoots.

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If I remember some of my Mechanical Engineering degree studies correctly – if a metal is protected by paint, or galvanised, and it has a small hole in the protection it can rust very quickly. Therefore if there is a large surface area of the metal exposed then it rusts slower. I guess the logic here is that if there is a danger of bare metal at structural sites on the vehicle you can increase the safe life by stripping lots of the other paint off.

I like the sign saying that it is not an abandoned vehicle. Does the sign get taken off when the vehicle is abandoned?

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Harley Davidsons have been made since 1903 and some of the early ones would not have all the mod cons of the current versions. I found this one, above, interesting. It doesn’t have foot rests (possibly taken off while it is standing), only has a throttle on the handlebars (no front brake or clutch levers, no indicator switch [there are no indicators]), has tiny lights, no instruments other than what looks like a pressure gauge down by the crankshaft, an exposed clutch with the clutch lever just above it. And to let you know it is a Harley when it is on the road – straight through cut-off exhaust pipes.

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Around 1:00 pm on Sunday a few bikes fired up on Northgate and road down Browgate. It was a little nod to the usual organised ride-out that used to happen in pre-Covid years. Who knows what will be the new “normal”?

Let me know if I have duplicated any of the tanks/engines.

Here are a posts from previous years:-

2019

2018

2017

2013

2012

Here are a few more photos of a Heron at the Weir at Saltaire. Click on an image to see it in the album – it also shows it in better quality.

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It is still catching small fish on the weir. I know Herons build nests in trees but they always look incongruous when you see them out of the water. The last two are of the Heron on the roof of the gates for the side channel at the weir – an old channel used to direct water under New Mill.

I spent some time in Robert’s Park and Saltaire today. Towards the end of my visit I took my camera down near the fish pass on the weir. A Grey Heron was frequently dipping into the water and coming up with small fish – sometimes two at a time.

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Often when you look at a Heron head on it looks very thin but as you can see it can widen its beak to fit more in. I also heard what I thought was a Peregrine Falcon so I went up to Salts Mill. There were plenty of pigeons and a Kestrel flying off towards Shipley Glen but no sight of a Peregrine. They have been spotted on the chimney.

On Wednesday I took my camera down to Ben Rhydding Gravel Pits. I didn’t see the caterpillar the allthingsmothy had posted about but is was still worth the visit.

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The photos of Hoverfly and Bumblebee were taken on the walk through. All the others were taken from the bench at the top end of the reserve.

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The Kingfisher looks as though it was carrying fish for its young. Instead of the fish head being towards its throat, as they do when they are going to swallow it, the head is towards the tip of its beak. This would put the fish in the right position for putting it down the thraot of a youngster. The last Kingfisher photo is way out of focus but shows the number of flies on the river.

After the building of the new Baildon Community Link and the demolition of the old decontamination centre that had been used the space was turned into a Peace Garden. On Sunday I had reason (Ingress) to be near there and I just happened to have my camera with me fitted with a macro lens. You should be able to click on the images to view them, better quality, in their gallery.

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The plants in the Peace Garden are what you would expect of a wild patch that is mown occasionally to encourage the wild flower variety. In the past it had been sown with wild/cottage garden varieties but I guess it is more sustainable now. Lots of long grass , Ragwort, Thistles, Scabious with Meadow Brown, Ladybird, Tortoiseshell, Small Copper, Ringlet and Small Skipper. I also found a few small Cinnabar Moth caterpillars.

During this trip out I also called in Roberts Park and noticed a Black Headed Gull on Sir Titus Salt.

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On Monday, after snapping a sunny Tortoiseshell in our garden I took my camera out, this time I spotted several butterflies in a patch of Thistle, grass and Ragwort next to Bracken Hall Farm and The Welcome Way. Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown and Small Copper. Checking on the Ragwort showed Cinnabar Moth caterpillar that were much bigger than the few I found at the Peace Garden.

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I then went along Glen Road towards Bingley Road and spotted a Red Kite gliding along. It landed in the field at Glovershaw. Not something I often see. Looking through my long lens showed something on the ground near it. The Red Kite was soon being mobbed by a Black Backed Gull and a couple of Crows. It jumped up a couple of times to fend them off but then decided to fly off. The Black Backed Gull landed and started pulling at what was on the ground. It soon became apparent what it was – a dead Rabbit. It was watched by a couple of Crows and totally ignored by the Sheep.

Given that I have seen Black Backed Gulls pulling chunks off dead Seals, swallowing Rabbits whole and similar antics I was a little surprised that all the bird seemed to be able to do was pull bits of fur off. I suppose its persistence would be rewarded but I didn’t stay around to find out.