Regardless of how lush a pasture is, cows can always be seen with head hanging over or through a fence, sampling the greener grass beyond. But what goes through the fence must return, and with great care. No cows were harmed in the making of this photo.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge to be a visual storyteller.
When I’m out walking I often pass fields of cattle. In general they either stare dolefully or run off when I look at them. Recently though, I was walking alongside one field and, at my appearance, the cattle ran to one side of the field, formed a group and then thundered down the hill toward me. When they got close, they did a U-turn and shot back up the hill.
Next day they did the same thing, but this time instead of the U-turn they stopped just across the hedge from me and stared. All the running about had stirred up the cattle egrets that invariably accompany them and that’s when I took this photo. I particularly like the devilish horns of the one animal peering out from the crowd.
I moved on and the cattle followed. We repeated this a couple of times before they decided they’d had enough.
On the third day, my appearance provoked only dull stares. Obviously the thrill of my presence had gone.
As old Saddle Road winds upward from Waimea it passes through ranch land. This corral is clearly a going concern as evidenced by the loading ramps and surrounding fencing, but my eye is always drawn to the weathered ‘Delta Line’ structure. I’m not sure what it once was or what its purpose is now, but it appears to be in regular use.
Besides cattle, this is a good area to see pueo, the endemic Hawaiian short-eared owl.
My take on this is that the horses were whispering about Christmas gifts and someone heard his name mentioned.
This little arrangement sprouted up in a cow pasture, beside the road to Upolu Airport, over the course of a week of so. It’s quite substantial with three new poles, fencing, and a gate having been put in, but the equipment itself is on wheels.
I was curious as to its purpose and finally happened by while workmen were there. As the title says, it’s a temporary substation. It’s been installed so that changes in the local distribution network can be achieved without power shutdowns. Supposedly, it will be in operation for two or three weeks, then the poles, fences, and equipment will be removed and the cows will get their pasture back.
No, not a kamikaze cattle egret, but one gliding in to join the throng milling around the cows, waiting to snatch a tasty insect rousted by their grazing.
I’m not sure one could call cows and cattle egrets friends. When cows graze, cattle egrets snaffle bugs stirred up in that process, but I don’t know of anything the egrets do for the cows in return.
However, this photo has a friendly feel to it. I picture the cow saying, ‘So you can fly, right? Could you teach me how?’ The egrets look suitably nonplussed at the suggestion.
Feel free to suggest your own caption in the comments.
Recently, a cow skull appeared on a pole by Upolu Airport. A few days later, someone painted the skull gold, which I think is rather striking.
Graham's Island 