Square September: Pink

So we have reached the Last Day of Becky’s September square photo challenge!  She would like us to share photos which embrace ‘pink’ –  there could be pink in the photo, the subject or photographer could be ‘tickled pink’*, or indeed looking ‘in the pink’*.  A photo that manages to do all three things is the ultimate offering.

I was going to finish with a flurry of lovely September flowers, but I was so excited to see this bird I had to use it instead. This red-legged, red-billed member of the crow family earned itself the name ‘Cornish chough’ (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) because of its close association with the Duchy for several hundred years.

I was tickled pink (or you could say "chuffed") to finally see not one, but two Cornish choughs at Godrevey Point on Thursday. I had just finished photographing several Grey Seals on the beach so my day was perfect.

The chough’s (pronounced chuff) symbolism for Cornwall can be easily found for it features on the coat of arms, proudly sitting on top of the crest flanked by a tin miner and fisherman as a striking reminder of Cornwall’s proud traditions. The chough’s Cornish name, Palores, means Digger, a reference no doubt to its habit of digging away at loose soil to find invertebrates.

It has been a lovely Pink month here on Travel Words, I hope you have enjoyed looking at the photos and I thank Becky for being an excellent hostess of this quirky square challenge. I am certain she needs a good couple of months off now for a rest. Thank you once again Becky!

*‘in the pink’ means in perfect condition, or in good health, and ‘tickled pink’ means delighted.

September Squares | Pink

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Heyjude

I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.

32 thoughts on “Square September: Pink”

  1. Oh, wow! Many years since I have seen a Chough, Jude! No wonder you were chuffed! It has THE most pink/red legs!

      1. I never thought I’d get to see one. I know there are some on the Lizard, but the cliffs there are very steep. It was astonishing to round the bend on the Point and see them feeding on the grass right next to the path.

        1. We have seen them from a moving car in Portugal but yet to see in person let alone photograph. So to see and photograph them in this country – unforgettable 🤗

  3. Goodness me -he’s cute! On board a super duper size plane with WiFi still connected! Algarve may be full when we get there. But not our bit! Last hugs 😃😃 xx

        1. Fabulous you’ve got your first walk in, hope though you are guzzling the wine (oops….I mean water 😉) for your cough in those temps!

        1. I always have my camera unless I am only going to the supermarket. On this occasion I was intending to photograph the beach.

    1. They disappeared entirely from Cornwall for over twenty years but are making a return. Only found on the west coast of the UK. Not endangered, but not common.

  10. That’s quite a character! 🙂 I don’t know if I have seen one like this at all – but I might have, totally unbeknown to me. (That’s my standard reply after 6 weeks in Bird School, still struggling to keep them all apart). 🙂

    1. I recognised this one because it is not so commonly seen. I still can’t recognise the different gulls other than the Herring Gull!

      1. We saw a big gull with a broken wing on Blakeney Point. It was picking on a dead pup and didn’t care about us. I asked the ranger, “is this a Herring Gull?” “Hanne, if a Herring Gull was standing next to this one, it would appear quite small. Look at the beak!” Actually it was the biggest Gull in the world, a monster in the air with an eagle 🦅 like wing beat – the Great Black Backed Gull. Mighty impressive!

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