Tuesday 31 March 2015

A Very Busy Feeding Station on a Day of Gales

The weather forecast today was very inauspicious to say the least.  I had to be up at the crack of dawn to take Heather to the station to catch the 5 o'clock train to Manchester Airport; she was flying out to Lisbon to spend a few days with our daughter Beth.  Already it was blowing a gale and during the night we were to lose a fence panel. Thomas was still at home but he left for a very windy drive back to the Lake District at 12.00.  Left to my own devices I decided to have a ride out to see what was about in the Wolds and finding nobody at a friend's feeding station decided to pinch a session.  Although the activity was very hectic, I didn't stay long as the trees above were groaning and creaking in a very alarming fashion.

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Chaffinch
Chaffinch
Coal Tit
Long Tailed Tit
Nuthatch
Tree Creeper
Tree Creeper
 The following images are of the Wolds around Wold Newton on quite a dramatic day of gales and storms.







Saturday 28 March 2015

The Valley Wood Walk

On a blustery day we took Jet for a walk today out in the Wolds round the Valley Wood circuit from Wold Newton.  Wood anemone, lesser celendine, primroses and dog's mercury were in flower and we heard a green woodpecker in Beesby Wood.

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Lesser Celendine
Dog's mercury
Lesser Celendine
Lesser Celendine
Wood Anemone
Wood Anemone
Wood Anemone
Wood Anemone
View from the end of The Valley Wood
Peeling Paint
Wood Anemone
Wood Anemone
Shetland Pony
Looking towards Grimsby

Friday 27 March 2015

Early Morning Barn Owl Hunt

Having been thwarted on the barn owl front last night I decided to get up early this morning and try again.  At 5.00 am I was out on the road, but still not decided where to go.  In the end I headed for Fulstow on the Lincolnshire coastal marsh.  Although I secured some pleasing pre-sunrise images I still hadn't found a barn owl in the usual location.  On my way back into the Wolds and Wold Newton, however, I spotted one hunting between Fulstow and North Thorseby.  It didn't seem particularly bothered by the car and continued to search for prey but behind a grass bank.  Thinking I was going to be thwarted, I was delighted when it perched momentarily on  post allowing a few quick shots.

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Sunrise, Louth canal.
Sunrise, Louth canal.
Derelict Farmhouse
Barn Owl

Thursday 26 March 2015

An Evening Searching for Barn Owls

A drive out into the Wolds tonight to search for barn owls, unfortunately not successfully.  I was pleased to photograph a tree creeper though and the evening light was very pleasant.

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Two Days in Masham

My brother had found an excellent deal to stay at The Black Swan at Fearby, near Masham on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, so we decided to join them both for a couple of days.  Setting off from Grimsby at 9.00 am we arrived in Fearby at 11.00 in bright sunshine and just had time for a cup of tea before Peter and Linda arrived.  Quickly gathering our packs we were soon off for our first walk: a six mile circuit to the Druids Temple, a folly built on a nearby hilltop in 1820.  The weather had changed and the wind was coming from the north west bringing dramatic light and towering clouds with the odd hailstorm; exhilarating stuff.  When the sun was out and, especially when sheltered from the wind, it was beautifully warm.  When the sun went in, though, it quickly turned very chill and I was grateful for my down jacket. Increasing numbers of flowers were out and we saw blackthorn blossom, pussy willow, primroses and celendines.  On the bird front we spotted a few buzzards, plenty of grey lag geese, noisy oystercatchers and, for me the best, large numbers of curlew displaying and holding territory.  The hauntingly beautiful bubbling song of these birds makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.  After arriving back at the pub we quickly dropped our bags in our rooms and then headed off to have a look round Masham.  Our rooms were excellent and the evening meal and beer first class.

The following morning, after the best breakfast ever, we set off to walk to Masham and then along the River Ure, before turning back and returning to Fearby across the fields, a distance of 8.5 miles.  Again buzzards, oystercatchers and curlews were plentiful and we found wood anemone, squill and violets in flower.  Perhaps the best sighting, though, was the very close views we had of a very confident stoat; I sure it wouldn't have been so cooperative had I had my long lens.  It was pleasing to be able to watch lapwings displaying, reminding Peter and myself of the fun we had trying to find their nests in our childhood.

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