Dog Walking in Walesby Woodlands.

After 24 hours of constant rain and freezing temperatures (but no snow, sadly) we woke this morning to clear skies and a hard frost.  An ideal day for taking Jet for a long walk around the woods.  Even this afternoon there was still frost and the ground was frozen in parts.  An excellent crisp winter afternoon.

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First Session of the Winter at the Feeding Station

Although I have been putting food out for the birds at the feeding station for the last couple of months, today was the first opportunity I have had for photography.  This was partly because the mild weather during November meant that the leaves stayed on the trees much longer than normal and it was too dark in the plantation.  Whilst putting food out, however, there was plenty of activity with blue and great tits, chaffinches, greenfinches and goldfinches all being present in good numbers.  There have also been smaller numbers of dunnock, robins, the occasional wren and a couple of magpies.  I have seen the woodpecker on one or two occasions and it paid a visit today but didn't stay to feed.  Perhaps the most exciting is the pair of bullfinches that have been around; hopefully they will become regulars.

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Blue Tit

Great Tit

Great Tit

Greenfinch

Greenfinch

Robin

Robin

Robin

Dog Walking

Took Jet for a couple of walks recently; one in excellent weather and light to Hubbards Hills on the edge of Louth in the Lincolnshire Wolds and the next day in rather grey weather to Irby Dale also in the Wolds.

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Hubbards Hills

Irby Dale

Irby Dale

An Excellent few days in the Lake District

As our son Thomas has moved to Ambleside in the English Lake District to study Outdoor Studies at the University of Cumbria, we decided it was time to pay a visit.  I have also set myself the challenge of walking all of the Wainwrights (peaks mentioned in the famous books of Alfred Wainwright) in the three years that he is there.  Early December turned out to be an excellent choice as both Ambleside and Windermere (where we were staying) were both beautifully decorated for Christmas.  We were also lucky in that the Lakes had the first snowfall of the winter while we were there.  On our first day Heather and I took things easy and pottered up the Langdale Valley and wandered up to Stock Ghyll Force behind Ambleside before meeting Thomas for lunch and then doing some Christmas shopping.

On our second day Thomas and I did the first of my 36 Wainwright Walks: a round of Striding Edge, Helvellyn, Seat Sandal and St Sunday Crag; some 14.5 miles and 8 out of 214 Wainwrights.  Unfortunately this was our only day of totally bad weather so we had very little visibility higher up and it was bitterly cold and snowing on the high tops.  To add to the excitement the knife edge section of Striding Edge was very icy.  A very enjoyable day nonetheless.

On our third day we drove up to Blea Tarn for some photography in excellent light and then stopped off for photographs of an in spate Stockwith Force.

All too soon it was time to head home but we delayed things somewhat by calling in for the night with friends in Blackpool.

On the final leg of our journey home we were delighted to see at least 30 red kites in the air over Harewood House.  What a spectacular sight.

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Windermere and the Langdales

Windermere

Windermere and the Langdales

The Langdale Pikes from Elterwater.

Colourful rocks in the quarry

The River Rothay and the Langdale Valley

The River Rothay and the Langdale Valley

The Langdale Pikes

The Langdale Pikes

Stock Ghyll Force

Stock Ghyll Force

Stock Ghyll Force

The Langdale Pikes from Blea Tarn

The Langdale Pikes from Blea Tarn

The Langdale Pikes from Blea Tarn

The Langdale Pikes from Blea Tarn

The Langdale Pikes from Blea Tarne

The Langdale Pikes from Blea Tarn

The Langdale Pikes from Blea Tarn

A snow storm sweeps over the Crinkle Crags

Stockwith Force

Stockwith Force

Stockwith Force

Stockwith Force

Stockwith Force

Early morning light over High Street from the slopes of Helvellyn

Harsh conditions on the summit of Helvellyn

Kingfisher at Hubbards Hills

I had to go to Louth, a Lincolnshire Wolds Market town today so took Jet for a walk through Hubbards Hills.  It was not the most pleasant of days and the rain was starting to come down heavily as we set off on our walk along the River Ludd though the parkland section of the walk.  I was surprised but delighted to spot a kingfisher sitting on some metal piping across the river.  I stopped and then moved forward slowly and was rewarded with excellent close views of the bird, before it sped off, sapphire-like along the river ahead of me.  Imagine my surprise, then, when a hundred yards later I again caught excellent close views of the bird.  This was repeated several more times over the next half mile or so of river.  What a treat.  It was also good to hear both jay and green woodpecker calling and to see some of the beeches still sporting Autumn colour.

The images below are not from today but are from the archives.

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Kingfisher

Jay in the snow.