The fascinated wanderer

Insects at Ashover

2011-05-13T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to see one of these for ages. Black & red froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) sunning itself on Blackberry leaves.

Green-veined white (Pieris napi)

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)Dance fly (Empis tessellata)

Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus)

The nymph of a Green Plant Bug (Calocoris alpestris)

The view from Shuttlingsloe

2011-04-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

First the Hill itself! I took advantage of one of the nice days over Easter to walk up Shuttlingsloe in cheshire. The peak is really one of the western most peaks in the Peak District National Park. I had first seen Shuttlingsloe from the Roaches back in 2003 and vowed to walk up it one day. A good day here will give you a view to Snowdon. However this day was a hazy one and views were restricted to about 10 miles.

Of course back in 2003 we walked from the bus stop on the road near Axe Edge Moor, over Oliver Hill, through Flash and then down to the Youth Hostel near the Roaches themselves. This photo shows Oliver Hill (about 3 miles away) from the summit. The hill in the near ground is Cut Thorn Hill.

The vast Whetstone ridge fills the eastern horizon.

Further to the north Shining Tor.

Looking South over the flanks of the Roaches you can just see Tittesworth Reservoir that dominates the view from the Roaches itself.

And now for the Roaches. It was a similarly hot day when I was there looking this way.

Another feature that you can't help but notice from The Roaches and from Shuttlingsloe is the Silk 106.9 FM radio tower on Sutton Common to the East.

Sutton Common from a distance. The small hill to the left is the Cloud.

Signs of spring down at Watermead

2011-02-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again. Down at Watermead the snowdrops are out in force.
A nice surprise was seeing two pair of Little Grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis) on the river near Watermeade Bridge.
The Crack Willows (Salix fragilis) were just showing the first signs of spring returning as well.
Then on the shed at the bottom of the garden I found this chap.
Green shield bug (Palomena prasina) in its winter brown colouration.

Kayaking Ullswater

2011-02-11T23:55:00.000-08:00

Back to the lake district then for a retelling of our Kayaking Ullswater expedition. It was back in the atrociously wet summer of 2008 and the day threatened to be similar to all the other rainy days we had experienced whilst we were there but to our great relief the clouds held their precipitation until after our jaunt up the water. The photo above shows where we launched our boat from at Pooley Bridge. The tree covered hill is Dunmallard Hill. This pokey little hill at the end of the glacial valley could be a roche moutonee or drumlin. I'm not sure which, maybe a geographer could tell me.

Looking up the lake now. On the left the steep bank leads up to Arthur's Pike of Barton Fell before Swarthbeck Gill dips the profile slightly and Bonscale Pike rises again behind. Then the profile drops significantly down to where the boats are on this picture. Behind the third mast that breaks the horizon is the low profile of Steel Knotts and to the right of that Beda Head. Behind the nearest boat Hallin Fell. Then disappearing into the rain behind that is High Dodd and Place Fell.

Another look at Arthur's Pike of Barton Fell and Bonscale Pike.

Hallin Fell with High Dodd and Place Fell behind. The hills stretching away just to the left of the boats sail actually trace the course of the lake. The lake doglegs to the right here before returning back to the left. Those distant hills mark the western valley side further up. Visible to the left of this image is Birkhouse Moor. On a clear day Helvellyn can be seen above these foothills. To the right of the sail you can see the dark summit of Sheffield Pike and to the right of that Raise.

Walking around Derwent Water

2011-02-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

Back in 2008 I walked around Derwent Water in the Lake District on a cloudy day. It was a long walk but a really good one. The view above shows the familiar shape of Blencathra looking down on the dark waters. We walked anticlockwise around from Keswick, passing the Catbells (above).
The peaks from left are Ether Knott on Grange Fell and Kings How on Grange Fell. Then looming in the background the slopes of Glaramara. A small hump to the right of that just before the steep foreground of High Steel Knott on High Spy is the much more distant Esk Pike.
Blencathra.
Framed between the steep slopes of Kings How on Grange Fell and High Steel Knott on High Spy the little foreground knoll of Castle Crag. On the left of this is the distant Glaramara and on the right Great End.
As we rounded the southern end of the water Skiddaw came into view above Keswick.
Skiddaw.
A friendly Belted Galloway cow in a stream.
Then as we walked back up the eastern coast of the water the sun came out. Maiden moor on the left, Cat Bells on the right.
From the left, the edge of Catbells descending. The sharp spire of Causey Pike. Then the slope descends down to Outerside. Then the little knoll is the very top of Sand Hill and next to that the very top of Hopegill Head. The larger peak to the right is Grisedale Pike.
Causey Pike.
Looking all the way back to Great End.
Great End. It was a nice walk, with plenty of good views and things to see.

&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/4592880"&amp;gt;Derwent&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/?location=Keswick, United Kingdom"&amp;gt;Find more Hikes in Keswick, United Kingdom&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;

A trip to Scotland

2011-01-22T14:49:00.000-08:00

Back in 2009 I spent a week in spring up in Scotland near the seaside town of Largs. Over the week several birds crossed my path. The Gannet (Morus bassanus) above made several dives whilst we watched.

A Curlew (Numenius arquata).
An Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus).
On the mainland near Largs, a couple of Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) strolled along.
On the ferry to Arran a Skylark (Alauda arvensis) hitched a ride.
A first for me, a Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) from the Arran ferry.
Another first for me, Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) on the Island of Arran.
On the ferry back from Arran, a Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) followed the boat looking for food. The red spot on its beak confirms its identity.

A wander up Crinkle Crags

2011-01-16T04:03:00.000-08:00

Back in 2004 I lead a Hiking Club expedition up Crinkle Crags in the Lake district. Here are some of the photos from that day. The picture above shows the Crinkle Crags in profile against the sky.

We walked out of Langdale Valley and up a path called the Band.

It was early April and recent rain had swollen the streams and made the waterfalls flow abundantly.

To the South front the Band we could see Pike of Blisco and beyond that to Wetherlam.

When we got to the top of the neck between Bowfell and Crinkle Crags we were rewarded by a great view west towards Scafell (on the left) and (Scafell Pike on the right). This is the only time I have ever seen Scafell cloudless despite climbing up most of the hills around here.

The view back east was one of Windermere and to the south (right on this picture) Morcambe Bay.

The Scafell range.

The path across the Crinkled summits of the mountain.

Sunlight catching the top of Pike of Blisco.

On our descent bands of sunlight would slide across the landscape, looking almost like it was being scanned by some alien spacecraft. The Langdale Pikes (above) caught the light wonderfully as the afternoon wore on.

A look back up towards Bowfell. The scar in the landscape being Hell Gill.

The Langdale Pikes.

All in all it was one of the really pleasant days, where the walk wasn't too strenuous and the weather offered good views. Its days like this one that make you want to return.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/8814870"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;2004 Crinkle Crags&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/?location=Seathwaite, United Kingdom"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Hikes in Seathwaite, United Kingdom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Wolfhole Crag

2011-01-08T02:56:00.000-08:00

Back in 2004 I saw that my efforts on claiming all of the hills of the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire as my own was doomed to failure if I could not bag a distant morland hill called Wolfhole Crag. Bagging this hill was one of the few times when I have walked beyond my own strength and regretted the attempt even before I got to the end of the walk. Being one of the first days in February, the weather was bitterly cold and the dark came many hours before the walk ended. I started on my bike from Lancaster cycling past the River Conder over to the village of Quernmore covering 5 km easily in just less than an hour. Then I got a puncture on the rear wheel. I abandoned my original plan which was to circle the hills to Tarnbrook and then do an hour or so on foot. However a moment of complete insanity took over and I decided to strike out for Wolfhole Crag from Quernmore crossing the moorland itself. So I locked up the bike and headed up the most westerly of the hills. I followed the Rowton Brook up the westerly flank of Clougha Pike before reaching the stoney summit. From there I then crossed the moorland over to broad plateau of Grit Fell. The photo above is the vast expanse of moorland between Grit Fell and Wards Stone. The picture captures what is romantically known as the Black Side of Wards Stones.

As I crossed Cabin Flat the view over to the southern arm of hills in the Forest of Bowland could be seen quite well. The picture above shows Whins Brow, Blaze Moss and Totridge. These three hills along with White Hill on the northern line would always be those hills that were too far away to do without a car. The moorland on Cabin Flat was exceptionally wet. Every few steps you would go knee deep in grass covered hole of freezing water. On one occasion my whole leg went in and ended up doing the splits.
Here and there large rocks would lay scattered around, either the result of glacial deposition or having broken off some nearby outcrop and moved here by eons of little earthquakes.
Upon reaching the top of Ward's tone its 561m elevation allowed for the first view of the goal. Wolfhole Crag could be seen in the east. Between there and here lay a shocking expanse of pathless treacherous moorland.
After a few hours of negotiating with bog I finally arrived at the almost lunar like landscape of Wolfhole Crag.
Though the wall that ran across the top of the hill was a sign of human life, it was the only one. Having not seen one person all day and not being able to see any human settlements, left me feeling extremely isolated.
The summit was adorned with an interesting array of boulders, some had arrows scratched on them.
This was one last look east. I had crossed the entire county of Lancashire and was now staring into Yorkshire.
The boulders showed heavy erosion indicating that they had been exposed for a long time, and that no recent moorland collapse had exposed them.

A look north revealed the tantalisingly close Ingleborough.

Then the real fun began. Having walked 20km to the Yorkshire boarder the sun began to set. I considered that trying to pick my way across the moor in the dark to be total madness and struck out southwards to the road that that cuts through the centre of the forest. As it got darker I got quicker, until I was running down the hillside in the twilight trying to catch sight of the road before the light failed completely. Then in the gloom I found the road. I walked down it in the dark for a few hours before a vehicle appeared. I stuck up my thumb and hitched a lift back to Quernmore with a farmer and his dog. There, in the dark I retrieved my bike and pushed it all the way home in the dark. I reached home after covering 38km and was so exhausted that I couldn't climb the stairs. It was great fun but it would not be the last time that I would walk way beyond my ability.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/4593334"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Wolfhole&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/?location=Lancaster, United Kingdom"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Hikes in Lancaster, United Kingdom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

A Bittern at Watermead

2011-01-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

At last! I have seen a Bittern. Previously I have driven all over in hope of seeing one of these but this time one turned up practically on my doorstep at Watermead Country Park. So with camera in hand I went out in search of this illusive creature. At the hide where it had been reported there was a pile of dead fish, but no sign of the bird itself. So I wandered around the other hides before returning one last time to the crake hide. There it was! Stalking through the reads very close to the hide.

The Bittern appears.

These three frames were grabbed from the video below.

The location of the Bittern was by the 2km waymarker on the following map.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/26615934"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Looking for a bittern 04/01/2011&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/?location=Leicester, United Kingdom"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Hikes in Leicester, United Kingdom&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

And just in case you fancy flying around the route here is a google fly around.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/26615934"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Looking for a bittern 04/01/2011&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; and more hikes in Leicester, United Kingdom on MapMyHIKE. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find hike&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Haweswater

2011-01-03T23:43:00.000-08:00

Back in 2008 I was able to explore the Haweswater reservoir in the lake district. Despite it being a rainy day we managed to get up High Street before doing some photography from the road that follows its east bank. The photo above shows Mardale Beck feeding the reservoir at the inflow. This tributary drains two corrie lakes (Small water and Blea) that sit about 200 metres further up the mountain side.
This photo from Mardale Head looks down the glacial valley towards the dam at the other end. Unlike the other lakes in the lake district Haweswater is man made, being flooded in 1935.
As we climbed higher following the Heron Crag route we could see the reservoir stretching away towards the north east.
From Eagles Crag we were treated to a flyby of England's rarest bird, the Haweswater Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). This lone male is the last of the lake district eagles.

The deep valley on the left is Riggindale home of the Golden Eagle.

As the path gets higher you can see over the eastern bank towards the Penines. The dam is just visible from here, though in most places the curvature of the reservoir makes it impossible to see from this end.

The view down to the lake becomes obscured by the mountain as you climb higher.

The stream draining into Haweswater on the opposite bank is Rowantreethwaite Beck. The island in the reservoir is Wood Howe.
After reaching the summit we decided to descend the other side of Riggindale via the Kidsty Pike ridge.
Fairly soon we reached the road and drove back down the valley. Here the island of Wood Howe can be seen next to the peninsular called the Rigg that forms the end of the ridge upto High Street.

Again Wood Howe and the Rigg seen from the opposite bank.

Further down the valley conifer plantations line the banks.

The dam at the north east end is actually quite hard to see, I couldn't find a good vantage point from the road to photograph the dam wall from the other side. All in all, despite the rain, it was a really good day out.

A cold day on Beacon Hill

2011-01-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

Beacon Hill can offer fantastic views into Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, but today the views were limited to just Leicestershire. The air was cold and damp and there was very little visible life around.
Bardon Hill could be seen in the west, but most of the eastern hills were just shadowy outlines.
Loughborough was clearly visible down below the rocky cliffs.
A Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) waited in the car park for food oportunities.

&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/14327732"&amp;gt;2010 07/03/2010 beacon hill&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/?location=Woodhouse, United Kingdom"&amp;gt;Find more Hikes in Woodhouse, United Kingdom&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;

Bird 112! A Ruff!

2011-01-01T10:55:00.001-08:00

With the video camera finally back from the repair shop I managed to get down to Watermead for a New Years day stroll just before it got dark. Near Alderton Close car park I spotted this happy little bird running around amongst the swans and geese. I thought it was a dunlin, having seen one of these down at Watermead before but it turned out to be a Ruff (Philomachus pugnax). Normally Ruffs are quite rare, and difficult to spot, but this one came within a few feet of me. I captured it in slow motion as well. If you look up Ruffs in a bird book you will see a picture of a bird with a large Ruff of feathers around its neck, but this is its springtime plumage. Its also bird 112 for me!

&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/view/26517428"&amp;gt;20110101 A hike mapped on 01/01/2011&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyhike.com/routes/?location=Leicester, United Kingdom"&amp;gt;Find more Hikes in Leicester, United Kingdom&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;

Snow

2010-12-04T02:55:00.000-08:00

Well, blogging may soon recommence. I have now at least got one camera and have the video camera being repaired as we speak. The snow, and a busy term at school, has prevented any exploration. However I did manage to snap a couple of shots of the snowfall. The picture above is from the upstairs window. Even though the fields are covered in snow and the temperature is way below freezing I can still feel the call of the wild. This strange sensation to get out and set off down a familiar footpath is as strong in winter as in summer. As Sam Gamgee notes in Lord of the Rings, there is something awesome about crossing into country where you have not yet been. These days finding a new path within walking distance of my house requires walking a long way, but the familiar paths are just as good.

This second picture is where I work. I was awestruck with the early morning sun shining through the snowstorm and took the picture. The more I look at it now though the more I notice the bunk house, the chain fence and the watch tower and think it looks like Colditz!

Thoughts provoked by late night reading.

2010-10-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

OK random, but one of places I send my mind when I am bored is on an imaginative tour of Quantum Mechanics. I try to imagine such weirdness as the schrodinger's cat paradox. I tell my pupils at school that imagination is everything in science. Unless you can imagine it, then you don't really understand it. I don't understand an 11 dimensional universe because I can't imagine it. But quantum physics, the nightmare of my university degree, does seem to make sense really late at night just before I go to sleep. When it crystallises into a picture that I can explain I will write a bit more about it. Until then let me leave you with this quote from C. S. Lewis's "God in the Dock"

"If a man doubts whether he is dreaming or waking, no experiment can solve his doubt, since every experiment may itself be part of the dream"

A bit of poetry

2010-10-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

Dorothy Frances Gurney

Red Deer rut at Bradgate Park

2010-10-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

Disaster! My trusty video camera has died! That means until I can get it fixed there will be no slow motion and no super close ups. The only camera I have is awful for nature shots but it will have to do for now. Its an old Fujifilm S5500. Anyhow, I took it to Bradgate Park early in the morning and caught some of the Red Deer rut. However the only deer I managed to photograph with no motion blur was this one, and as you can see this one could well have been asleep.

Still the morning was beautiful and the sky blue. As far as the eye could see a mist covered the land. It reminded me of cloud inversions that I have occasionally seen on mountains. For a while I could kid myself that the hill of Bradgate park was the Summit of Snowdon or some other hill.

As the day warmed up, Leicester began to emerge from the white gloom. The tops of the buildings appearing first.

Then on the distant horizon Billesdon Coplow, like a distant battleship on a murky sea, caught my eye. Itself, for a time, the only other land above the mist.

Britain's most awesome toadstool

2010-10-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

This is a great time of year to go hunting for fly algaric (amanita muscaria). Back in 2005 I found a fantastic bunch just off the path in Felley Nottinghamshire. Then in 2006 I returned to the same spot and took these photos.

It is worth noting that fly algaric is quite poisonous (if you eat enough of it).

The Corn Moon

2010-09-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posts recently. I've just started work at a new place and have been blitzed recently. But here is a photo of the Corn Moon (and not the harvest moon as the BBC repeatedly reported).

From the Archive. This day in 2005.

2010-09-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Holly (Ilex aquifolium) though normally associated with Christmas can't pack itself away and hide in the loft until December. Holy, robins and mistletoe are available for viewing all year round!

From the Archive. This day in 2005.

2010-09-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sweet Chestnut again, but this time a photo from under a branch looking up through the leaves.

From the Archive. This day in 2005.

2010-09-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

A Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) tree developing in the park in Heanor, Derbyshire.

From the Archive. This day in 2005.

2010-09-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

Yew berries in strong sunlight. I wouldn't eat one of these, because I quite like being alive.

From the Archive. This day in 2005.

2010-08-31T11:58:00.001-07:00

Horse-chestnut leaves. Anybody for a game of conkers?

Leicestershire Round part 6. Hallaton to Gumley.

2010-08-28T01:36:00.000-07:00

Walk 6 of the Leicestershire Round would take us steadily downhill towards the river Welland. Offering us views into Northamptonshire. We set off from Hallaton.

In front of us as we left the village was the impressive earthwork of Hallaton Castle. This 12th Century motte and bailey castle, built during the reign of King Stephen is thought to have been built as a display of wealth rather than a serious defensive stronghold. The earth works are clearly visible ahead as you pass the cemetery.

The path climbs up over a north bluff of the River Welland until at its top you begin to get a view forwards towards the rest of the days walk. From this spot we got our first view of Langton Caudle. This 147m hill stands alone and offers fantastic views over this part of Leicestershire, which I will talk about in a minute.

Before you get to Langton Caudle you cross the route of the roman road known as the Gartree Road. This ancient road linked Leicester to Cambridge. In the field itself there really isn't any sign of it, though you can make out its course on Google Earth.

The path climbs up the Caudle on its north side. The view opens out at the summit.

From the top of the Caudle my attention was drawn in the first instance towards the north. The distinctive domed reservoir atop of Whatborough Hill just visible above a foreground ridge.
To the east we could see the dramatic sweeping side of the Welland Valley as it curves north eastwards. The River Welland marks the boundary between Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. The far bank of the Welland Valley is therefore across the boarder.

A close up of the Welland Valley shows Cottingham Church spire on the right and Rockingham Castle on the left.

Further around to the south Market Harborough can be seen quite clearly.

In the near-ground the church at Thorpe Langton sits resplendent in the valley.

Towards the south the green tree covered hill left of centre in this picture is Sibbertoft Wood, in Northamptonshire.

Further west of that the ridge gains a set of distinctive spinneys. This is Hothorpe Hills in Northamptonshire. The white building in front of that is a prison on Gallow Field Road. How apt.

To the west the Church at Church Langton is clearly visible. Behind it Smeeton Hill. On the next walk we will be walking over Smeeton Hill.

After peering at distant hill for a while we then began the descent towards Thorpe Langton. This part of Leicestershire is pasture and we encountered several bulls on our travels.

From Thorpe Langton the Langton Caudle looks nothing more than a slight hill to the north.

Thorpe Langton cows.

After leaving Thorpe Langton and passing through East Langton we ended up in the Welland flood plain. We crossed several streams that drain into the Welland and they were all swollen with the recent rain we have enjoyed. A quick look over to the west reveals Gumley, our destination on this walk.

Also visible is the church at Foxton. The famous locks of Foxton are not visible from this angle.

The path then led under the railway and across the A6. Another daring road crossing required!

The season is really mature now and the crops in all the fields are ready for harvest. This Oil Seed Rape was being harvested whilst we were there.

Upon getting to Foxton we then followed the canal. The late afternoon sunshine made this last bit really tranquil.

The Locks at Foxton are worth seeing. We rested here in the pub on the left. Both pubs are nice, but I prefer the local Langton Ales that the other pub has on tap.

The locks are always busy with boat people and tourists.

A short way down the canal we crossed over this bridge into a few more paddocks.

At the end of a long days walking finding the car and sitting down with a flask of tea was a luxury!

Leicestershire Round part 5. Launde to Hallaton

2010-08-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Our walk started from Launde Abbey and headed east past these nosey cows!

The path passed Launde Park Wood to the north. The early morning sunshine and due covered spider webs made this part quite magical.

The path then abruptly turned south and headed uphill. From here on the far eastern horizon you can see Rutland Water (above).

From the other side of the hill Eyebrook Reservoir can be seen in the South East.

The path joins a very quiet road and down to Belton-in Rutland. We stopped here for some sandwiches.

From here a daring crossing of the A47 has to be attempted before entering the village of Allexton (above).

From Alexton you then begin to climb again. From the hill looking over Allexton Hall you get a good view back to Belton and Owston Woods beyond.

The corn in the fields was ripe for harvesting. In some fields they were actually harvesting it.

Flax growing in the path. In the open soil of the footpath flax seeds from a previous crop have grown into a purple carpet. Pretty but a little prickly for the short wearer.

One last look north gives a last glimpse of Whatborough Hill. I don't think we will see the hills of east Leicester again for a while.

Then to the south Hallaton appears. Slawston Hill stands just beyond.

Again we cross the dismantled train line.

The pub at Hallaton.

Grain Moon

2010-08-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays full moon was a cracker. I wonder why you notice the moon more in Autumn? Maybe because you are out late because of the warmth. Also the drawing out of the nights make it dark earlier and thus makes the moon conspicuous. This August full moon is called a grain moon here in the UK. Each moon in the year was traditionally given a name that reflected what what happening during that part of the year. This is obviously the part of the year when grain is harvested. The other moons in the year have the following names.

January - Old Moon

February - Wolf Moon

March - Lenten Moon

April - Egg Moon

May - Milk Moon

June - Flower Moon

July - Hay Moon

August - Grain Moon

September - Corn Moon

October - Harvest Moon

November - Hunter's Moon

December - Oak Moon

Of course every two years or so you end up with a month with two full moons in it. The third moon in that season of four moons is then called a blue moon. I find it interesting that there is no Honey Moon.

The hedgerow at Cossington Meadows

2010-08-24T07:24:00.001-07:00

The hedgerows are full of the bounty of the season. In the picture above shows Hop (Humulus lupulus) flower cones.

Crab Apples (Malus sylvestris) always look like they are good enough to eat but I've never plucked up courage. Close up the surface of a crabapple looks very similar to any apple you could buy in the supermarket. A little research has revealed that they are nasty to eat, that is until the first frost has been on them and as if by magic they sweeten. Might have to give it a go!

These berries belong to the Bird Cherry (Prunus padus). Apparently so long as you spit out the seed in the middle of them, you can eat them raw.

Anybody fancy a blackberry?

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is also edible according to this website. I have never tried them and normally avoid all red berries.

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) produces sloe berries at this time of year. I did try one of these but found them so astringent that I ended up spitting it out and foaming at the mouth for about half an hour.

There is a sign at Cossington Meadows asking you not to pick the fruit. It makes sense really since this fruit is needed by much of the wildlife over winter. Picking the odd one though wouldn't make too much difference.

From the Archive. This day in 2005.

2010-08-24T07:10:00.001-07:00

A Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) in the sunshine.

From the Archive. This day in 2005.

2010-08-23T04:24:00.001-07:00

Heather flowering at Ros Castle in Northumberland.

From the Archive. This day in 2005.

2010-08-22T12:08:00.001-07:00

My enthusiasm for photographing wildlife began in 2005. Here is a picture that I took on this day in that year. Enjoy!

Herons and darters

2010-08-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

Not a lot to report today. Watermead is in its late summer siesta. I've returned once or twice to try and get a better picture of the Little Egret but it's just not there at the times of day I visit. Apparently early in the morning is the best time. What is there during the mid afternoon are several Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea). I'm not sure what they are doing but they look bored.

I did spot this Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) buzzing around the blackberry plants. I didn't have the right camera with me so this is the best shot I could get.

Bradgate in Summer

2010-08-21T02:14:00.000-07:00

It is not a great photo, but this Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara) was very hard to photograph! I was creeping silently along the bracken edge trying to find an adder but all I saw were these. Not that I am very disappointed, this is the first time I've ever seen these for long enough to actually look at them, let alone try and take a photo. The problem was that I would only spot them if they were moving and if they were moving they were probably moving to find cover. At least they were not startled. I suspect that if these didn't hear me coming then neither would an adder. Who knows!

Whilst looking for more lizards to photograph I lifted some fallen bracken and found this slightly irritable caterpillar underneath. I think it is a White Ermine moth (Spilosoma lubricipeda). What I didn't notice at the time was the small parasites on the outside of its body. No wonder it appeared to be irritable!

This beauty is Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus). The last time I saw one of these was at Bradgate Park whilst I was looking for adders! They never settle with their wings apart so you tend to see them like this. I like its eyes. Take a real close look, they are amazing!

After a while the sun went in and I turned my attention to the view instead. I have often sat at Old John tower and looked east at the huge expanse of Leicestershire but I have rarely sat the war memorial and looked west. The view is more subtle but non the less worth some attention. The picture above has a little white pillar in it (just to the left of the pylon). That is the BT tower at Birmingham. The hill behind it is Four Stones hill about 42 miles away.

As you turn clockwise away from birmingham you soon loose the distant view behind the flank of Bardon Hill but before you do you can just see the antennae adorned summit of Turners Hill near Dudley (about 38 miles away).

Then you have the huge mass that is Bardon Hill, its little stubby antennae dwarfed by the two huge masts at Copt Oak.

Towards the north Beacon Hill is slightly less than obvious. The hill is largely obscured by its forested flanks though a couple of people can be seen at the toposcope on the picture above.

The view to the north east reaches across Swithland reservoir, beyond the gypsum works at Mountsorrel, beyond the Wreake Valley to the distant flat topped hill of Terrace Hill (about 27 miles away). This hill sits next Belvoir Castle.

As the clouds grew darker, I moved down towards the stream to spot this really charming Wigeon (Anas penelope). This is my first descent picture of a wigeon despite them being really quite common. Even so I didn't even recognise that this was a wigeon. Google image search wigeon and you will see that they don't normally look like this. This male wigeon is in his eclipse plumage. This plumage appears amongst drakes after the breading season. They loose there bright conspicuous feathers and transform into subtler more camouflaged animals for the winter.

Last but not least Bradgate is well known for its deer. This Fallow Deer (Dama dama) was so tame that I probably could have ridden it. Maybe Bradgate needs a couple of wolves to re-sensitise these animals! (joking by the way)

Leicestershire Round part 4. Burrough to Launde.

2010-08-19T22:45:00.004-07:00

Starting from the carpark at Burrough we headed north across the fields that run along the country parks eastern boarder. After these the path plunges off the edge of the hill and down into woodland.

This woodland leads east for a couple of km before bringing you back to the hill edge at Punch Bowl Covert.

The climb up Punch Bowl Covert is steep.

Once ontop of the hill again the path marches endlessly southwards through fields of dwarf corn onto the distant spire of Somerby Church.

After quickly passing through the village of Somerby you are presented with a view across a valley to Owston and the hills beyond. The stream you cross hear drains westward towards the Soar and thus enters the sea by the River Humber. Owston marks the watershed where water starts draining eastwards toward the Wash.

The view forward shows the east leicestershire hills from the north. The picture above shows Colborough Hill. This is one of the easier hills to recognise because of the wood that half covers it.

One of the tallest hills is slightly harder to spot from this perspective. Whatborough Hill at 230m is one of the tallest but lacks features. A discerning eye might be able to spot the dome of a Severn Trent water reservoir that sits at the top of it. The third hill of the trio sits just behind these and so can't be seen from the north.

Considering the fact that we were now walking across the ironstone upland in the east of the county the views westward were nearly always obscured. Once or twice you could see a reasonable distance, like in the photo to Beacon Hill (above).

Owston is an all to brief punctuation mark of civilisation.

It is becoming more and more apparent that the season is maturing. The sloe berries abound.

A few more fields and the northern horizon darkens. Owston Wood creeps ever closer like a green tidal wave. The footpath cuts through the wood. The stream that you cross here drains into Rutland Water to the east.

Now, the guide book said the wood was very, very wet but surely in summer it would have dried out? That is what I thought before we entered. The reality was exactly as the guide book suggested. The wooded path was unbelievably wet. The soil was like soup. Great ankle deep and water filled footprints betrayed a recent history of walkers almost loosing their boots. The path was at quite a slope and yet the water did not seem to be able to drain away. It was bazaar. I commented at the time that it was like water sticking to a 45 degree slope.

After clearing the wood, we then went through Withcote Hall farm. Where we were investigated by piglets, horses and my worst nightmare - an untethered Alsation. It was one of those run or fight moments. We stood our ground and I did my best "Hello friendly dog, good boy, good boy" and it seemed to do the trick.

Being the other side of the wood now allows you to see the third hill in the trio called Robin a tiptoe hill. This flat topped hill is distinctive because it is so flat topped. It is also prominent from the A47.

Colborough Hill from the east is quite obvious also. Whatborough is obscurred by the woodland from here.

This picture shows the "three peaks" of Leicestershire's Jurrasic ridge. Robin-a-Tiptoe Hill on the left, Colborough Hill in the middle and Whatborough on the right. All three have been a hillfort at some point in the past. Its just a shame no right of way was established up any of these hills.

The path now crosses a few more fields and the River Chater. This river misses Rutland Water and drains streight into the Welland and out into the wash.

The days walk ended at Launde Abbey. This impressive Tudor house is now a retreat house owned by the Diocese of Leicester. Its a tremendously peaceful place.

Bird 111! Little Egret

2010-08-18T10:29:00.001-07:00

I know 111 birds is a rubbish number, but you have to understand that I'm not really a twitcher. One day I might be. The lifestyle of a twitcher seems very determined and objective driven. It is quite attractive. But maybe for next year. Saying that though I went on my third ever successful twitch today. It was only to Watermead, but apparently there was something big and white down there that I had to see. So I went down there, not entirely sure where it would be. I meandered around looking around this lake and that until I got to my trusty kingfisher spot. I call it this because it is where I first saw a kingfisher a few year ago. A wooden wall acts as a hide and a gap in it allows you to see a shallow lake on the other side. In this lake was a moorhen and its chick, a coot and its chick and a mallard and its chick. Around the edge there were two herons. One looking at me from the other side and one very close with its back to me. Then like ornithological poetry a white angelic figure glided down and landed in the middle. A Little Egret (Egretta garzetta). Then as I clicked my camera to "on" it made the quietest little beep. The nearby heron heard this and looked around. It then saw me and took off, making the other heron take off, making the mother ducks panic. This chain reaction of duck flushing ended with my beautiful little egret taking off and flying away. Curse that heron! So I wandered around a little looking for it and then returned to the gap in the fence. Nothing. There was one last possibility. A concrete bird hide just down the way. I knew that it would be locked, it always is but the crafty birder can peer over it by standing on the door handle*. And there it was, sitting on a branch above a heron and her chicks looking glum and all fluffed up. Brilliant!

*Don't do this.

Himalayan balsam at Watermead

2010-08-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I walking along the river Ribble in Lancashire and I was struck by the ubiquitous presence of an unfamiliar stinky pink flower. It was everywhere and in many places the only species present. It was Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera), an invasive garden plant that escaped from Kew Gardens back in 1839. In growing by the river they have an efficient mechanism for seed dispersal and seem to appear at new spots along a river in an ever marching tide of pink stink. Earlier this year I spotted a single plant down at Watermead. I would now estimate that a significant fraction of the biomass down at Watermead is Himalayan Balsam. It lines the river from Watermead bridge all the way to King Lears lake. What a nightmare. There is only one effective way to kill off this plant, and that is pulling it up before it flowers. Most control measures are slightly reactionary in that people normally only notice it when it flowers and then start to pull it up. But pulling it up when it is flowering will trigger the release of its explosive seed pods and scatter thousands of seeds back into the river. What a crafty plant.

Goldenrod feeding frenzy

2010-08-09T01:22:00.000-07:00

On a recent walk around the gardens of Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire I spotted a menagerie of species feeding on some golden rod. This Comma Butterfly (Polygonia c-album) was amongst them.

We saw this beewolf wasp (Philanthus triangulum) feasting on golden rod nectar. At least I think it is. There is something about the colour of its back legs that makes me think it may be a similar species to the beewolf rather than being a beewolf itself.

Wildlife at Foxton Locks

2010-08-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

I went to Foxton Locks in South Leicestershire yesterday. I didn't plan it to be a wildlife spot but the cold but bright weather brought out all the wildlife. I didn't see anything new but I did get some cracking moments with some of the more familiar species.

So here is Foxton from an unfamiliar angle. The Grand Union Canal marches south here over the high ground towards the south of the county. In doing so it is lifted by ten locks. Its pretty enough to walk around the locks and watch the boat people twirling windlass' and pushing balance beams but we soon left the busy lock area behind and entered into the wonderful Leicestershire country side round about.

Being used to the north of the county, the excellent view offered from the top of inclined plane was wasted on me because I really didn't recognise anything that I was looking at. Maybe it will be more familiar when I pass through here on the Leicester Round. One thing that I did recognise was the wooded high ground of Billesdon Coplow on the northern horizon.

I spotted this nest of blackbird chicks in a hedge.

Two Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus) butterflies were courting in the hedgerow. The male on the left was furiously beating his wings whilst the female (on the right) stood by and observed the spectacle.

Here is one of the Gatekeepers again but with his wings closed.

The Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is always a joy to behold. This one was in a meadow just off the canal itself.

Circling overhead was this Buzzard (Buteo buteo) that no doubt has a nest somewhere in the woodland at Gumley. Here is a route map.

A walk about Kinder Scout

2010-08-02T04:39:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned recently that I nipped back up Kinder Scout this summer. Here is the route.

I started in Edale and headed north up Grinds Brook. The ascent would be gentle to start with but with a sharp inclined scramble towards the plateaux itself.

The path gently curves to the west and climbs steadily. It occasionally enters woodland. Grinds Brook babbles noisily next to the path for much of the way. The path eventually follows the same course as the brook itself making the journey a little difficult.

The last bit up Grinsbrook Clough is probably a grade 1 scramble. Fairly easy going but not with a heavy pack.

On reaching the plateaux I then walked across Edale Moor. This sedum moss covered peat bog covers a huge area and crossing it can be a bit daunting. About three metres of peat sits on the slab of gritstone. Where the streams run across it, the water has carved through the peat down to the bedrock. Following these streams made it considerable easier to get to the waterfall Kinder Downfall.

Particles of peat carried in the water over the grey gritstone often made ripple patterns that looked remarkably like tiger stripes.

Just before tumbling off the plateaux the many waters of Kinder scout forms into a recogniseable river known as the Kinder River. These two rocks are called the Kinder Gates. The Kinder drains into the River Sett, then the River Goyt before emptying finally into the River Mersey.

Towards Kinder Downfall the moorland is in a bad state. Moorlands need to be covered with vegetation or they simply wash away. In doing so they release the Carbon Dioxide that they have stored over the last few thousand years into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Causing this damage is nitrogen. Nitrogen in the form of air pollution from the major cities that surround the peak district and nitrogen in the form of ammonia from animal urine. These people are trying to fix the problem. Good on them.

The downfall was only a trickle on the day I was there.

If the peat eroded away completely the plateaux would look like this. This is the area around the high point Kinder Low. Years and Years of heavy foot traffic have completely eroded away the peat, leaving just the gritstone bedrock exposed underneath. This would take millennia to recover from this.

The walk down was pleasant in the evening sunset. Where the plateaux ends is marked with an outcrop of gritstone irrespective of the route you choose.

In my case, I went down the popular tourist route, "Jacob's Ladder".

Edale valley is one of my favourite places in the whole world. I hope that in the future careful management is able to protect it. Not only is it a valuable CO2 sink, a unique wildlife habitat but it is also a place of unexpected beauty. A wander around the plateaux will convince you of its importance, why not take a look yourself.

Skylarks of Kinder Scout

2010-07-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

I recently walked up Kinder Scout and was treated to some fantastic encounters with Skylarks (Alauda arvensis). In this video below you can see them feeding off the lichens and mosses that live on the rocks.

Hambleton Peninsular

2010-07-27T00:40:00.000-07:00

My walk started in the village of Hambleton in the county of Rutland. Ever since 1970 Hambleton has been situated on a peninsular, surrounded by the waters of Rutland Water on three sides. A walk around this peninsular would offer stunning views as well as some interesting wildlife.

As mentioned previously on this blog we spotted a fledgling on the ground and so I left my camera filming nearby to try and catch a glimpse of a parent. We didn't have to wait long before a Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatix) turned up to feed it.

Looking over to the south shore of the reservoir you can see the spire of St Mary's Church in Edith Weston.

Also visible to the south is St Matthew's Church at Normanton. When the valley was flooded in 1970 the Church would have been flooded up to the tops of the pews, so in a rescue effort the church was surrounded by an embankment and the floor level raised. The top half of the church is now a museum.

Whilst wandering through a wood I was astonished to see this Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja). I've never seen any of the Fritillarys this far north.

Towards the "land bridge" of the Hambleton Peninsula you can see the spire of All Saints in Oakham. Considering the proximity of Oakham to Rutland Water you very rarely get a view of the county town from the reservoir.

Just as we were on the last stretch I spotted something on a leaf that looked a bit like a pumpkin seed. A closer look revealed it to be a Scarce Footman Moth (Eilema complana). I've never seen one of these before and I really has no idea what it was so thanks to the galleries at Wild about Britain for helping identify this lovely creature.

Wood Warbler

2010-07-26T04:29:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Rutland Water I came across a fledgling on the ground. I left my camera nearby on film mode and sure enough a parent came along to feed it. Low and behold it was a Wood Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) and the first I have ever seen. The strange warbling noise during the film is coming from my child, not the bird.

The view from Kinder Scout

2010-07-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

I recently went up Kinder Scout in Derbyshire and was rewarded by fantastic visibility. Take a look.

Many thanks to this website for providing the names of the distant hills.

Oadby to Thurmaston via Keyham

2010-07-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

Last year I walked to and from work regularly. Thurmaton to Oadby and back again. I took the shortest route and often did it walking as fast as I could. This year I decided that on the last day of the school term I would do it again, but this time entirely through the countryside. The route was significantly longer but it had its rewards. Solitude, nature and of course pubs! I started my journey near the Oadby Owl and headed up the A6 until I found a footpath heading north east. I took it. It was a mistake. Oadby was just off the bottom of the map I had, but I supposed that I couldn't get lost in a town I had worked in over the last two years. But I did get lost. I had left the A6 one footpath too early and ended up heading almost due east. The cloudy sky gave little indication of direction and nothing looked like anything on the map. I decided that so long as I just kept going I would have to come across the Gartree Road and then I would know exactly where I was.

Whilst still lost, but at least in the country, I was treated to one last look at Oadby. The town's St Peter's Church could be seen clearly.

After finally finding the Gartree Road I soon was on my way to Stoughton. The earthquake damaged spire not visible from this direction.

Coming into Stoughton I could see this in the far west. Its the top of the Cardinal Telephone Exchange building in Leicester and to its top right, Bardon Hill. I have a photo of this building from Bardon Hill and due to the symmetry of the situation the land above the building on that photo would be where I was standing when I took this photo. Understand?

After Stoughton the path follows the road a short way before plunging back into rape seed fields and horse paddocks. The village of Thurnby appears on the next hill. Its pretty towered church sits resplendent at the top.

After a swift one in the pub at Thurnby the path leaves the village to the north. It crosses the abandoned railway (above) and then onwards to Keyham.

The path is in a state of disrepair here. The styles are rotten and the farmer has sowed across the path.

A local high point offers a tremendous view over to the north west. On the horizon is the chapel at Ratcliff College. A photo from here the other week would feature the field I was standing in.

Keyham is difficult to spot irrespective of your direction of approach. The Church can only be seen when you get to the edge of its church yard!

But what a pretty little church. Built out of the glorious orange yellow Jurassic sandstone that is common out in east Leicestershire.

The northern horizon is dominated by the wood at Barkby Holt. I've wandered this way before on a circular walk. This was the southern extremity of that walk.

The path charges onwards through yet more rape seed towards Beeby. Its unfinished spire visible the whole way.

Beyond Beeby, the distant spire of Barkby can be seen silhouetted against the Charnwood forest hills.

This was where it poured it down and I got soaked.

Leaving Barkby the path cuts towards the sprawl of Thurmaston. The City of Leicester clearly visible on the southern horizon.

Leicestershire Round part 3. Frisby to Burrough Hill

2010-07-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

Day three of our hike around the Leicester Round began at Frisby Church where the last walk finished. Leaving the village by the old village cross we climbed up towards to main Leicester Melton Road. A daring crossing later and it was due south straight on to Gaddesby.

The view to the west offered a glimpse of Bradgate Park from where we had come. It was still close enough to see Old John, but by the end of the walk the whole park was just a distant hill.

The view to the east was briefly open enough to see our destination. The Jurassic ridge with Burrough Hill fort on it (Behind the left pylon in this picture) was slowly rising up above the Wreake Valley.

After endless fields of maturing rape seed, we eventually reached Gaddesby. the church spire didn't pop into view until we were nearly there.

Inside the truly ancient church at Gaddesby is this unique statue of Colonel Cheney loosing his fourth horse to gunfire during the battle of Waterloo. This was a good spot for lunch.

On leaving Gaddesby the trek eastwards was long and hot. The fields changed from meadow to Oil seed rape quickly. In this part of Leicestershire every village is surrounded by ridge and furrow. Coming across ridge and furrow was a positive sign, indicating that the journey was either over, or that a pub was at hand.

Speaking of Pubs, there is a cracking one at Ashby Folville. The towered church (above) was not prominent and the village appears almost surprisingly. After a quick refreshment it was off again eastward across fields of sheep pasture towards the village of Thorpe Satchville.

The path goes under this dismantled railway and then into the village. The chapel yard offering a nice place to sit and have a sandwich. The pub marked on my map was disappointingly a closed French Restaurant.

The path leaves Thorpe Satchville and heads eastwards towards the hillfort. The view to the south shows Whatborough Hill on the left and Colborough Hill to the top right of the cow.

Descending Salters hill revealed the awesome Burrough Hill Fort. Its iron age ramparts rising high above the valley. A truly impressive sight and a daunting climb on a hot day.

Climbing up Burrough Hill gives us one last look west to the distant Charnwood hills. Bradgate Park is almost indistinguishable from here.

The Jurassic ridge rises above the plains of Leicestershire. Billesdon Coplow or Life Hill as it is sometimes known (the tree covered hill on the horizon to the right of this picture) marks a local westerly projection of this ridge.

From above the fort the ramparts are still impressive. This fort was the central defensive capitol of the Coritani tribe. Negotiations with the road building Romans led to a bridge being built over the river Sour down at place the Romans called Ratae Coritanorum, or Leicester as we know it today.

An information sign shows what the fort would have looked like 2000 years ago. A good place to stop for the day.

MMF PARTNER TOOL --

Leicestershire Round part 2. Mountsorrel to Frisby on the Wreake

2010-06-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

Day 2 on the Leicester Round. Mountsorrel to Frisby. Todays walk will leave the highland of the Charnwood Forest, follow the River Soar upstream, cross over the Six Hills ridge before descending down into the Wreake Valley. In todays walk we would pass through Mountsorrel, Cossington, Ratcliffe College, Rearsby, Hoby and Frisby on the Wreake. The path starts by the River Soar and head South east towards Cossington. We would pass the field at Cossington meadows where last winter I photographed the Owls that I put on this blog. The weather on this day was hot and humid and almost too warm for the length of the walk. The first part of the walk seemed a bit noisy for my liking, with the trafic on the A6 and A46 and the trains on the two rail lines but the walk quickly leads to blissful isolation.

The low land around the River Soar valley offers the occasional glimpse of the city of Leicester to the south.

Just outside Cossington you cross the main line from Leicester to Nottingham. Luckily a road bridge takes you over this one but later on the walk level crossings tale you across.

The road climbs slowly up to Ratcliffe College. This is the last place to savour the view to the west until Borough Hill Fort since the Six Hills Ridge blocks the view. One last look shows almost the entire route so far. To the very left is Bradgate Park and to the right Buddon Wood. The land between Buddon Wood and here is that covered in the walk today.

To get between Ratcliffe College and Rearsby you have to cross the A46. This is the most god awful road to cross imaginable. It is four lanes and the cars thunder along at 80 mph or more. If any part of this route needed improvement, this road should be bridged or the path rerouted under the road a km to the south at Ratcliffe.

The road follows the ridge of the six hills with the River Sour to the west and the river Wreake to the east. Having survived the crossing the walker is greeted with the expanding view below of the Wreake Valley. This picture below show a distant stomping ground of my own. The far horizon shows the end of the Jurrasic Ridge Billesdon Coplow and infont of that one of my favorite places, Barkby Holt Wood.

This part of the Leicester Round crosses the Leicester to Melton line of the railway three times. All three crossings are level crossings but since we only saw two trains in the whole day it is significantly safer than crossing the A46.

From Rearsby its another couple of miles to Hoby heading North East and slightly uphill following the River Wreake against its flow.

A distant Hoby Church seen on the horizon beyond many fields of Oil Seed Rape. The Wreake Valley is well known for its beautiful Jurassic sandstone church spires. Some of which are delightfully pointy.

At Hoby we cross the river Wreake for the last time. Since this river drains into the River Soar close to where I live I have often seen its slow green waters but I have never seen them as far upstream as this.

The Path leaves Hoby to the south. A little way out and a distant wood could be seen on the northern horizon. This same wood is visible from a large number of places because it straddles a slight hill. Being closer and having a map at hand allowed me to identify it as Ragdale Wood on the Six Hills.

With Hoby Church spire receding into the distance behind us we battled on through fields of maturing rape seed. The rubbery pea pods invaded the path and made a progress slow.

Finally after about seven hours of walking the Church at Frisby came into view. Our car parked below it offered a sit down and thermos full of tea. A well deserved break from a stiflingly hot day out and about in Leicestershire.

If you would like a closer look at the route then click the link below

Leicestershire Round part 1. Newtown Linford to Mountsorrel

2010-06-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

So as well as walking around Leicester in a series of loops we decided to thread the needle and walk the Leicester Round as well. This walk was more of a family adventure and so I didn't take that many photos. It was cracking day with some great wildlife observations. We saw a tree creeper and a Green woodpecker in Bradgate Park and a melanistic bunny beyond that. The day started cold but got much better to the very end. All in all a great day. Role on next week!

Old John in Bradgate park.

From Bradgate park over to Swithland reservoir and Mountsorrel Beyond.

Swithland Reservoir.

Looking back at Bradgate Park from Swithland.

Looking down on Swithland Reservoir from Buddon Hill

A walk down the canal

2010-06-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

Neither as part of my circumnavigation of Leicester or as part of the Leicester Round (which is again walking around Leicester) I decided to go for a walk. I would start near the Hope and Anchor pub in Syston, walk by the canal to the main road near Cossington before returning down a path that leads the other side of the sewage works. It was a good walk in terms of wildlife, the birds and bugs were out in force and it was easy to get distracted. The ground wasn't the best for walking, the path crossed fields on a sharp camber and often across the stubbly roots of cut down crops but I'm not complaining. It was good just to be out in the fresh air.

The canal side was bursting with life. This female Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) was quite relaxed and crawled onto my finger.

Down by the water lots of Black Caddis flies were resting on pond side leaves before flying close to the waters edge in small swarms. I've seen the larvae of these before, but I didn't realise they grew up to look like this.

A little further on I flushed a Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus). She circled me noisily several times. I must have been near her nest.

Further on still this Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) hovered high above the meadow, occasionally circling.

The path became more overgrown and the vegetation closed in slightly. This Red-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) was the first I had ever seen. It was huge, being about 2cm long.

Also ubiquitously present is the Green Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius viridiaeris) that eats stinging nettles.

Always a pleasant sight in early June are the Small Skipper Butterfly (Thymelicus sylvestris). This must be one of the earlier ones. Last year my first sighting of this species was on the 21st of July.

But how about this! My first photo of the gorgeous Orange Tip Butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines). What a truly wonderful creature!

In a slightly less wonderful but non the less important way is my first sighting of this Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens).

You can follow where I went on this map.

Cow Parsley feeding frenzy

2010-06-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

The cow Parsley has come back into flower which means one thing. Nearly every nectar feeding insect suddenly looses all of their timidness and reserve and goes on a nectar binge. They feed and feed, quickly getting plastered with pollen, doing the plants dirty business.

This Dancing Fly (Empididae empis) didn't even notice me getting in close with the camera. These insects are adapted to feeding out of the long stems of thistle flowers, but used in combination with its large powerful legs enables it to be used on almost any small flower.

This Wasp Beetle (Clytus arietus) lacks the delicate extended mouth parts that the dancing fly has and so plunges its entire head deep into the flower. Having its head covered means that it won't spot predator attacks coming. It has instead developed a resemblance to stinging species and hopes that most creatures would leave it alone.

This Green Legged Sawfly (Tenthredo mesomelas) has ended up completely plastered in pollen whilst trying to feed. This species is a peculiar adaptation as well. It is one of the only almost entirely vegetarian sawflies.

Finally this chap looked just like a rose sawfly (liked those I reared last year) but its clear upper wings were different from Arge pagana and it lacked the black edge of wing marks of Arge ochropus. I had to go back and check on the internet what this was. It is in fact a Bramble Sawfly (Arge cyanocrocea). I would love to find one of these in the larval phase.

So if you spot some cow parsley on a roadside maybe you should go and have a look at what is feeding out of it and ponder the marvel that is evolution.

Weevil and Dance fly in the garden

2010-06-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

The garden seems to have burst into life again. I've spotted my Rose Sawflies are back laying eggs on the roses and all kinds of mini beasts are scurrying around.

This Black Vine Weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) was one of a pair that I found on my Lupins. They seemed to be a bit shy of the camera and moved away whenever I got too close.

This small Dance Fly (Platypalpus hybotidae) was taking a rest on the rose bush. The rose bush always seems to attract a resting flies and thus small spiders awaiting their prey.

Cropston to Swithland

2010-05-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

Now that I am intent on circumnavigating the city of Leicester in a series of circular walks I realised that I needed to go back into the Charnwood Forest one last time to fill a small gap in my route. Having completed a loop that took in Bradgate Park and Cropston Reservoir and another that circumnavigated Swithland reservoir I needed to do a circle between the villages of Cropston and Swithland. So on Saturday I drove back in to the Charnwood Forest for one last time.

I parked the car in Cropston village and headed north west across fields of plastic covered crops. The soil was a poor clay with large fist shaped pebbles and the occasional shard of slate. In the distance you could hear the steam trains of the Great Central Railway. One field later and I came across this square pond. At sometime in the past somebody dug this. I wonder how long ago it was? Perhaps it was an old fishpond associated with the nearby Swithland hall. Maybe it was a freshwater reservoir for the village of Cropston before the main reservoir was built. Who knows

Whilst cutting across the fields you could see the hills of what would have been the last walk if I had completed this walk in sequence. One of the foothills of Bradgate Park (on the left) hides Old John. On the right of the photo is the hilly mound of Swithland wood. Though it wasn't really raining there as a large amount of precipitation hanging in the air, obscuring the views of more distant hills.

This is the 15th Century Market Cross of the nearby town of Mountsorrel. It now sits in the grounds of Swithland Hall which was just off my route.

The walk cut through a series of small pockets of woodland. These are the last vestiges of the forest of Charnwood. The land between Cropston and Swithland was recognised for its agricultural potential well before the rest of the forest was cleared. Maps from 1754 show this area as the Swithland enclosures.

The path joins the road at Swithland before turning off again into the heart of Swithland wood. The buildings here are all built from slate that has been mined here since the 14th century.

At this point looking to the north east reveals what would have been the land of the next walk, if I hadn't already walked it. The now low profile of Buddon hill and Buddon wood can be seen. The red sides of the quarry crater just visible above the trees.

Swithland wood is where a large amount of the Charnian slate came from. The large pit in the centre of the wood has been in use since Roman times.

The path leaves the wood and after a field of pasture joins the road and heads east past the car park to Bradgate Park and onto the dam of Cropston Reservoir. It was built 1867-1872 after the deforestation and surveying of the area in 1840s.

The river Lin that I followed the other day into Quorn flows into and out of Cropston Reservoir. I then followed the road back through the village back to the car.

Swithland down to the river

2010-05-24T22:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I was able to add another section to my circumnavigation of Leicester. I noticed a few weeks ago that my wanderings through the Charnwood Forest all looked, when plotted on google earth like I have been trying to circle the city in a series of small connected loops. I then decided to make it deliberate and try and circumnavigate Leicester using the footpaths. One extra rule was that I was not to use the Leicester Round long distance footpath. I would make a new route!

So the next section to tick off was from Swithland down to the A6 at Quorn and then back to my car at Mountsorrel. I parked where the conveyor belt crosses the Leicester road. I then walked into Mountsorrel to the bandstand and then up past that monument that you can see from the A6. The path then followed the Leicester round (unavoidably) up past the the quarry rock processing plant and then back down towards Swithland reservoir. The picture above shows the approach to Swithland with Beacon Hill to the top right.

This view, a little further down Kinchley Lane, gives you an oblique view of Bradgate Park. Its always fun to think that you have covered the distance between distant hills and where you currently are.

After walking around the dam you then keep going for a bit before taking the footpath on the right just before the bridge over the Great Central Railway. This path takes you through woodland and pasture land and finally follows the stream that drains from Switherland, Cropston and Bradgate itself.

This time of year the meadows are full of buttercups and the woodland floor with wild garlic.

When you look at this walk on a map you notice that you have spent the whole time walking around Leicestershire's largest quarry Buddon Hill but you never see it and you could miss it entirely if you didn't know it was there.

The walk finishes at Quorn and follows the road back to the car. This last bit is a bit of a slog but unavoidable really if you want to save the river segment for another day.

2010 23/05/2010 Swithland with E
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Newtown Linford from Groby

2010-05-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

I spent Saturday walking from Groby to Newtown Linford. The weather was nice, the bluebells were out, it was perfect wandering weather.

The walk crossed three types of land; pasture, fields and woodland giving the walk an interesting variety of vistas.

This wood is very near a quarry and the path skirts around it. Whilst wandering along in here I heard a blackbird mimicking the siren given off when the quarrymen are blasting. It was really convincing!

A speckled wood butterfly sunning itself. The fields that edged the woodland were full of life.

A peacock butterfly. I don't know how long the walk took, because I wasn't paying attention to the time but apparently ot was about 5.8 km long. Here is my root.

2010 15/05/2010 groby
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The smaller Islands of North Wales

2010-05-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many islands the British Isles has altogether? The Llyn peninsula in Wales has a few. Though these range in size from rocks in the sea to larger inhabited islands.

This pair of islands are called Ynys Gwylan-fawr on the left and Ynys Gwylan-Bach on the right. They can be found near Aberdaron on the very end of the Llyn peninsular.
I'm fairly sure that this is Carreg Ddu that you can see from the viewing spot at the end of the peninsula.

This one is Maen Mellt on the northern coast of the peninsula.

Finally this last one is Carreg Ddu off Porth Dinllaen.

A few more British Isles off Northumbria

2010-05-08T03:13:00.000-07:00

There is a road to Lindisfarne that you can drive down but when the tide comes in it submerges cutting off the land as an Island. Most tourists go during the few hours of low tide and leave before they get cut off. We deliberately crossed onto the island at the first low tide of the day and waited for the next low tide. The Island emptied of people and we had it to ourselves. The picture above is an iconic one of Lindisfarne Castle, yet if you compare it to every one from this spot that you would find on the internet mine is better because it has sea in it!

This is the causeway at Low tide.

The island is also called Holy Island. I think I understood why. The whole place seemed to slightly tingle with nervous energy. Whispers unspoken but present on the wind and a strange feeling that if you stayed still long enough you would become part of the island.

Here the causeway at high tide cuts you off from the mainland.

This is St Cuthbert's Island just off the coast of Lindisfarne. The little hovel on it is supposed to be the hermitage of St Cuthbert. Like Lindisfarne itself this Island stops being an island at low tide, which is when most visitors are on the island. Therefore few people see the Island as a true Island.

This is Coquet Island off the Northumbrian Coast to the south of the Farne Islands. It is covered in the ruins of an old Benedictine priory and a more modern lighthouse. The island is a nationally significant bird reserve with over 18000 pairs of nesting Puffins (which I have never seen) and nearly 100 pairs of the endangered Roseate Tern (which I've also never seen!).

Farne Islands

2010-05-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Here is my photojourney to the Farne Islands. It was a wonderful day even though it was a bit grey!

Here is Inner Farne on the right with the mainland in the background.

This last one is the view from the Longstone Lighthouse looking back along the Farne Islands to the mainland.

Distant views of Farne

2010-05-03T00:17:00.000-07:00

Back in 2005 I was lucky enough to visit the area close to the Farne islands in Northumbria. There is something altogether magical about islands. No matter where you go an island in the sea draws the eye. Over the course of the trip we managed to get out to the islands themselves and made a landing on the Longstone Island. But before I show you those I will show you these tantalising glimpses of them from afar.

Farne at night from Seahouses. The Longstone lighthouse can be seen on the right.

Farne Islands from Ros Castle.

Farne Islands from Embleton Bay.

Inner Farne from Banburgh.

Mining Bee in the garden

2010-04-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy that I just have not been outside to look for wildlife in ages. That all changed the other day when I found a Mining Bee (Andrena carantonica) wandering around the patio looking lost. This is one of those bees that does not participate in any hierarchical hive society though it does live close to others of its own kind. As to what she was doing on my patio, I have no idea!

Red Crested Pochard down at Attenborough Nature Reserve

2010-04-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Another first today. A Red Crested Pochard (Netta rufina) pair down at Attenborough Nature Reserve. I think I have seen the female before and mistook it for a female pochard. This pair were swimming quite close to the visitor centre and so I was able to get in close for a photo. So all in all that makes 109 species of bird that I have seen within the UK. Not a lot by birding standards but a respectable number for someone who isn't a twitcher. My list is below. Note the absence of all birds that require any kind of patience to observe. Such as Warblers. And a little celebration - this is my 100th blog entry!

Barn Owl

Barnacle Goose

Black Grouse

Black headed Gull

Blackbird

Blue Tit

Bullfinch

Buzzard

Canada Goose

Chaffinch

Chough

Coal Tit

Collared Dove

Common Cuckoo

Common Gull

Common Tern

Coot

Cormorant

Crossbill

Crow

Curlew

Dunlin

Dunnock

Egyptian Goose

Eider

Fieldfare

Gadwall

Gannet

Goldcrest

Golden Eagle

Goldeneye

Goldfinch

Goosander

Great Black Backed Gull

Great Crested Grebe

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Tit

Green Woodpecker

Greenfinch

Grey Heron

Grey Wagtail

Greylag Goose

Guillemot

Hen Harrier

Herring Gull

House Sparrow

Jackdaw

Jay

Kestral

Kingfisher

Kittiwake

Lapwing

Lesser Black Backed Gull

Little Grebe

Little Owl

Long tailed tit

Magpie

Mallard

Mandarin

Mistle Thrush

Moorhen

Mute Swan

Nuthatch

Oystercatcher

Partridge

Peregrine Falcon

Pheasant

Pied Flycatcher

Pied Wagtail

Pintail

Pochard

Ptarmigan

Razorbill

Red Crested Pochard

Red Kite

Redwing

Reed Bunting

Ringed Plover

Robin

Rook

Ruddy Shelduck

Sand Martin

Shag

Shelduck

Shoveler

Siskin

Skylark

Smew

Snipe

Snow Bunting

Song Thrush

Sparrowhawk

Starling

Stonechat

Swallow

Swift

Tawny Owl

Teal

Tree Creeper

Tree Sparrow

Tufted Duck

Water Rail

Wheatear

Whooper swan

Wigeon

Willow Tit

Wood Pigeon

Wren

Yellowhammer

Barnacle geese

2010-04-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

Again I spot something interesting whilst only carrying my smaller (and much poorer) camera. The other day we were walking around Carsington Water in Derbyshire when a field of geese caught my eye. The first thing that I noticed was that it contained two different types of Geese. The first looked like normal Canada Geese and the second looked similar but with the black of their necks extending down into a kind of bib (sorry babies on the brain at the moment). They are of course Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis). An unexpected new bird for me.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I've hardly been outside in the last three weeks!

Crocuses

2010-03-22T00:17:00.000-07:00

Spring is well and truly on the way now. The crocuses have flowered and the daffodils aren't far off. They have been a little slower at flowering than normal due to the harder winter we have had but now we are getting the sunny days and frost free mornings the spring flowers are catching back up with where they should be. These pictures are from a couple of years ago since I haven't been able to spot many good clumps of crocuses this year.

Insect life returning

2010-03-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

It is nice to see some insect life returning. It is a sign that spring is well on its way. I spotted this Pointed Wing Fly (Lonchoptera bifurcata) at Switherland Reservoir at the weekend. It was scampering around on the damn wall that I was hiding behind whilst trying to film the Smew. It wasn't shy and didn't seem bothered by my presence.

On duck flirtation

2010-03-02T09:14:00.001-08:00

It is funny how female ducks of several different species share a common language when it comes to courtship. Take for example the Goldeneye and the Great Crested Grebe. They are a different species and each quite dissimilar from the other but when it comes to attracting a mate they both act the same. The behaviour I captured (In ultra slow motion) over the weekend shows a courtship performance between the two sets of birds. First the female lowers her head very close to the water and then floats very still. She is saying "If you want to impress me, you better do it now". It is remarkable how both species do this.

The male response is unique to each species. The male Goldeneye sticks his head up and hoots at the sky. This is normally followed by a stretching of one wing followed by a stretching of the other wing. Yes it looks silly to us, but to a female Goldeneye this is impressive.

The male Great Crested Grebe however goes one better. The male spots that the female has her head down and then dives under water. He then majestically surfaces in front of her and copies her every move. For a few seconds he is her reflection. Then they part. For both of these birds we are seeing only the beginning of the courtship. This dancing will go on for several weeks yet and in the case of the Great Crested Grebe become quite energetic before they settle down and build a nest.

Have I got Smews for you!

2010-03-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

The best view I have ever had of a Smew was as a white dot through my binoculars at Rutland Water. Needless to say they are a bit shy. When I heard that one had turned up at Switherland I gave in to my twitching reflex and went off on a wild Smew chase. After initially going to the wrong end of the reservoir I went back later to the other end. Apparently this Smew drake was near the dam. I looked up the the length of the dam and could see a distant white bird. A closer look revealed it to be a Goldeneye drake. I went back to the other end and followed the edge of the lake a short way. Apart from flushing a few more Goldeneyes and the odd Great Crested Grebe I didn't see anything so I returned to my car. I was about to give in when I spotted that the white dot bobbing around near the other end of the dam had turned into two white dots. I went back and spotted that alongside the Goldeneye was the Smew. The dam wall enabled me to sneak up quite close and peak over. Every time the bird dived I crept closer until It was swimming around right in front of me. It was 100% pure magic!

Here is the Smew with the Goldeneye

And before you ask, I did get some ultra slow motion footage so check out the video below. If you're reading this on facebook then you will need to go to my blog.

Results from pet lacewing project

2010-02-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Here he is, Trevor the lacewing larvae last August. I found him on a bush in the back garden and decided to keep him as a pet. For a start I didn't know he was a lacewing but with jaws like it really couldn't be much else.

My first conundrum was how to feed him. I had never kept a predator before. I would need to keep a whole herd of prey animals as well as him just to see him through. So I went out every morning and picked the most aphid coated leaf from our sweet-peas that I could find and then put it in the jam jar with him. His appetite was unbelievable. The only two words that adequately describes it is that he went on the rampage, engorging himself in a blood drunk feeding frenzy. He single handedly nearly ate every aphid in my garden! His hunting stile was simple. He would walk along until he found an aphid, grab it in his massive jaws, wrench it off the leaf and whilst holding it aloft suck it dry. The white aphid husks fell like snow as Trevor grew fatter. One day Trevor looked a bit anxious. His speed increased and he stopped eating. Within a couple of hours he had spun a perfect ball of silk under one of the leaves and then began an enormously long pupation.

Five months later, Trevor emerged. He cut through the silk cocoon with his larval jaws and emerged still within the ill fitting skin of his old self. After a stroll of about 5cm his skin split down the back and out climbed new Trevor the bright green lacewing. He exchanged the massive jaws of his old skin for a pair of gleaming translucent wings. Then he excreted once before keeling over dead. Bugger.

Well better luck next time. The experience has taught me allot about lacewing husbandry and I am sure that next time we will be more successful.

This is my favourite photo. Both the new Trevor, his old skin and the cocoon are all visible. We will miss you Trevor.

Birds at Attenborough

2010-02-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

Over half term we managed to get out to Attenborough Nature Reserve near Nottingham. Though it was a bit cold to start with it was a pleasant day out and the sun did say hello to us at sunset. Around the visitor centre there was a flock of ducks and geese that contained a couple of interesting birds.

Who am I? I'm an Egyptian Goose of course! This is the best view I have ever got (or am likely to get) of this wonderful bird. Just before Christmas I managed to film a flock of 17 over Rutland water but there is nothing quite so satisfying as looking at them eyeball to eyeball.

We also spotted this female Pochard in one of the lakes. I didn't recognise her at first because of her white cheeks. If you compare this photo to others I have taken of female Pochards you can see that this one is at the end of winter feather season.

And finally a mega mega never seen one of these before mega new bird - a female Ruddy Shelduck. What a beautiful animal!

The map below shows the route we walked around the reserve

2010 23/02/2010 Attenborough
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Grindleford photojourney

2010-02-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

(1) Burbage Brook

(2) Dunnock

(3) River Derwent

Over half term we managed to get out to Derbyshire. Hurrah! But where can you go with a pushchair, albeit an all terrain off-roader? Well with Alison Southern's "All terrain pushchair walks" in hand we set off from Grindleford station and headed down into the Valley of the River Derwent but not before going over the bridge that spanned the Burbage Brook (1). Near Padley Chapel we were surrounded by the pleasant birdsong from robins, great tits and dunnocks (2). The Derwent (3) was quiet despite all the snow we have had recently. The banks of the river were extremely muddy and frequently crossed with large tree roots which made pushing the pushchair difficult. What really made it impossible were the tiny kissing gates that would be tight for most people, let alone pushchairs. The walk required lifting the pushchair to chest hight several times. Since the wheelchair was dripping with mud I ended up covered in mud myself. I wouldn't have been surprised if at the end of the walk we found a pile of guide book clutching skeletons. All in all a good day but a little bit nuts.

2010 22/02/2010 Grindleford
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Hunting for the perfect snowdrop photo

2010-02-21T06:48:00.001-08:00

Here it is. This photo required two weeks of preparation, about 10 miles of wandering and a big slice of good meteorological luck. "Snowdrops in the Snow". The first thing I needed was to find a snowdrop wood, monitor how quickly the flowers were coming on and go back on a day they would all be ready for their photo to be taken. Getting snow as well is asking rather allot! This photo is hard to get simply because settled snow in February is quite rare (despite the last two winters having snowy Februarys) and wild snowdrops are few and far between. Here are a couple more photos just because.

The location of these snowdrops can be seen as the camera icon on this map.
2010 21/02/2010 snowdrops in snow
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I was quite lucky to be back down in Leicester with these snowdrops during this snowfall despite being up at the in-laws in Nottinghamshire all week. Whilst there I did spot one group of snowdrops that could have potentially been the subjects of these photos but alas the few times it did snow it did not stay around long enough for me to get to them with the camera. I did get some good snowdrops in the sunshine shots however.

Here is a map showing where I found these. Again the camera symbol represents where the photos were taken.

2010 21/02/2010 railway old brinsley
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Mushrooms in the forest

2010-02-15T11:40:00.001-08:00

Whilst waiting for the snowdrops to flower in the woods I noticed the Velvet Shank (Flammulina velutipes) that are growing everywhere. This species of mushroom is stimulated to fruit by the cold weather. The weather has been perfect recently and it is now really common in the woods. The picture above shows a young mushroom growing out of the broken trunk of a willow. The more established fungus below was growing at the base of another willow.

This Fungus above below (and below that) is a real odd thing. It kind of looks like badger dung. Its name is Purple Jellydisc (Coryne dubia) and looks more alien than anything I have ever found in the forest. It is just a big blob of jelly! This is one weird creature. Unusually for a fungus it doesn't spore, rather it produces asexual conidiospores which it releases into the air. The benefit of this is that it can successfully spread without the need of other jellydiscs. Perhaps the most unusual thing is that the next step of evolution, the jellydisc that can have sex with other jellydiscs can also be found in the forest. It shows that for this species, asexual reproduction is just as effective as sexual reproduction. That is a rare occurrence. In most other species you either do or you don't.

This last one is weird because it grows high up in the willows. This is some more White Rot (Bjerkandera adusta) growing out of the branching point on a willow. Interestingly a separate nearby twig has gained a fruiting body. It makes you wonder if being high up gives them an advantage when sporing.

Springtails

2010-02-13T05:37:00.001-08:00

What is the most numerous animal on Earth? Not counting microscopic animals it is reputed to be springtails like this one. This one is Vertagopus arboreus and lives on the trunks of trees and has a taste for rotting wood. I found this one on a broken tree in the snowdrop wood last Saturday. I don't know why but seeing some insects again felt good. With seeing so many beautiful creatures last year, many of them for the first time, I couldn't help but get excited about the year ahead. When the temperature increases the land will again be a giant zoo for these tiny animals. This one pushed the bigascope to the limit. From the tip of its antenna to the end of its abdomen the insect above is only as long as a single hair on a bumbleebee's head is wide. We are talking microns long. They were almost invisible to the naked eye.

And here is one in ultra slow motion.

This one is a Entomobrya albocincta and is distinctive because of its three yellow stripes. All of these animals have a pair of spring mounted appendages under their abdomens which can propel the insects away from threats.

To be a pilgrim

2010-02-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

"Who would true valour see,

Let him come hither;

One here will constant be,

Come wind, come weather;

There's no discouragement

shall make him once relent

his first avowed intent

To be a pilgrim"

John Bunyan

Amongst a parliament of Owls

2010-02-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

I never have had good luck when it comes to birds of prey but today I had four owls of two different species hunting around me. Initially I thought it was only a parliament of Short Eared Owls but on reviewing the footage there is also a Barn Owl in there as well. Whilst filming this I nearly lost my fingers to the cold but I really didn't want to leave. I'm sure though I will return in my camouflage to get some really close shots in the near future. Check out the video. It is my very best to-date.

Tufted ducks and swan videos

2010-02-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry to all the folk that get this blog via facebook because the following videos will not show up. If you want to see them then you will have to follow the link at the bottom of the note.

What is it? Jaws? No this is the Tufted Duck showing off its diving abilities.

This second one is perhaps the most overly sentimental, romantically slushy film I have have ever shot.

Winter life on the forest floor

2010-02-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

Before I forget I want to go back to Saturdays walk in the woods near Watermead bridge. I think that when you are in a new place you instinctively become more observant. It must be something about not having enough information to relax and so we look and listen and smell more than we do normally. Sometimes I try to force myself to take a sensory bath in my surroundings, especially if they are familiar to me. Even if it is somewhere completely new I try and absorb the feeling of being in that place. Then I try to focus on what individual elements are arriving in superposition to build the picture. What can I hear? What can I see? What have I overlooked? This is not pointless. I think we only understand a place when we have let it into our soul.

Tuning in often makes me walk slower and sometimes it makes me stop to think and see. In the woods I couldn't just see water everywhere but I could hear it and smell it. But it wasn't water that made me stop. Down near my foot was a tiny red mushroom. It was most likely a Galerina mniophila but it could have also been a young Tubaria furfuracea. Its always hard to tell when they are this small. From one side of its cap to the other it measured about 2mm. The Bigascope has really made it look big! It looked so vulnerable that I felt sorry for it. Its not really the type of fungi that you expect to see this time of year. A nearby tree stump provided a good variety of more hardy specimens for me to have a good look at.

This one is a Candle Stick Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon) and it looks like it should be growing on a coral reef rather than the hardwood stump on which it was growing. The part you can see is the spore releasing fruitbody of the fungus. The rest of it is hidden from view in the wood itself.

Growing down the sides of the stump was this White Rot Fungus (Bjerkandera adusta). Again the part of the fungus we can see is the spore releasing fruitbody. I always think that there is something a little un-Earthly about fungi.

Anyhow, I was walking back towards the car when alas a flash of luminous green erupting from a small bush next to me made me realise that I had just scared off one of my all time favourite animals. Unfortunately it had now flown away before I could get my camera out. Undeterred I stalked around the corner and spotted it high in a tree. Ladies and gentlemen I bring you my best photo yet of a Green Woodpecker.

Housing estate building causes extreme environmental destruction

2010-02-07T05:46:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to mention that this morning we went for a walk around a place that looked really nice on Google Earth. On the map it appeared to be a series of lakes near the new Hamilton housing estate. When we got there we found the following list of environmental damage
1) Places where cars had obviously been burned
2) Milky pollution in the brook
3) Giant bags of building material floating in the lakes
4) Huge piles of dumped building material
5) Big piles of commercial refuse
6) A huge alluvial quagmire leaking from a huge hill of displaced topsoil
7) Unstable sticky topsoil

It was like Chernobyl! All of this damage had been created at the same time as the nearby housing estate was built. What looked like pristine agricultural land on Google Earth is now a wasteland. If the people that propose to build 5000 houses at Barkby and Thurmaston are the same people that have left this mess or those responsible for leaving access open to fly tippers then the council should refuse their application on environmental grounds.

2010 07/02/2010 behind factory
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Spring is on its way!

2010-02-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

Nature has decided that spring is on its way! This morning I was wandering around the woods near Watermead Bridge and came across a vernal carpet of snowdrops on the verge of flowering.

Originally I was looking in the nearby pond for a Red Crested Pochard that I had heard about but on not finding it continued a little way into the woods just beyond. My attention was initially drawn upwards to a few magpies that chattered noisily in the trees. A falling drip of water drew my attention downwards. The mist was manifesting itself as a fine dew over every surface. Every leaf, twig and shoot was covered in thousands of tiny drops of water.

Down on the forest floor a thousand green shoots were silently heralding the rebirth of life. I got down on my knees and manouvred in really close with the bigascope. It makes a nice change to do some close up work rather than photograph unimpressive ducks on the horizon! I wonder what will happen to these snowdrops if the weather deteriorates this week? I'll probably go and check.

Here is a map of my meander.

2010 06/02/2010 snowdrops
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