This week Cee has posted a photo from which we have to pick a topic for her midweek madness challenge (CMMC).
Just after I took the photo for last week’s CMMC (pale) there was some unusual activity in the road outside. I took a few photos through the window. A gull landed with a whole fatball/seedball in its beak. As it couldn’t swallow it whole, other birds soon arrived to share the feast!
After some heavy rain and gales the becks were flowing fast. One attracted a heron, which we noticed on three consecutive days. I have not yet discovered whether there is a zoom facility on my new phone’s camera, but I have cropped some photos to enlarge the heron. There were also three mallard drakes and a duck as well as a smaller shore bird we failed to identify. The grey wagtail I noticed eluded the camera!
We were very surprised one day as we went to look at another very full and fast-flowing beck. A small mammal was using a pipe as a bridge. From its size and the shape of its tail, we are hopeful that it was a red squirrel. They have been seen in some large gardens in this village, so that is not impossible. It vanished far too quickly for a photo!
We have also identified redshanks on the beach.
Our first outing after lockdown relaxed was to Wray Castle near Ambleside in the Lake District. The castle itself was still closed, but the car park had some space (although it is rather pricey for non-members of the National Trust) and there are plenty of walks to choose from. It was a fine day. We took a picnic and met a member of our family, suitably socially-distanced, of course. It is advisable to check online for how busy car parks in the Lake District are, before setting out.
The circular walk we did took us to the lake (Windermere), along a path, up a hill and back through a village. We saw lots of wild flowers and some birds.
A photo of sheep I took has already appeared on Sue’s Trifles Paint Chip Poetry challenge 28.
Sue's words and pictures 