Nature notes for October 2020

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.

Heron beyond ducks

The pipe over the other beck

A walk from Wray Castle NT

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.

View from our picnic spot

An ancient alder

Alder tree and crow

Water skier

Boat rides have restarted

Reflections in a pool

An old post

Wray Castle from the side

A photo of sheep I took has already appeared on Sue’s Trifles Paint Chip Poetry challenge 28.

On the Hunt for Joy – Week 9 – Shop your home

This week’s photo challenge from Cee Neuner is to find items around the home and create a still-life. I found some birds in two different rooms and on a total of four surfaces. A table napkin placed on the kitchen table made a background. Out of the four photos I took (one with natural light and three with the fluorescent light on) I am posting the first and the last.

From above

On the level

It is interesting to notice the reflections on the owl’s head. The kitchen window and the fluorescent light can both be seen on the second photo. I took the first one standing and looking down. The intermediate photos led to some rearrangement before I arrived at the final one, taken sitting at the table. (I had to straighten this photo!)

I enjoyed the experiment in which no birds were hurt! Observant viewers of this post may notice wild flowers too.

I am posting for the challenge on Saturday this week instead of my usual style of post.