Well here we are , we were just down the road last year but the castle was covered in scaffold.
We left Bellingham at seven thirty this morning to raid Tesco in Hexham, a bit of a detour but the direct route is twisty and narrow so quicker to do the extra twenty miles, plus food as a bonus.
Summer is here, well the sun is, it’s great, I’ll do my best to take advantage before the rainy season starts. May to December.
We settled in and went for a wander to get the lie of the land, the forecast is good till mid week, just as well it’s dawn and dusk for photography here, makes for a long day at this time of year even allowing for a siesta.
A very pleasant exit from the site.
Skylark at ten thousand feet, OK not quite but we waited for him to drop and then couldn’t find him. I assume the ones that climb to the edge of the atmosphere are male, generally females aren’t that daft, she’d be sitting at home watching Coronation Street. Must be two years since I’ve sat and listened to their song…………..Great!
Things got better on the way home……….Thanks to KEITH I now know that the following isn’t a Greenfinch, I could still do with seeing one. A Greenfinch that is.
For any ignoramuses out their this is a Siskin. Ta Keith……………….Want some more I’ve loads.
Here’s another, pray to god they are Siskin. I’ll try for full frame tomorrow.
I’m new to this birding business but it’s amazing how many Chaffinch have survived the winter, the wee blighters are everywhere.
Dunstanburgh Castle. It’s been photographed to hell and back but never this badly…………Make a name for myself yet…………..Crap shots of photogenic subjects.
Hawthorn blossom, I hope!
Primrose, safe on this one………….Not be long before I can walk through deciduous woodland and get that once a year chlorophyll green cast on all the images.
I’ll leave you with this………………………………………..
A lass, multi tasking, she’s casting a critical eye over another camper erecting his tent whilst water collecting. I shot this on the way to the bins and asked if I could take her picture. She shouted across……….There’s a bald bloke wants me picture….Her partner arrived and said….What you done…….Come with me…..I got him holding a reflector, we spent an hour messing but she just got more self conscious. I’ve a lot to learn.
‘Birds’ are harder than birds. Great face though!
Erm....that one's a Yellowhammer lol
ReplyDeleteAgree about the Skylark. A magical sound. Always takes me back to my childhood, and warm summers when I hear them.
Good luck with the lass lol
It like a Yellow Hammer, I think, though I've often been told off.
ReplyDeleteAdrian. I am going to put my head on the block. I think your Siskin is a Yellowhammer.
ReplyDeleteKeith, thanks, couldn't find the bird book it had shot under the printer. The lass is fifty miles away and still running. Am going to start trying for more people shots it's much harder than it looks.
ReplyDeleteBob, thought I was having a good run with my guesses, thank you.
Trevor, Got it now, better for me not got a picture of a Yellowhammer, well I have now, thanks.
Can't enter the bird debate, don't see either of them around here. Thanks for taking to the skies to show us where things are...you need a remote controlled skylark equipped with camera! Love the girl shot. I find it's always easier to take photos of people when they don't know you are there, then show them and ask permission. Easier for a female than a male, though, I think.
ReplyDeleteThey are right Pauline, not much those three don't know about birds. It was fun taking her picture but it is much harder than it looks.
ReplyDelete