Delightful Dorset

Our annual holiday this year was in The West Country, and in particular the delights of Dorset and Somerset. We managed to strike a balance between having a relaxing holiday and cramming a lot in; so much so I have split this blog posting to cover Dorset first and I will do Somerset later.
On our trip down south to Dorset we broke the journey with an over-night stay in Worcester. We stayed in the Premier Inn which was attached to Worcester Cricket Club, however there was no cricket on that night, but we did have a fine view of Worcester from our room window:

Worcester from Hotel Window

Once we had unpacked we took a little walk over the bridge and along the banks of the River Severn.

Bridge over the Severn

Churches on the Banks of the Severn

Once on the bridge we could see the real religious focus of Worcester, its magnificent Cathedral:

Worcester Cathedral

Despite being an early Tuesday evening the river was quite busy with rowing boats, such as this coxed eight racing boat passing a large group of swans:

Coxed Eight and Swans

On a more light-hearted theme (but I'm sure just as physical) there was this dragon boat completed with drummer beating out the rhythm for the rowers:

Dragon Boat on River Severn

The next morning we left Worcester and headed south to the picturesque Dorset town of Lyme Regis where we would be staying in a lovely guesthouse for three nights.
Lyme Regis is built on the side of a steep valley which leads down to the sea (the English Channel to be precise) and our guesthouse was near the top of the hill and boasted fantastic views. We even had our own balcony where we were served breakfast and could enjoy the view over Lyme Bay:

View from our Balcony

It was such a nice afternoon when we arrived we decided to leave the unpacking to later and took a leisurely stroll down to the waterfront. We skirted along the side of the river Lim as it meandered down towards the sea. Stopping at a bench by the river for a brief rest we saw an elegant Grey Wagtail busily hopping from stone to stone feeding on insects:

We continue on our walk passing by some of the historic features of Lyme Regis including a water mill which has existed for seven hundred years and (with some restoration) is still grinding wheat to make flour for bread. Reaching the waterfront at the east end of Marine Parade we took in the lovely scenery of Lyme Bay and the Jurassic Coast:

Lyme Bay and the Jurassic Coast

Moira at Lyme Bay

Looking West along Marine Parade

We promenaded along Marine Parade to the west end of the town before making our way back up the hill through Langmoor Gardens and Lister Gardens. It may have been a leisurely stroll down from the guesthouse to the waterfront but I can safely say that it took twice as long and twice as much effort getting back up to the guesthouse. The views from the gardens were however worth stopping for:

Lyme Beach from Langmoor Gardens

The Harbour and The Cobb from Langmoor Gardens

We had a well earned rest in the guesthouse before we journeyed back down the hill for our evening meal, then back up the hill in time for bed.....phew!!
The next day we took a short drive to the nearby town of Sidmouth which is another Lyme Bay resort a few miles to the west of Lyme Regis.

Moira on the Prom at Sidmouth

Sidmouth Promenade

 The weather wasn't so sunny this day but it was still comfortably warm. There was a little bit of wind and the waves were crashing on to the pebble beach at Sidmouth.

Me and Crashing Waves

It is an area where the force of the waves have been eroding the cliffs for thousands of years, and the red cliffs at Sidmouth have had their fair share of landslides. This is good news if you are a fossil hunter as new finds are unearthed quite regularly; however not good news if you have a house at the top of the cliffs.
The power of the waves can best be demonstrated in this video taken at the west end of the promenade where the incoming sea lifts up thousands of large pebbles, which then roll back down the beach making a very eerie roaring noise:

As it was near to Sidmouth, it seemed silly not to visit the RSPB Reserve at Aylesbeare Common, just in case there were some rarities about. A twenty minute drive up and down the rolling hills of Dorset/Devon took us there and we had just stepped out of the car when a fellow visitor pointed out that a Dartford Warbler was singing in the gorse bushes opposite the car park.
We could certainly hear it singing but failed to get any sight of it before it disappeared. We then crossed the road and into the reserve continuing to look for anything of interest.

Moira Scanning for Rarities

We were barely ten minutes in to our walk around the reserve when we heard a Dartford Warbler singing again; this time it flew to the top of a bush and we had a great view of it. It even hung about long enough for me to capture it on video:

It may not look too spectacular on my video but the Dartford Warbler is a very rare bird to see in Britain. You really have to come to these upland heathlands in southern Britain to stand any chance of seeing one.
Aylesbeare Common is not just renowned for its rare birds it also has quite a few of the less common butterflies. Unfortunately it was quite breezy that day and any butterflies we did see were flying past at 100mph making it difficult to even identify them never mind photograph or video them.
We did however manage to capture this Green Hairstreak butterfly as it stopped for a rest for a few moments before re-joining the great butterfly chase:

We saw (or heard) a few other interesting birds at Aylesbeare including Yellowhammer, Wren, Chiff-chaff and another species common around here, the Stonechat.
Here is a female Stonechat tidying up its feathers for a night out on the town:

So that was about it for Aylesbeare, we headed back to Lyme Regis for a well-earned rest before braving the hills once again to go out for an evening meal.
The next day the weather started really hot and sunny so we enjoyed our breakfast out on the balcony. We decided to stay in Lyme Regis and enjoy a walk down the town to see the local sites as this was our last full day in Dorset.
First stop was the water mill where we were fortunate enough to catch the first guided tour and learn all about how they use the power of the water to grind the wheat to make the flour that makes the bread. We had to have the obligatory cream tea after that.
By now the weather had changed and it was slightly cooler and looking like a few showers were heading our way. We had a stroll along the new sea wall at the east beach but did not walk all the way to Charmouth as the weather was starting to close in. In fact the rain started as we headed back so we ducked into the nearby Lyme Regis museum.
As the Lyme Bay area is famous for its fossils (hence the Jurassic Coast) you can probably guess that the museum displays were dominated by fossils and  fossil hunters (such as Mary Anning, Lyme Regis's very own palaeontologist from the early 1800s). There were of course other displays about the town and how it was once a thriving port and boasted it's own branch railway line which no longer exists. Most of it however related to the fossil hunters and the historic discoveries that changed our understanding of the geology of the earth and the creatures that inhabited both land and sea.
They even had a model of a ancient species of toothed fish called a Legosaurus:

Reconstruction of a Legosaurus

Legosaurus Close-up

Those astute fossil hunters amongst you will have recognised it is actually a model of an Ichthyosaur made out of Lego.
By the time we left the museum the weather had improved (at least the rain was off) but it still look a bit ominous. We walked along Marine Parade to the Harbour end of the beach where we stopped for a bite of lunch in a seaside café. There were a few boats in the harbour and one or two sitting on the inner harbour wall, including this cheeky little fishing boat:

A Fishing Boat Named Slippery Dick

After lunch we decided to brave the slightly misty weather and take a walk along Lyme's famous outer harbour wall 'The Cobb'.

The Cobb, Lyme Regis

If you've never read the book or seen the film 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' then the significant of The Cobb may be lost on you. Apart from being a fantastic piece of early civil engineering it also featured in this book/film where a woman spends many months on the end of The Cobb staring out at sea waiting for her French lieutenant to return.
In the film Meryl Streep famously played this woman, dress in a black hooded cloak, being battered by the elements at the end of The Cobb. For a brief moment I thought I saw Meryl in her iconic pose on The Cobb, but alas I was mistaken:

The French Lieutenant's Wummin

At least she had the same initials (and the hood).
That was the last of our adventures in Lyme Regis and Dorset, the next morning we rose, crammed our bags into the car and headed for sunny Somerset (but that's another story)

Take care,

Teddyedward

Inner Forth Birding

A couple of weeks back my good friend Grant and I had a day out bird watching at various locations around the Inner Forth area.
We started our trip with a walk along the shoreline between Abercorn and Blackness, benefitting from the shelter of the trees as there was a cold wind blowing in from the Northwest.

Dappled Path from Abercorn to Blackness

Bridge over Midhope Burn

There were plenty of birds singing in the trees, but very few of them popped out to show themselves, so many we had to identify by their song. We managed to recognise Song Thrush, Blackbird, Willow Warbler, Chaffinch, Wren and Robin to name but a few.
At certain points along the walk you could get down on to the shoreline and check for any birds on the river:

Grant checking shoreline for birds

Unfortunately there was very little to see on the river or shoreline as the tide was quite far out, we did see a few gulls and a couple of waders.
We did however get some nice views of Blackness Castle and the villages of Limekilns and Charleston on the opposite shore:

Blackness Castle



Fife Shoreline

We decided to walk back to the car and move on to our next location. Just where we had parked the car (near Abercorn Church) we stopped to admire a redundant Victorian post box, which had been put to good use as a plant holder:

Victorian Plant Holder

We stopped at Blackness Beach for a quick al-fresco picnic before moving on to our next destination which was a ponded area that sits behind the breakwater just North of the village of Skinflats.
I like to refer to this area as 'the land that time forgot' but not in a bad way. It is an area that is farmed but not intensively and reminds me of what farms used to look like when I was young. There are still plenty of hedgerows, there are still damps areas which have not been drained where reed beds thrive and there is a mixture of arable and livestock (cattle) farming.
All this adds up to an abundance of habitats for wildlife, so if you are pining for views of Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, etc. this is the place to visit.
The changeable weather had turned to heavy rain when we arrived so we gave it ten minutes to die down a bit (which it didn't really) so we ventured out anyway. After a ten minute walk along a hedge-lined lane we came to the ponds and set up our telescopes under the shelter of a Hawthorn bush.

Ponds behind Skinflats (Grangemouth in background)

It was still raining quite heavy so we were surprised to see so many Swallows and House Martins flying about above the pond feeding on insects. We presumed that there must have been a large hatch of flying insects when the sun was shining brightly just before the rain started.

 

Swallows & Martins at Skinflats Pond

Despite the rain there were several other birds out on the ponds including Great-crested Grebe, Tufted Duck and Mute Swans:

Great-crested Grebes

Tufted Ducks

You may be forgiven in thinking that the photograph shows a lovely family of Tufted Ducks on the pond but that could not be further from the truth. What you are actually seeing is one female Tufted Duck (the brown one in the middle) being pursued vigorously by no less than six male Tufted Ducks.
Shortly after this the rain went off and the sun came back out, suddenly everything looked much brighter and shinier and more Spring-like. The flowers suddenly seemed to be more colourful:

Bluebells

Whitebells

Ladybird on Nettles

The trees looked greener and their blossom appeared even brighter:

Crab Apple Blossom

Horse Chestnut Blossom

Pine Cones

 Even the birds started singing ................although they were not hanging about long enough to be photographed. We heard Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap and we also saw Yellowhammer, Robin, Reed Bunting and Sedge Warbler.
There were about 3 or 4 Sedge Warblers in the reeds in front of us at one time but I only managed to get a photo of one which was obscured by the reeds:

Sedge Warbler in Reeds

The view over the ponds had brightened up, however the birds on the water had all disappeared into the reeds:

Skinflats Ponds with Longannet PS in background

We went for a walk down a leafy lane which lead to a small woodland in the hope that we might see even more wildlife:

Leafy Lane

Path Through Woodland

Last time I was here I had good views of a Juvenile Buzzard but today all was quiet apart from a few Chaffinches and the occasional Blackbird. In a field on the West side of the ponds we did see a solitary Canada Goose (which I suspect was not really from Canada but a semi-tame version that you get on most British ponds):

Canada Goose in Field

Having enjoyed our visit to the ponds at Skinflats we thought it was only proper that we also visit another popular attraction in this area and view the animals there............................I am of course referring to the famous Kelpies:

Single Kelpie

Rearing Kelpie

Kelpies

If you have never been to see them yet then I strongly suggest that you do...........they are awesome.
I must go back one evening to photograph them when they are spectacularly lit up.

A magnificent day birding, a picnic on the beach and a bit of artistic culture thrown in as well.......you can't whack it!!

Teddyedward

Queensferry Crossing

Last weekend we took part in a sponsored walk that involved crossing the Forth Road Bridge from South Queensferry to North Queensferry and back again.
It was a nice day, some sun and a few clouds so I took my trusty little camera with me to snap some photographs. Although it was sunny most of the time there was an icy breeze blowing in from the North, so we were well wrapped up.

At the start of the walk

We left from the South Queensferry end and headed along the East walkway (yes we were doing it the easy way and not climbing up the main cables)

South Queensferry from the Road Bridge

About a third of the way along the bridge walk you come to the first of the towers, where the modern trend of putting padlocks (or should I say lovelocks) on railings appears to have taken off. As sales of these lovelocks go towards the upkeep of the RNLI Lifeboat in Queensferry I can only say it has been a worthwhile venture:

Lovelocks on Forth Road Bridge

Colourful Lovelocks

Some people claim that the reason the Forth Road Bridge was built was to afford good views of the real Forth Bridge (i.e. the rail bridge), I'll let you judge for yourselves:

Forth Rail Bridge from Road Bridge

Halfway across we noticed there were a few yachts out sailing, it looked like a cold but enjoyable hobby in this weather, and what a backdrop!!

Forth Rail Bridge and Yacht

At the second tower we were about two-thirds of the way across the bridge and had a good view of North Queensferry:

North Queensferry from Forth Road Bridge

At the North end of the bridge we had to go down the steps and under the motorway in order to get to the refreshment stalls that had been set up on the entrance to the West walkway.
This provided an ideal opportunity to get a photograph of the new road bridge that is under construction, which is aptly named as the Queensferry Crossing:

New Road Bridge Under Construction

After a quick pit stop, taking on some fuel, we headed on the return journey, this time along the West walkway. This side has been closed to pedestrians in recent months for repair work on the bridge, meaning lack of opportunity to photograph the new bridge construction, luckily it was open for the sponsored walk:

Three Towers of New Bridge

North Tower under construction

As well as viewing the progress of the new bridge, there were a few boats busily going about their business for us to watch. This tug had just steamed out of Rosyth and passed under the Road Bridge as we were crossing:

Tug and New Bridge

Tug with Longannet PS in distance

Half way across we stopped to enjoy the view and another walker kindly offered to take our photograph (almost a selfie, but not quite)


Wrapped up against the chilly wind

We soldiered onwards, stopping before the end to take a few snaps of the new bridge construction at Port Edgar marina. Here they have started pushing the roadway supports out towards the towers:

Port Edgar Marina and New Road Bridge

There were a few yachts moored in the marina, but not as much as I have seen in the past. I guess some sailors have taken their yachts out the water for Winter and not yet returned them, such as these yachts sitting on dry land under the Road Bridge:

High and Dry

Anyway our journey was almost complete, looking over the bridge back at South Queensferry we could clearly see the Parish Church which sits on The Loan:

South Queensferry Parish Church from Bridge

The last part of our journey was a trip through the underpass below the motorway to take us back to where we started:

Tunnel under Bridge

Despite the cold wind we enjoyed our little walk across the Forth Road Bridge and we raised some money for those less fortunate than ourselves.
Thanks to all who sponsored us.

Take care

Teddyedward

Spring has Sprung

What a glorious weekend we had this Easter and the sunshine has certainly put a spring into the step of our wildlife. I have never seen so much activity, especially from our birds, both resident and migrant.
We were down in the Scottish Borders for Easter and the number of birds I saw (and heard) either gathering nest material or belting out their territorial songs was incredible. Allow me to share a few of these experiences with you:
Firstly at the caravan park in Peebles where a Nuthatch was gathering mud in order to prepare a nest hole:

Nuthatches nest in holes in trees, but unlike some birds which start with a small hole opening and widen it to suit their size, the Nuthatch will often start with a bigger hole opening and make it narrower by plastering mud around the edges until it matches their size. Hence the desire to collect mud at the start of the breeding season.
Next up is a little bird renowned for aggressively defending its territory. Whether it be against another bird, a sheep, a cow or in this case a human this little fighter will repel all intruders with a sharp burst of song delivered from a high vantage point...........it is of course the feisty Wren:

After a quick burst of song the Wren usually disappears into the safety of the undergrowth (just in case some of the bigger creatures actually take offence to being chided)
By comparison, high up in a nearby tree a male Blackbird shows off his prowess by singing his beautiful, melodic song in the hope that it will attract the attention of a female Blackbird:

These events were all happening in one small area of the caravan park but all over the site there was evidence that Spring had indeed sprung: from Rooks and Jackdaws flying with sticks to rebuild old nests; Blue Tits collecting moss to line their nests; Chaffinches singing in competition with one another; and the Daffodils bursting out all over:


Rosetta Burn & Daffodils

The place was buzzing, and in particular with huge queen Bumblebees which were bumbling along bumping into things in their search for a hole or crevice to nest in.

The next morning the sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky as we took a trip along the magnificent Manor Valley just to the south-west of Peebles. Once again the signs of Spring were everywhere. At the start of the valley a colony of Common Gulls (which are not that common) were resting up in a field before searching for nest sites near a river, marsh or loch:

We drove on to the far end of the valley where we went for a walk along the edge of the Dollar forest. Here we were treated to the wonderful sound of a Song Thrush belting out its repetitive song of four distinct notes.
Then in another bush we saw a little Chiffchaff, newly returned from its Winter holidays in the Mediterranean (or there about) and it treated us to it's distinctive song. Some say it sounds like it is repeating its own name.....chiff chaff, chiff chaff, chiff chaff........others say it is calling chip shop, chip shop, chip shop........it depends how hungry you are!!
Anyway I failed miserably in getting a photo or a video of it, but here is one I took back in 2012 in Skinflats, the sound you will have to add yourself:

Chiffchaff

Moving on a bit we came across an opening in the trees which gave us a good view down the Manor Valley, so I snapped it:

Manor Valley from Dollar Forest

It was at this clearing another songster started up, belting his song out with all his might from the top of a conifer, it was of course everybody's favourite the Robin (unless of course you are a competing male Robin!):

Down on the valley floor the Manor Water winds its way past the imposing hills on its way to join the River Tweed:

Manor Water flowing through Manor Valley

This pebble-based river with its sandy banks proves an irresistible attraction to wading birds and gulls that like to nest in these upland valleys. One such species is the Oystercatcher and we were fortunate to see a whole bunch of these normally noisy waders nestling quietly along the banks of the Manor Water:

This is a far cry from their normal hustle and bustle lives as they feed along the shoreline of coasts and estuaries.
My final offering is a short clip of a male Chaffinch, resplendent in his breeding plumage admiring himself in the wing mirror of a parked car................. or so I thought............... but this has less to do with vanity and more to do with stupidity as he tries to attack his own reflection with obvious results:

Who needs Mad March Hares when you have Crazy April Chaffinches?

Happy Easter

Teddyeddieedward