Catching the birds.

 Another of those brief opportunities when the camera was to hand. This time an adult Curlew sits briefly on a roadside post, most likely keeping an eye on its young hiding amongst the long grass. Usually these waders are cautious and fly off when approached so being able to get such a close up shot was a real bonus.

Curlew on the post.

Afternoon on Cronkley Fell.

With the forecast looking brighter for later in the day I headed up towards Upper Teesdale this afternoon to wander up over the hill Cronkley Fell. this location I visit on a regular basis but at this time of the year the fell is the ideal habitat for not only breeding birds such as Red Grouse, Golden Plover, Curlew etc but also it is the perfect situation for rare alpine flowers such as Spring Gentian and Birds Eye Primrose.

River Tees and Raven Scar.

Last year at about this time the flowers were in their prime and it made a delightful scene. However, this year the blooms were about three weeks early and by the time of this visit they were all but gone. thankfully my recent trip to Cow Green provided my fix of these elusive plants which are special to Teesdale.

Spring life.

  In the fields around the house we are luck enough to have a good population of breeding wading birds such as Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew, Snipe and even an ever increasing number of Oystercatchers. Early morning and late evening the sounds of these birds displaying is a real treat. The Lapwings in particular make a wonderful sound with their piping call and whooshing wingbeat.
 The short patureland makes it ideal nesting ground. After a few weeks of watching them on the nest we are now getting the young chicks hatching. The young are extremely well camouflaged, when sitting still they look exactly like a blog of sheep droppings! Isn't nature amazing? of course great care is needed when crossing open farmland on paths but the nearby adults soon let you know that you are trespassing. Of course at this time the dogs are kept under very close control.

Lapwing chick

Near to home

 Even when on short trips into town there is always a chamce of a lucky shot. This evening I had to re-organise the gallery window display and just as I was heading into Barnard Castle the sun broke through the stormy skies. I managed to capture a photo or two of the ruins of the castle being lit by the warm sun contrasting with the dark skies.

Barnard Castle- sun and storm.

It just goes to show how its worth while having the camera to hand at all times.

The rarities of Teesdale

  We are blessed here in Teesdale with not only wild and remote landscapes but also with some finer details. The geology and environment of the dale gives us dramatic locations such as High Force but thanks to the altitude and climate there are some rare species of plants which exist in these harsh conditions. Some of these species are found here and in very few other locations.
 Picking the right day with a bit of brightness in the sky I headed up to Upper Teesdale and the area around Cow Green. The plant that I was looking for today was the Spring Gentian, it flowers only for a few weeks of the year and the bright sun helps to open the blooms. Today I was acting as a sort of guide for Alan Fentiman who wanted to obtain footage of the flowers.
We were in luck, there were a good number of the gentians dotted amongst the short cropped turf as well as a few other low growing plants.

Spring Gentian.

The bonus to the day was not only finding the selection of unusual palnts but also the bonus of a complete weather change as we returned through the dale. From bright sunny skies to thunderstorm and hail in a matter of moments, really dramatic stuff at both ends of natures scale.

Storm gathers over Langdon Beck.

The rest of the photos from this set can be viewed on the website: www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk and click on the On Location section.

Blue in the woods

Unlike in other parts of the country, here in Teesdale we dont have many areas of woodland that at this time of the year have a great show of a carpet of Bluebells. Maybe the soil isn't quite right, maybe the altitude doesn't suit them or even perhaps they are here and I just don't know about them yet.

  Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited out to a customers farm for a look at their Bluebell wood. The weather was just about perfect with bright sunshine filtering down through the trees. It was only a short visit and the flowers were just about at their peak so I was able to get a couple of good shots. I hope that I will be able to return there in the next day or two with the intention of capturing them at their very best.

Late afternoon on the fells

 Its the pleasure of being alone on the fells with the dogs that really takes some beating. Sure, it is nice on ocassions to walk with someone else but going where I want at my own speed gives me real freedom. So it was on this day where I actually did two walks but the second, started at 1pm meant that I was able to enjoy the afternoon and evening sun on a fine ridge in the North western region of the Lake District fells. A bit of an unusual route once again but covering some popular fells.

Late evening light on Catbells.

Even though I returned home very late it was worth the trouble as the hills in this light at this time of day are magical. More photos from this set are on the website: www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk and visit the On Location section.

Easedale excursion

  Some of the fells in the Central region of the Lake District are not all that high compared to others nor are they very dramatic but what they do have is a great location for observing some of the surrounding giants. Another early start saw me up on the hills on another fine day. Setting off from the quaint village of Grasmere I headed for a route that would take me over five Wainwrights during the day as well as getting close to some serene tarns.

Helm Crag and Grasmere.

On the route I found several interesting locations for possible future paintings or photographs and I have logged them in my notebook ready for a return visit. To see all of my photographs from this route then do take a look at the website: http://www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk/ and visit the On Location section.