As I made my way back home, it was still good to enjoy the walk and also the smells. We are gradually getting into Autumn and already there is that familiar smell of decaying bracken and leaves, and added to those in the area I was in was the smell of cattle and sheep. Its always pleasant to smell sheep when climbing the Fells and the Mountains, it all goes with the pleasant experience and gets filed away in the happy memory folder of the mined.
The sun was still shinning , but in the far distance there was a cap of cloud on Cross Fell the highest of the Pennine chain. climbed a couple of years back with my Daughter.
Still plenty of Black-headed gulls around, but as far as I could tell no Mediterranean gulls with them, as sometimes the latter will associate with the first.
Some Swallows have already been seen in parts of the country heading South, but this little fella and his nest buddies although flying , are still being fed by their parents, so wont be heading South just yet. Also in resent years Swallows have been tending to linger much later into the year, could have something to do with the climate change, as we have milder Septembers and Octobers, so still plenty of insects about.
Now it is said (mainly by farmers) that farmers are the guardians of the countryside, not entirely true, as a vast amount of wild life has been lost because of modern farming practises. As regards certain species of bird we have lost as much as 70 to 80 present.
This is one of my pet hates, hedge on the left great full of wild life plenty of cover for birds insects and mammals, hedge on the right been totally mutilated by the local farmer , why do they have to do it ? the hedge on the right has been cut at that height for so long, it has made it very compact, giving wild life little chance to penetrate.
Yet another mutilated hedge.
And yet the amount of wild life to be found right by a busy motorway junction is amazing, above is the very common Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
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| Oxeyed daisy |
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| And this growing at the side of the motorway slip road, Snowberry (Symphoricarpus) |
Give wild life a chance and it will flurish anywhere
And so nearly home, only two more pedestrian crossing to negotiate !!
Hello, nice walk. The daisies are pretty. I like the sheep and gulls. Great scenic shots and photos. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteHi Gordon, so unusual for me to see gulls and sheep in the same place! It is sad that people have to cut down natural bush; in this case a beuatiful hedge which provides cover and nesting place for birds and other wildlife alike. I love the sign "Penrith" So clear and bright. Have a great day. Jo
ReplyDeleteDearest Gordon,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment on my sock darning...!
This post brings back lots of fond childhood memories for me.
First of all, near my Grandmother's home, next to a little medieval chapel, there grew Snowberries (Symphoricarpus), that we always let pop between our fingers...
Oh, those old-time hedges. Indeed, birds nests were always to be found in there and it gave such a nice feeling, sheltering us from wind and giving privacy.
Sad to see that a lot of that concept with the eye for wildlife, is being neglected...
Sending you hugs,
Mariette
As you say, the odours of autumn are now with us. I was out monitoring birds for a local conservation authority and it was cool with a definite feel of fall. Hate to think what follows fall!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful? The sights and the smells of fall?!
ReplyDeleteI follow a farmer and a animal rescue farm on Facebook, they are interesting!!!!
ah, I felt my legs stretching out a bit as I followed along
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely countryside. I loved the flowers and the sheep and the swallows. The country lane is drawing me in!
ReplyDeleteHi Godron,
ReplyDeletethis is a lovely way back home! Thank you for those wonderful pictures!
Have a wonderful day,
Claudia
Lovely and peaceful.
ReplyDeleteHello Gordon!:) Such lovely country views, one of my favourite scenes is grazing sheep in green fields, but this is the first time I have seen foraging gulls alongside them. Shame about the closely shaved hedges,...we tend to have walls here in Portugal. It's still very hot here, very much summer weather, but in a few more weeks I too will be seeing signs of Autumn, my favourite time of year.
ReplyDeleteHello Gordon, I just wanted to stop back and say thank you for linking up and sharing your post. I enjoyed the birds and scenery. Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeletePretty scenery, lovely flowers!
ReplyDeleteI am distressed by the amount of mowing and spraying along the roadsides here. It is so stupid to kill wildflowers, growing only knee-high, that are no threat to anything.
Hope your week-end is a good one
I would love to have such a scenic place to walk. Flowers, birds, and nature. Nothing better!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous white flowers Gordon! And loved the lone swallow on the rooftop{?}. The scenes of the many gulls you've posted is awesome...and I LOVE the sheep too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, firstly, for all the well wishes for last week's storm, Hurricane Harvey. And......
Thanks so much for sharing this post with us all at I'd Rather B Birdin' this week. Wonderful!!!
Yes, signs of autumn are already quite visible. Patches of yellow are getting more numerous with each day. In our latitudes this many-coloured period of trees is so brief. You know in Japan they call it 'blooming of maples'? I wish you warm peaceful September, which can be felt in your pictures.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with you that the 'natural guardians' tag has worn a bit thin.
ReplyDeleteLook out for another Lakes post on my blog in a little while.
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Hello there, I've just come across from Eileen's blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely photographs within this post, lovely to see the scenes, the flowers and the birds.
All the best Jan
Hello Gordon. Beautiful photos. Autumn has come.
ReplyDeleteHi Gordon,
ReplyDeleteWe are indeed coming to a gradual fall in the fall. Here in the Netherlands we had a lot of wind, storm and rain in recent days. Your pictures of the swallows and the beautiful daisies are very beautiful to see.
Cordial greetings,
Helma
i agree with you about the farmers for the most part although there are a few who work their land to preserve hedges they are the small family farmers -- and what we have so much of over here are corporate farms who don't care. It still looks like a lovely area to hike -- and that picture of the swallow sitting still is really nice -- they don't ever seem to land and sit still for me!
ReplyDelete