A day in Northumberland

Last week  my daughter came home for a weeks holiday, (as always she is crying poverty) otherwise she would have gone somewhere for a proper holiday as she would put it. we spent the week pottering about together, the weather for most of the week not being that cleaver.
    On one of the days it was decided we would have a ride over to Northumberland, and visit a place called Cragside. Cragside is a country house, which now belongs to the National Trust, and is famous for the fact that it was the first house in the world to be lit useing hydroelectric power.
     For those visiting the house, it is split into different areas, the house, the formal gardens, and the estate drive, which allows you to take your own car and drive the 6 mile circular, with lots of areas to stop for views.
      On arrival we headed first to the formal gardens, which has its own car park, then other car parks for the house itself.

So we made our way to the gardens first as this is nearer to the main entrance

 

The Weather was dull with fine drizzle so was n't conducive for photography, however we do our best, and here we have a good example of carpet bedding (pictures and words layed out using plants)

This and the following two pics are some of the Dahlias that where on show.

This clock tower was in the gardens seperate from the house.

A rather late-ish honey bee still working away.

I have only ever seen this plant in conservatories

This is some kind of insect eating plant as it had a sticky substance on its petals similar to other plants of that genera

And this looks like a crocosmia type plant

Apart from Robbins this was about the only bird we saw all day

Looking down one of the glades close to the house, and the first of the Autumn colours beginning to show.

This is the first view of the house after leaving the car.

And now from the main drive.

Closer look at the archways,  which we later drove through to do the estate drive.

As can be seen from the next photo there was a small area of Virginia creeper, some of it looking good in its Autunm colour.

Not far below the house it has its own iron bridge.

Looking back up to the house from the path leading down to the iron bridge.

And this time from the iron bridge

Flash was not permitted in the house, so just took this one of the Kitchen as it would have been up to the 1950s, even the spit was run from power utilising water from  one of the lakes.

And lastly a little bit of garden by the local primery school.

Wild harvest

Plodding around the patch yesterday afternoon in lovely sunshine, and finding only a few birds. I still put the lens to good use taking pics of the bountiful wild  harvest, fruit for the picking everywhere. There should be no shortage of winter food for the birds this year, as all the trees are laden, the wild apples are bending the branches there is so many.

Wild apples, some people call them crab apples, but these are not true crab apples as they grow much bigger.

Same tree, closer image.

Good crops of Hawthorn ready for the winter thrushes.

And yet another apple loaded tree.

Elder berries, The birds love them, so do the home wine makers.

Elder berries.

Fairy ring or a fungus, sometimes it is the Marasmius oreades fungus

Leighton Moss

Had a ride down to Leighton Moss, and headed straight for the marsh hides first. The water levels where quite low, but even so there was very little activity on the Allen pool, a few Redshank, ditto Lapwing, Greenshank, and this Little Egret put in an appearance.

I watched this Redshank for some time as it searched for a morsel.

Its head disappeared below the surface a few times without success.

 

Then at last success, just a tiny morsel for its efforts.

Along the path between the hides I came across this Speckled Wood, in fact there where two in mating display but only the one settled.

Speckled Wood.

On the Eric Morecombe pool there was more activity , with good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits, More Redshanks, and a Few Greenshanks.

In an area back at the main reserve, I came across a pair Moorhens building a nest, they where both sharing the job of gathering nest material. Then one disappeared into the reeds and reappeared with two chicks, so looks like they where getting ready for another brood.

A variety of Convolvulus

And to round the trip off, a Male Bullfinch on the feeders.

Linking to I'D-Rather-B-Birdin http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.co.uk/

When the sun shone

Small Tortoiseshell

Our butterflies have been showing well all over the country, from the Small Common Blue, and Scotch Argus, to the larger  Purple Emperor and Swallowtail. The sun of course makes all the difference, there is nothing butterflies like more than nice warm sun,(a bit like myself)

Small Tortoiseshell

And this was the case wandering round the patch the other day, the area was alive with this species in particular, so like a lot of birders when there is a drought as regards birding, our attention  turns to other things. so blogs all over the country have been posting photos of our butterflies.

This particular one is possibly one of our more commonest species.

And because of this is probably taken for granted, or overlooked in favour of something more exotic or rare

,

But just look at this little beauty, even its colours shout out warm sunshine, its a little gem.

If wildlife could talk

Just look at the fool, first it gobbles up half my family, now its destroying our habitat

Tastes like duckling.

OMG I've made a blue hole and we are all going to be sucked into it never to be seen again.

Now how did Martin Riggs get out of that straight jacket  (Lethal Weapon 2)

He did it under water, not working for me.

And all the while the adults patrol overhead.

Come on you've  seen enough, lets head for cover before the fools get bored

Hope you enjoyed, I'll try to be a bit more serious next time, but that is not a promise.
     Linking to I'D- Rather-B-Birdin http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.co.uk/

From out doors & in

Sunset over the patch----- out doors

Rain clouds through a window  in doors.

Linking to Skywatch Friday.     http://skyley.blogspot.co.uk/