Recent rambles

Another jaunt up to Cumbria last month saw me staying at the beautifully located YHA Eskdale. The stunning location provided great views from the hostel garden, a lovely place to enjoy a walk around before dinner. I was hoping to catch sight of my first red squirrel, but no luck, so I settled for a fleeting glimpse of a jay against gorgeous clear blue skies. Just along the road, and up the slightly hair-raising Hardknott Pass lies Hardknott Roman Fort with low walls marking out the footprint of building once occupied by Roman soldiers and offering stunning views all around.

Lovely view

Hostel garden

Hardknott Roman Fort

A stop off for a quick walk around South Walney Nature Reserve provided a chance to enjoy the amusing sounds of the beautiful eider ducks, and to walk through a huge group of herring and great black-back gulls. I also came across loads of mermaids purses along the shore and picked up a few belonging, I think, to the smallspotted catshark.

Gull gauntlet

Piel Castle

With more promising weather I decided it had been too long since I had taken on a longer walk, so I set off for 12 miles around the Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire countryside. The day was beautiful, the walking good, and the wildlife did not disappoint. The raptors were around and I caught sight of three kestrels, one hovering very close over my head, three or four pairs of buzzards, and a red kite pair. A few of the fields also offered glimpses of hares hunkering amongst the low crops, and a stoat scampering along below a hedge but recognisable by its black tail tip. I lost count of how many skylarks I saw dart up in front of me whilst crossing fields, or how many I heard singing high overhead. It felt great to stretch my legs out a little further and enjoy the countryside.

Red kite pair

Spring lambs

A recent trip to Norfolk gave me just enough time to pop out to the coast at Horsey to get a look at the grey seals. It was a lovely blustery day, and walking a little further along the beach away from the crowds nearer the car park was well worth it for a private view of a larger group of seals. We kept a distance so as not to disturb the animals back into the water, but enjoyed watching them wriggling around on the sand for a while. Walking back along the beach there were lots of bird tracks with long lines running from the footprints. At first glance they made it look like something with a tail, but I think it was perhaps a crow not picking his feet up in the sand. We also came across two decomposed seals, probably juveniles judging by the size, and as a marine mammologist I just couldn't pass them by... I may have 'acquired' a seal skull which I'm working on cleaning up. The walk back to the car gave views of a few stonechats flitting along beside the path, and a small lizard scampering across in front of our feet.

Keeping a distance

Seals aplenty

Keeping look out

Wriggling around

Corvid tracks

Seal skeleton

Female stonechat