The start of a new (and hopefully much brighter and happier) year brought a cold snap to the valley. Temperatures were below freezing and the Met office was suggesting the possibility of a new Beast from the East later in the month. The original Beast from the East hit us in March 2018, when the whole of the Breamish Valley was knee-deep in snow. Well, we didn’t have to deal with that yesterday but it was cold enough to begin freezing the lakes.
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Yipee! Since the UK Government’s easing of the ‘once-a-day exercise’ guidance I took the opportunity to make a visit to our sister valley: Harthope Valley. And, like the Breamish Valley, it currently looks stunning with the drifting mounds of yellow gorse:
Having been looking up and not failing to notice the larger long-legged herons and the bulky greylags flying over the Breamish Valley, I thought it was time to champion some little birds.
Weighing in at 1.5 kg more than a grey heron, it’s the greylag. This bird is the largest goose native to the UK. They are a fairly common sight on the fields along the Breamish Valley and can be seen at both Branton Lakes Nature Reserve and the Hedgeley Lakes.
We are so privileged here in the Breamish Valley, as it has an abundance of wildlife. And, if you’ve been looking up, you will most likely, at some point, have seen a majestic, large-winged heron pulling itself effortlessly through the sky.
I last posted some images of Common Sandpiper on the River Breamish back in June 2015. Not that I haven’t seen them since, only that I haven’t taken the time to photograph them. Anyway, out on my once-a-day exercise a couple of days ago, I saw a few sandpiper along the banks of the River Breamish, along the valley towards Ingram. I’m not really a wildlife photographer, as I don’t have the proper equipment to do it. However, I did manage to get these shots of this fairly small wading bird that can be seen here in Northumberland during the summer months. It typically arrives around March-April each year and then, after breeding, it leaves around July-August.
My once-a-day exercise frequently finds me somewhere along the River Breamish. And now that Spring has very much set in, there’s lots of undergrowth to be careful of as you’re walking. So, I spend a lot of my time watching my feet, so as not to trip. Even as someone who enjoys taking photographs of whole landscapes, I have to force myself to look up. And it can be rewarding. There’s a lot to miss when we forget to look up.
On my walk around the stunning yellow Hedgeley yesterday, I also happened upon several sand martin that appeared to be in the process of exploring the banks of the River Breamish to choose the best spots for excavating their nesting tunnels. Being a social bird, hundreds of pairs can readily nest close together in a colony. On my walk, though, I’d guess I saw around 20 sand martin exploring one bank in the bend of the river.
Went out on my once-a-day exercise a bit later yesterday afternoon, as our home school video lesson for our granddaughters was scheduled for later in the day. The girls had to do a virtual egg hunt in the garden (using Google Duo on an iPad) and when they found an egg there was a sum on it. They had to work out the sum and an associated clue – which basically spelled out ‘Simon Says’ – and then we played that. So lucky to have all this helpful modern technology.
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