Well…it’s that déjà vu feeling again, isn’t it? Exercising in the lockdowns – still, I do keep reminding myself how lucky we are to live in such beautiful surroundings.
And, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, the light at this time of the year is pretty terrific – changing from moment to moment.
I’d reflected recently on the inexorable changes that occur around us and how environmental changes are perhaps more obvious in the countryside: the falling of trees, riverbank erosion and our attempts to halt the effects of erosion.
A week’s a long time in politics? Well, a day’s a long time in weather!
Still feeling damp?
The past couple of days or so have seen downpours followed by bright sunshine…followed by downpours…
The River Breamish Riverbank Protection project began in August 2019 and anyone who’s kept abreast of developments will likely know that one of the final stages of the project was to lay some coir matting at Site 1 (what I’ve referred to as the ‘whirlpool’ previously). This can be seen in some nice aerial shots taken by Tweed Forum.
The river moves, but it follows a path. When it tires of one journey, it rubs through some rock to forge a new way. Hard work, but that’s its nature.
Kekla Magoon
Enlarging one’s imagination, forcing oneself to conceive of something beyond normal limits.
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.
