Across the River Breamish
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
River Breamish
Stretch of the Imagination
Stretch of the imagination
idiom:
Enlarging one’s imagination, forcing oneself to conceive of something beyond normal limits.
Stretches of gorse along the Breamish
I Love Herons, Me!
Herons in the Valley (again)
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.
Sandpiper in the Valley
Common sandpiper in Breamish Valley
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.
Still Looking Up
Still looking up above the Breamish
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.
Sand Martin in the Valley
Sand Martin in the Breamish Valley
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.
Herons Above!
Herons above the River Breamish
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.
New Banks from Above
New banks from above the valley
[Credit: Header image copyright © Tweed Forum 2019 and used with permission.]
As the River Breamish Riverbank Protection project comes to an end, Tweed Forum Project Officer, Joe Taylforth has been on site again to take some more aerial photographs. These clearly show the extent of the work undertaken and how the project has created new riverbanks from old.
New Banks From Old
New banks from old riverbanks
Since the root wads were delivered and ready to be installed at Site 1 and the logs were sorted at Site 2, work on the Breamish Riverbank Stabilisation and Reinstatement project has continued on track – and now all the heavy work is completed.
The old, eroding riverbanks have been stabilised using so-called soft engineering techniques to reclaim some of the lost land and to protect them from further erosion that was threatening to damage the road.
Backfilling Log Matrix
Backfilling log matrix along the Breamish
After driving in several vertical posts and continuing to line them up along the riverbank, the contractors undertaking the River Breamish Riverbank Protection works have been spending hours backfilling the log matrix.