tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39178283952330147792024-03-14T02:07:26.335-07:00Bringing the Natural World to LifeExploring nature everywhere....beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-74245220981507816722018-10-31T00:23:00.000-07:002018-10-31T00:23:05.195-07:00Spooning in the Woods!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUfb80TLrsaaho47q2apXnJDGuX6NJIOSxQ9_nsVxQULBXML0Ux3-QHXnENGqCEj-jTcmmKb1pYThCMiL_ClGyaItOXctb77Cqt0X-NQXeitRIQRDayKABi6kIJ4B-kqa5_hnnBTsB4U/s1600/IMG_3847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKUfb80TLrsaaho47q2apXnJDGuX6NJIOSxQ9_nsVxQULBXML0Ux3-QHXnENGqCEj-jTcmmKb1pYThCMiL_ClGyaItOXctb77Cqt0X-NQXeitRIQRDayKABi6kIJ4B-kqa5_hnnBTsB4U/s320/IMG_3847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have done a bit of spoon carving in the past but I decided a course would do me good to try and learn the craft. If you look at the photo below of my first attempt - you will see why! I needed a bit of guidance on some basic skills that I could then work on to create beautiful spoons. What I hadn't realised when I fist tried carving a spoon that like any craft it is a skill that requires talent, patience and practice. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKPq3oaRx942NyVm4npKfMxtMXG_Smjj-IMNXOVlDATIUdQpjonI6DVvLClSmpJQa5Fdo4ja4QYslV17CIQHDW6eGwpuXl1a9qb5TpuIQDFf7s93i8tvpIBZeL6On78pebqb8jcYwbVg/s1600/IMG_3977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKPq3oaRx942NyVm4npKfMxtMXG_Smjj-IMNXOVlDATIUdQpjonI6DVvLClSmpJQa5Fdo4ja4QYslV17CIQHDW6eGwpuXl1a9qb5TpuIQDFf7s93i8tvpIBZeL6On78pebqb8jcYwbVg/s320/IMG_3977.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First attempt at making a spoon!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lY6gEcUet81_FBOBh1Z4TriUXRpWxr31z2tP-JAH2U8vRKK4_JLzsRgvUnxZEHYY7XDFb1bGIvk0mXNVEf7tN2VNu_qJAo5ybUTNglr-_sj_XPeQK8cc3dIQxnf5Hy3B6B5eINp0N60/s320/IMG_3981.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A knife / spreader that I whittled </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I booked a day of spoon carving with Gareth from <a href="http://www.woodmatters.org.uk/" target="_blank">Woodmatters</a> at the Footprint near Windermere in the South Lakes. It is a beautiful location to spend a day and has a very relaxing feel to it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am not going to write too much on this, just some steps of what is involved in carving a spoon. I don't have photos for each step but hopefully this blog will give an idea of how it can take all day to carve a spoon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Choose your wood. I chose cherry as it has a beautiful grain. However, it may have been a better choice to stick to sycamore which is a much softer and easier wood to carve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Using a saw, cut a forearm sized piece of wood and then split this in half using a froe.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak1aJhJ_npTBU9GofL5inlMqUQ_6UndHHqIQviimHiP2a6wuhGOT3vzLM_d7yhbvxPv5YLd3RwK7DDgGLlUljgNSQeKek3ONKAeFtKc8PR-nnwFXkXMT-La4R27IjJQwPNOR2PiKgZ_I/s1600/IMG_3831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak1aJhJ_npTBU9GofL5inlMqUQ_6UndHHqIQviimHiP2a6wuhGOT3vzLM_d7yhbvxPv5YLd3RwK7DDgGLlUljgNSQeKek3ONKAeFtKc8PR-nnwFXkXMT-La4R27IjJQwPNOR2PiKgZ_I/s320/IMG_3831.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Remove the pith from your piece of wood.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZSdkxmoGmnfazHgCI3uWWnBJunHg_tRjIE0u29KqyrKsryesQ5frQBJkuuihkhY-S3ca4LaqnCs0AWrTn3wPJ0vqcYNROEol23e4Q_Bb7txXd9-I1FlVHRgPsXu4LrkG55KmVJZBaYc/s1600/IMG_3832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZSdkxmoGmnfazHgCI3uWWnBJunHg_tRjIE0u29KqyrKsryesQ5frQBJkuuihkhY-S3ca4LaqnCs0AWrTn3wPJ0vqcYNROEol23e4Q_Bb7txXd9-I1FlVHRgPsXu4LrkG55KmVJZBaYc/s320/IMG_3832.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Draw on the basic shape of your spoon. A good way to do this is using a paper guide - if you fold it in half and cut around it this can help to produce a symmetrical spoon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. Mark a line in from the neck towards the head of the spoon with a saw and the on the back of the spoon cut off this section removing 2/3 of the spoon head.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrpiAasW2McSkI0qNuGhm42d9bPFcESvCZB1kVh-w01ZmyfOujS6Vzr8gdpyVyOu4BBTINAYp3_P85vTqqCkp-EQIIfEnnUGiiOm3vT-7dDw7E94V-1lHT8xDWFYvzqtb4EqN_elxMnQ/s1600/IMG_3840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrpiAasW2McSkI0qNuGhm42d9bPFcESvCZB1kVh-w01ZmyfOujS6Vzr8gdpyVyOu4BBTINAYp3_P85vTqqCkp-EQIIfEnnUGiiOm3vT-7dDw7E94V-1lHT8xDWFYvzqtb4EqN_elxMnQ/s320/IMG_3840.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ViAOIGzmm6g3B8Xx8BzU_kFfl6DPwkIAQ38qRtrv-4jis5Iznw2fl0ri5ljfff2NXCBqzFm5TTfiBhCLMg4gfpzRT7NT6GrMkYPK3SerPpK_hRgsWuY8mONm8qqbtoy632raMl7aNDo/s1600/IMG_3841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ViAOIGzmm6g3B8Xx8BzU_kFfl6DPwkIAQ38qRtrv-4jis5Iznw2fl0ri5ljfff2NXCBqzFm5TTfiBhCLMg4gfpzRT7NT6GrMkYPK3SerPpK_hRgsWuY8mONm8qqbtoy632raMl7aNDo/s320/IMG_3841.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. On the front of the spoon, saw a notch 5mm deep just down the neck (opposite the notch we cut in step 5.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. On the front of the spoon cut down from the mid point on the handle using a hatchet or a carving axe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8. Still using the axe, on the back of the spoon remove the wood down at an angle towards the head of the spoon. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIfB4NPr4T0BX4GTEXdR8CYeXJON0ll03qGMemHgtgXepaaVlSupstyYx3mcGM3lFYHBMy9lYZGr3MeCapfOBDrZvjRR3UfXGL0WWv6xgPTQkd-UCT6HaLvGgmhp7aXuaaGs5VPaXoRg/s1600/IMG_3848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIfB4NPr4T0BX4GTEXdR8CYeXJON0ll03qGMemHgtgXepaaVlSupstyYx3mcGM3lFYHBMy9lYZGr3MeCapfOBDrZvjRR3UfXGL0WWv6xgPTQkd-UCT6HaLvGgmhp7aXuaaGs5VPaXoRg/s320/IMG_3848.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9. Using the axe remove as much wood as possible to achieve the spoon shape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10. Move to using a knife, Mora is a good brand. Keep removing wood until you are happy with the shape. This can be done using a variety of techniques and cuts. The main thing to remember is to work with the grain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">11. Using a spoon knife start removing the centre of the spoon. to create the head of the spoon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">12. The spoon can be finished off using sandpaper to smooth off the surface or the cuts can be left to give a more natural look.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My finished spoon with lovely cherry grain</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now all I need to do is practice, practice, practice!!!</span></div>
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beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-22225460683204815272017-12-30T11:25:00.000-08:002017-12-30T11:26:53.820-08:00Foxes, Sousliks and wildflowers in Rila National Park, Bulgaria.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I spent a morning walking in the mountains of Rila National
Park and I was lucky to have two amazing wildlife encounters. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up in the mountains I decided to follow a faint vehicle track. As I headed over
the brow of hill I spotted a fox, <i>Vulpes vulpes</i> sniffing around. He circled around and then
started making his way across the hillside. Fortunately for me the wind was
blowing in my direction not his, so I had plenty of time to video him before my
red top caught his eye and he stopped to turn and look at me before
disappearing from my view. It was truly spectacular and made my day.</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqnUoMQTlVLKn5OBpu7IXZOQm3W8aTWeD6bZrqnNyc3S8RX1We_B-YI2kpS3rQ_9D-TczA_o3RNwxPsETmXR-WZLeuT2sDKchhMe9TMk_bWBRMxu15RREcgyNMR_drRB3j2Vkcolk4Eo/s1600/P1150825+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1600" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqnUoMQTlVLKn5OBpu7IXZOQm3W8aTWeD6bZrqnNyc3S8RX1We_B-YI2kpS3rQ_9D-TczA_o3RNwxPsETmXR-WZLeuT2sDKchhMe9TMk_bWBRMxu15RREcgyNMR_drRB3j2Vkcolk4Eo/s320/P1150825+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A little
further down the track I was following, I came across a dead and half buried
Souslik – I wondered if it was one of his stash?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXIixu8wkbD4JTTuiaeFLKrMz5W9jjzVg3B7IUj0JwQHw27TqSFrNBUYMEWbeUeTYBAJOaK4u0n8_XAK2yq_uDxv-kzrx4yIZlBPsGLKsLybBWHRR4_py1orIY16IocG2sRIPMSSUFxI/s1600/P1150828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXIixu8wkbD4JTTuiaeFLKrMz5W9jjzVg3B7IUj0JwQHw27TqSFrNBUYMEWbeUeTYBAJOaK4u0n8_XAK2yq_uDxv-kzrx4yIZlBPsGLKsLybBWHRR4_py1orIY16IocG2sRIPMSSUFxI/s320/P1150828.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My other amazing wildlife encounter was <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a live
souslik, <i>Spermophilus citellus</i>, also known as the European ground
squirrel and is a similar to but smaller and slimmer than an Alpine marmot.
There was one just by the lake at Belkemen and it was both
inquisitive but also a bit flighty at first. Eventually I managed to get
closer
to it and it tried the staying still trick which was fine by me as I
snapped
away some photos. Eventually he lost his nerve as I moved even closer
and
bolted down his burrow.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvxfDb5ln9uLGvalv-6X98x2HAQ2hXEhu_FNz24qXGACkbi0uefrWDXmKUlVFwx96sISoqIrYctKnsVOIi1_orRFrQoUI9RKijhfLkD3t5ihJUe7V2kAKCYaIKT5wniF7J9am5lRWOyI/s1600/P1150785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvxfDb5ln9uLGvalv-6X98x2HAQ2hXEhu_FNz24qXGACkbi0uefrWDXmKUlVFwx96sISoqIrYctKnsVOIi1_orRFrQoUI9RKijhfLkD3t5ihJUe7V2kAKCYaIKT5wniF7J9am5lRWOyI/s320/P1150785.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>Higher up in the mountains I saw many more of these gorgeous
little furry creatures running around but as soon as you got too close they
bolted down their holes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARQzb95FbIZAMWs3Ct3RBX6JEy2fMekUk_ID8LgxiXwGUamNMWSchPOmU3nbCET8qmUwHAuxUpb1LGYTBjcz18Tm-Wuf-A2QInkBxs6IHJ_-mcxmbdr2mTMYrscOkq5BSEBABhpdRSEI/s1600/P1150765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARQzb95FbIZAMWs3Ct3RBX6JEy2fMekUk_ID8LgxiXwGUamNMWSchPOmU3nbCET8qmUwHAuxUpb1LGYTBjcz18Tm-Wuf-A2QInkBxs6IHJ_-mcxmbdr2mTMYrscOkq5BSEBABhpdRSEI/s320/P1150765.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I spent the rest of my walk just enjoying the surrounding beauty
of the mountains and the stunning variety of wildflowers. Our journey through the rural parts of Bulgaria took
us to some vast meadows, which are just stunning swathes of colour, blue,
purple, red, orange, white, green, yellow – you can’t really describe all the
shades. </span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5iyrYWS86AWhWsDJb-co4lHmOemvyOGlKKGmB_jGm6TuQJU6icfczbBHvbOmMMt1TM8m6gHXuIMarLo47V91lfMaUsEKeoTr2GUO97XvnRKDuVgr_n11Lj46QEyLyLktPs6VBEyoQ1s/s1600/P1150800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5iyrYWS86AWhWsDJb-co4lHmOemvyOGlKKGmB_jGm6TuQJU6icfczbBHvbOmMMt1TM8m6gHXuIMarLo47V91lfMaUsEKeoTr2GUO97XvnRKDuVgr_n11Lj46QEyLyLktPs6VBEyoQ1s/s320/P1150800.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The abundance of wild thyme is also amazing and the scent hits you more
than the sight of it. The locals told me to make some tea with it and
eventually we did with lemon thyme but that is another story....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeeLlGcK422U04yESSkQc8AHMWaSg_ERjnaUOir_rS_lOSpM-w91D_mjtnTeyfysRjpeNEyBaEdyfHp-oDQuClLgP1gRNfd2cjEP1HUlKUiiXTcy92IVuj_kmzlOHiGBeqI-WWWJWWkM/s1600/P1150790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeeLlGcK422U04yESSkQc8AHMWaSg_ERjnaUOir_rS_lOSpM-w91D_mjtnTeyfysRjpeNEyBaEdyfHp-oDQuClLgP1gRNfd2cjEP1HUlKUiiXTcy92IVuj_kmzlOHiGBeqI-WWWJWWkM/s320/P1150790.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In other parts of Bulgaria we have ridden along ancient
tracks, one which was quite hard to follow as it was so overgrown with flowers.
The bikes were almost hidden in the height of the wildflowers but there was a
definite stone track beneath. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been truly astounded by the beauty of Bulgaria. It
pays to get off the beaten track and explore where the dirt roads and logging
tracks take you and you will be amazed by what you find. </span></div>
beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-3469799868961452302017-10-22T10:39:00.001-07:002017-10-22T11:23:30.532-07:00Volunteering for the RSPB on the Mull of Galloway, Scotland<style>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I headed up the single-track road to the RSPB Visitor Centre,
I was both excited and nervous in anticipation of what the next two weeks would
have in store for me on the Mull of Galloway. However, when I turned the corner
and was rewarded with stunning views across the sea and caught my first glimpse
of the lighthouse standing proud on the headland, I soon forgot about my
apprehensions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">RSPB Mull of Galloway is a small reserve but it is home to
an abundance of wildlife and a delightful little place. The Visitor Centre
itself is an old bothy dating from 1838 when it was constructed to accommodate
the builders of the lighthouse. This sturdy building was made to withstand the
stormy winds that can batter the headland. The bothy now houses the RSPB Visitors
Centre and is a colourful array of information, displays, videos and live
cameras all about wildlife on the Mull. The Centre is welcoming and friendly
and many visitors who pop in just to get out of the ‘breeze’ end up staying for
a chat and to find out more about the seabirds and wildlife in general.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My role as a volunteer was to help at the Centre and the
RSPB staff Rob and David made me feel very welcome and at ease there. I learnt
a wealth of information from them both, and I was soon able to pass this
knowledge onto visitors. I also gained the confidence to ask visitors about
RSPB membership and felt comfortable promoting the work of the RSPB.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For the remainder of this blog, rather than describing
things on a day to day basis I am going to tell the story of my last day on the
Mull which was a culmination of my brilliant time there…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I set off early from the comfortable RSPB accommodation in
Drummore to make the most of the sunny morning. The weather had been a bit wild
over the last two weeks with plenty of strong winds and quite a few heavy showers,
however this morning it was almost perfect with blue skies and a “gentle” breeze.
As I was driving up the road to the Mull of Galloway, I saw a grey blob on the
road and stopped. Just as I did, the blob launched itself into the air- it was
a Sparrowhawk – a great start to the day. I continued on my journey dodging
cows and sheep until I arrived at the car park. As I set off towards the
lighthouse, I saw the hare that I had been trying to photograph for the last
two weeks but as ever he was just too quick for me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I walked across the heath hoping that the stoat that had
peeped out of the heather at me a few days ago might make a reappearance but he
was nowhere to be seen. I did however, see five roe deer this morning. I had
seen them most mornings and on one of the mornings Rob and I spent about 5
minutes photographing a buck lying in a hollow until she got up and gently
walked away. The deer I saw this morning were a little startled and bounded
away flashing their white rumps as they went. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I got closer to the willows I looked out for the gorgeous
little goldcrest and wren that I had seen there the past few days and true to
form they were there flitting about in the bushes. I continued down to Lagvag
point to see what I could see off the headland and looked out over the sea to
watch the tidal race charging past – a sight I never tired of – it is truly
mesmerising. Onwards to the Foghorn, where I amused myself by trying to count
all the vole holes – they are everywhere on the reserve. It was a warm morning
and as I was following one of the mammal runs, I caught something out of the
corner of my eye, the voles were darting about in the grass. I stopped and
listened to them squeaking to each other, another lovely start to the day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Near to the foghorn is the walled garden that forms part of
the lighthouse land. It was here that I often saw the stonechat, which had also
been avoiding my camera but this morning posed brilliantly for me on the white
stone wall set against the bright blue sky. Across on the heath I was also able
to photograph a wheatear and numerous linnets as they picked seeds out of the
flowers. It was mid- September but there was still plenty of butterflies
around, particularly red admiral and tortoiseshell. I also saw a couple of fox
moth caterpillars, which are stunning big hairy beasts. I eventually made my
way back to the Visitors Centre to help David, RSPB staff member and Dennis, my
fellow volunteer set up for the day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I arrived at the Centre the kestrels were already out
hunting on the heath. This was another daily delight for us all and something
we never tired of. There are 4 resident kestrels on the Mull, which isn’t
surprising given the number of voles running around. A few days previously on
the guided walk that Rob leads, we saw 2 kestrels hunting in the same area and
dive bombing each other. Just watching their skill and concentration when
hunting was addictive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the Visitors’ Centre this morning, we had a delivery of
goodies to top up our tombola and membership packs. Dennis and I set about
checking off the order and adding prizes to the tombola. And then as the
visitors gradually started to arrive we talked to them about the wonders of the
Mull of Galloway. It was an interesting time of year as most of the seabirds
had finished nesting for the season, left the cliffs and headed back out to
sea. However, there was still some shags and gannets around and we had also
been seeing quite a few grey seals. This combined with all the activity on the
heath meant that there was still plenty to talk about and enthuse the visitors. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> During my time on the Mull I had also been conducting a
mammal survey on the site and my walk this morning formed part of this. The
survey involved walking a transect on the reserve to look for mammals, but also
to look for signs of mammals such as tracks and droppings. I had also placed my
wildlife camera out on four nights previously, but it had not been a great
success. The weather had been quite wild and one set of footage was of the camera
strap blowing in front of the lens, another was of vertical rain, another was
just a white screen as the camera was placed too close to the ground. I did
however have one successful evening and got some footage of a brown hare and a
roe deer. It was not quite the badger footage I was hoping for but I was still
pleased to get some successful images after subsequent nights of trying. As
part of my survey, Rob had agreed that I could use his small mammal traps to
see what small mammals I could find. I put these out today and on checking
found a lovely little field vole happily munching away on some apple that I had
put in the traps. After a couple of photos to confirm the identification, I
released the vole back to his home in the wild. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back in the Visitors Centre, David had spotted a male and
female grey seal on the live camera. They were merrily swimming around in the
cave below the foghorn. As it was my last day and we didn’t have too many
visitors around I asked David if it was okay to go down and to try and
photograph them. It was probably the sunniest day I had spent on the Mull and
so it was great to be out in the fresh air. When I arrived at the foghorn I
could hear the seals calling to each other but couldn’t actually see them –
they were just tucked too far back in the cave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I spent a few moments enjoying my last view of the sun
sparkling off the sea. I was just about to head back up to the Visitors Centre
when I couldn’t believe my luck – heading around the headland I saw the dorsal
fins of 3 or 4 dolphins. I was absolutely stunned and tried to stay calm as I quickly
snapped some photos and took a short video before the dolphins headed off back
out to sea. Back at the Centre David and I got out some identification guides
and with the help of the slow and creaking internet, identified the dolphins as
Risso’s dolphins. This was not only a first for the reserve this year but also
a first ever sighting for me…what a way to end my time volunteering on the Mull
of Galloway!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As the day came to an end I spent a few moments outside
reminiscing over my time on the Mull. I had made new friends and met lots of
lovely visitors from very close to my home and as far away as Devon and Orkney.
I had enjoyed wonderful walks on the cliffs and had time every day to spend a
few quiet moments bird or mammal watching. I had not just worked indoors in the
Centre, I had spent time in the walled garden with Dennis, dismantling
scarecrows and moving weeds. I also had some fun and went around the lighthouse
exhibition and up the tower. It really was a fantastic two weeks and anyone who
was hesitating about volunteering for the RSPB, I would recommend to just go
for it and try it. The memories of my time there <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>will
stay with me forever.</span><br />
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beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-82237823395978135982017-07-29T09:44:00.002-07:002017-07-29T09:48:14.589-07:00Wild and Rural Romania and Bulgaria<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Travelling through the rural roads in Romania and Bulgaria
for the past 2 weeks has given me a real chance to see some of the spectacular
wildlife that is found here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I spent an afternoon by the river near to Centre Sac in
Romania and I just sat there for a few hours – a rare treat for me. I saw two species
of Demoiselle, a golden ringed dragonfly, and a green dragonfly that I could
not identify. I watched shoals of small fish in the shallows and grey and pied
wagtails flit between the banks of the river. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a similar river, further to the east I spotted 2 toads
and a blue darter and again many more demoiselles. It is great just to spend
some time sitting and watching the wildlife without having a subconscious
restraint of having to be somewhere. I could just sit and watch and wander up
and down the river until I had had enough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most days whilst riding my bike I have startled Buzzards at
very close range and they have taken off and flown in front of me for a while.
I have spotted many jays flying between the trees across the roads. The storks
are amazing, with their magnificent nests that they build at the top of
electricity pylons. They can be seen in almost every small town we pass through.
All of the storks that we have seen have been white except for one that we
startled by the river which was black – quite unusual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other magnificent sight is the brightly coloured bee
hives and bee trucks that adorn the sides of the roads. I am guessing that the
trucks are strategically placed near to a good nectar source that can add
flavour to honey. There are many stalls selling jars of delicious natural honey
or Med and I ended up getting my honey in Bulgaria. The beekeeping in Bulgaria
appears very similar to that of Romania. It is something I would like to
research more in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other interesting industry is that of logging. Riding on
logging roads and forest trails means we have been exposed to many different
methods and stages of development of the industry. In both Romania and Bulgaria
we have come across one or two men working with chainsaws and 1 or 2 horses
that are used with a harness to pull the logs to where they want them. They then
seem to cut them up into smaller chunks from that location to then be moved on
again. One of the banks I saw a horse being riding up was practically vertical
and the horse was also being ridden by a teenage boy. It seems in some smaller
areas that traditional methods are used together with a mix of modern machinery
and advanced methods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a much bigger scale we have come across other forestry
workers with chainsaws, but they also have tractors with chains on the wheels and
large trucks that transport huge loads of logs. The workers are always very
friendly wave and smile as you pass by. Again, this is another industry that I
would like to research further and learn more about. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other tradiational method of farming in Romania and Bulgaria is shepherds moving their flocks. This is normally sheep but can also be goats. High in the mountains where we met shepherds and their flocks we were constantly chased by their dogs.But they were just doing their job and when we stopped for a chat or to share some food we always found them very friendly.</span><br />
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beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-18805390857810319302017-02-12T14:13:00.000-08:002017-12-24T00:51:51.764-08:00Fantastic Feathers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've been collecting feathers for quite a number of years now and having just sorted my collection out, I'm quite surprised by how many I have. Some may think this is a rather <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">odd</span> hobby and I have had some strange looks when I go to pull something out of my pocket and out comes a bundle of feathers. But for me there is something enticing about a feather. Any feather found comes with an abundance of curiosity...<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">W</span>hat bird is it off? <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">H</span>ow did it get there? <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">W</span>as there a predator involved? <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I</span>s it a flight feather<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, contour feather </span>or<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is it do<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">wn</span>y</span>? <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">H</span>ave I got one of that species already?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I pick up the feather and it gets added to the collection and here are just some of my treasures<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQrUejpQgyIC9iRX5sWwUs0u-HwArPX1JEojVkt3QU59FkZKKW4kU9ITkUU0JSrwgxAVxbs2KR0oDAXiFbryWGvpIKiEYfXHwYaQhNZk3ke52OdXxtvwm12yamA9eelACgfWE_X7PoYE/s1600/P1120829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQrUejpQgyIC9iRX5sWwUs0u-HwArPX1JEojVkt3QU59FkZKKW4kU9ITkUU0JSrwgxAVxbs2KR0oDAXiFbryWGvpIKiEYfXHwYaQhNZk3ke52OdXxtvwm12yamA9eelACgfWE_X7PoYE/s320/P1120829.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Buzzar<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JQjSU4lwcBXFLBvsPh4fWPe1b1jMcs0ieJrmjKMH7vCNj0OhlTrclKUaEgkdO7wOsGx9bPi3PQL9YwOgEWL5ty9W9fKxOTcyCU404dtc_TBlKyxkjgZ9Mhaaqikr4b85ZxN2o2Q_ZU8/s1600/P1120858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JQjSU4lwcBXFLBvsPh4fWPe1b1jMcs0ieJrmjKMH7vCNj0OhlTrclKUaEgkdO7wOsGx9bPi3PQL9YwOgEWL5ty9W9fKxOTcyCU404dtc_TBlKyxkjgZ9Mhaaqikr4b85ZxN2o2Q_ZU8/s320/P1120858.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Buzzard</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have two buzzard wing feathers<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, one off ea<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ch wing and each <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">measuring ap<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pr</span>o<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ximately 30cm.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> W<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hen <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you lie them out <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and imagine the wing span - its pretty imp<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ressive<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Its also hard t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o imagine that the feather<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s above are al<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">so off a buzzard as they are tiny in comparison but are much softer and downy and<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> most<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> li<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">kel<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ro</span></span>m the breast <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">area.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wh<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ere</span></span> I found one of <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">my b<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">uzzard </span>wing <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">feathers<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, some time la<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ter I found <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the remain<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of rab<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">bit fur and </span></span></span></span>a buzzard pelle<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">in the s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ame area</span></span>. I<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> have never seen the buzzard but <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ere is something that is almost more sati<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fyi<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ng about these l<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tle fin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ds than seeing the bird itself.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In a differ<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">en<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t woodland area I have a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lso found pell<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ts of a tawn<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">owl and then finally I <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">one day I also fou<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d so<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">me feathers. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUoOhEJc-W2UfFhJ8qS3nmaAl1OKLxDHrIGAMh8ic9N6vhWIe-1n2REPiyBTN0RAiXb0etwYI650wF5bL__vuqOhpUmrK3rYSBrIGQE4YxHBcHS9amR1Un8KjeELqNW4jBsONfvXeYQ4/s1600/P1120848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUoOhEJc-W2UfFhJ8qS3nmaAl1OKLxDHrIGAMh8ic9N6vhWIe-1n2REPiyBTN0RAiXb0etwYI650wF5bL__vuqOhpUmrK3rYSBrIGQE4YxHBcHS9amR1Un8KjeELqNW4jBsONfvXeYQ4/s320/P1120848.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tawny Owl</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu7MNlvlnWUrYblQEJEcFifjljzwhVBzw1pk2FJ9dVdk4PrkFxlzmlhhzQnqGAMsl7LfHXLXn64mP-eoKyFj0hFkkXQ-i9GiYjVFCDdBRMmRX_5zSITgsVXQk7HpwWy5z14UlrLy5DH0/s1600/P1120849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZu7MNlvlnWUrYblQEJEcFifjljzwhVBzw1pk2FJ9dVdk4PrkFxlzmlhhzQnqGAMsl7LfHXLXn64mP-eoKyFj0hFkkXQ-i9GiYjVFCDdBRMmRX_5zSITgsVXQk7HpwWy5z14UlrLy5DH0/s320/P1120849.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tawny Owl</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been lucky enough<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> to <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">spot a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> snow<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y owl in<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the Cairngorms, Soctland in <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the winter o<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f 2013</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">if I ever find a s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nowy owl feather I will be pretty made up! However<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, for now I<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> will settle for my </span></span></span></span></span>Barn <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">O</span>wl feather<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s of which I have a few. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I of<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ten spot <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Barn Owls in winter but I have yet to find some pell<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ets!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIx_xtce7_dp6YwU2PZ3ZtrA70GLHMzS5z3MKkH5_Oq-V3eydCk0Jem_vvlKTu6TvwyrCm6m8-WWHyENrSTt-MtwyUrRDy5sJ1hbnMVYlvKVOFQYXSdIMBV6_48c-Tknhg6Lr_O-fu8g/s1600/P1120846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIx_xtce7_dp6YwU2PZ3ZtrA70GLHMzS5z3MKkH5_Oq-V3eydCk0Jem_vvlKTu6TvwyrCm6m8-WWHyENrSTt-MtwyUrRDy5sJ1hbnMVYlvKVOFQYXSdIMBV6_48c-Tknhg6Lr_O-fu8g/s320/P1120846.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Barn Owl</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">favourites in my c<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ollection are my woodpec<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ker<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and Jay feather, simply<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> for the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">complexity of the colouration and design<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The spots on a woodpecker feather are similar delightful and the blue stripes <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">on one of my Jay feathers are tiny.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VE1j3Y2mmjFccQ87qBe-SjlMOG8jK5WDnFenkVkHOKJkbiHRTkXd8-3mMDJiEH_NbC8gIbORkKdYJLVqlmhCmxhlDR5d2zlBoKvcbyEuVKu-PLeglyTBHLYtYwJrSkRYFZ7kMaQKQ0w/s1600/P1120840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7VE1j3Y2mmjFccQ87qBe-SjlMOG8jK5WDnFenkVkHOKJkbiHRTkXd8-3mMDJiEH_NbC8gIbORkKdYJLVqlmhCmxhlDR5d2zlBoKvcbyEuVKu-PLeglyTBHLYtYwJrSkRYFZ7kMaQKQ0w/s320/P1120840.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greater Spo<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tted Woodpecker</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ja<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4-4BESpT3kWF_rjB0DpR6vvclF2KS02WwKztlHBHwJz_j1bVGjVoJgJ8ek9AsswTCAWBXOckc4T6xRIC4I6Bh7TsPkgH8V5IYgjQD3G_2jnBE1GJ8K9LcoZtyJWo55Od3jtDBRdxBvk/s1600/P1120864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4-4BESpT3kWF_rjB0DpR6vvclF2KS02WwKztlHBHwJz_j1bVGjVoJgJ8ek9AsswTCAWBXOckc4T6xRIC4I6Bh7TsPkgH8V5IYgjQD3G_2jnBE1GJ8K9LcoZtyJWo55Od3jtDBRdxBvk/s320/P1120864.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Magpie</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">have mag<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pie feathers and what <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">at first looks like a plain b<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lack and white feather actually has a lovely <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rr<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">idescent sheen of blue when held to the l<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ight<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRQcnhw26WFfWozb-ViuSZnZOsr6TiTjJTyHPDyWhVsYC6fla-t5_r7f0HU9tS6RgAryN77TOodJl5Lwd0wIpnEDkKQK_CHdl0NJd82rsxPo-W3IXnhfzTjWnKiBPEAOzL0u6_Tp374w/s1600/P1120860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRQcnhw26WFfWozb-ViuSZnZOsr6TiTjJTyHPDyWhVsYC6fla-t5_r7f0HU9tS6RgAryN77TOodJl5Lwd0wIpnEDkKQK_CHdl0NJd82rsxPo-W3IXnhfzTjWnKiBPEAOzL0u6_Tp374w/s320/P1120860.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A favourite find of mine is my heron feather, simpl<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y beca<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">use <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of the "fluffy<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> but spiky<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">" feel to <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t. I<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t is also a fa<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">vourite<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> because I am not 100% sure it is a heron <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">but it was found <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by the river where I oft<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">en see one and it is the correct colour and desi<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">gn...if that is the rig<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ht </span>word!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizULF5kdL6RHOSCPTMK253BYaM3usx4vGRSCJyReFFwp0P3UsAr4Msx565HBqvxbCu2D37b2_QwjKEunQlzbTrq9jJqlZ_xvXFwOTM1U9AaVBrAkGjmD-xYTIW2dVMuzIsPpLRA6wpoq8/s1600/P1120855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizULF5kdL6RHOSCPTMK253BYaM3usx4vGRSCJyReFFwp0P3UsAr4Msx565HBqvxbCu2D37b2_QwjKEunQlzbTrq9jJqlZ_xvXFwOTM1U9AaVBrAkGjmD-xYTIW2dVMuzIsPpLRA6wpoq8/s320/P1120855.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mallard duck</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKUMdqp7ks48fH5rnRf7zmknNwWb627FfBtsabXNXJ1HLyQGs3mM2EXBVAeeHTyTLcMVBjfhA-bq9VjfARucFD2o6TOPHXjsjzl2PFiWtRjbTEPAhfmm4cxREvgRpYq4Oi2J0bHFHWq8/s1600/P1120873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKUMdqp7ks48fH5rnRf7zmknNwWb627FfBtsabXNXJ1HLyQGs3mM2EXBVAeeHTyTLcMVBjfhA-bq9VjfARucFD2o6TOPHXjsjzl2PFiWtRjbTEPAhfmm4cxREvgRpYq4Oi2J0bHFHWq8/s320/P1120873.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mallard Duck Tail Feather</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another lovely feather has to be my tail feather off a mallard duck. I found this one near to where ducks often sat and I love it. It's a beautiful shiny feather and the curl on the tip is jsut brilliant.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also have a large number of pheasant feathers, in fact they are the ones that always seem to be in my coat pockets and I had to get rid of some as they are just everywhere and I just can't seem to help picking them up. The variety of the design and colour is just fascinating. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipURmBPArUKrITl6etTwzb0ReRb5PcsHDT27hFYtPod-qEPqdHLZhdJ774oEUl0qT1bL-71WDMT1Llrm9y8QRwgD7CJ5ad8DaG1Wazu6Em_rURal5z3oh1uESoGxlDGX-1JBjNlak32as/s1600/P1120871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipURmBPArUKrITl6etTwzb0ReRb5PcsHDT27hFYtPod-qEPqdHLZhdJ774oEUl0qT1bL-71WDMT1Llrm9y8QRwgD7CJ5ad8DaG1Wazu6Em_rURal5z3oh1uESoGxlDGX-1JBjNlak32as/s320/P1120871.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pheasant</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDGvGo7Oq43_pqIvv2uN6aAM-0Ri47u0cGSf2cpbXeFRarXUZitCPm6yW9UstBACRfm1uQQfKF0kTz1H56Xq3Qh3u8wrXeX9IDHIOrNFtsEA05er1-2GaV-oESjYlyq3um3KvRGu-BqBM/s1600/P1120872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDGvGo7Oq43_pqIvv2uN6aAM-0Ri47u0cGSf2cpbXeFRarXUZitCPm6yW9UstBACRfm1uQQfKF0kTz1H56Xq3Qh3u8wrXeX9IDHIOrNFtsEA05er1-2GaV-oESjYlyq3um3KvRGu-BqBM/s320/P1120872.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pheasant</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have also been lucky enough to find a number of feathers in the uplands and most of these look like they have been left behind after a predator attack. Although one that has me stumped is the little cluster of golden breast feathers that I found on upland heath and I am not totally sure what they are from and if they are predator or prey. Whatever they are from the golden colour is beautiful. I have also found the odd small feather and a cluster of tiny black and white feathers which were definitely from a predated bird.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhd-JSrmk4RmADOIPoAwUUWCXDdhb2cMPKSz8wFI5pGnJrjsE_vQbPvGxxu31jn415VfzNZbQV6w_4EUsZ9TKFnBCVH0UBqjNmZbRgK9i6K3f0LInE86elPxbgN3cw9XuZTaL3eR3LyM/s1600/P1120850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhd-JSrmk4RmADOIPoAwUUWCXDdhb2cMPKSz8wFI5pGnJrjsE_vQbPvGxxu31jn415VfzNZbQV6w_4EUsZ9TKFnBCVH0UBqjNmZbRgK9i6K3f0LInE86elPxbgN3cw9XuZTaL3eR3LyM/s320/P1120850.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Feather cluster from an unknown upland bird</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdzNYNDXWQolV-1sog0IX-NoiasmGd2vYjmVRdsndCodEJqa6-Yj2_-hVb_UZvge2OtXFo4gLqsB9Ya0mbUdEpuoec7sIGa_TTNSogEelf8Q0eXHlggKcP0RQpoZSCrO9obIIJuF-XTY/s1600/P1120863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdzNYNDXWQolV-1sog0IX-NoiasmGd2vYjmVRdsndCodEJqa6-Yj2_-hVb_UZvge2OtXFo4gLqsB9Ya0mbUdEpuoec7sIGa_TTNSogEelf8Q0eXHlggKcP0RQpoZSCrO9obIIJuF-XTY/s320/P1120863.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL70zmn9D0MlkPEe9urgYdiMforsxJXbI3_93JYU5uNpwsqDP7ARyNd3bah8ws3S3tRSCUWG7wsKI2vql9nEAVhM8uBIKR8R_5XVPwjD2YKQBOeh5dXF_pm6DLZZkflY6EkvBdVYEddns/s1600/P1120861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL70zmn9D0MlkPEe9urgYdiMforsxJXbI3_93JYU5uNpwsqDP7ARyNd3bah8ws3S3tRSCUWG7wsKI2vql9nEAVhM8uBIKR8R_5XVPwjD2YKQBOeh5dXF_pm6DLZZkflY6EkvBdVYEddns/s320/P1120861.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Group of feathers left behind by a predator</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My walks on the beach and cliff tops have also resulted in a number of gull feathers, the black headed gull feather could easily be mistaken for magpie </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCaB9gnrH00jQ_DxamkZhKjWA0Bpd88kEfgawprjqudAzH_voJ1-6z-7y67F3bSXbdWWOF5gwTLWS4RpEj0oDDf71VFK6ml-GD959ZM-EVf5hN9jxXawb_6lTEYyT6cnef4WiUDNXO70/s1600/P1120867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCaB9gnrH00jQ_DxamkZhKjWA0Bpd88kEfgawprjqudAzH_voJ1-6z-7y67F3bSXbdWWOF5gwTLWS4RpEj0oDDf71VFK6ml-GD959ZM-EVf5hN9jxXawb_6lTEYyT6cnef4WiUDNXO70/s320/P1120867.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Typical Gull feathers</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKQf8fCBNnzKT6ReK328-cc0YsW2oEEB50MI-2-Kzt-zN3aXd-3O-N93BMCwr4NDYcwL_KnSCn6n-wtQrfC6S8i2M0Jx4K6L9p8cDcJn8IJDEsLoXrto0baNg6Ibpd3gp3_Z6DpoXfwk/s1600/P1120865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKQf8fCBNnzKT6ReK328-cc0YsW2oEEB50MI-2-Kzt-zN3aXd-3O-N93BMCwr4NDYcwL_KnSCn6n-wtQrfC6S8i2M0Jx4K6L9p8cDcJn8IJDEsLoXrto0baNg6Ibpd3gp3_Z6DpoXfwk/s320/P1120865.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Black Headed Gull</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And to finish I also have some rather colorful red and green feathers from my friends Blue Fronted Amazon, not commonly found in the UK!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurnWpxNZR7YcOzHWZM09VgUyi914BqXVyAtP7zGJJgLvvXXUGULF11ZpoTyR7MkonoS_CzSNBXTxMKnTzjeB_KramFtcwrtTY6420Ky5eEVyvT5C2hyHID791bflynZNjAf_l6-bRox4/s1600/P1120876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurnWpxNZR7YcOzHWZM09VgUyi914BqXVyAtP7zGJJgLvvXXUGULF11ZpoTyR7MkonoS_CzSNBXTxMKnTzjeB_KramFtcwrtTY6420Ky5eEVyvT5C2hyHID791bflynZNjAf_l6-bRox4/s320/P1120876.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blue Fronted Amazon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And so to finish all I can say is feather collecting is great fun and once you start looking you will see them everywhere. It is great fun but be warned it is very addictive and don't forget every feather has a story to tell...</span><br />
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beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-90763593172744047512017-01-21T12:33:00.004-08:002017-01-21T12:37:22.186-08:00The Natural History Museum and Kew Gardens<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What a great way to spend a Birthday...at the Natural History Museum and Kew Gardens. We left the snow capped mou<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ntains of </span>Cumbria on a sunn<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ay and it seemed a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> bit odd t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o be heading to the cit<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y,<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> as we are country folk</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> who love being outside<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span> However, no need to worry <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a fantastic weekend <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">spending my <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">time</span> looking at<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> natural history delights...</span></span>my B<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">irthday treat from my partner Steve.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First stop was the Natural History Museum and whilst everybody else s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ems to head for the din<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">saurs, </span></span></span></span>the first thing I did <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">was <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">go and</span></span> stand <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nex<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t to</span></span> my hero Charles Darwin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We basically spent the day getting lost around the museum and admiring as many as possible of the 80,000 species that are housed here. Even if they were all on display, you could spend a week here and probably not see them all. There are amazing examples of taxidermy and very well preserved mammals and birds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other fascinating thing is not only the amount of fossils but also the size of some of them as displayed below...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Upstairs there is a fantastic display that takes you through geological time, looking at how life has evolved and diversified. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We spent an hour or so in the cocoon which is highly recommended, lots to see here and plenty of information on current research being carried out by the Natural History Museum scientists. I could have stayed there all day looking at the exhibits. It was also quite quiet and calming compared to the dinosaur area!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had booked for us to go on a Behind the Scenes tour, basically looking at pickled specimens! Our tour guide was a lovely Australian lady who told us a bit about the history of the museum itself, which was built for its purpose which is reflected in the intricate stone carvings of animals and plants all over the interior and exterior walls. We then had a look at a few specimens before heading down into the area where the general public are not generally allowed<br />.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is row upon row of specimens and we spent most of our time looking at fish and marine species. The largest specimen being the giant squid. It was also a privilege to see close up some of the specimens that were brought back by Charles Darwin himself on the Beagle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another highlight of the day was to stand next to a Coelacanth, thought to be extinct but recently rediscovered. Okay maybe not a highlight for everyone but it was for me, having studied the ceolacanth as part of my degree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So that is just a brief snippet of a whole day at the Natural Histroy Museum, after which we were exhausted and ready for a rest before heading off to Kew Gardens...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first thing that struck me at Kew was depsite being winter, the amount of colour on display. Kew is great to visit any time of year as it has many glasshouses kept in appropriate conditions to house the species that live there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me the water lillies and carnivorous plants were a favourite.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There were some large species on display. And some relatives of the sundew that I recognised.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However the cacti and succulents were also hard to beat! I loved the little pebble shaped ones and the big barrel ones!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally we had a wander around outside before heading off. For me what a great way to spend a weekend just absorbing yourself in the vast diversity of species that we have on this planet!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are thinking of visiting have a look at:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Natural History Museum</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kew.org/" target="_blank">Kew Gardens</a></span><br />
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<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-79934087871095247052016-09-08T23:48:00.002-07:002016-09-08T23:49:23.659-07:00Thatching Workshop with Solway Wetlands Landscape Partnership Scheme<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> couple of months ag<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o I attended</span></span></span> a workshop organised by the Solway Wetlands Partnership Scheme. I spent a day with some great people and the master thatcher William from Scarborough learning how to thatch a roof with heather. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At Campfield Marsh RSPB reserve Chris Spencer, an expert earth builder called Alex, some willing volunteers and some small children have been very busy building a clay dabbin vernacular style building that were once found on the Solway plains. Eventually the plan is to thatch the building with heather.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Clay bricks</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjJoMPJgUo2Ifotn1BGP7AP-TlMhyphenhyphen06qqROY1kLBQ3THrH6UtdVX-vGF3ZNgxYWtpeA8y_TYBGgO2iFaSmg_NQ7IHD6LLSmDBSptPLGoekQVykgnAm5LhsGxkYMMeWVmYK8uNPt_d1fU/s1600/P1110226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjJoMPJgUo2Ifotn1BGP7AP-TlMhyphenhyphen06qqROY1kLBQ3THrH6UtdVX-vGF3ZNgxYWtpeA8y_TYBGgO2iFaSmg_NQ7IHD6LLSmDBSptPLGoekQVykgnAm5LhsGxkYMMeWVmYK8uNPt_d1fU/s320/P1110226.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chris very proudly showing us his clay dabbin building</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chris had built an A frame that we were thatching, this made life much simpler and meant that we could learn to thatch without having to work at great height!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The materials used are pretty basic and not expensive, the first layer is turf which is laid on the frame grass side down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The main material of course is heather which was harvested off the North York Moors and it only cost £15 a bale - bargain! We also used some hazel sways to hold the thatch in place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">William showed us how to tease the heather out of the bale and to arrange it into a bundle so that you ended up with the leaves at one end and the stalks at the other - or so that was the theory! The bundles were tied with twine and then we start on the bottom left corner to place them on the turf. A sway was stapled on using a screw and some wire - the unorganic material. We then hammered in stapples or spars with William's fantastic home made mallet to hold the heather in place. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And soon we had the first row finished and then it was just a case of adding more and more rows...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As the thatch got higher so did we, having to use a ladder to put our heather bundles in place. We then made a big roll or heather sausage to lay across the top a bit like a ridge pole!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The building has been continuing at Campfield Marsh and since my day thatching there has been Clay fest and the dabbin build is coming along nicely and is now almost finished. If you want to have a look for your self head down to RSPB Campfield Marsh and take a look at the amazing structure built by many willing workers!</span><br />
<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-30932889072511172142016-09-08T14:24:00.002-07:002016-09-08T14:41:19.744-07:00The Farne Islands<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6LwJwFvNU5xtROmr4mgXMpjKj_XotdkdeM1JW2c8rYpkmH1kV7ErNnLQZdvhyBfA4tcUIYHbPtjs6-rrz8GXL9oi7TaiaUrsqaBcFzB-D6u6DvFMr9BPR5FBnlxdwoOeFUfzB49auiI/s1600/P1110138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju6LwJwFvNU5xtROmr4mgXMpjKj_XotdkdeM1JW2c8rYpkmH1kV7ErNnLQZdvhyBfA4tcUIYHbPtjs6-rrz8GXL9oi7TaiaUrsqaBcFzB-D6u6DvFMr9BPR5FBnlxdwoOeFUfzB49auiI/s1600/P1110138.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t ha<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s been far too long since I have writt<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">en my blog. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">S<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o to get going again here are some photos from a fa<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ntast<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ic day tri<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">p I ha<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>out to the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Farne Islands <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">earlier this summer </span>to see <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">two of my favourites, p<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">uffins and seals<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...along with a <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">whole lot of ot<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">her bird <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">species<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. The Farne Island<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">boast a large seabird colony with <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">23 different species to be seen alo<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ng with <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">an abundance of grey seals. Th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Farnes are a clus<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ter of Islands o<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ff the Northumberland coast an<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d easily accessed by boat from Sea<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">houses. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bel<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ow are just some of the highlights of a great way to spend a day <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">surrounded by</span> wildlife!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxILuJ3xlMhQ5bGfCctnPdJe-QQ3ZBdEkarO-mzq8I4xBT_EVpEq-vEDZ5tq9cspIctsg0UFWNdwcdqvVf2HBxIX5cVApF9XhcSe7AqVPgZqxroy0lGUSw3ICiwfFbgKka2W97uNpqsw/s1600/P1100985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxILuJ3xlMhQ5bGfCctnPdJe-QQ3ZBdEkarO-mzq8I4xBT_EVpEq-vEDZ5tq9cspIctsg0UFWNdwcdqvVf2HBxIX5cVApF9XhcSe7AqVPgZqxroy0lGUSw3ICiwfFbgKka2W97uNpqsw/s1600/P1100985.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grey Seals</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been scuba divin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">g off the Farne Islands a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> number of times and loved it every time. The seals are plentiful and playful. I have had <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">many a wonderful encounter with <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">inquisi<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tive sea<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ls nibbling my fins. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">experienced se<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">als <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">close enough t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o touch</span></span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">looking <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">straight</span> at <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">me</span> their big brown <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eyes. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">call them underw<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ater labr<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ado<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rs and I feel very <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lucky to have been <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">accepted into their habitat</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. However, I have <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">always been in the wa<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ter m<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ar<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">velling at the amazing underwater world and so it was time to actually land on the islands.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Young Seal basking in the sun</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There
are a number of boat companies that run trips out to the Farne Islands
and you can choose to visit Inner Farne, Staple Island or both (during
the summer season). I went out with <a href="http://farneislandstours.co.uk/" target="_blank">Serenity boat tours </a>who were very helpful and knowledgeable and I would recommend booking in advance as they do get booked u<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">p.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we approached the Farne<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s we cruised around the cl<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">iffs geting a closer lo<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ok at all the bird life. The most domina<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nt</span> species<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> being the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">G</span>uillemot, <i>Uria aalge. </i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The guillemots nest in huge colonies all aroun<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d the Islands.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-Yn8jJ7dlp40EmFAcU63hI7HFfyKoP0nHuEOk5B46QPxvA2FruJ6BxejTBEpikqRu3-4ky8nkDjWio75dyUtrEi_IXmQrlKkcvb7VgJUZTk3JPSNlI6Z9B6MWytMZj9T46pXHHe3kH4/s1600/P1110005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-Yn8jJ7dlp40EmFAcU63hI7HFfyKoP0nHuEOk5B46QPxvA2FruJ6BxejTBEpikqRu3-4ky8nkDjWio75dyUtrEi_IXmQrlKkcvb7VgJUZTk3JPSNlI6Z9B6MWytMZj9T46pXHHe3kH4/s320/P1110005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">G</span>uillemot, <i>Uria aalge</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZka3EgncSXKIw6NNIxpd3tjjX0Fqtnaw3KTkHgDHYh6j9HfSHUHYwd2u7dUn5UssNAmJO1271LV_Q1mQLEIyaNvfM0C8ggd6kwa_TMb3OltpAoxRJUf_43fqjIAKYaWaw4lhqzLzYPc/s1600/P1110011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijZka3EgncSXKIw6NNIxpd3tjjX0Fqtnaw3KTkHgDHYh6j9HfSHUHYwd2u7dUn5UssNAmJO1271LV_Q1mQLEIyaNvfM0C8ggd6kwa_TMb3OltpAoxRJUf_43fqjIAKYaWaw4lhqzLzYPc/s320/P1110011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">G</span>uillemot, <i>Uria aalge</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2k3i5HO70Z0Krym7RP4_iIyl-S8GQChX5mqm3wtezghSH4J0Jf_mrSjXiMcAM-s3ZnGlZUbvfeTYHtBtJOBXs0GTcViyHFljLbFFiyzpSpYddL1rHXXd4TDopoiidPkZ4jq3-I6hE3c4/s1600/P1110051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2k3i5HO70Z0Krym7RP4_iIyl-S8GQChX5mqm3wtezghSH4J0Jf_mrSjXiMcAM-s3ZnGlZUbvfeTYHtBtJOBXs0GTcViyHFljLbFFiyzpSpYddL1rHXXd4TDopoiidPkZ4jq3-I6hE3c4/s320/P1110051.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bird watcher's Paradise</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Af<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ter some <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">time sailing around the islands a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">dmiring bot<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">h the seals and t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he brids</span></span></span></span></span></span> it was time to land o<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I</span>nner <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">F</span>arne. I was excited about seeing the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Arctic Tern<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, <i>Sterna paradis</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>aea</i> </span></span></span>as I hav<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e not encountered them before. </span>As soon as we stepped off the boat and headed up the slipway we were greeted by arctic tern chicks looking very cute and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fluffy</span>. However, what comes with cute and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fluff</span>y chicks is very protective and con<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">scientious </span>parents. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGewSr1_Ib_xEfJKdfSmnHQdnnrlIfxeCuSzicC_Dmp7jbfcfflz2uS1a2s2VVv2mZ8bkCUV8hAHs2J6mVGPw6K3KAAZUVqHRlgWZjUOkFk7s51f-C6SkbnxvzEP31o6WO67i_iBTU5f4/s1600/P1110077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGewSr1_Ib_xEfJKdfSmnHQdnnrlIfxeCuSzicC_Dmp7jbfcfflz2uS1a2s2VVv2mZ8bkCUV8hAHs2J6mVGPw6K3KAAZUVqHRlgWZjUOkFk7s51f-C6SkbnxvzEP31o6WO67i_iBTU5f4/s320/P1110077.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Arctic tern chick</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUW1Oap5JEShHEjMwbCim-FboCWMjPI0E8h7cPpD-mtVYLHu1CA38ji8j6aHv0g-opv0x5snY7-mG1NkOo_q72wwnlWOr_kPvxihGQd8f-2tDtC5iDl5U7hQeryreluYFibekwAyLQqY/s1600/P1110188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUW1Oap5JEShHEjMwbCim-FboCWMjPI0E8h7cPpD-mtVYLHu1CA38ji8j6aHv0g-opv0x5snY7-mG1NkOo_q72wwnlWOr_kPvxihGQd8f-2tDtC5iDl5U7hQeryreluYFibekwAyLQqY/s320/P1110188.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Arctic Tern with Sand Eel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had been warned about the arctic terns and took the advice to wear a hat to avoid being hit on the head as the terns swooped down upon the intruders. It still didn't prepare me for the spectacle in front of me. The terns were everywhere swooping and dive bombing - protecting their young and bringing back food to their nests.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I felt a bit of an intruder and did ask the rangers if they thought we have an effect on the terns as they were wasting all this e<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nergy</span> on warning <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the</span> humans away. The rangers thought that the terns would behave in this way anyway as they spend all day protecting their young against other birds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I moved on up the boardwalk to enjoy what I had really come to see, the Puffins, <i>Fratercula arctica</i> and I was not disappointed. I have always wanted to get one of those classic photos of a puffin with sand eels in its beak. Now I'm not a great photographer and I have a pretty basic camera but I just wanted to photograph these adorable looking birds.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2w2S-qf9brWHXzzABueC6dwV348ObgNSXMMb51wzIV-RYoGc85wSNitxRxna2CDNX2hgk_bvQWLFdD4h3ULrN9WSWi46zwbgLeT1O3SjlJGqyALQ27XpIxLh0akh0FbMeTxc8lTwmCY/s1600/P1110138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2w2S-qf9brWHXzzABueC6dwV348ObgNSXMMb51wzIV-RYoGc85wSNitxRxna2CDNX2hgk_bvQWLFdD4h3ULrN9WSWi46zwbgLeT1O3SjlJGqyALQ27XpIxLh0akh0FbMeTxc8lTwmCY/s1600/P1110138.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Puffin showing off his catch of sand eels</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The rangers explained that the puffins stand with a beak full of sand eels to show the other puffins how amazing they are at catching eels. I am sure the ladies are impressed, I was! So I apologise but here are more than necessary photos of puffins, but I took a lot more! <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I</span>t is a wonderful way to spend an hour or two just observing birds, watching their behaviour and trying to capture this through a lens.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Puffin proudly showing off his catch</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other quite prolific bird on the islands is the Kittiwake, <i>Rissa tridactyla. </i>A lot of them still had chicks, gorgeous balls of fluff hunkering down on their nests to keep out of the wind. Some of the guillemots also had chicks and most were getting ready to fledge. I arrived mid July and it <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">was</span> getting close to the end of the breeding season. If you are planning a visit June and July are good months to go. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjD973mSmfzHSYihlmTdRoHsC5pcJqviW05wlhfdEvnEmyTRKYM2WhXUN5GNODxjJFh2GyA5n9vpFkbY84hJsvwvjlmjf67WaUjoHnxLJ5IQOjM-FEjruJ6mZj9ZNBfWmz36BiwQI614/s1600/P1110159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjD973mSmfzHSYihlmTdRoHsC5pcJqviW05wlhfdEvnEmyTRKYM2WhXUN5GNODxjJFh2GyA5n9vpFkbY84hJsvwvjlmjf67WaUjoHnxLJ5IQOjM-FEjruJ6mZj9ZNBfWmz36BiwQI614/s320/P1110159.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kittiwake with chick</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Guillemot, chick and Razorbill</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One other striking bird we saw quite a lot of was the Razorbill, <i>Alca torda</i> and how it got it's name is quite self explanatory, although it is also known as the bird in the dinner jacket. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVAZ33jZddoadTvJPcEXJTCpaLiJkX8dvz8qs2dZo36koHkbY87OK4N9DUUhf4NUqCtgvcmCOHFivM53q2EsuG3QAX0sr8Wvj0u_scXARkQhPzKenTSjk_2LhAEJJ2za26M4Y2v5nmEs/s1600/P1110169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVAZ33jZddoadTvJPcEXJTCpaLiJkX8dvz8qs2dZo36koHkbY87OK4N9DUUhf4NUqCtgvcmCOHFivM53q2EsuG3QAX0sr8Wvj0u_scXARkQhPzKenTSjk_2LhAEJJ2za26M4Y2v5nmEs/s320/P1110169.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Razorbill - showing off his bill!</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We also saw a number of shags, <i>Phalacrocorax aristoelis</i>, often confused with the Cormorant, <i>Phalacrocorax carbo</i>. The shag has a green sheen to its feathers and the cormorant is more blue and black. The shag's beak is also quite a vibrant orange and if you still can't tell them apart you are safe to say you saw a shag on Inner Farne as the cormorant does not nest there!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shag and fluffy chick</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shag</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I will leave you with another seal photo and I hope this has given you a taste of what there is to see out on the Farnes.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span>My little trip to the Farnes took me right back to when I visited the Galapagos Islands in 2009. It truly is a remarkable experience to see wildlife so close up and in its natural environment. Even if you are not an avid bird watcher you will enjoy a trip out to the Farnes. The other good time to visit is in October when the seal pups start to arrive and with it now being September I feel another visit coming on!!</span><br />
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<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-68467636235542764112015-12-30T05:11:00.001-08:002015-12-30T05:17:10.615-08:00The Big Moss Map Survey <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For my Birthday I couldn't think of a better way to spend my day than learning a bit more about Sphagnum moss and how important it is to <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">certain areas of our landscape</span>. So I got up early and headed down to Edale in the Peak District to spend a fantastic day with a bunch of other volunteers and some very knowledgeable moss nerds Joe and Tom from the <a href="http://www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/" target="_blank">Moors for Future Project. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A bit of background first...The Peak District was once home to an abundance of sphagnum moss and over many years ancient peatlands formed. However during the industrial revolution, the production of acid rain caused the land to become just too acidic for even these acid loving mosses and degradation of the land was the result<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Peat bogs <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">all over the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">country ha<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ve also<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> suffered <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">due to harvesting of the peat and drai<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nage of land<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, erosio<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n by<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the weather, grazing and competition f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rom</span> non-native p<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">la<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nts. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMnF5kMKnnQ1PKpoEtuHPjCoMt-ydQfBpuxxycVahLnS23z9ELFS2E-GStYPxeg5J44IkpbCRnohbuIKiugbAtJ5biaHmdO5cw1CrMcjsTM-Fiq7G9zAQraSEZw0jgOO7n22U51ETUkU/s1600/P1070708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMnF5kMKnnQ1PKpoEtuHPjCoMt-ydQfBpuxxycVahLnS23z9ELFS2E-GStYPxeg5J44IkpbCRnohbuIKiugbAtJ5biaHmdO5cw1CrMcjsTM-Fiq7G9zAQraSEZw0jgOO7n22U51ETUkU/s320/P1070708.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sphagnum capillifolium</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sphagnum moss <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is more intere<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sting th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">an you may think - honest<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the U<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">K</span> there are 34 different species of sphagnum moss<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and the<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y come in a variety of leaf<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">shapes and the</span></span> colours are pretty a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mazing too - <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ranging f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ro</span>m brigh<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t red to bright green. In the Peak Distr<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ict there <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">have been about 15 of these <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">speci<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">es recorded. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n my local area, the La<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ke District we are lucky enough to have quite an abu<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ndance of sphagnu<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">m moss.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuUgTBZYpxPkzAJrmoGSqd3HbsfTh3iZSscIGHgPtjXLqcgMrMJDI-NPjmSjZDRbM2hppySnaURjJiGNc73UzhiUT55PVodNy5ZxV8eWXBMLYaVHNYp2Ic_oE83R3_6yoNZK7EIfZaVI/s1600/P1090944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuUgTBZYpxPkzAJrmoGSqd3HbsfTh3iZSscIGHgPtjXLqcgMrMJDI-NPjmSjZDRbM2hppySnaURjJiGNc73UzhiUT55PVodNy5ZxV8eWXBMLYaVHNYp2Ic_oE83R3_6yoNZK7EIfZaVI/s320/P1090944.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sphagnum moss</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6uNu-0-IVpsfbqtNAj42Sok0N1j-pCaJ3o34DGRhThZerpiadwFBL1_HT8_6zVDGbi_DV8xEYLHXXCpDZYMliBd7mD9_ftWHqCEMnzE9HZTYCioBVa6fR1T6glOM894sqn3OSB45aEY/s1600/P1090983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6uNu-0-IVpsfbqtNAj42Sok0N1j-pCaJ3o34DGRhThZerpiadwFBL1_HT8_6zVDGbi_DV8xEYLHXXCpDZYMliBd7mD9_ftWHqCEMnzE9HZTYCioBVa6fR1T6glOM894sqn3OSB45aEY/s320/P1090983.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Polytrichum commune pictured on the right here - often confused with sphagnum moss</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So why is Sphagnum Moss so import<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ant?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sphagnum moss plays a major part in the fomation of peat<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, whi<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ch takes many years to form. In w<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">aterlogged conditions, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">decompos<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ition of p<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lant material is extremely s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">low or non existent. Waterlogged areas <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">become anoxic<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> - that is lacking in oxygen and so</span></span> the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">decomposing bacter<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ia cann<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ot survive<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">S</span>phagnum moss <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">grows f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rom the top <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">does not possess <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">roots<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and as <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the bottom of the p<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lant dies <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- it <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">goes through <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">this</span> slow <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">decompos<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ition process<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> until</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> it eventually forms peat along with other organic plant material.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why is <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">P</span>eat so <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I</span>mport<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ant?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Peat could be described as a carbon store and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> h<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">istorical record of e<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nvironmental conditions over the years. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The organic material that forms peat <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">made of carbon and this carbon is essentially <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">gets locked up in the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">peat store. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Climate Change and Sphagnum Moss</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With ever increasing temperatures <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">phagnum moss could be<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">com<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e more t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hreate<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ned. Sphagnum moss can hold about 20 ti<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mes its own weight in water and<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">over 15 degre<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">es C it begins to degrade.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">S</span>urvey S<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">phagnum Moss?</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Moors for the Future Project have been been working hard to rest<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ore the sp<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hagnum moss to<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the blanket bog peatlands of the Peak District <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to try and protect the peat. They <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">now want <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the general public to help to see if this has been successful. More informati<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">on on how to do this can be found on the </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/" target="_blank">Moors for Future Project<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> website</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The basics of the survey</b> is to find a path by using the website and a starting point to survey from. Record your start point and off you go. You need to survey up to 2 metres either side of the path. You measure the size of a patch found in 25 cm segments and write down the grid reference of where you found it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You need to specify the growth form : Hummock, carpet or wet hollow and then specify the habitat it is found in:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bog, heath, grassland, flush or woodland. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A photograph of the patch is handy to show the area it is found in and then a close up to help with species identification.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How do you identify Sphagnum Moss?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sphagnum moss is often co<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nfused with<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Polytrichum moss<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (pic<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tured above), </span></span>which is anothe<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">r c<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ommon typ<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e of moss found in both the lowlands and the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">up<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lands.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">distinguishing f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eature that is very useful </span></span>in identifying sphagnum moss i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s that it <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">has a cap<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">itulum at the top of the central stem<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. Identifying the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ndividual <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">species gets a little more complicat<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ed<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">! There are some good identi<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ication guides ou<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t there<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> but its best to use a hand lens and a good guide<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> to en<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sure you get your identifaction correct. For the big moss map s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">urvey - the<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> main thing is fin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">di<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ng the clumps of spha<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">gnum and then tr<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ying to identify the individual sp<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ecies.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjyDZdK1_USwsUdFiNmpQNn54US7bCFvbKP2zm_dHfIvKYveja1TfOQqMwm5FsCMq5iypwP9t4XkEfMzG5Jip8FJLB6PaSDxi9-r9ioGN2Bf2OKC6ngSEIbMRHwDjtL1koGqzB4o5t60/s1600/P1090940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjyDZdK1_USwsUdFiNmpQNn54US7bCFvbKP2zm_dHfIvKYveja1TfOQqMwm5FsCMq5iypwP9t4XkEfMzG5Jip8FJLB6PaSDxi9-r9ioGN2Bf2OKC6ngSEIbMRHwDjtL1koGqzB4o5t60/s320/P1090940.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sphagnum moss</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkU4Dc6XlI-732vuIlvv9luKxmk2K3eMRnJusUF1HGs_vo6d5mG0J-6c59MIB_-2yi9B4zc-RMfRQdAHEE2bsWAqh-2rI5A6muob0owiCC_ShoSLzCYy81dfoZdMVeijxQkYdXl_9LP1c/s1600/P1100006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkU4Dc6XlI-732vuIlvv9luKxmk2K3eMRnJusUF1HGs_vo6d5mG0J-6c59MIB_-2yi9B4zc-RMfRQdAHEE2bsWAqh-2rI5A6muob0owiCC_ShoSLzCYy81dfoZdMVeijxQkYdXl_9LP1c/s320/P1100006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feather moss - has no capitullum like Sphagnum moss</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQbNsZJsgV0ktg2UjgMiDmf_L47QCQRNIxI4dZy3H9bqWFE_dNf9e-Lyg13DQcxpT93_L95XX6dkRuHODHztury6c8xoBvOopl4Tx50YrZsEabgkwafierGBQBcEKssnDWozHZFJ3lK4/s1600/P1100003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQbNsZJsgV0ktg2UjgMiDmf_L47QCQRNIxI4dZy3H9bqWFE_dNf9e-Lyg13DQcxpT93_L95XX6dkRuHODHztury6c8xoBvOopl4Tx50YrZsEabgkwafierGBQBcEKssnDWozHZFJ3lK4/s320/P1100003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Common feather moss - no capitulum</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some of the most common sphagnum moss species include <i>S<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">phagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">en<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t</span>iculatum, Sphagnum pap<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">illosum and Sphagnum pallustre<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And some of th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e best guides to identify these with are the Field Stud<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">es Council Gu<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ide <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">or have a look at the<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <a href="http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/bbs.htm" target="_blank">British Bryological </a>Soci<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ety website and there are also some good books around<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's a couple of my favourit<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e book<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s and guides</span></span>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5bbymsC_dL-UqHi_uN3GvYOtpj79-GnfhsS8Aowq4oYDfWHC1w1I0p2R6yjgRBDf77hTmUpeBq4NmVBdS_0p3FskowA-7tnplFzhbb1d-FBvful3Cy9FBxrYLeQUwUsgO545pqfmB4k/s1600/P1100023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5bbymsC_dL-UqHi_uN3GvYOtpj79-GnfhsS8Aowq4oYDfWHC1w1I0p2R6yjgRBDf77hTmUpeBq4NmVBdS_0p3FskowA-7tnplFzhbb1d-FBvful3Cy9FBxrYLeQUwUsgO545pqfmB4k/s320/P1100023.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The great thing about sph<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">agnum moss or in fact any species of moss is th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">at it doesn't <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fly or run away and it is present<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> pretty much all y<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ear roun<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d. This makes i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t a perfect species to go our and have some fun looking for and trying to <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ide<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tify<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...but beware it could become quite addic<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ti<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ve! if you are interested in helping out just <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">go to the Moor for the Future website<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, download some survey forms and get out there!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span>beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-2979061654154889242015-11-09T23:35:00.000-08:002015-11-09T23:37:13.395-08:00Sunrise, sunsets, clouds, rainbows and light in the Lake District<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjeIhydkLKxl16qq2swRogFqLz-y5aSsIkR9Azlc4tCoEqRAErvLm_o_56ORAseBCxsMbb8OSJuFYJcPuPoFK88B_XRPleUfHeASBHu_etaBkwSO2oCMvNwT4szVpvicLOUFZvpcYZd8/s1600/P1090646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjeIhydkLKxl16qq2swRogFqLz-y5aSsIkR9Azlc4tCoEqRAErvLm_o_56ORAseBCxsMbb8OSJuFYJcPuPoFK88B_XRPleUfHeASBHu_etaBkwSO2oCMvNwT4szVpvicLOUFZvpcYZd8/s320/P1090646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Golden sunsets</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well the Autumn storms are finally here and the high pressure has been replaced by low. The wind is howling and the autumn leaves are falling from the trees and swirling around all over the roads.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before the storm arrived when <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the weather was stable and dominated by high pressure</span></span>,</span> I managed to enjoy some stunning sunrises and sunsets.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIq-SQiL8Y0DCfQGVv0syGALyWhCKU1etnADcksrDPbQIywY6hgWy2YSuMYsANpNc5i98LBJS-w7F_e0Y7cQ65sE0oMskITbsBNXPstd7D8BmQy2khN4UwNPThDrJYsEsDzYEvFFx_-0/s1600/P1090618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIq-SQiL8Y0DCfQGVv0syGALyWhCKU1etnADcksrDPbQIywY6hgWy2YSuMYsANpNc5i98LBJS-w7F_e0Y7cQ65sE0oMskITbsBNXPstd7D8BmQy2khN4UwNPThDrJYsEsDzYEvFFx_-0/s320/P1090618.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Still mornings</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpIlbkv4eYwWC1SZjdk8Bccidpc3bzyCanA1UPpjzYHvZuEQbMCxESmVQqizYFn3sd-R9h5899gHpGjmGWkYDpp1l8CFJ8Lv7wC2GX9ivxea_AU-uOhekIt6_kPBdpVsFtfrHtcdNnYk/s1600/P1090625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpIlbkv4eYwWC1SZjdk8Bccidpc3bzyCanA1UPpjzYHvZuEQbMCxESmVQqizYFn3sd-R9h5899gHpGjmGWkYDpp1l8CFJ8Lv7wC2GX9ivxea_AU-uOhekIt6_kPBdpVsFtfrHtcdNnYk/s320/P1090625.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blue skies</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The weather became more unsettled as the week went o<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n, how<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ever <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">my f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">riend Clare and I</span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">studied the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">w<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eather forecast an<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">aw that <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">there may be a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> slight weather window<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> around 10am. It was a plod up Steel Fell in the rain but <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the autumn colours were still bright enough to see th<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rough<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> the rain.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>As the rain cleared we were treat<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ed to an amazing cloud show<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, looking back down <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thirlmere.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There was al<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">so a faint rainbow and set against the backdrop of the brown <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and purple bracken it was pr<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">etty st<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">unning. I d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">idn<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'t <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">take my decent camera as <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">having lived in t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he</span> Lakes <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">since I was born<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn't believe the forecast!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPCv2QTZDeQCuz57KP5wEXosJDGNFcP9XPhX8ZdizPxjTNrB8p90xNKBfZEcITzK-PsCL2HxNEXWhnMtYkDe6MhCrRE-CqVk5V_Snk5Drt9T_NUext463ellSXCHIvwm9Vp_2UaQmnuo/s1600/IMG_1139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPCv2QTZDeQCuz57KP5wEXosJDGNFcP9XPhX8ZdizPxjTNrB8p90xNKBfZEcITzK-PsCL2HxNEXWhnMtYkDe6MhCrRE-CqVk5V_Snk5Drt9T_NUext463ellSXCHIvwm9Vp_2UaQmnuo/s320/IMG_1139.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roll<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i</span>ng cloud<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Atmospheric clouds</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyklBsn2DvWS2ZN8E-J1mmu1mzNZpquthnDOR7rJ8OPqwYms3Edoe9AWdOr5XYlW07Zdbmtr6sI1Ow2kGzteAgvAew-CS2T9Wcjfjgz9ll6n3xn9aLpwhdfqex7yNkx6gs8vp7zbRasb4/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyklBsn2DvWS2ZN8E-J1mmu1mzNZpquthnDOR7rJ8OPqwYms3Edoe9AWdOr5XYlW07Zdbmtr6sI1Ow2kGzteAgvAew-CS2T9Wcjfjgz9ll6n3xn9aLpwhdfqex7yNkx6gs8vp7zbRasb4/s320/IMG_1142.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pretty rainbows</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig54numpEtXGQSuIRDDQa8YK8IpUDFHquHfZRjee88GcTkEtjX-tDTUEFSdIjQQtN8Poi_S7Wiz39YElf309aiGvZLg4u1OFzHT2wjJVVYglEXoIV_yACF-s_oULlX4WIB3dk-43kwS8w/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig54numpEtXGQSuIRDDQa8YK8IpUDFHquHfZRjee88GcTkEtjX-tDTUEFSdIjQQtN8Poi_S7Wiz39YElf309aiGvZLg4u1OFzHT2wjJVVYglEXoIV_yACF-s_oULlX4WIB3dk-43kwS8w/s320/IMG_1144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And a</span>s we round t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">urned to lo<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ok towards Hel<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">m Crag and beyon<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d the light was also pretty st<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">unning as the sun tried t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">o break throu<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">gh the clou<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51SzD3_sc1D2UaNy1u2eo3j20uuyixcojYUKQD8a8ShaU4zNS9-NjczY5y56RgpLRE_4kAnzytsb3GURFwjvss2W9enstWq9XYdles7Sv7Y9NCJwFuanV2FptGgDikE1RzzCx0re_SCo/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51SzD3_sc1D2UaNy1u2eo3j20uuyixcojYUKQD8a8ShaU4zNS9-NjczY5y56RgpLRE_4kAnzytsb3GURFwjvss2W9enstWq9XYdles7Sv7Y9NCJwFuanV2FptGgDikE1RzzCx0re_SCo/s320/IMG_1153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We wandered down the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">W<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ythburn valley and got a total soaking <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">in the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pouring ra<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">in but it d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">idn't mat<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ter - we ha<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d seen some amazing light and the water le<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ve<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ls were high making the rivers and be<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ck a stunnin<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">g <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sight as the water cascaded down t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">h<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e mountain sides.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNr-stcBb8ImNSGeW6ZP3yaWVKdQIKIz9fHBl8que19pJGpauG_1aHcAltD8tw4urwX0C9ha6Xc51B4XNZ9f69R921SAtWGiOW9LYtcUYNZQiV156zqMuKe31a9r25QvVTa7QjIfAslMU/s1600/IMG_1179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNr-stcBb8ImNSGeW6ZP3yaWVKdQIKIz9fHBl8que19pJGpauG_1aHcAltD8tw4urwX0C9ha6Xc51B4XNZ9f69R921SAtWGiOW9LYtcUYNZQiV156zqMuKe31a9r25QvVTa7QjIfAslMU/s320/IMG_1179.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Autumn colours</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I arrived home that evening I was just sitting down to have a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> look at my photos and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">glanced outside and there was just the most amazing golden s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ky...so I ab<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">andoned my cup of tea<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and I was off out<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ide again <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">with my camera to enjoy the wo<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">nders of the last moments of sunlight.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboG6aYTCY9XdnDEFs9d83PczOu5smn3kw84CY8STmABPKThGSe9i6uDnXRqpqwVCjqshVla-7jnv_4BeEuFQvafqzCD0-5VaJjDBYGsbN5pSlqk1eK6-R7YZ5UFcU_JH3B5rWeDTsbVI/s1600/P1090635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboG6aYTCY9XdnDEFs9d83PczOu5smn3kw84CY8STmABPKThGSe9i6uDnXRqpqwVCjqshVla-7jnv_4BeEuFQvafqzCD0-5VaJjDBYGsbN5pSlqk1eK6-R7YZ5UFcU_JH3B5rWeDTsbVI/s320/P1090635.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stunning sunset</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUkSnyf_Gbu7Y37ANQr0i81u1Y2EiBuC2kPJu9rgT1Mlcvo2IdjFb4xYU3IIPxNqArjyeC6E1oQb1c1p9cCi9R8Z7nsqUP-3E5VzbamadWCEuTwPAU7XE4XTyvr_S8CQgbtsY1suCuIE/s1600/P1090659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUkSnyf_Gbu7Y37ANQr0i81u1Y2EiBuC2kPJu9rgT1Mlcvo2IdjFb4xYU3IIPxNqArjyeC6E1oQb1c1p9cCi9R8Z7nsqUP-3E5VzbamadWCEuTwPAU7XE4XTyvr_S8CQgbtsY1suCuIE/s320/P1090659.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Golden skies looking towards the Solway</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then if you turned slightly away from the west the sky had a more pink tinge to it</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS157oteTxGyg6_a_9CLSd-OYu-34EG_4X9p1HDuO90Y0EhwJv0tIcnOV_T6het_a0R5tAqFPGyDpHCJTxWow21EeyENcosvNq2idNYHYU0xIDhFXRkYoqEASzxMejFPnGb6-tlX94kio/s1600/P1090651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS157oteTxGyg6_a_9CLSd-OYu-34EG_4X9p1HDuO90Y0EhwJv0tIcnOV_T6het_a0R5tAqFPGyDpHCJTxWow21EeyENcosvNq2idNYHYU0xIDhFXRkYoqEASzxMejFPnGb6-tlX94kio/s320/P1090651.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pink sunset</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What a truly amazing planet we live on and it doesn't have to be sunny to enjoy it. If we didn't have the differences in air pressures that produces our weather systems it probably wouldn't be quite as beautiful! And it just goes to show it can be worth it sometimes (not always!) to just get out there are see what the weather treats you too!</span><br />
<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-554939676771383902015-11-01T23:38:00.002-08:002015-11-01T23:38:36.040-08:00Autumn Colours and atmospheric mist in the Lake District<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The autumn colours just keep getting better and better in the Lake District. The weather has been pretty warm and humid, with a mixture of sunshine and showers. This has resulted in us being treated to some pretty stunning days. I haven't managed to get as many photos as I wanted but I've managed to sneak out at lunchtime and stopped the odd time whilst driving too and from various places!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Derwentwater in Autumn</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQinBPOgMtxlLJQ4-3bC7JLw7wBM7ZmsUK06FCH0zwb3CdLyf5SmxwM46ACiQmAt9Pvup_IBbrSqFCZS1QwQdkgFvbUXFheKiLKyU9Y8ujGNrkwNpTP78Eny-j4jCLmDtBX9nf4bIrgcc/s1600/P1090478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQinBPOgMtxlLJQ4-3bC7JLw7wBM7ZmsUK06FCH0zwb3CdLyf5SmxwM46ACiQmAt9Pvup_IBbrSqFCZS1QwQdkgFvbUXFheKiLKyU9Y8ujGNrkwNpTP78Eny-j4jCLmDtBX9nf4bIrgcc/s320/P1090478.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Derwentwater in Autumn</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In my previous blog I wrote about autumn colours, senesence and why leaves change colour so I thought in this blog I would write a little bit about mist and fog and temperature inversions. We have had some stunning sunsets<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and moon ris<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">es coupl<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ed with some m<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ist and fog re<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sul<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ting in some beautiful scenes. I haven'<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t managed to <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">capture all of the sc<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">en<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">es <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- but I have seen a bit of <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i</span>t from the office window!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Keswick - autumn colour</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what is happening when the mist is rolling through the valleys to result in these beautiful formations? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mist is basically water vapour. Tiny little water droplets form due to differences in temperature between the cold air and the warm land or water body. As the air gets cooled it causes condensation. The mist and fog that we see in the valleys is basically a pocket of cold dense air that has 'fallen' there and the warmer air is passing over it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mist rolling through the valleys</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this time of year we also wake up too misty mornings which often does get 'burnt off' by the sun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At night the land and water bodies lose the warmth they have gained fromt he sun during the day and cool down. As the air comes into contact with the cold land, it also gets cold. Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air and so condensation and fog forms. As the day warms up so does the mist and fog causing the water droplets to turn back into water vapour. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mist and autumn colour</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eerie looking trees in the mist</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of these weather concepts result in some beautiful landscapes for us. As the year goes on we start to get some more interesting weather phenomena such as frosts, snow and ice not to mention wild rain and wind! I will be blogging some more about all of this as the season pass...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is more detail about fog on the <a href="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/fog" target="_blank">Met Office learning page</a> - full of info for natural world nerds like me! </span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-12241044046286605572015-10-29T14:52:00.001-07:002015-10-30T00:59:28.590-07:00Autumn Colour, Science and Art - all in one day!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The autumn colours are amazing at the moment and so I snatched a few hours at the weekend to enjoy the beauty of it all before the wind blows all the leaves away. I do like autumn but in the past it has always been a bit of a sad time of year for me as it signifies the end of summer and the onset of those long winter nights. However, over recent years I have started to embrace Autumn and really think about the science behind it and appreciate how amazing nature really is and of course to enjoy the beauty of it.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Autumn colours near Thirlmere</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without sounding too arty, autumn is also a time of reflection. It is a time of slowing down after the summer. The summer is so busy both in the human world and the natural world. Everything is busy growing, feeding, reproducing...insects, birds and mammals are all flying and running around making the most of the summer months. The trees have been making the most of the sunshine and using its energy to produce sugars for food, by the process of photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is an important chemical in the photosynthetic process and is involved in the process of turning carbon dioxide and water into sugars. It is this chemical, chlorophyll that makes the leaves green.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Autumn colour near Elterwater</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reflective colours at Thirlmere</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Due to the vast array of tones of red, orange, green and yellow, autumn really reveals the vast diversity of tree and plant species that there are. The colours make it easier to demonstrate just how diverse the natural world is. It also makes me stop and think about what is actually happening here. As the days get shorter and there is less sunlight, trees conserve their energy by ceasing photosynthesis and the chlorophyll in their leaves begins to break down. As the green chlorophyll is breaking down, this means that the other pigments found in leaves such as carotenoids and anthocyanins are now more apparent and visible. There are also red and brown pigments which are now visible through other chemical changes that are taking place within the leaves. If the carotenoids are also broken down then brown colours are revealed such as in the oak leaves we find in autumn.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An array of autumn colour</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was out exploring the autumn colours, I headed into the woods to get a closer look at the variety of colours and leaves. Beech trees are amazing with a variety of red, oranges and browns and they produce big piles of leaves that you just want to run and jump in! This displays the important process behind autumn, and so the reason behind the chemical breakdown of chlorophyll and that is senescence. Senescence is the process where the nutrients are taken back by the tree from its leaves and absorbed into other areas. As the leaves are no longer needed through winter (as there is not enough sunlight for photosynthesis) they are a drain on resources. So after the chemicals have broken down and the nutrients have been removed the leaves are released from the tree and so we find them in great big piles to play in!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Autumn Leaves</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beech leaves</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beautiful colours</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And its not only the just large flat leaves are shed in autumn, some needles are also shed too! Larch trees are one of the coniferous trees that are actually deciduous. The needles are the leaves of larch trees and they turn yellow before falling from the tree.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beech and larch trees</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so after hours of fun and being totally absorbed by so many different colours and leaf shapes, I gathered some up to have a little bit of a closer look at them. What started as a home scientific study turned into a bit of leaf art!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Autumn leaf art!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then of course I got my science head back on and split all my leaves up and really started to look at the various colours and shapes and to think about how the various trees had evolved to produce these differences. Every tree species has leaves with their own special 'design' specifics for both survival, growth and to out-compete each other. So much to consider than just a beautiful bunch of leaves!</span><br />
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<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-60738692236075673332015-10-18T12:45:00.002-07:002015-10-19T12:59:40.707-07:00Food Foraging Fun<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YpQ1HcEnYACMkrEJ5b-EhA2VW70RotO4OoAZyql5DGPMS9Adao_ntnpjYQI8Gy85aI7hOP2CNGkiuaHGTSQ5u5F864tHWxQeJLJ9hwN_gNeVcAkGjDPLS88_FWuEexa3FaPswmA_Fz8/s1600/IMG_1085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YpQ1HcEnYACMkrEJ5b-EhA2VW70RotO4OoAZyql5DGPMS9Adao_ntnpjYQI8Gy85aI7hOP2CNGkiuaHGTSQ5u5F864tHWxQeJLJ9hwN_gNeVcAkGjDPLS88_FWuEexa3FaPswmA_Fz8/s320/IMG_1085.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My foraging result - Blackberry and apple crumble</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way back in the summer when the days were long and the hedgerows were full of flowers I went on a food foraging workshop, organised by <a href="http://www.solwaywetlands.org.uk/" target="_blank">Solway Wetlands Partnership</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day was run by John Crouch
a local chef who knows a LOT about traditional food, foraging for it
and the history of it. He has a wealth of information and his enthusiasm
for playing with hedgerow food is contagious.</span>I don't know a lot about foraging and so I thought it would be a good idea to find out. There are too many poisonous plants out there to just start foraging and as John advised never eat anything you are unsure about. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I went back for another day in Autumn...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SF5kB9OiI-YMPbHO478gjrqJLmBpIQzrGppwlFVEaD1WCWNBbQBFsUwFYA8wUyqbh6ZL27FsGAiP2GyRL_SGCSNzqwzPTJ2vFQnwszdNOoXCi-eDzQAlCTvw7Lz1MZDz4qmui4u4yyU/s1600/P1070767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SF5kB9OiI-YMPbHO478gjrqJLmBpIQzrGppwlFVEaD1WCWNBbQBFsUwFYA8wUyqbh6ZL27FsGAiP2GyRL_SGCSNzqwzPTJ2vFQnwszdNOoXCi-eDzQAlCTvw7Lz1MZDz4qmui4u4yyU/s320/P1070767.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Toni doing some summer foraging</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInX0fwABXa74_6CrlYe7P63enRzjMZTnkVdo7_Qjph4cZpBI9x6FwtPRm33ekTUDoQrYZkcLSXRkIhD-N_wTfCnHUqbPdrELQMBR9b_g46q7n9HmeXbOhAQkk48Se59fVtHtVEnxBW2k/s1600/P1070768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInX0fwABXa74_6CrlYe7P63enRzjMZTnkVdo7_Qjph4cZpBI9x6FwtPRm33ekTUDoQrYZkcLSXRkIhD-N_wTfCnHUqbPdrELQMBR9b_g46q7n9HmeXbOhAQkk48Se59fVtHtVEnxBW2k/s320/P1070768.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Honeysuckle flowers - great in salad</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An afternoon workshop with John involves heading out along the local lanes and fields to see what you can find. He does bring along some of his own bought ingredients and then heads outside to see what he can supplement his dishes with. In the summer we concentrated on leaves and flowers that could be either cooked in dishes or made into salads.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqdBxNgFeybCGluXUAN6xF4zW5SmDcdquDCKCGMHa1jmcTcw_4w_iGwO3Ef0-JZB_nDhgjSGu9nmz8l99g-hUw6WB8xKcAZvqMp1-1lDS8YxLm02NjJQLrVvzSpY4s4XyNWWBf0HdSqQ/s1600/P1070771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqdBxNgFeybCGluXUAN6xF4zW5SmDcdquDCKCGMHa1jmcTcw_4w_iGwO3Ef0-JZB_nDhgjSGu9nmz8l99g-hUw6WB8xKcAZvqMp1-1lDS8YxLm02NjJQLrVvzSpY4s4XyNWWBf0HdSqQ/s320/P1070771.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rose hip petals </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJ4mL4j-GiHudNRGkeCe7ILK30VgWEEvSClerLCjFVJ62Z5YAK0aaB3-wdEcfrmkxZncth_AlfPF_BVtCeDV5Ghui8plwzGwt6GYNpg_mXpJty6hrKE4USAFSyj_bldL2D4KfuC_QsmE/s1600/P1070772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJ4mL4j-GiHudNRGkeCe7ILK30VgWEEvSClerLCjFVJ62Z5YAK0aaB3-wdEcfrmkxZncth_AlfPF_BVtCeDV5Ghui8plwzGwt6GYNpg_mXpJty6hrKE4USAFSyj_bldL2D4KfuC_QsmE/s320/P1070772.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Elderflowers - great for cordial and fritters</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the autumn we basically headed out along the same lanes and fields and it is amazing to see the different food on offer through the transition of seasons. Basically the flowers had gone and the fruits had grown and the leaves were starting to turn.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHvgbue8CA1iIvtVi6o6yR6ntCEU-91w0Mfipzd8uMRpSjGDuv8Z1wJKy1ztY60o8lAZQXhN-55pQF2Aj0fl_qeKncA3i_zrLD20k3WsYAbPlLWnCrKXJmubaVZsaX5hqbWmYy0HXX4g/s1600/P1090005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHvgbue8CA1iIvtVi6o6yR6ntCEU-91w0Mfipzd8uMRpSjGDuv8Z1wJKy1ztY60o8lAZQXhN-55pQF2Aj0fl_qeKncA3i_zrLD20k3WsYAbPlLWnCrKXJmubaVZsaX5hqbWmYy0HXX4g/s320/P1090005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The transformation from Elderflower to Elderberries!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJEI3xbYauK2jApdn7s8u909uh5y1Oi8-kXAw7z5GDm9PHHFH-cwz63nI4gX9-2iospYhFdzr3-N0PZ3UxqlQIo7C-9b_NZo_1P4eu-uNv4JgiXif1z0iHgGvBIOgr_gvXAr7RTM3-ls/s1600/P1080996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJEI3xbYauK2jApdn7s8u909uh5y1Oi8-kXAw7z5GDm9PHHFH-cwz63nI4gX9-2iospYhFdzr3-N0PZ3UxqlQIo7C-9b_NZo_1P4eu-uNv4JgiXif1z0iHgGvBIOgr_gvXAr7RTM3-ls/s320/P1080996.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Crab apples</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck1LL6SkXFjPNhpTSwKyG9Z8qJdFTzmD9Aq3BBZefp0OtThklkuQbsP3t7EjkffptqVIebXuhNrrphiiLcdPUfXpTfd6_fsc_UGS9yxN6FV0SH0NHS1qghCq2f_O6ACvwkDZzSQZurtc/s1600/P1080988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck1LL6SkXFjPNhpTSwKyG9Z8qJdFTzmD9Aq3BBZefp0OtThklkuQbsP3t7EjkffptqVIebXuhNrrphiiLcdPUfXpTfd6_fsc_UGS9yxN6FV0SH0NHS1qghCq2f_O6ACvwkDZzSQZurtc/s320/P1080988.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blackberries</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the autumn there was blackberries and crab apples in abundance and it has to be said that apple and blackberry crumble is one of my favourite dishes. We also had a look for damsons but this year has not been very good for them. Some people have suggested this may be to the late frosts that we had earlier in the spring.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlRGiBiuUKh-FiJ_ObpHQaa1ze8mIj1n4GP2HInIy2XtiRJZbFSrdydXB_JjtqC6ehc9zdYgRwDe5v8Vmh2Z6yha6Zk_wa5oJDFVsQojvieys8RQlEPKduq1O9Eh6wTCKWlcZSHpFUBw/s1600/P1090010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlRGiBiuUKh-FiJ_ObpHQaa1ze8mIj1n4GP2HInIy2XtiRJZbFSrdydXB_JjtqC6ehc9zdYgRwDe5v8Vmh2Z6yha6Zk_wa5oJDFVsQojvieys8RQlEPKduq1O9Eh6wTCKWlcZSHpFUBw/s320/P1090010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Damsons are sparce this year</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzFM9MRZyzVmcto5LR84ZCxssOWCfLQzPVGCgd4BOVLKJfQq7kN2s-XocWMr7bpwvSrwGM5gB4PrY9bCQYZ0WwEWbO-euP9NRXebA1BLXxgW733sOrkkckc4cfcEo7EWRg8nPekqvezE/s1600/P1090014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzFM9MRZyzVmcto5LR84ZCxssOWCfLQzPVGCgd4BOVLKJfQq7kN2s-XocWMr7bpwvSrwGM5gB4PrY9bCQYZ0WwEWbO-euP9NRXebA1BLXxgW733sOrkkckc4cfcEo7EWRg8nPekqvezE/s320/P1090014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bulaces are just like damsopn but rounder and more plum like</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPIoz-G3OMjMxregXVByUkj9iYihJoyS9dW14ZRKIyaT2ad7e8tu6iv8UZafwspygD9X5nUXwoFqvgadssSXesOmv1kl62axlMfw404LvqV71_d9RVty1lJDOY91wCLmYegDwzru_buo/s1600/P1090015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPIoz-G3OMjMxregXVByUkj9iYihJoyS9dW14ZRKIyaT2ad7e8tu6iv8UZafwspygD9X5nUXwoFqvgadssSXesOmv1kl62axlMfw404LvqV71_d9RVty1lJDOY91wCLmYegDwzru_buo/s320/P1090015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yum yum - just like a plum!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We found the odd damson dotted around on the bushes but not enough for making jam or gin! We did
however also find a few bulaces. These are a similar fruit and taste
just like plums. I have never tried them before - so a new one for me, I
thought they were delicious. Damsons are not really palatable raw and elderberries should never be eaten raw - they should always be cooked first.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On both the summer day and the autumn day out we took our gathered leaves and fruit back to the kitchen to then start cooking. To be fair John did all the cooking and we just sat and watched in awe!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Apples and Blackberries galore</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzEh_XtsaW67nO6_wtb0EdYx3qWqeOIO5chIFUrsrE4BypGC8a52_C1_AMzA0-3zxoYRr_xldOihX63kRsKjMIgTgGfj9ngemhb6QR7dsbmt3t4eR9Pa3bYEMHGPz8q-oHSYM3RH7LhE/s1600/P1090018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzEh_XtsaW67nO6_wtb0EdYx3qWqeOIO5chIFUrsrE4BypGC8a52_C1_AMzA0-3zxoYRr_xldOihX63kRsKjMIgTgGfj9ngemhb6QR7dsbmt3t4eR9Pa3bYEMHGPz8q-oHSYM3RH7LhE/s320/P1090018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Horseradish - gathered locally by John</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">John is very organised in his mobile kitchen. He gets 3 or 4 dishes all going at once and at the same time talks you through what he is doing. He also adds in plenty of anecdotes about each plant that he is using. John also knows a lot about Roman food and what they ate. He also knows about the origins of some of the plant names.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">John cooking away in his mobile kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjidaIc1PDsC-M0uC5s-XPj7j9iyDvml-6tcYayimBG9J0XmT9vvTvYOYgzma_LlKDTTG0_5u7rfZamAzjup_3C5oh0maV1_rIXgWYeoM6TOy06JT_1X1INJdwp6loYPikWm3k14sjH44/s1600/P1070779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjidaIc1PDsC-M0uC5s-XPj7j9iyDvml-6tcYayimBG9J0XmT9vvTvYOYgzma_LlKDTTG0_5u7rfZamAzjup_3C5oh0maV1_rIXgWYeoM6TOy06JT_1X1INJdwp6loYPikWm3k14sjH44/s320/P1070779.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bacon and hawthorn filo roll</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Elderflower fritter</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the summer some of the dishes John created were Saag Aloo using plantain leaves, nettle and lentil soup, bacon and hawthorn filo roll and elderflower fritters which were just amazing! He also created a salad using flowers such as honeysuckle and some more of the hawthorn leaves. I remember eating these as a child and we used to called the bread and butter!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chicken with blackberries</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Warm blackberry trifle</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> At the autumn workshop John used his talent again to create some delicious food. He made a jus out of the elderberries, a chicken dish with blackberries and he mixed the crab apples with spice and cooked them for a very small amount of time before popping them in a pickling jar. The remaining blackberries were made into a warm trifle which was just amazing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John is such a great, cheerful and knowledgeable man. What I like about him is his willingness to share all the knowledge that he has. He is passionate about foraging for food and wants everyone to share this enjoyment. If you ever get a chance to go to one of his workshops it is well worth it. I was so inspired by John that after each workshop I went out, gathered some of my own leaves and fruit and got cooking. My crumble is at the top of this blog! And not wanting to finish on a serious note but I have to say it again...only forage for and eat what you know and know how to prepare it - if you have any doubt don't eat it...there are some poisonous plants out there. Do what I did and get yourself booked on a course - they are a great way to learn and meet new people!</span><br />
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<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-43405630967949282912015-10-14T13:16:00.002-07:002015-10-14T13:16:35.169-07:00Season of Mist and Mellow Fruitfulness.....Berries, Fruit, Nuts and Seeds<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Autumn is here.....and I have been out and about taking photos of the berries, nuts, seeds and leaves and anything else that signifies autumn. Whilst I have not had much time to write about the autumn, I have managed to make 2 blackberry crumbles and an apple and blackberry crumble......yum yum. Enjoy the autumn before its over......</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hawthorn </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8VuwShAag7-OXLuP2UoW8czqRZajYMFB5WW_zqKBtlsg_Duv2F-Z6zdEAtjy6BnxyGMRbrN_I57XcZ9-EtgpniIHyJqqfE1qbm3ugoWpX-aX6isapiMnanEL2moEMzBqqwxqz6eEQ6s/s1600/P1090067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8VuwShAag7-OXLuP2UoW8czqRZajYMFB5WW_zqKBtlsg_Duv2F-Z6zdEAtjy6BnxyGMRbrN_I57XcZ9-EtgpniIHyJqqfE1qbm3ugoWpX-aX6isapiMnanEL2moEMzBqqwxqz6eEQ6s/s320/P1090067.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A waterfall of hawthorn berries</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guelder Rose</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dog Rose</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkddf7_JBdkWdhXobOz_cewkFp7KR4PPhzLo4Vl37NLsXEOY50kggPiS7YRzB5bc_ulC4-xxP5L_pprF3JwyeBZRW9PbCZFgV2aLKc6oQuCY3ImxfAsZ2Bk4vFzn-5OBzyF8du_cYYhE/s1600/P1090064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkddf7_JBdkWdhXobOz_cewkFp7KR4PPhzLo4Vl37NLsXEOY50kggPiS7YRzB5bc_ulC4-xxP5L_pprF3JwyeBZRW9PbCZFgV2aLKc6oQuCY3ImxfAsZ2Bk4vFzn-5OBzyF8du_cYYhE/s320/P1090064.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Holly</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYY_YVOp1ofQ5DNT7gPbUHgzZrqTMYIipiKg4m5d1AkbxjjfwfmnJFeJYQo2BVSppDxQr2hGWkhWuKJpLQU_zskmDd13cUTsAv8TaWwYR1-014ohAxUrTVWiZa8hVavNgrAbtmsMLM-Jw/s1600/P1080642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYY_YVOp1ofQ5DNT7gPbUHgzZrqTMYIipiKg4m5d1AkbxjjfwfmnJFeJYQo2BVSppDxQr2hGWkhWuKJpLQU_zskmDd13cUTsAv8TaWwYR1-014ohAxUrTVWiZa8hVavNgrAbtmsMLM-Jw/s320/P1080642.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rowan</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blackberries, or blackites if you are Cumbrian!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Elderberry</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Conkers, or the Horse Chestnut</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Acorns of the Oak Tree!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The amazing Sycamore in transition from green to yellow!</span></td></tr>
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<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-41893919655823331432015-10-02T13:34:00.003-07:002015-10-02T13:40:31.029-07:00Mist, Sun and Moon<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is not my usual subject for a blog post, but it has been such as stunning week of misty mornings and evenings with a big big moon at night and some amazing sunrises and sunsets. Unfortunately I have been a bit busy to capture it all, but I managed to take a couple of pics this week and it has prompted me to post some of my favourite photos of how the the weather and climate can totally transform the mountains and valleys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">High in the mountains above the cloud filled valleys....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Temperature inversion on Blencathra</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Misty mornings across the farmers' fields.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stunning sunsets.....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Big orange sun in my local neighbourhood</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stunning sunset at St Bees</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And waking up in the mountains to cloud filled valleys. What an amazing planet we live on....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Camping above Buttermere</span></td></tr>
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<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-88391697842856668132015-10-01T00:59:00.001-07:002015-10-01T00:59:04.013-07:00Alpine Marmots and Ibex in the French Alps<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a quick trip to the French Alps in the surrounding areas of Chamonix and it was a great excuse to get out and see what wildlife I could find. On my first little walk it was pouring down so I was pleased when I happened to see a female Ibex with her young. It was quite misty and I think that helped me to get quite close to them before they spotted me. As these are not found in the UK I was really pleased to see them....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alpine Ibex, <i>Capra ibex</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On my walk up the track I was able to compare some of the plants with those found on the mountains at home. There was alpine lady's mantle and tormentil in abundance. The other noticable factor was that they were much bigger plants with much bigger leaves than those we have in the UK. I also found some great chunky clubmosses and an abundance of juniper which was great to see.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alpine Lady's Mantle, <i>Alchemilla alpina</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Harebell, <i>Campanula rotundifolia</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Clubmoss</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alpine vegetation including juniper</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other thing that caught my eye was the green lichen covered rock. The rock was plastered with it and as lichen is considered an indicator of good air quality, you could say with confidence that the air is pretty clean in the Chamonix area!! The landscape in general was stunning and as the rain stopped pouring and the cloud lifted a little I was rewarded with a great view back down the valley.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other interesting things I found along my way was fungi and more lichen. The was an abundance of lichen coming to life in the damper air of September. I also found plenty of cladonia type lichens and one in particular which looked a lot like reindeer moss. I cannot say for sure that it was reindeer moss but looked very much like it with the hooked antler ends. There was also plenty of 'pixie cup' type lichens - and again these were much bigger than the ones I have seen in the UK.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Possible Reindeer Moss, <i>Cladonia rangiferina</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other delights along the way were some alpine donkeys! It was a bit unexpected to see them and I am guessing they were not wild and I have since discovered you can actually do treks by donkey or they are used as baggage carriers!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And of course no trip to the Alps would be complete without seeing some marmots. Have a look at my previous post to see some more pics and a little video about these lovely furry creatures...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alpine Marmot, <i>Marmota marmota</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just to finish off this post I thought I would add a couple of stunning scenery pics. Although this was not a mountaineering trip - it vrought back many fond memories of being high in the mountains and on Mont Blanc which is all tied in with my love of naitre and just being outdoors. What an amazing world we live in.....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">View from the Aguille de Midi Station</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Mer de Glace</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Petit Dru</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The blue ice of the Ice Cave under the Mer de Glace</span></td></tr>
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<br />beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-9241781236487695802015-09-30T12:43:00.005-07:002015-09-30T13:13:00.102-07:00Alpine Marmots - cute and furry creatures!!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a recent short trip to France for a wedding and there was no way I was travelling to the French Alps without going looking for marmots......</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The alpine marmot, <i>Marmota marmota</i> has to be one of my favourite mammals - marmots are classed as rodents but they are just so cute and I would liken them to giant guinea pigs. I could sit and watch marmots foraging and lolloping around for hours. Marmots are found in high mountain meadows and pastures. They are omnivores and eat grasses, herbs but will also eat worms, insects and spiders.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alpine Marmot, <i>Marmota marmota</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve and I headed off for a walk the morning after the wedding and to be honest I wasn't expecting to see any marmots as we were on a pretty popular trail. However we decided to head off the beaten track and we hadn't been walking for long when I caught a glimpse of a marmot</span>. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At first the marmot was a little wary of us and headed into his burrow, but we sat quietly for a moment enjoying the sunshine until he came back out to investigate...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Entrance to a marmot burrow</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Watching a marmot is pretty relaxing and I didn't really want to leave...so I just sat and then another marmot appeared....and then another. I found it all pretty mesmerizing. One of them lolloped away up the hillside but they didn't appear too worried by our presence or too startled.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alpine Marmot, <i>Marmota marmota</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the marmots didn't seem too bothered by a couple of tourists they can be quite defensive and they will try and warn off intruders in their territory by beating their tails or chattering their teeth. Marmots can often be seen standing up tall to look out for predators and when they feel in real danger they will whistle a warning call to their fellow marmots.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spot the marmots - there are two in this pic!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had a bit more of a wander around and left the marmots to it. I found plenty more burrows and signs of marmot life. Marmots will dig out a burrow with both their forepaws and hindfeet and will also use their teeth to remove stones and pebbles. They make their bed at the end of the burrow out of grass and other herbs. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Stunning scenery in marmot land!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPQXjnNdu_5633ylpdxJOIs3hk5eetSIZ2RbYst8-mnX8CGRWpsCFzrhBdzfchzf7SkraJDVsEMSi9W2ZLFihaX4vf8TvOlxQ6vUvpwyyZidB36ww-t9FMRoQuWZZvsFmiGBqLDB6kmc/s1600/P1080900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPQXjnNdu_5633ylpdxJOIs3hk5eetSIZ2RbYst8-mnX8CGRWpsCFzrhBdzfchzf7SkraJDVsEMSi9W2ZLFihaX4vf8TvOlxQ6vUvpwyyZidB36ww-t9FMRoQuWZZvsFmiGBqLDB6kmc/s320/P1080900.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Further along the trail that day we met a group of hunters. They were out shooting grouse and ptarmigan. I asked if they were shooting marmots and they said they weren't today but that they do shoot marmots as they are classed a pests in some areas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we approached the hunters, I heard the marmots whistling out a warning call high up on the mountainside. I am guessing they could smell, see or hear the dogs and they alerted each other. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Alpine Marmot, <i>Marmota marmota</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if you do ever get a chance to see marmots, stop and be quiet for a while and just enjoy being around these lovely creatures.</span>beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-20448299555758824602015-09-25T12:59:00.000-07:002015-09-25T12:59:02.013-07:00A Bit of Natural History mixed with Roman History!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a sunny day and I decided I would like to head out and explore a section of the Hadrian's Wall Path. Since opening in 2002 it has become very popular and I haven't been to Vindolanda since I was a child. So off I went to explore some ancient history of World Heritage status and to see what flora and fauna I could find a long the way....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heather in bloom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ling Heather, <i>Calluna vulgaris</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Roxy on the way to our first Mile Castle</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I set off along the wall from Once Brewed up a small climb to Steel Rigg, accompanied by my faithful labrador Roxy. We passed plenty of heather which has been stunning this year and there is a lot of patches of purple all over the hills. We continued along the wall and headed down to the famous sycamore tree that has been a Robin Hood film. I love the fact this lone tree stands strong in an otherwise fairly grazed landscape.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23FicWsETPKipdX_6oMg5P1hMPP5nmvsW5yDLQWzdauRy8eRKHgPK5driU49DcamQM_ObU97a-pQqR4iN_QVuIE0P8-IEerwK_12asPjQPoIqWPYg3SHXcsJj-731s6WOBOgK-5JG9Iw/s1600/P1080633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23FicWsETPKipdX_6oMg5P1hMPP5nmvsW5yDLQWzdauRy8eRKHgPK5driU49DcamQM_ObU97a-pQqR4iN_QVuIE0P8-IEerwK_12asPjQPoIqWPYg3SHXcsJj-731s6WOBOgK-5JG9Iw/s320/P1080633.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The lone Sycamore Tree on Hadrian's Wall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Along the way I met a group of walkers raising money for various charities and enjoying the sunny weather after yesterday's downpours.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJQL6qZu_actzXKe90C-faeqwDiyo82jvP-RWUcR2Z9h5PmsPigMO0bUvVJTKm4rZURJCJlsgcmCGTQdqhgBU3q3MIg7U9SHA-AYsXSP2wQ821t5ugWj3Gm2Ki40pahVDS05sEMCszzA/s1600/P1080563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJQL6qZu_actzXKe90C-faeqwDiyo82jvP-RWUcR2Z9h5PmsPigMO0bUvVJTKm4rZURJCJlsgcmCGTQdqhgBU3q3MIg7U9SHA-AYsXSP2wQ821t5ugWj3Gm2Ki40pahVDS05sEMCszzA/s320/P1080563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I saw some beautiful patches of harebells and yarrow, still hanging on to their flowers. The harebells looked lovely against the grey stone of the wall.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkhApr1DM1pcQAHKzcE4N8pZP9qeFHcuMQLV6paSOPNVutb-KuRhw-jeUIxezc9rXpB2nGZs6TwMZCV3j0pupxzUg9o3kM2d12FGiZm_AQ9v6zX7kwEejK3OFDCYpJFD0pzzhUBiMLOo/s1600/P1080577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkhApr1DM1pcQAHKzcE4N8pZP9qeFHcuMQLV6paSOPNVutb-KuRhw-jeUIxezc9rXpB2nGZs6TwMZCV3j0pupxzUg9o3kM2d12FGiZm_AQ9v6zX7kwEejK3OFDCYpJFD0pzzhUBiMLOo/s320/P1080577.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Harebells and Yarrow</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboSg8uVZUsDtMzvzaZUZc-fISI-FIJtU84EJdhpq50_Kgg-bGjeTXY-YnBqGicq9Qyv5wBByuN1wouCtqQMU2K75UUY16yo913RVYrh53nXatchuWIVkr3FD43n28ov18Z3HjMiYuL9M/s1600/P1080580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboSg8uVZUsDtMzvzaZUZc-fISI-FIJtU84EJdhpq50_Kgg-bGjeTXY-YnBqGicq9Qyv5wBByuN1wouCtqQMU2K75UUY16yo913RVYrh53nXatchuWIVkr3FD43n28ov18Z3HjMiYuL9M/s320/P1080580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Onwards we marched and came to a small section of woodland, where we pondered for a while and I looked for signs of birds and mammals, whilst Roxy swam in the tarn. I found some great fungi and patches of wood sorrel.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vOPayRKxUM0jJY3ZOJBJtoXawvG5UtglADzWMNykjWX-f97ufy9HBEiuKvSUhiOGfDnm38haghtd0ptKCh0FK6-9jqV1KgHpp6_iHHegoiVpeRBNg-f6OmzwsM_6dAVA7AOzx6hZFj8/s1600/P1080570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vOPayRKxUM0jJY3ZOJBJtoXawvG5UtglADzWMNykjWX-f97ufy9HBEiuKvSUhiOGfDnm38haghtd0ptKCh0FK6-9jqV1KgHpp6_iHHegoiVpeRBNg-f6OmzwsM_6dAVA7AOzx6hZFj8/s320/P1080570.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fungi and Wood Sorrel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After our little break Roxy and I sauntered along more sections of Hadrian's Wall until we finally arrived at Housesteads, where there are some amazing ruins of the Roman buildings that once stood there.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaSZWzLk2BVlZzkLG9Dg9H7vr7gdfCTRblUH_wzbB7QcQcEu0qZSlU3sfyKK7eaEtLl1djZYAfWiS2ZmaFMJepsuudKLf8F-0etDGkZKd0Cc0pGK2nEUVWhghlw3d6gLJ6b-T5XtBKUs/s1600/P1080578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaSZWzLk2BVlZzkLG9Dg9H7vr7gdfCTRblUH_wzbB7QcQcEu0qZSlU3sfyKK7eaEtLl1djZYAfWiS2ZmaFMJepsuudKLf8F-0etDGkZKd0Cc0pGK2nEUVWhghlw3d6gLJ6b-T5XtBKUs/s320/P1080578.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBh0Ml3CLl1tZ4YaztyNE52zk7Kdda3QaAvWT93QKiDB2sIjCyYmJMgK54bOQJXEWvLk_KejbxsIj6unKrCX0B0MN50opFtCGLiHuQJ48EiUeCISN8y7DKhLE-g0BcAAaLQKYoqxmNMs/s1600/P1080587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBh0Ml3CLl1tZ4YaztyNE52zk7Kdda3QaAvWT93QKiDB2sIjCyYmJMgK54bOQJXEWvLk_KejbxsIj6unKrCX0B0MN50opFtCGLiHuQJ48EiUeCISN8y7DKhLE-g0BcAAaLQKYoqxmNMs/s320/P1080587.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">19th Century Well</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And so next, I headed off the wall path and back through the fields and along some minor roads to see what I could find along the way....and I was treated to peacock butterflies and what I think were house martins or swifts flying all over above my head.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTmq_V3FKzP7srzLdZjhKKAXUd83lSqxQmURkcqslQ8Iy6qILXjM23i5emIeMpTf5-T05dcRrqQEJxISENOe_qMq7MFven4k7ZRQwEC62wDAejzwdr2upOaITAYH-vk1iJc8xy_w3vBY/s1600/P1080596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTmq_V3FKzP7srzLdZjhKKAXUd83lSqxQmURkcqslQ8Iy6qILXjM23i5emIeMpTf5-T05dcRrqQEJxISENOe_qMq7MFven4k7ZRQwEC62wDAejzwdr2upOaITAYH-vk1iJc8xy_w3vBY/s320/P1080596.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Peacock Butterfly</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSC9uWya9hywlkX4o9WiXyj34GzvRSfB2EQKe89NB4MUSTQBRNPcOBbDojPkCXPp3gxRAeKiJ5o0zG-IXe3LyIsG8gFff90Vf8wZ3KBat8DUo2ug29bvAayagwVTQkGeoJd41NB0Jp2s/s1600/P1080606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSC9uWya9hywlkX4o9WiXyj34GzvRSfB2EQKe89NB4MUSTQBRNPcOBbDojPkCXPp3gxRAeKiJ5o0zG-IXe3LyIsG8gFff90Vf8wZ3KBat8DUo2ug29bvAayagwVTQkGeoJd41NB0Jp2s/s320/P1080606.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">House Martins or Swifts - they were just too quick for me to identify!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I continued along my way, I eventually turned a corner and saw some very large and eye catching ruins and then it dawned on me that it was actually Vindolanda. It is an amazing sight from afar. I saw a marker stone up on the hillside and decided to climb up to it to get a better birds eye view back down on Vindolanda. I tried to imagine myself as a Roman Soldier looking out over the landscape....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtu60b-8joz-9C6aXsPBgkLat1WlbJkgC0nfUfHvkm2ZA_0Olyr8UVGPSCUp81Stt4JEjIptXY1gjcYbwZPxBJKQKJDXgpDcHU5Jrcq5VyB_IlE_Z6Y1tT0oJOnWy7fVkSAqtdqNXxjmA/s1600/P1080614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtu60b-8joz-9C6aXsPBgkLat1WlbJkgC0nfUfHvkm2ZA_0Olyr8UVGPSCUp81Stt4JEjIptXY1gjcYbwZPxBJKQKJDXgpDcHU5Jrcq5VyB_IlE_Z6Y1tT0oJOnWy7fVkSAqtdqNXxjmA/s320/P1080614.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Roxy and the longstone</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITqq2GARSFzprhRsB0ultAOmaDzLlv9Ryjq7yEhT5QNp8a3pK0axIpKsk3vEuz25XlXnZFVVLEBasODbYA0_MT58GKwL1dRKUT2qO_m5_yt32vc3Hm7xnn1HPvZHPK6WHTeduv8oq5YA/s1600/P1080615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITqq2GARSFzprhRsB0ultAOmaDzLlv9Ryjq7yEhT5QNp8a3pK0axIpKsk3vEuz25XlXnZFVVLEBasODbYA0_MT58GKwL1dRKUT2qO_m5_yt32vc3Hm7xnn1HPvZHPK6WHTeduv8oq5YA/s320/P1080615.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Vindolanda from above</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugMgmZXQ5b2rjWQTDpNDRlKqOSzXvtrCUTCU0Lj8o5an7hD9-VS82dKf1cNxcBpJ_n0B-FmST5U0WeVjrU0PLB5CTLDd2StaSliXe8yBxsBfXsP5qP6i5-1fvRPWulCibzDKcj-wf5mE/s1600/P1080624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugMgmZXQ5b2rjWQTDpNDRlKqOSzXvtrCUTCU0Lj8o5an7hD9-VS82dKf1cNxcBpJ_n0B-FmST5U0WeVjrU0PLB5CTLDd2StaSliXe8yBxsBfXsP5qP6i5-1fvRPWulCibzDKcj-wf5mE/s320/P1080624.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rosebay Willowherb with a bit of Vindolanda!</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyEovt4TDkBSyUtqXYYl__2ffOmEEn1lyEvD3ofXyPaLsVigjrhoQB0NvKjKExJB3-fcXMnrODTiybIRL7nhOIHJ1YqnIbIZc3yYhajz5xTlfYJQBGwQt-65HIg2IFeMy6Ml5_GrWcD8/s1600/P1080645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyEovt4TDkBSyUtqXYYl__2ffOmEEn1lyEvD3ofXyPaLsVigjrhoQB0NvKjKExJB3-fcXMnrODTiybIRL7nhOIHJ1YqnIbIZc3yYhajz5xTlfYJQBGwQt-65HIg2IFeMy6Ml5_GrWcD8/s320/P1080645.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dogs are not allowed on the Vindolanda site - which is fair enough, so Roxy and I walked up the minor road beside it - enjoying the countryside and the first signs of autumn - berries! I also noticed a pellet or was it some scat on a stone wall. I now really have an eye for noticing this stuff - which some may find a bit odd! I am still not sure what this came from as it contained a lot of fibrous material - I still need to do some research on this one.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfySrtFH663VPcIFYSCaDT2gNqlywOHiyastNCkFRuCASx4JGgLDu6N6GfCD6q8h2AcvrYkcvI379CdR1b2IaUDSCds250mPRsUG3oJGHmV7F-fsYwo-cPfwLbug8GXX1iHC7pKMh5LA/s1600/P1080627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfySrtFH663VPcIFYSCaDT2gNqlywOHiyastNCkFRuCASx4JGgLDu6N6GfCD6q8h2AcvrYkcvI379CdR1b2IaUDSCds250mPRsUG3oJGHmV7F-fsYwo-cPfwLbug8GXX1iHC7pKMh5LA/s320/P1080627.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Unidentified poop or pellet!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircusFDDR3sM5mNE8kKHIjthLNpZQLnaYJ2s3tfvXXA7TvXDgH1ILvIg6eUMZlsDrYVGjrxrZqtKk7fFmdboVuf3zwiMA5WYfYDjnUS56LxHEHlQsgbBWo45nXLeURgZnO7-rgy9-RzzI/s1600/P1080628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEircusFDDR3sM5mNE8kKHIjthLNpZQLnaYJ2s3tfvXXA7TvXDgH1ILvIg6eUMZlsDrYVGjrxrZqtKk7fFmdboVuf3zwiMA5WYfYDjnUS56LxHEHlQsgbBWo45nXLeURgZnO7-rgy9-RzzI/s320/P1080628.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rosehips!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0bAEyT7-MDTQ46BC0DC_XkU92JeNg4AN-hSdoEnHxY1CDMVM7GD6DCJgf9AwZ-k4FyCiVb_3nGSth-_cFNChG1EjJABAQ3OM-ePHrV1vW5k27_p9Ey_9tNAIdtLWCvFFxmZ_hsip5pc/s1600/P1080635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0bAEyT7-MDTQ46BC0DC_XkU92JeNg4AN-hSdoEnHxY1CDMVM7GD6DCJgf9AwZ-k4FyCiVb_3nGSth-_cFNChG1EjJABAQ3OM-ePHrV1vW5k27_p9Ey_9tNAIdtLWCvFFxmZ_hsip5pc/s320/P1080635.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blackberries </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mountain Ash</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The final walk back along the road had lots of interesting things to see such as a sapling growing out of the base of a tree and a meadow like flurry of flowers just on the side of the road. It was just a different way to enjoy a walk - stroll and you really do see more........!!</span>beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-80744721275584349322015-09-08T13:43:00.001-07:002015-09-12T05:40:33.963-07:00Dancing Dragonflies and Darting Damselflies<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a little jaunt to Arran in August despite breaking my own rules of never visiting Scotland during midge season!! The midges weren't too bad and it was worth it for some amazing walking and some great wildlife. The video above is of a Golden Ringed dragonfly laying eggs - a fantastic sight and pretty amazing. A female dragonfly can lay hundreds of eggs and it does this over a period of days or weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having seen the female dragonfly laying eggs when I got home I had a look through some of my old photos of damsels and dragons as I have quite a selection! So lets take a step back from laying eggs. Pictured below is a pair of common blue damselflies mating. I love the heart shape they have formed! The male is actually gripping the back of the female's head with the bottom of his tail....hmmm!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Common Blue Damselflies mating</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I also have a picture of a pair of Black Darter's mating and below that is a pair of Emerald damselflies. It can be pretty busy during the summer months - make hay while the sun shines as the saying goes! In all of the pictures it is the female that is the more dull colour of the pair with the male being the brighter one.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Black Darter Dragonflies mating</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emerald damselflies mating</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the dragons or damsels have mated and laid their eggs as shown in the video clip - out hatches the nymph. The nymphs can be quite ferocious little hunters and as they grow they moult up to 15 times before metamorphosing into an adult. They have a hinged jaw like the adults, which can shoot out to capture prey. (Please note the photos below of the nymphs were taken at a workshop and a bioblitz where experts had taken them out of the water and they were safely returned to their homes after they had identified them.)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dragonfly nymph - species unknown</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the dragonfly or damselfly is ready to emerge they crawl out of the water and cling onto a reed or other nearby vegetation. And then something pretty amazing happens as they crawl out of their skin....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Damselfly nymph emerging from its larval skin</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Damselfly emerging</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dragonfly emerging from larval skin</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dragonfly emerging </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the dragonfly has emerged from its skin (leaving behind the case that is known as an exuvia) they pump themselves up and redistribute their bodily fluids. The result being the wings and the body are expanded. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTLR6fooufGczvCL-QqhMbbLvi50-PMlSzJsI2Q5dbv4dhWON7RKaHRPxuwEVzZ9F3KG76yTf2n2hxAagz5TUvC0RNPV7GdyvMZlETFanQOuNjDQIauHE9eUmkw4_zBKRs2y5B3izNyM/s1600/IMG_6661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTLR6fooufGczvCL-QqhMbbLvi50-PMlSzJsI2Q5dbv4dhWON7RKaHRPxuwEVzZ9F3KG76yTf2n2hxAagz5TUvC0RNPV7GdyvMZlETFanQOuNjDQIauHE9eUmkw4_zBKRs2y5B3izNyM/s320/IMG_6661.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Newly emerged Black Darter before hardening and looking very fragile</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The newly emerged dragonfly can take about 3 hours to harden and is pretty fragile at this stage. Eventually they are strong enough to spread their wings and fly away. Pretty amazing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And to finish here are few more of my favourite damsel and dragon photos...I have quite a few as there is something that just draws me to these creatures and I just can't help photographing them. Get out there if you can before the summer is over to see if you can see some of these wonderful creatures!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Female Four Spotted Chaser</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Large Red Damselfly</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLQP_hnHC-SbfSO0Fkr_t5Ng6f8kjXaT1t08cH28Wn0y29yAXf9etJvGkbHbwQWHRkl84AIa75SwewgffOM4AKNPOGBSTnbZKvf_SzcPCYBLgqVfoZYA69LY7F6nlzZqcJS-PBvsmKFs/s1600/IMG_6908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLQP_hnHC-SbfSO0Fkr_t5Ng6f8kjXaT1t08cH28Wn0y29yAXf9etJvGkbHbwQWHRkl84AIa75SwewgffOM4AKNPOGBSTnbZKvf_SzcPCYBLgqVfoZYA69LY7F6nlzZqcJS-PBvsmKFs/s320/IMG_6908.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Southern Hawker Dragonfly</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyZb-s2sR3VVmugs8h1JPGKqFe_EqeXrAh-x7-JJbsQDiH7XrePtJejhup3egcmZLUyvAOZlQRwFICW9aQckxpPPEa1xlD5K_dneEZzqeCmt7vYHLR_nCi8fdvc0VpThIf2_ASRr6-hY/s1600/IMG_6946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyZb-s2sR3VVmugs8h1JPGKqFe_EqeXrAh-x7-JJbsQDiH7XrePtJejhup3egcmZLUyvAOZlQRwFICW9aQckxpPPEa1xlD5K_dneEZzqeCmt7vYHLR_nCi8fdvc0VpThIf2_ASRr6-hY/s320/IMG_6946.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The most amazing eyes ever - male four spotted chaser</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsDeToTNLaH_9S9MBf9rr-VPxUEtiDtj0xx-oVlScd6R0ZuBMnj8W7M-Tt3kSW9l4-jP22HW2Tjefj_wOPgJNhFBqiatXMF661UqeuPcD2HMhsXcgEoJXHu5_AGE8R_ilpNFKPlVgMiM/s1600/P1080317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsDeToTNLaH_9S9MBf9rr-VPxUEtiDtj0xx-oVlScd6R0ZuBMnj8W7M-Tt3kSW9l4-jP22HW2Tjefj_wOPgJNhFBqiatXMF661UqeuPcD2HMhsXcgEoJXHu5_AGE8R_ilpNFKPlVgMiM/s320/P1080317.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Golden Ringed Dragonfly</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEILtaPG47ZrVS2MYEeQ56kiZjQqiON6qZv19a7MVDUGtbUeeaK4zFWmSGH3sObDEQUq2aWMJcVSevVtb69-V-pBKJ4O_qREGEUsJhoTmrQcXyN-lvo9n8FbfGJoY4AzHHxgymEq242k/s1600/P1070866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEILtaPG47ZrVS2MYEeQ56kiZjQqiON6qZv19a7MVDUGtbUeeaK4zFWmSGH3sObDEQUq2aWMJcVSevVtb69-V-pBKJ4O_qREGEUsJhoTmrQcXyN-lvo9n8FbfGJoY4AzHHxgymEq242k/s320/P1070866.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Demoiselle</td></tr>
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</span>beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-15969651029768505842015-09-03T23:42:00.001-07:002015-09-10T05:10:59.600-07:00Funky Fungi<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was driving home last night and caught this fungi out of the corner of my eye and I just had to stop and take some photos.....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-mHLOd6AZn4Oxe_KgrlnRmLlESWajyxNkSbkNdoGaxF_Ug_egC2-cq9qYHYcb6QBxv5fDZHaMydOgQRyLUuwjz6SikrvXTBlq0t5KTVCcNSRDh4zYLuf9qQNKPUvmfeC2WXwFX3QaVw/s1600/P1080539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-mHLOd6AZn4Oxe_KgrlnRmLlESWajyxNkSbkNdoGaxF_Ug_egC2-cq9qYHYcb6QBxv5fDZHaMydOgQRyLUuwjz6SikrvXTBlq0t5KTVCcNSRDh4zYLuf9qQNKPUvmfeC2WXwFX3QaVw/s320/P1080539.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Humungous Fungus</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have now confirmed that this is a Giant Polypore fungus, <i>Meripilus giganteus</i>. It definitely lives up to its name! The giant polypore produces big rosettes of fan like brackets and grows around the on the ground close to the base of trees.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGNpXUO87UiUycjMpQm1rkHKpOfciuIKLGoyRp2EKn7zCZb7Rt5ZTXJsZXIqRgwS9A8YnJq7BAd0VCJKzroLooSjUcxmMpNwxjoj7gnKAFFIErgY3iY4YOMk38hnF8WlyEmEgQshXy-U/s1600/P1080537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGNpXUO87UiUycjMpQm1rkHKpOfciuIKLGoyRp2EKn7zCZb7Rt5ZTXJsZXIqRgwS9A8YnJq7BAd0VCJKzroLooSjUcxmMpNwxjoj7gnKAFFIErgY3iY4YOMk38hnF8WlyEmEgQshXy-U/s320/P1080537.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully the photo above will give some indication of scale. It was one huge fungi!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I guess there is some advantage to all the wet weather we have been having..it might be a good season for fungus!</span><br />
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beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-82050452106379633582015-08-19T23:04:00.001-07:002015-09-10T05:16:59.817-07:00RSPB Big Wild Sleep Out<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last weekend I decided to go along and have some fun at my local RSPB Big Wild Sleep Out...and fun it was. Lee Schofield from <a href="http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/h/haweswater/index.aspx?gclid=Cj0KEQjw0tCuBRDIjJ_Mlb6zzpQBEiQAyjCoBvZkP-eeNPVotY7hqNqmzAUkdBfQIKZqdlaE5DqSSfQaAp-78P8HAQ" target="_blank">RSPB Haweswater</a> was organising the event and it was held in the next valley over from Haweswater in Swindale. My dad grew up in Bampton just along the road and spent much of his childhood in the surrounding fells so it was great to go and spend the night out there....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Home for the night</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first task was setting up the tents and we were very privileged to be camping right next to a hay meadow with a stream running through it and an amazing backdrop of crags and the surrounding fells. It really is one of the most beautiful places I have camped.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Warm cosy bed complete with Yak wool blanket</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Room with a view</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hay Meadow madness!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once we had set up camp, I got chatting to some of my new fellow sleepover friends. Apologies if the names are incorrect but here goes....There was Paul and his grandson Jack, Bill (also from the RSPB) and Nell, Ryan and his son Ronan (think I have got the names the right way round!) Sarah and her daughter Rhiannon and her friend. Cath, the amazing bat lady and her two children and her husband who would rather not have been camping, but we soon persuaded him otherwise....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniAOtEDs2OJnnopSoRb_6_4G0nt-OTQ9YJ3GmxaKR9jspy4EiTENDPJ6is-xrckSx-HIju7AsdvMVWa2GjAtr1cvEhR3pDsn_X4LrEW1xrpTyLM3NQvSF5989BmW9gAdocEWfqED5PH8/s1600/P1080054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniAOtEDs2OJnnopSoRb_6_4G0nt-OTQ9YJ3GmxaKR9jspy4EiTENDPJ6is-xrckSx-HIju7AsdvMVWa2GjAtr1cvEhR3pDsn_X4LrEW1xrpTyLM3NQvSF5989BmW9gAdocEWfqED5PH8/s320/P1080054.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">River Dipping fun</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of us headed down to the river to do some dipping and just relax by the water. I was still in awe of what a beautiful place this is. Many childhood memories of playing in rivers and building dens all came flooding back. The first attempt at river dipping wasn't that successful but later on we got some caddis fly larvae, a leech and an extremely long thread type worm. I didn't see these...and I'm not too fussed that I didn't see the leech!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Relaxing and dipping by the river</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some people were still involved with putting up hammocks and tarps, which were to be their beds for the night. I meanwhile went for a bit of a wander and a wildlife hunt to see what I could find. I found some fungi and half a hazelnut...evidence perhaps of the red squirrel that is known to run up and down the wall. I saw a couple of ground beetles and the girls found a common lizard warming up in their tent...which lead to much squeals of alarm!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfafkqWUfJxfZWE68x1DUqBero-knXOwhvMD9U-cxzkILIUdv5sGcApVfTcALHqVIcUJfo3zwN3jqnNY7S0gccLNCJttTG6G_a8Yagz4Y17CWHKqK0_vykOwVkwZjGj3FmCRDOkFrRUM/s1600/P1080063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfafkqWUfJxfZWE68x1DUqBero-knXOwhvMD9U-cxzkILIUdv5sGcApVfTcALHqVIcUJfo3zwN3jqnNY7S0gccLNCJttTG6G_a8Yagz4Y17CWHKqK0_vykOwVkwZjGj3FmCRDOkFrRUM/s320/P1080063.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazelnut shell with mini boletus fungi</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Funky Fungi</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4Y4fJJECwKzwUTGzTPA8Rh8-kv9uSm_OqxJHLfMlJ6ZnAwiFgbBjXncGEZAANt78iRGNZ2J1vt10DGd19kwwee9o8zZtIYwDUhpaoWpZ9SiVqbJ7l-W8LsWc6x8woX69oeJzV9Ketfk/s1600/P1080068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4Y4fJJECwKzwUTGzTPA8Rh8-kv9uSm_OqxJHLfMlJ6ZnAwiFgbBjXncGEZAANt78iRGNZ2J1vt10DGd19kwwee9o8zZtIYwDUhpaoWpZ9SiVqbJ7l-W8LsWc6x8woX69oeJzV9Ketfk/s320/P1080068.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Knapweed with Cuckoo Spit (Rockhoppers) and amybe some dead midges!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_9OIJmp0rp_23Vi-7ghR6CeOqA6OoLutRpsQu93VKOx_xDOTVtOuwCxvVzXRH2uLgwjCn1xeDAVUomI52EP9o_Okj9mG_pJLx9hEValnCyfXw_VLVx_VnNH4BZN_eqn2OLxC1NOy1m0/s1600/P1080067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_9OIJmp0rp_23Vi-7ghR6CeOqA6OoLutRpsQu93VKOx_xDOTVtOuwCxvVzXRH2uLgwjCn1xeDAVUomI52EP9o_Okj9mG_pJLx9hEValnCyfXw_VLVx_VnNH4BZN_eqn2OLxC1NOy1m0/s320/P1080067.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z3MEvNT0SC6MkvE062iwMoeu6O5lpoLLOQBNwpTuriIIfLXF0dOtYaoBAU6f7n69FvRwTtj5TI4o02Qk9Z6NSq6xodjDRMIK-lXODV4JHvkqJTLQkWsO4l0C19nDX_S3bP9z_PYNQdU/s1600/P1080045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Z3MEvNT0SC6MkvE062iwMoeu6O5lpoLLOQBNwpTuriIIfLXF0dOtYaoBAU6f7n69FvRwTtj5TI4o02Qk9Z6NSq6xodjDRMIK-lXODV4JHvkqJTLQkWsO4l0C19nDX_S3bP9z_PYNQdU/s320/P1080045.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Devil's Bit Scabious</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the afternoon drifted away we decided it was time to go for a walk to a local swimming hole and to have a look at the plants and wildlife along the way. Here's just a couple of things we found along the trail:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUQd4gAHyFRx7dfiI4s4jYG0ubvrVx2fThCJYPfiRkiWKFaz-dMZwwCisNh0cNXEt2tlrLDzoMNAXccns9-Y1SdpTjfZPN3OMeQrAu9D-GRQ2C1Cble8o_alcGjDgg3lcDhUkDziqw5w/s1600/P1080051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUQd4gAHyFRx7dfiI4s4jYG0ubvrVx2fThCJYPfiRkiWKFaz-dMZwwCisNh0cNXEt2tlrLDzoMNAXccns9-Y1SdpTjfZPN3OMeQrAu9D-GRQ2C1Cble8o_alcGjDgg3lcDhUkDziqw5w/s320/P1080051.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bog Asphodel</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bog Asphodel is a water loving plant but what I didn't realise is that in managed land it can cause a bit of conflict between conservationists and farmers. As explained by Lee from the RSPB, bog asphodel can cause problems for sheep. Some conservation programmes involve encouraging areas of wetland to try and increase certain species of wetland flora and fauna. Bog asphodel will grow in these wet areas but the flowerheads if eaten by sheep can cause photosensitivity. This can result in them having painful inflammations of their ears and muzzles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Further along the path one of the youngsters spotted this lovely Emperor Moth caterpillar. This was a great find. They are pretty cool caterpillars - bright green with pink spots! Also along the way we found some sundew, a very cool carnivorous plant and some viviparious grass, which basically means it reproduces by forming a type of bud rather than produce a seed - which is pretty unusual for a grass!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MWW80DzXGQqAnf1hb3YW8tKf4bbAxaf_A32Ohf6PWLze4DVkJi-W3fJhcy5CyvwlEDbh7qnoDxcBpV-jh5du2E5-4ySlJpFt1Po3kCIxnS6ORjMfASQZvTkeWLFM6HC5VOoJnVhLCCs/s1600/P1080084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MWW80DzXGQqAnf1hb3YW8tKf4bbAxaf_A32Ohf6PWLze4DVkJi-W3fJhcy5CyvwlEDbh7qnoDxcBpV-jh5du2E5-4ySlJpFt1Po3kCIxnS6ORjMfASQZvTkeWLFM6HC5VOoJnVhLCCs/s320/P1080084.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Emperor Moth Caterpillar</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikziU6GQcW5d-_qBsHgWwUZjq4i15ZiZweIv2TuXdImcxPSvz-Kra0A0cIoxZtK-nauyAumBTr4WubT9zBsgUUh8W3EIfpmTMvp3O-WVmlmL3j0IRYJATVbWy_RGZU5Dbz6JBuuTd9v5E/s1600/P1080085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikziU6GQcW5d-_qBsHgWwUZjq4i15ZiZweIv2TuXdImcxPSvz-Kra0A0cIoxZtK-nauyAumBTr4WubT9zBsgUUh8W3EIfpmTMvp3O-WVmlmL3j0IRYJATVbWy_RGZU5Dbz6JBuuTd9v5E/s320/P1080085.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Common Sundew</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRy8FANcrCruIF3rQ1OeJ723SbACIJnF67qWUs31ZF5vvtQZe36o5TqOcSUm7_fzveHYsvXZ-OkMG5ddqW72K458OEG_cArsQwRmZgWACr_bIbptuV4w1dtDMgc2KoIxStxF7LMSbKTQ/s1600/P1080079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipRy8FANcrCruIF3rQ1OeJ723SbACIJnF67qWUs31ZF5vvtQZe36o5TqOcSUm7_fzveHYsvXZ-OkMG5ddqW72K458OEG_cArsQwRmZgWACr_bIbptuV4w1dtDMgc2KoIxStxF7LMSbKTQ/s320/P1080079.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Viviparous Grass</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then we got to the swimming hole and some brave folk went in for a dip. A couple of the youngsters went in first but also Paul one of the adults braved the cool waters. I have to say I didn't go in but it did look very refreshing and a great spot for a swim. You can't beat a swimming pool with dragonflies buzzing around your head.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNT30USrdq3ogR5xYAI82UbFPGX1OU7NIrDaS0C7JIUt_xcxO5mwswkVqsswh_bZIfsDMhPuh4eo1WQOjAVhzF6V450FTQ3sNIXaYfQNrtTUYtXOszijesZFuahT7O_65cTKQs-Fo1tKM/s1600/P1080097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNT30USrdq3ogR5xYAI82UbFPGX1OU7NIrDaS0C7JIUt_xcxO5mwswkVqsswh_bZIfsDMhPuh4eo1WQOjAVhzF6V450FTQ3sNIXaYfQNrtTUYtXOszijesZFuahT7O_65cTKQs-Fo1tKM/s320/P1080097.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Summer swimming fun</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2ss7Lat-FWhU9fVeMG_PPTeLUTL1CH1QOAgBz-hVn8K9gK3LQCD3JK2kBsZE5Kt7GHbh91VxUMaDJU2SeYP6PFGoWCGh86a7irS8nejEaWO6cQQO_Gv9eyMqolheFdRjQJauDCcrXAE/s1600/P1080102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2ss7Lat-FWhU9fVeMG_PPTeLUTL1CH1QOAgBz-hVn8K9gK3LQCD3JK2kBsZE5Kt7GHbh91VxUMaDJU2SeYP6PFGoWCGh86a7irS8nejEaWO6cQQO_Gv9eyMqolheFdRjQJauDCcrXAE/s320/P1080102.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwkECuqUyOMI6Fy4Kl8mVkRkAA4fIiVTRr3A9FjN1-KrDOBiD__EDWWjj0sReF96_jdbztvoD6j-XrfQTK44Ukv3XheaFaSC9SYHeoY_PbXASiy2dB3penDZY-df6lplkdoeBFTF3Ow0/s1600/P1080101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwkECuqUyOMI6Fy4Kl8mVkRkAA4fIiVTRr3A9FjN1-KrDOBiD__EDWWjj0sReF96_jdbztvoD6j-XrfQTK44Ukv3XheaFaSC9SYHeoY_PbXASiy2dB3penDZY-df6lplkdoeBFTF3Ow0/s320/P1080101.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After the swimming session it was back to camp for a much needed BBQ. We all piled on sausages and burgers and got the kelly kettle going for a brew. I had a new little gadget to try which is a little sausage cooking prong that fits on the end of a stick. It was loved by many folk, as a lightweight and clever little gadget. It is made by 'light my fire' who also make sporks for camping. It is also a great little tool for cooking marshmallows.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Me trying out my new sausage cooking fork</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5i_gvUQRLY2oGWU549OzGCGAZuRwBSKHb_Vg9YgTQQaDwpO-g4K7rxxlWeXDtxQ2RAlgbw4xzCcTv9bejBNvNRyavOs3YQGYgc2BKQZ_eh-kFyPemIl-zV8w-R3CeY5n9iVG6FNZAPj0/s1600/P1080125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5i_gvUQRLY2oGWU549OzGCGAZuRwBSKHb_Vg9YgTQQaDwpO-g4K7rxxlWeXDtxQ2RAlgbw4xzCcTv9bejBNvNRyavOs3YQGYgc2BKQZ_eh-kFyPemIl-zV8w-R3CeY5n9iVG6FNZAPj0/s320/P1080125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Popcorn, marshmallows, sweetcorn and sausages!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholvwknx83mMlq8RZLdn1c0i0TiQ5jmwXZO0Uuhw5dVvdYJcgmvIYa_pP5SfNetrkw-nS2bUU3WobmDApnSB05HeiG92xeomMMP6lRdhHFS57Nc5tXGkkPH2PKs3qaG-S5RS__eHPxNH4/s1600/P1080115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholvwknx83mMlq8RZLdn1c0i0TiQ5jmwXZO0Uuhw5dVvdYJcgmvIYa_pP5SfNetrkw-nS2bUU3WobmDApnSB05HeiG92xeomMMP6lRdhHFS57Nc5tXGkkPH2PKs3qaG-S5RS__eHPxNH4/s320/P1080115.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feeding time</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As dusk drew nearer we set up the moth trap, and left it running overnight to be opened up in the morning to to see what moths were living on the site. We then set off for our bat walk with Cath Johnstone from National Parks. Cath had brought along a handful of bat detectors and told us to set them to a frequency of around 45. We headed up towards the farm buildings and barns and it wasn't long before we were both seeing and hearing bats. The most common one was the Pipistrelle and there may also have been a brown long eared. Cath could tell this mainly from the sound picked up on the bat detectors. She had lots of information for us about echo - location and how bats hunt for their food and how they roost. We could have stayed out for hours but it was getting late and it was starting to get a bit windy....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTYCbBoQfpZyVq8autmY7RcWSUKJLT8tM7yWM8Ivo3fMLgl_XYCuRHTOLW2xanMcNldpVnsSOQ0AYDY50KrUWa87xX0FKnGcqBsdqrvRRHUUlLUXb5DhIb3JwYzPLoYCbBPMllwahgdU/s1600/P1080130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPTYCbBoQfpZyVq8autmY7RcWSUKJLT8tM7yWM8Ivo3fMLgl_XYCuRHTOLW2xanMcNldpVnsSOQ0AYDY50KrUWa87xX0FKnGcqBsdqrvRRHUUlLUXb5DhIb3JwYzPLoYCbBPMllwahgdU/s320/P1080130.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The black dot is a Pipistrelle bat - honest!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvOxfwWJvufZQJmbHkBU-hcKqGmm6LpRsDmiV8-hizCdLKDdtwvlK6E2X_pPgxcDzd623QM-Rqs44lXhv4PFf92JEykDjUSsO7lTpWQyw4qSr2TzjGy_T8LsmFdWMo2_oxIL2EcsSh6A/s1600/P1080135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvOxfwWJvufZQJmbHkBU-hcKqGmm6LpRsDmiV8-hizCdLKDdtwvlK6E2X_pPgxcDzd623QM-Rqs44lXhv4PFf92JEykDjUSsO7lTpWQyw4qSr2TzjGy_T8LsmFdWMo2_oxIL2EcsSh6A/s320/P1080135.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Night Candles</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The wind continued to get stronger and we decided it was time for bed. It was not the most restful of nights and the RSPB certainly delivered what they promised. It definitely was a WILD sleep out! I didn't get much sleep - I was lovely and warm but all night the wind roared down the valley and howled around the tents. In the morning there was a bit of destruction - the tarp on Lee's hammock had gone adrift so he moved to the kitchen tent which already had one snapped pole and then lay awake as the other 2 poles collapsed and the tent finally engulfed him! Sarah's tent started to leak so she and her daughter moved back up to the barn where she had left their campervan. The toilet tent blew down and Lee's other smaller tent also got a battering! However, there were some tents left standing - mine included in that thankfully and also the quechua pop up tent survived! Bill and Nell were the last to arise in the morning - their hammocks were tucked behind a rocky outcrop and they had been sheltered from most of the storm.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The damp morning after braving the storm</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bill and Nell tucked up in their hammocks</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately the moth trap also didn't survive the night but we did find a couple of species. One of them being an orange underwing, a common moth in this area Lee informed us. We got the kelly kettle going and had a soggy brew and started to pack up. The plan was to go to the eagle viewpiont that morning but most people were happy to head home for a warm bath. It had been a brilliant afternoon and evening. Hopefully all the youngsters had a great experience out in the wild - I know that I certainly did and it has to be one of the wildest wild camps I have had! Well done to the RSPB and to Lee Schofield for all the hard work that went into organising the event. I will definitely be back next year and highly recommend it....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-91551007820741163832015-08-10T03:18:00.000-07:002015-08-10T03:18:01.730-07:00Carnivorous Bog Plants and Upland Wildflowers<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago I went wandering looking for bog plants. I had been told there was a lot of butterwort in flower near to Watendlath Tarn. So off I went with my camera in hand to see what I could find.....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT47clO4yiHMQ95o0UJPogm_pPY1TJC9GKAzzHIPgEuGIti50ldjuahgYwtYnXJoxjU7C1cVi30Ajq_kcZ6GNAzKa3HlrTNU6hqaXcV7njVVr-o1U182WdmVKOMJrc8sewz-aGWw8M1EM/s1600/P1070703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT47clO4yiHMQ95o0UJPogm_pPY1TJC9GKAzzHIPgEuGIti50ldjuahgYwtYnXJoxjU7C1cVi30Ajq_kcZ6GNAzKa3HlrTNU6hqaXcV7njVVr-o1U182WdmVKOMJrc8sewz-aGWw8M1EM/s320/P1070703.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Butterwort, <i>Pinguicula vulgaris</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Butterwort is a cool carnivorous bog plant that is only in flower from around late May to August. It is easily identified by the star shaped leaves. A sticky substance is exuded from the leaves to trap insects which are then broken down by enzymes and ingested by the plant.It leaves in boggy poor nutrient habitats.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Butterwort flower close up</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Out on the bog I also found cotton grass, of which there are many different species but is a great looking plant with the white tufty bits. I believe this can be quite good tinder for fire if collected and dried but I have never tried it myself. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cotton Grass</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I also saw a couple of common spotted orchids and heath milkwort dotted around in the grass.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhsxys9tPx4g2rhCzKlw6mWbxmkL9fil0phvG-Wk1JY0dnd8iR7ytVkYYk5JEA-xBzheJH-YKhxDbY3b0t-faIGirj9lKeaxj23LLxl8bNNrUDXt25s46Pw4R0GWAZ95f0MAoCn2wDEc/s1600/P1070690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhsxys9tPx4g2rhCzKlw6mWbxmkL9fil0phvG-Wk1JY0dnd8iR7ytVkYYk5JEA-xBzheJH-YKhxDbY3b0t-faIGirj9lKeaxj23LLxl8bNNrUDXt25s46Pw4R0GWAZ95f0MAoCn2wDEc/s320/P1070690.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Common Spotted Orchid, <i>Dactylorhiza fuchsii</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heath Milkwort, <i>Polygara vulgaris</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One particular species I was pleased to see was the cross leaved heath. This is commonly mistaken with bell heather but it can be identified by the cluster of flowers at the top of the stem and by the leaves which form distinctive symmetrical 4 leaved whorls off the stem.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztlDWrk2wYNrWaye4cqtibBOHM6vm5RtR745cVpu21p8zm91vvN_bXotjG_5Or2Umja_kEPXtndrZSwmwU8HYqHJBFft4ByAR3X6cywTn5BJwpetEb4I7i_4FT3DOHwmx1hndYxZJJNU/s1600/P1070697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztlDWrk2wYNrWaye4cqtibBOHM6vm5RtR745cVpu21p8zm91vvN_bXotjG_5Or2Umja_kEPXtndrZSwmwU8HYqHJBFft4ByAR3X6cywTn5BJwpetEb4I7i_4FT3DOHwmx1hndYxZJJNU/s320/P1070697.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cross leaved heath, <i>Erica tetralix</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also on the bog was of course some sphagnum moss . I cannot be sure of the exact species but it is likely to be Sphagnum capillifolium. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sphagnum moss</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> As I headed further across the bog my find of the day was the cool carnivorous plant sundew. This is probably the common form, round leaved sundew. The sundew reminds me of a venus fly trap! It also exudes a sticky substance which forms globules on the ends of hairs that look like dew.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRCSOYUg528itbtjb9_2qvq4tzWjrh7awHL0OhZU1PzKSsTMQ-0IhLQwcomNeMwG3Ee6cPnYHLxE8D3ieEL0ZGgfa3HF7YPW4tRgxLf3y3LEfCVHUdtgQfih9NaDFR4r477gj5_vTSm8/s1600/P1070709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRCSOYUg528itbtjb9_2qvq4tzWjrh7awHL0OhZU1PzKSsTMQ-0IhLQwcomNeMwG3Ee6cPnYHLxE8D3ieEL0ZGgfa3HF7YPW4tRgxLf3y3LEfCVHUdtgQfih9NaDFR4r477gj5_vTSm8/s320/P1070709.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Common Sundew, <i>Drosera rotundifolia</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sundew with a trapped insect</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I wandered back towards the path I came across some common upland plants such as wild thyme, which has the lovely scent of thyme. There was also the common yellow plants: birds foot trefoil, a pretty yellow flower and another tormentil.</span><br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wild thyme, <i>Thymus polytrichus</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Birds Foot Trefoil, <i>Lotus corniculatus</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tormentil, <i>Potentilla erecta</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another common upland plant found close to paths and on the ground is heath bedstraw, <i>Galium saxatile</i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heath Bedstraw, <i>Galium saxatile</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So just a lovely little evening jaunt with plenty to see....</span><br />
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beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-14381681310402979842015-08-03T14:11:00.000-07:002015-08-03T14:19:45.399-07:00A Sneaky bit of Spanish and French Wildlife<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXk6jVKyW4SuXIvp1YRnqoqtJy6CwTuf5NJc8A0dTEpMitK0qub63TbOmjNUnhVQ3GNnTK61q-gYmsvUvc5AxYH8cvnKEbHDCalw5YvpIUFdkZC6_KpUNbGaYIFLefnTAXbYYuMLroxM/s1600/P1070872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXk6jVKyW4SuXIvp1YRnqoqtJy6CwTuf5NJc8A0dTEpMitK0qub63TbOmjNUnhVQ3GNnTK61q-gYmsvUvc5AxYH8cvnKEbHDCalw5YvpIUFdkZC6_KpUNbGaYIFLefnTAXbYYuMLroxM/s320/P1070872.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demoiselle, France</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I have recently returned from holiday in the Spanish Pyrenees, followed by a few stops in France. I was actually on a trail biking trip but my little bike got me to some amazing places, where I saw some great wildlife.....First of all was the butterflies - they were abundant to say the least. They did not really rest much for photos - it was so warm that they were able to flutter around all day. Some of the colours were stunning - bright yellows and orange, blue and green.....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mating butterflies - well I think that is what they are doing!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Beautiful green and bright yellow butterfly with its wings closed</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my favourites in the insect world has to be dragonflies and I was treated to quite a few sightings of those. Here's just a couple of them.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had two great bug treats when I was away. One was a huge stag beetle which flew over my head and landed next to me...I didn't have my camera - I was gutted - he was an angry beast! And the other insect treat of the trip was seeing a demoiselle. I have never seen a demoiselle in the wild, although they can be found at home in Cumbria. I was mesmerised by how iredescent blue and green demoiselles are and when they were in flight they were just stunning. I spotted them on the riverbank at Gorge du Tarn in France.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And of course when the weather is hot you are always guaranteed to see a lizard or two!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The other treat was the fact that the water was so clear that you could actually see the fish. I particularly liked the trout. I also came across two freshwater crayfish having a bit of a battle over a hiding hole!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Trout</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Freshwater crayfish</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the drive home I was treated to a stop at the wolf sanctuary and although I only had an hour it was enough time to see some of these majestic animals. The sanctuary/park was near Marvejols which is the town twinned with Cockermouth, near home which was quite cool! The park is really well laid out with a variety of wolf species and lots of information about them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I particularly liked the Arctic wolves, which whilst at rest reminded me of my white labrador, it may be a different story when they are active!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Arctic Wolf</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some of the wolves were quite hard to spot but if you waited long enough they would have a peek at you and either hide again or just rest with one eye open!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The information at the park was great and inspired me to read up a bit more about these truly majestic animals. Gerard Menatory was one of the pioneering wolf experts whose life of living with and studying wolves led to their preservation and a better understanding of the species. So on that note.....I'm off to read a bit more about him!</span><br />
beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-27313978421353817442015-08-03T12:57:00.003-07:002015-08-03T13:01:04.625-07:00Spring and Summer Bugs, Flowers and All Things Natural<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have not had much time at all to blog recently, as I have been out and about so much! I have just found this post which I started in Spring and it is now August - where has all that time gone?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have however found some interesting things that I would like to share. In a hedgerow near to home I found some White Campion, which I have never found in this area before. Red Campion is abundant so I was really surprised to see the white variety. However I also found a really interesting hybrid red and white flower! Quite cool I thought!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White Campion with Red Campion</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7Gvw_Lf9lMIFVA8neMJboiYvpktJocH6vQ-qLT9tLzHQh5rdhfuxC2jTTlMxhRl2sifFKy3_37ivbjL2bL0SeJ3M0-LW-kgMHKhq9DdxZHYElzJQ3C8bUVWYysetlSvDFJabbjK8i_0/s1600/P1070538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi7Gvw_Lf9lMIFVA8neMJboiYvpktJocH6vQ-qLT9tLzHQh5rdhfuxC2jTTlMxhRl2sifFKy3_37ivbjL2bL0SeJ3M0-LW-kgMHKhq9DdxZHYElzJQ3C8bUVWYysetlSvDFJabbjK8i_0/s320/P1070538.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The red and white campion cross variety!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A May Bug, also known as the Cockchafer, found by my sister on her doorstep and I have also found a few of these where I work. The may bug is a lovely big bug but some people mistake them for cockroaches and kill them. Please don't - they are harmless!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGZ9OBdw3BQ5oEJTK8fNZlKutAAaYEPsau6T2HbwhOHcc9wKkzqhyphenhyphen2bKTyHx4jEX_TGFRXW7rqXLQuiBqq_7AyMlIpztBGBiUZ-rOodHGXu1H9nIK_iJqqcdcquxe8QqMRbAKWJtbQnA/s1600/IMG_0137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGZ9OBdw3BQ5oEJTK8fNZlKutAAaYEPsau6T2HbwhOHcc9wKkzqhyphenhyphen2bKTyHx4jEX_TGFRXW7rqXLQuiBqq_7AyMlIpztBGBiUZ-rOodHGXu1H9nIK_iJqqcdcquxe8QqMRbAKWJtbQnA/s320/IMG_0137.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cockchafer, <i>Melolontha Melolontha</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another interesting find was this insect skin/casing. I found it on a riverbank and it looks as if this was a nymph or a larval stage of something and it has shed its skin and possibly flown or scuttled away!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown insect casing</td></tr>
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Maybe not that rare, but something I have not seen before close to my home was a woodland brown butterfly. Since this sighting I have seen them in abundance!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvns5wKhj-n-FuTopu1oLV0XeupVXrCJ0iOBDhZqorul9QIn_J5p6FwdA8gzTioNJHqWmSpXq-yERmTZP6WI3zy8IzeFlGXsNz5Aj3JR1EXmXmKzdqU2T0vUmQVmykV6tCBvO_inZQA8U/s1600/IMG_0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvns5wKhj-n-FuTopu1oLV0XeupVXrCJ0iOBDhZqorul9QIn_J5p6FwdA8gzTioNJHqWmSpXq-yERmTZP6WI3zy8IzeFlGXsNz5Aj3JR1EXmXmKzdqU2T0vUmQVmykV6tCBvO_inZQA8U/s1600/IMG_0797.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Woodland Brown Butterfly</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An interesting moth find by a friend in her garden - An Elephant Hawk Moth - how envious am I?!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Elephant Hawk Moth, <i>Deilephila elpenor</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few moths found at work - yet to be identified and I will update this post when I do. The coolest thing about these guys is how they are so well camouflaged against their background - very clever! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cleverly camouflaged moth</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then today when I was out walking at lunchtime I came across one of my favourite insects - this awesome toad and a dragonfly....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have found all sorts of interesting things this summer so watch this space and hopefully I will get more time to blog and play catch up. In the meantime get out there and see what you can find before the summer is gone! Enjoy.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3917828395233014779.post-58440626055121066492015-08-03T12:42:00.001-07:002015-08-03T12:42:11.518-07:00Marsh Fritillary Butterfly Conservation<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Way back in May, when I seemed to have more time!.... I went along to the Solway Coast to learn more about conserving the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, <i>Euphydryas aurinia</i></span>. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day was organised by Rhia McBain from the <a href="http://www.solwaywetlands.org.uk/" target="_blank">Solway Wetlands Partnership</a> and there were experts on hand: Keith Walter from Natural England and Steve Doyle from Butterfly Conservation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day began in the classroom learning about the Marsh Fritillary conservation project that has been running since 2005. Before we got started we had a look at some of the caterpillars ready for release: The caterpillars have been bred in captivity by licensed breeders working on the project and they have been thriving. The wiggly and lively little guys were very keen to get out of their box!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marsh Fritillary Caterpillars bred in captivity </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marsh Fritillary caterpillars ready for release and trying to escape!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wiggly energetic caterpillars!</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The brief story is that in 2004 there were approximately only 155 Marsh Fritillary caterpillars left in Cumbria. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main reasons for the decline of the Marsh Fritillary is due to loss of habitat, namely wet meadows. </span>A project was set up to try and rectify the situation and the aim of the project was to restore viable and genetically diverse populations of the Marsh Fritillary to Cumbria. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main food source of the Marsh Fritillary butterfly is Devil's Bit Scabious and this thrives in wet meadows. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Due to agriculture, there has
been much drainage and fertilization of these areas resulting in a loss
if habitat and the main food plant for the butterflies.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Devil's Bit Scabious - <i>Succisa pratensis</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other problems for the butterflies are fragmentation of habitat as a result of hedges and roads and so populations become cut off from one another. This reduces mating between populations and thus results in a reduction in genetic diversity. So another aim of the project was to preserve and manage some habitat for the Marsh Fritillary and increase the populations again. So how is this achieved?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heading to the release site</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Basically butterfly experts like Keith and Steve breed the caterpillars in captivity and then release them into the wild. Suitable sites that have the correct habitat and food availability are found for the caterpillars and negotiations are made with the landowners to use the land as a release site and to continue to manage the site in such a way that the butterflies have a chance of survival. Then you get a group of willing volunteers to wander across fields with tubs of caterpillars, and high-tec equipment such as plastic spoons to release the caterpillars into the wild.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Trusty caterpillar and butterfly volunteers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The release of the caterpillars is normally done in a methodical manner with everyone spreading out in a row and walking in formation to find a plant to place some caterpillars on. As I had to head off to work on the release day, I wasn't able to be part of the formation. However, as a special treat I was allowed my own little release of some wiggly caterpillars into the wild.....go little guys (see pic below)!!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Devils Bit Scabious leaves - release site for caterpillars</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Getting ready for release</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My personal release of wrigglers!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Basically after the release, the caterpillars are left their own devices to grow and develop and hopefully to increase the population. It is now the beginning of August - where did all that time go?? and it is now time to head back out to do a larval web count to see how many of the little wrigglers have survived. Unfortunately its that time of year when I have got too many other things on so I won't be attending but I am looking forward to hearing how it goes!</span><br />
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beachcombercoconuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17198066964346679074noreply@blogger.com0