Flamborough & Bempton RSPB,27.05.20.

Beadlet Anemones,Flamborough Head.

Gannet Collecting Nest Material,Bempton Cliffs RSPB.

Razorbill,Bempton Cliffs RSPB.

Gannets,Bempton Cliffs RSPB.

Hide And Seek,Puffin From Bempton Cliffs RSPB.

Razorbills & Puffins,Bempton Cliffs RSPB.

Gannets,Bempton Cliffs RSPB.

The Towering Cliffs Of The Reserve At Bempton RSPB.

A Very Long Way Down,Just Imagine Being A Guillemot Chick Having To Jump To The Sea To Fledge!.

Spectacular.

Razors.

Squabbling Fulmars Looking Comical.

Thor's Cave,Ilam Park & Stunning Dove Dale,Monday 25th May 2020.

Another trip out today into the southern part of the Peak District National Park(White Peak),saw us visiting some fantastic areas.
 First,we visited the amazing Thor's Cave in the Manifold Valley close to the little village of Wetton.This is one of the most impressive caves we have visited and has to be seen to be believed and has been inhabited through millenia,with the cave actually been occupied on and off since the Paleolithic period with remains of at least 7 burials found during archeological digs on the site,with it being used mainly during the Iron Age and Roman times. 
 The woodland around this area was of typical limestone areas,rich in wildflowers and birds,with highlights including 2 singing male Redstart,Spotted Flycatcher,Welsh Poppy,Dog's Mercury,Yellow Archangel,Blue Bell's and the lovely smelling Ramson's.
 After visiting this superb area,we then travelled the short distance over to Ilam Park and walked over to the stepping stones in Dovedale and climbed the very high(Well my old legs certainly thought so)Thorpe Cloud.The views from this mini mountain were breathtaking and certainly worth it,with views around Dovedale and back across to Ilam Park.
 The wildlife was pretty interesting also in the area with 2 more singing male Redstart,Grey Wagtail,Common Buzzrds,Common-blue Butterflies,Brown Argus,Small Heath and wildflowers including Wild Thyme and Common Rock Rose.
 The following are a selection of photos from our day in this beautiful area of the peak District.

Entrance To Manifold Valley.

The Entrance To Thor's Cave.

A View Of The Manifold Valley From The Entrance To Thor's Cave.

Cave Scenery.

Looking Out From Inside The Cave,This View Probably Hasn't Changed In Thousands Of Years.

A Photo Showing The Scale Of The Cave With Mrs R For Comparison.

The Valley Below The Cave,You Can Just see It Top Left.

Wetton.

Ilam Park,With Thorpe Cloud Middle Right.

The River Manifold,Ilam Park.

Ilam Park.

My Partner in Crime.

Bunster Hill.

Dove Dale.

Common-rock Rose.

Views From The Climb Up Thorpe Cloud.

One Of The Locals With An Itch.

Church Of The Holy Cross,Ilam Park.

Church Of The Holy Cross,Ilam Park.

Padley Gorge At Last!,Sunday 17th May 2020.

As the title suggests,i have been meaning to visit this lovely valley just inside the Peak District National Park for some time after hearing so many good things about it and also the fact it still held breeding Wood Warblers,a species i had not seen on its breeding grounds for some time it has to be said.
 So we set off bright and early arriving at the roadside parking place in good time before the hordes from Sheffield arrived.
 As we hadn't visited the site before we covered it all in a big loop,walking as far as Grindleford train station and then back along the gorge to where we had parked.The majority of the woodland was ancient Sessile Oak,with some Beech and other species mixed in making for an impressive sight.
 Numbers of species observed were as follows and included 5 singing male Redstart,2 Spotted Flycatcher,4 male Pied Flycatcher and singles of singing male Tree Pipit,Cuckoo and sadly only 1 male Wood Warbler.The latter though was the real target we had come to see and it showed very nicely,albeit overhead for most of the time and it was really great to hear one singing again,a sound i hadn't heard since finding one in the Humber Bridge viewing area at Barton in the early 2000's.
 The gorge is in a stunning part of the 'Dark Peak' and it was really great to be back in one of our favourite parts of the country.

Mrs R.

Wood Ants With A Caterpillar.

Male Wood Warbler.

Donnington-on-Bain & Biscathorpe,16.05.20.

We had planned today to carry out a circular walk in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds between the lovely little village of Donnington-on-Bain and the deserted medieval village of Biscathorpe and after a look at the forthcoming forecast this was where Tracey and myself headed today.
 It was an area which we had both never visited before and to be honest all i had heard about the area was true,it was a very picturesque area,with the lovely rolling hills of the wolds and the bubbling River Bain running along the valley bottom between the two villages.
 We also managed to see some of the local wildlife too which included a few singing male Corn Buntings and the nice sight of a female Roe Deer,which almost walked up to Trace without her even seeing it.
 An added bonus was the excellent Post and Pantry tea rooms which sell a range of lovely local produce,particularly the meat pies which are to die for.
 The following are a selection of photos from our walk in this lovely little part of the Lincolnshire Wolds,one of which we will certainly be visiting again.

St.Andrew's Church,Donington-on-Bain.

Mrs R.

The Towering Belmont Television Mast.