Week 16 12/03/14 - Sunny and a Woodpecker

Photo Blog Week 16 - Wed 12 Mar 2014

An amazing warm summery day, needed cap to keep sun out of my eyes and should have brought more water; was gasping by the time I returned at end of day.
I expected to be greeted by a lot of spring action but most plant life is still quite dormant. I did see a large yellow butterfly and heard woodpeckers in two locations, the second of which I was delighted to get a photo of.

route: across Hall North Entrance; track toward East Lodge; divert to Coalpit Wood before returning to the track and on to East Lodge.

 A massive blue sky behind the Cage

 Park Red Deer herd down in their sanctuary (On the darker ridge halfway up picture centre).

If you are looking to see the Park Red Deer, the roll of the terrain of the sanctuary blocks the view to where they tend to hang out. Carry on walking toward East Lodge until you reach a sharp bend in the track next to a wood. From this position you often see them down in the dip as in the photo above. Continuing along the track they are hidden again until you are close to the East Lodge Cottage.

 Coalpit Wood and Cage Hill

 East Lodge, the gate house at the Eastern gate is available as a Holiday Cottage via the National Trust.

route: Back along track then over stile and up across Caters Slack to Lantern Wood via Deer Leap; transit Lantern Wood to Park Moor

 The grasses of Caters Slack hillside are pale and bright in the sun

 It some months since I saw dappled sunshine on the woodland paths

Passing behind the Lantern

route: Descend to gate into Turf House Meadow; transit meadow on green path; follow signs to The Kennels

 Barn Owl box in Turf House Meadow. 

(See official Ranger Blog Barn Owls at Lyme for more about this)

View up to the Lantern from Turf House Meadow

The Kennels where the Lyme Mastiffs were housed.

(Informative article at dogworld.co.uk  A long history of Mastiffs at Lyme by Nick Waters )

route: return from kennels crossing Turf House Meadow to path back to East Lodge track behind the Stables; cross grass to Timberyard Cafe.

Some signs of spring in the banks behind the Stables. (Flowers identified using wildflowerfinder.org.uk )

Lesser Celandine

Coltsfoot

Picnic season by the Mill Pond

Lunch stop at Timberyard Cafe

route: Leave car park toward Westpark drive; follow wall then cross steps into Drinkwater Meadow; pass Darcy's Pond then over ladder stile into Pursefield Wood then along to Paddock Cottage

Darcy's Pond looking a little more inviting with a blue sky

Woodpecker Sighting

I could hear the wood pecker intermittently rattling and with a little patience was lucky enough to home in on the tree. Hand held telephoto so not great but I did manage to capture the Great Spotted Woodpecker.

telephoto now on maximum (no tripod)

It moved to an adjacent tree where zooming into pixel level the lower quarters are clearly red. 

(quarter way up and just left of centre)

I was very pleased to get these as I am not at all a wildlife photographer and this is a first for me.

route: Paddock Cottage along Cluse Hey fence ; descend via dry stone seat to West Park Drive. Follow drive to The Knott car park; cross to Four Winds; toward car park left to Crow Wood Playscape; Crow Wood North exit; cross Main Drive to lower path Cage Hill and return to North Entrance of Hall to finish. 

Paddock Cottage

The views today are limited by haze.

Hazy views are typical of when the weather system is High Pressure.  The clearest views are during  Low Pressure, usually either side of rain though you also need the rain not to be falling within the view frame.  On a clear day, the Welsh hills can be seen from here.

No sign on new bracken yet but last years is now so brittle that it is crumbling to a carpet. 

Golden Saxifrage

Broad Leaved Dock - New leaves unfolding from rolled spikes

Another attempt at wildlife photography - Grey Squirrel in Crow Wood

4hr 45min   7.5 miles