Delta Ged, Volunteer Ranger @ National Trust Lyme Park : January 2015

Friday, 30 January 2015

Week 55 28/01/2015 - Between the Snows; Muddy but Spring Is On Its Way

Photo Blog Week 55 - Wed 28 January 2015

The weather forecast was foul and rain and sleet had been blowing against the window as I left home.
Due to the expected adverse weather conditions I only carried my old pocket camera with an already condensation damaged sensor which, combined with low light levels for much of the day, mean that this weeks photos are below the usual clarity.

As it was, I escaped most of the rain, though I did have several squally fine hale storms to put up with and boy they stung.

After the stunning beauty of last week's snowscapes, everything was a little dull. The grasses were all flattened from the now melted and the paths muddy with melt water and this mornings downpours.
However, there is a new green coming through heralding the approaching spring. Looking across short grassland there is a brightness to the colour which wasn't there and in among the woods, the odd green shoots are appearing here and there.
(PS - the following day received such a dump of snow that the Park had to close because they couldn't keep the roads clear.)

route: House; Turfhouse Meadow; Park Moor; Knightslow Wood (lower path); Drinkwater Meadow; Main Car Park; Timberyard

a wet Turfhouse Meadow

A distinct spring green appearing in the grass

even the trees have gaiters on in these wet conditions

Leaf Burst on a hawthorn in Hampers Wood

looking up to the summit on Park Moor

Nature's Artwork: This piece of lichen blown off the trees looked like a small bunch of green flowers lying on the coloured stems of flattened rushes.

a break in the black clouds

some of the Moor herd

Manchester in the distance lit up by the sun through a gap in the clouds

Manchester city and a plane approaching Manchester airport (quarter from left high in sky)

This view across into Derbyshire and the previous picture taken from the middle of the Eastern part of the Moor.

I had been asked to locate the cattle which are still out here and had climbed away from the paths to a beautiful rise in the centre of the wild grassland. (Not a good idea in Spring or Summer when ground nesting birds would be disturbed.)

"Anybody out there?"

eerie mix of lighting with The Cage looking like a castle

that spring green appearing again in the Fallow Deer enclosure grassland

Multiple Tree Planting

I attended a presentation last week which mentioned many aspect of the history and development of Lyme Park and Gardens and was interested to hear this as it answered a question which had often intrigued me.
One of the landscapers (can't remember name) liked to plant more than one tree in a single hole. I have often noted in Knightslow Wood that trees looked grown into each other and I guess this explains it.

on this tree, the dark patch points to a problem in this practice where rot can start in the wet joints leading to weak spots where massive failures can occur when the tree deteriorates. Some recent Beech failures where half a tree has failed leaving a huge scar in the remaining tree have hallmarks of this practice.

A Fallow Buck amongst the trees

route: Timberyard; Main Drive; Crow Wood; The Knott; Westpark Drive; Pursefield; Paddock Cottage

A driver's eye view along a section of the attractive main drive

Stags on Cage Hill to side of main drive

"Huh, we're off!"

Plenty of water flowing over the chute in Crow Wood

Nature's Artwork: this tree reminds be of a fountain

a deserted play area

The House and the Moor across the Mill Pond

Sun! :)

Hail! :(

Westpark drive and Haze Bank

Paddock Cottage with hail lying on ground along the ridge

disappearing views as the storm passes through Cluse Hey

route: Paddock Cottage, Cluse Hey (wall path); Knightslow Wood (exit wood main track); Park Moor (east); Turfhouse Meadow; The Stables; House; Car Park (end)

Carved bench with running Stags

Cluse Hey

Path through Knightslow Wood

Red Deer drifting across Park Moor

Snowdrops outside The Stables building

Today's track and profile

provided by runkeeper.com Android phone App.
runkeeper says 6.3 miles but my Garmin eTrex Vista says 7.2 miles. I'll have to look into that.

6.3miles (10.67 km) 4 hr 30 min

This Time Last Year

Have a look at This Time Last Year

Week 11 29/01/14 - Rain, Fungi and Snowdrops

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Week 54 21/01/2015 - Snow and Mist

Photo Blog Week 54 - Wed 21 January 2015

Approaching the Park there was very little snow but as soon as height was gained through admissions the snow cover increased. The combination of snow, grey skies and mist creates an odd feel to the pictures many of which look like black & white images.

I was fortunate to miss the mid morning sleet and snow but there was an icy touch to the air and, as soon as out of the car, it was necessary to zip up, close gaps around my neck and don my gloves just walking to the Estate office to sign in.

The snow cover made walking more of an effort so even though my distance was a lot shorter today due to a late start, I was ready to flop into the car and head home for a shower and coffee at the end of the day.

An odd, cold but beautiful day.

route: The Stables car park; Estate Office (house); Main Car Park; Timberyard

Three grand Sequoias stand guard over the main car park

route: Timberyard; Mill Pond; Main Car Park; Drinkwater Meadow; Knightslow Wood

The wall by Crow Wood running down to the stream near the Timberyard complex is being renewed under a contract with an external Drystone Walling company. An urgent larger job where the finance can be justified may not be within the the resource of the Volunteer teams who have a full workload as it is. The contractor will work six or sometimes seven days per week and long hours to recover lost time due to weather. The same waller delivering this job built the scenic stone bench on Pursefield.

The old wall being stripped out

Close up view of the crumbling stone inside the heart of the wall

Snow resting on the frozen surface of the mill pond

looking past the front of the house to Lantern Wood and Park Moor fading into the mist

Nature's Artwork: Synchronised tree bending

Snow fight on Drinkwater Meadow

My Footprints: I have my Yaktrax fitted on my boots which made the day a lot less strenuous as I always had a good grip up and down hill

Fallow Deer drifting across their enclosure toward feed station

Knightslow Wood beech trees with snow in a narrow vertical strip on each tree creating contrast lines

route: Knightslow Wood; Bowstonegate Farm park entrance

Park Moor and Sponds Hill

Track along the bottom of the Moor passing through stock fence gate

Red Deer Moor Herd

A new bale of silage had just been dropped off by the rangers and was now circled by a large number of the moor herd. The group includes some magnificent mature stags.

This suspicious stag never took it's eyes off me

Two mature stags of around 14 tines

The number of 'tines', the same word as for prongs on a fork, increases with age and health. 14 would be an excellent number in the wild but in a parkland environment they can reach 16-18.

looking down the hill to Knightslow Wood

The silage can wrap into the stags' antlers as they eat but they also do this deliberately around the rut to make themselves look bigger and more powerful

Hey girls, look at my hair extensions

Huh, look at him with his bed hair

Hinds and this year's calves grouped the far side of the stock fence (they do have another bale that side but they can, if they wish, easily cross over this fence in a graceful flowing leap.