Delta Ged, Volunteer Ranger @ National Trust Lyme Park : Week 72 24/06/2015

Photo Blog Week 72 - Wed 24 June 2015

After last week's drenching, this week started with a gorgeous blue sky over Cage Hill.

With good light and an early start this was always going to be a photo-heavy day and these are edited down from 273! There would be less but I went on the hunt for new red deer calves and was lucky enough to spot a couple and I've kept a lot of very similar shots in as I couldn't decide which to delete. It was an unusual week for me in that I managed to get several wildlife shots which is a weakness for me, if I spot them in the first place they've usually moved on by the time I get the camera on target.

A lovely day to walk miles over this beautiful terrain which is today full of colour and life.

route: Car Park; Estate Office in Lyme Hall; East Lodge

Blue skies over Cage Hill from the front of the House

This lady looks down upon you as you enter through the North Face

ornate well in the courtyard with crest and Latin inscriptions on all faces

many people are puzzled be these cages that have popped up at various locations

Ground vegetation is allowed to grow unhindered in the area covered and will be cut, gathered, examined, dried and weighed to reveal the grazing value of the area it is in. This assists with live stock planning including how large a deer herd can be healthily sustained.

Antlers

The Red Deer Stags' new antlers have been growing for some time now and some magnificent specimens are developing. The spikes or points on the antlers are called 'tines'. In a healthy animal the number of tines on each antler will match and they will be close to a mirror image in layout. The lower tines should face forward.

route: East Lodge; Coalpit Wood dip; track North above Coalpit Wood; switchback to The Cage

Err, where are we again? Any landmarks around?

This Stag's antlers are a little behind the others but still healthy.

The 'velvet' surface is a protective coating which will dry and fall off when the antlers reach full development

A reminder of how close we are to the city of Manchester which today sits above blue water in the reservoir and the purple of the rhododendron along the bottom of the deer sanctuary.

Hinds and Calves

The Hinds are away from the Stags in pre-natal groups in the sanctuary and out on the moor.

As the calves are born, the mothers split away from the herd and tend to be found in dips and long grasses where she feels her calf is safe.

This Hind has finished shedding her old coat and is displaying the rich reddy brown which is characteristic of 'red' deer.

Two Hinds with calves close by

Fungi Fest' on Cage Hill

* awaiting ID *

Hedge Bedstraw (Galium mollugo)

* awaiting ID *

Hedge Bedstraw (Galium mollugo)

Rhododendron in flower

Bumble Bee on a thistle

Thistles standing high

route: The Cage; drop via bench ; cross Main Drive; Crow Wood; switchback at stream crossing; via wood to Playscape; Timber Yard cafe

over the thick tree canopies to the Kinder Plateau

Clear enough to hunt?

It is said that the Legh family decided whether it was clear enough day to hunt if they could see the Lantern from the House. A modern day equivalent is that I judge a clear day and whether to hunt for the Welsh Hills if I can see Fiddler's Ferry Power Station clearly.

route: Car Park; Estate Office in Lyme Hall; East Lodge; Coalpit Wood dip; track North parallel to Coalpit Wood; switchback to The Cage

Fencing removed and trees thinned out.

Copses along the drive are protected after planting until trees are maturing and then they are thinned out to allow the best specimens to carry on to grow to mature trees continuing the Parkland environment for future generations.

Tormentil with the leaves showing (usually buried below grass)

Woodland and Water

I only know of this one Orchid growing wild.

last year, someone volunteered a possible identification so I've included this closer shot

The angle of the light and time of year presented far more fish in the Mill Pond than I've ever seen

route: Timber Yard cafe; Drinkwater Meadow; Knightslow Wood; Middle Moor track; branch into Track to boundary; Stag House

The Beech canopy in Knightslow Wood reaching the thickness where the sunlight no longer reaches the floor is one of the reasons for so little undergrowth

Nature's Artwork - and - Fungi' Fest

Track meandering up by Middle Moor wall

Jodrell Bank looking straight at us today

Skyline

The next 3 shots pan right from Jodrell Bank leading to Welsh Hills at the back of the third. I keep intending to ID all the highs and lows.

3. Hills in far distance are in Wales

back to Derbyshire direction and Lantern Pike

Meadow Pipit (more about at RSPB)

Shooting through the air wings folded between sweeps

These ladies don't look impressed with my arrival

route: Stag House; Bowstonegate Farm entrance; descend track; winter deer feed station

A wide view of Park Moor and Lantern Wood below showing the size of this place

Red Deer Calves

As mentioned earlier, new mothers leave the herd and take their young calves into remote areas and dip for safety. This makes them difficult to spot and when you do, they are a long way away.
These photos are the best from many which are hand held on full zoom (24x optical plus up to 2x digital ~ 48x). The ones where the digital zoom is employed are inevitable a bit grainy.

First spot - calve standing just in front of hind

another calf sitting in grass a little away from grazing mother

calf looking over its shoulder whilst following close by mother

calf following close by mother

calf settled in grass close by mother - ears visible just behind her

calf in grass to left of mother

up and following mother

calf working its way through dips to follow m,other

the spotted coat of the calf is more clear as it emerged from the dips

these two photo's show the spotted coat of the calf clearly

Please do not go into the deer sanctuary or off track on the Moor to get closer to mothers and calves. Not only should the new mothers with their young not be disturbed but there a ground nesting birds in these areas as well as pregnant hinds.

Overhead noise brought may attention to an unfamiliar bird with odd wide ends to it's wings and white flashes. It's wild swerves and the amount of noise made me wonder if it had a nest near by that it was protecting