Monday morning (16th, yes we are busy) saw us wake to greyish skies but we decide to venture out to Oxfordshire & see the meadows that we had been told about on Saturday. There have also been sightings of Otters here and I am ever hopeful.
We eventually find the parking place, they never seem to be easy, and set off. The temperature is 25, both Ian & I are dressed for slightly cooler weather. Although we only have light weight trousers & t shirts on it is not long before I am roasting & very glad I brought some water. We walk across the meadows and there are literally hundreds of blue butterflies. I am assuming they are common blue but need to check if the photos come out as they do not keep still for long. (Sorry the butterflies are out of focus but you get the idea, must try harder. These are my attempts not Ians) There are not many birds around but there are flocks of 80 or more Goldfinches feeding off thistle heads. We notice lots of berries on trees and bushes so this will be a good place to come in the autumn when it gets colder.
Having walked the long way round we were getting rather thirsty & Mr F makes reference to the Trout inn at Tadpole bridge just down the road. It is a very impressive pub, lovely menu, cider & variety of beers. We soak up the sun and have a light lunch before heading off home.
WHAT A MISTAKE! 26 degrees and we left the Saab at home.
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Wormsley Cricket
Sunday 15th August Sarah, Jon, Ian & I went to Wormsley estate to watch a couple of T20 matches. The Lord Taveners were playing so we were hoping to do a bit of celebrity spotting as well. Actually we were disappointed with celebs the A list must have been on vacation. Despite this I think Jon was glad he had brought along his binoculars as he spent quite a bit of time bird watching. These particular birds happened to be flocking around the VIP tent drinking champagne!
The surroundings were something else and I think that even though the wind blew straight down the valley & gave us a bit of a chill we all enjoyed it. It was so peaceful and very English. Although we were not in the VIP area we had own own champagne picnic and felt very privileged to be there.
The next two days were spent by all four of us lathering our faces with cream to try to calm the wind burn down. I looked somewhat like Aunt Sally and 3 days later someone asked me if I had been out at sea!
The surroundings were something else and I think that even though the wind blew straight down the valley & gave us a bit of a chill we all enjoyed it. It was so peaceful and very English. Although we were not in the VIP area we had own own champagne picnic and felt very privileged to be there.
The next two days were spent by all four of us lathering our faces with cream to try to calm the wind burn down. I looked somewhat like Aunt Sally and 3 days later someone asked me if I had been out at sea!
Warburg Welcome Walk
Being relatively new members of BBOWT we were invited to a guided walk on the 14th August at Warburg reserve just outside Henley. Despite several heavy downpours, one just as we were leaving home, we all gathered at the given time in a field outside Maidensgrove. We then were taken around the reserve and told about its history and geology. It was extremely interesting how the land was formed and the plant & wildlife that are attracted to such an environment.
We saw Grasshoppers, Common Lizard, Green Woodpeckers poo - which was full of ant casings. The rare Chiltern Gentian, lots of Common Blue's and Dragonflies. We also learnt that the mounds in the soil are ancient ants nest some could be 100 years old. They are very important to the chalk land landscape especially for the Chalkhill Blue butterfly which relies on the ants to feed its pupae.
We were fed tea, cakes & strawberries amongst other delights at the end of a walk. I was gasping as we had a steep climb back to the car & was trying not to appear out of breath in front of the children that were overtaking me at a racing pace. well we had been out for a couple of hours & it was hot (ish)
Guess what close by we found a Pub!! A new one that we had not been to before but what a find. They sell homemade Ginger Beer and it was fabulous. The menu also looks extremely good and is now on a our list for a visit - keep posted for a review. Sarah tells me the chef here trained at the Pot Kiln (See previous posting on Greenham Common) I love a link
We saw Grasshoppers, Common Lizard, Green Woodpeckers poo - which was full of ant casings. The rare Chiltern Gentian, lots of Common Blue's and Dragonflies. We also learnt that the mounds in the soil are ancient ants nest some could be 100 years old. They are very important to the chalk land landscape especially for the Chalkhill Blue butterfly which relies on the ants to feed its pupae.
We were fed tea, cakes & strawberries amongst other delights at the end of a walk. I was gasping as we had a steep climb back to the car & was trying not to appear out of breath in front of the children that were overtaking me at a racing pace. well we had been out for a couple of hours & it was hot (ish)
Guess what close by we found a Pub!! A new one that we had not been to before but what a find. They sell homemade Ginger Beer and it was fabulous. The menu also looks extremely good and is now on a our list for a visit - keep posted for a review. Sarah tells me the chef here trained at the Pot Kiln (See previous posting on Greenham Common) I love a link
Visit to the New Forest
Friday the 13th August - Unlucky for some but not for us as we had a long weekend away from work and this day we went to the New Forest.
We stopped off at the visitor centre in Lyndhurst to see if there was anything of interest happening in the area. We then headed off to Bank one of our favorite walking spots. The weather was not brilliant and the light was quite poor at times but Ian got some good photos - my attempts were not so good. We came across a young Red Deer foraging around in the bracken. I got some really good close up shots but none of them came out, all out of focus. We also saw amongst others a Sliver washed Fritilary Butterfly.
After Bank we went to Bolderwood where there is a deer viewing platform. We were lucky as you can see, that a herd of Fallow deer and some quite young ones were in the vicinity. We then headed off to the open moorland near Sway where we had another walk.
Ian had a close encounter with a foal, its mother was none too happy about him being so close and we had to make a hasty retreat. Mr F retreating at a greater pace than me!! We just got back to the car before the heavens opened so we retreated to the pub for an early supper and home.
We stopped off at the visitor centre in Lyndhurst to see if there was anything of interest happening in the area. We then headed off to Bank one of our favorite walking spots. The weather was not brilliant and the light was quite poor at times but Ian got some good photos - my attempts were not so good. We came across a young Red Deer foraging around in the bracken. I got some really good close up shots but none of them came out, all out of focus. We also saw amongst others a Sliver washed Fritilary Butterfly.
After Bank we went to Bolderwood where there is a deer viewing platform. We were lucky as you can see, that a herd of Fallow deer and some quite young ones were in the vicinity. We then headed off to the open moorland near Sway where we had another walk.
Ian had a close encounter with a foal, its mother was none too happy about him being so close and we had to make a hasty retreat. Mr F retreating at a greater pace than me!! We just got back to the car before the heavens opened so we retreated to the pub for an early supper and home.
Ian's Wisley Photo's
Below are some of the photo's that Ian took at Wisley. Some of them with the aforementioned Macro lens. I can see a purchase occurring soon!
My favorites are the top 2 I like the soft pink hues.
At long last I have got the hang of posting to a blog, so you can now read each event downwards. Duh how slow am I ??
Click on the photo's for full screen view.
My favorites are the top 2 I like the soft pink hues.
At long last I have got the hang of posting to a blog, so you can now read each event downwards. Duh how slow am I ??
Click on the photo's for full screen view.
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