My ramblings, my photos, photography, image editing, etc.

Shipley Glen & Denso Marston NR. The last of 2024.

Kingfisher with fish

I am not planning on going out with my camera today so these photos, from Sunday and Monday, are going to be my last of 2024.

I am looking forward to some brighter days in early 2025, with good light for photography, so I can get better shots of Kingfisher.

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Sunday

Sunday was a walk down to Shipley Glen and Crag Hebble Dam.

Kingfisher at Crag Hebble Dam

Sunday was definitely the busiest of my recent visits. I understand now how water courses can change their direction. I heard some serious splashes as big rocks were thrown into the water by visitors. The Kingfisher seemed undisturbed by a lot of the activity and was seen by many, but it did not hang around when screaming children ran up and jumped on the wall. The kids seemed disappointed when they didn’t see any wildlife.

For most of my recent visits to Crag Hebble Dam the sky has been very grey so I am reasonably pleased with the photos I have been able to get. I have not used my 1.4x teleconverter, I’ll save it for when there is more light. And I have limited the ISO to a maximum of 3200.

Shipley Glen

When walking along the paths to and from Crag Hebble Dam I kept my eyes and ears open for anything interesting. I could hear a few birds – Robin, Blue Tit, Magpie and Jay. I saw a few Squirrel leaping through the trees.

What I did take photos of though was a couple of fungi. I now think I should have cut the gills on the mushroom to see if it leaked milk.

I am pretty sure about the Bracket Fungus – Daedaleopsis confragosa, and even if I am wrong I hope the experts say it’s an understandable mistake.

The Burr Knot on the Silver Birch, is it the early stages of a Burl? Or is it a know of roots forming, as happens on Apple trees? Or is it a Gall? Please note that comments are open at the bottom of the screen.

Monday at Denso Marston Nature Reserve

I was tempted to try another visit to Crag Hebble Dam on Monday when heading back home, but decided to try Denso Marston Nature Reserve.

It was very quiet. I spotted a Grey Heron and a male Pheasant in the distance, way across the river up near the canal. I heard some Wrens and Blackbirds, and spotted some Mallard and a Moorhen. So I had to be happy with looking at the ground and around tree stumps.

A few Fungi were around with a good few of them looking as though they were about to melt away with the end of 2024.

There were quite a few bulbs germinating and showing through the leaf litter, probably wild Daffodils and some Snowdrops.

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