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The mutts and I extended our walk at the nature reserve today from our current recovery circle for Bud. I felt it was time to build Bud up a bit more. I’m taking it slow with Bud. He’s still limping except when he is walking really slow or standing. I’m hoping that soon he will start using the leg fully. But until then he’s following a gradual build up of the distance he walks. It was on this extended section that I came across this fungi. I’m going to have to “crowd source” this picture of the fungi. I just haven’t been able to find it in my book of fungi.
Below Left: caddis fly (?) Below Right: This is a brown of some sort.
Ok here is is the butterfly porn, not been able to identify these either. I’ve not done very well with my Readers Digest ‘What is that?’ book today. I like it when the butterflies have been caught in the act like this. It makes them soooo much easier to photograph. Robs them of their privacy and dignity as a camera in super macro mode is shoved in their faces. But hey the nature reserve is public place, if they wanted privacy they should of got a room. I have to admit these small butterflies are a right pain to take photos of. They are constantly moving, never in a single place for more than a second. You need a lot of patience and a little bit of luck to get a picture of them.
Above Left: Large heath (?) Above Right: Dragonfly.Ok it’s blurry and not in focus, but it took me fifteen minutes to get this shot. These things move bloody fast.
I think the upshot of today is I need some better books to help me identify butterflies better.
The other morning I saw this bee on the thistle drying out. Which enabled me to get some great shots of it.
Above Left: I call this one lunch Above Right: Two of the ducks
Below: This is one of the two young coot that we have at the nature reserve.
Above: Saw this fella this morning, got some great shots which these are just a couple.
I have put a few more of these photos up on flickr here. You’ll notice that the page is a flickr group, which people are very welcome to add their own photos to.
Well if Mr Mycroft the OutdoorsMagic Routes Editor writes a guide to scrambling (read it here). There is a good chance that if he mentions Clogwn Y Person Arete then I may be in the picture he uses.
(Picture below taken by Dave Mycroft and is his copyright)
I remember the day well it was the second time I had met Dave. Iain needed some people to practice with for an up and coming assessment. Dave and I were helping out. Yeah a free day on the hill was such a hard decision to make.
One of the stand out memories of the day was Dave and his lunch box! No not that lunch box. The new Sigg lunch box had just come out and Dave had one. Which he had bought along with him with naturally his lunch in it. When we met up with Iain at the start of the day, Dave took it out of his pack to show Iain. Sadly he forgot to place it back in his bag. A fact we didn’t discover until we stopped for something to eat a little while later.
We were in cloud/mist most of the day, which hid the exposure but ruined any views to be seen. Despite that we had a fantastic day with Iain. In fact every time I have been out with Iain (as a paying customer I have had a great time as well).
Actually if you look on Iain’s website in the gallery you will see a couple of photos from those times. One is of Kate with a guy I can’t remember the name of(below left taken in Lakes) and the other is Kate and me (below right taken on Clogwn Y Person Arete).
(above photos taken by Iain and are his copyright)
Hot off the presses comes this email I just received from Baz. All the details you need are below, so if you can make it pop along, say hi and meet like minded folks who’ll discuss gear and backpacking until they are thrown out of the pub.
“Hi All, Seems everyone is clamouring to enjoy the balmy summer evenings, so I’ve decided on an albeit short notice meet this Wednesday. For convenience the venue remains unchanged; the Founders Arms, Bankside with Kick off at 18.30. Please reply by email if you are thinking of coming along, so that I can look out for you, the pub is busy. I look forward to seeing you there.
I think this picture of the midge bites on my leg speak for itself. My other leg is the same. Needless to say my legs and other bitten areas itch like mad. But you gave seen the video, was it worth it? I think so.
Well over at our friends Backpackinglight.co.uk they have a couple of new podcasts up. The first is a holiday ideas one that you can find here, but the one that is probably of a lot more interest to readers of this blog is the ‘Lightweight LEJOG’ podcast. But then I could be totally wrong, and if I am let me know in the comments below. I don’t mind being corrected.
So what is this ‘Lightweight LEJOG’ podcast all about? Well Podcast Bob has the following description for it:
“In April 2009 John Cromarty set off from Lands End for John O’Groats over a high level route, using typical lightweight gear and knowledge. Here I chat to him about his trip, his gear and more importantly the reaction of many traditionalist walkers to what he was doing and if he was, in their eyes ’safe’. We also talk tarps, wood burners and Inov8s. Hopefully inspiration for you to try a Long Distance Path in this UK this year.”
While I’m talking about stuff to listen to I do hope folks are listening to the current series of Ramblings over on Radio 4. If you have missed the current series you can catch up here.
The current and last in series is described as “Clare Balding joins two polar explorers to walk in Scotland’s picturesque Wester Ross.”
I’m so lucky I keep things within easy reach so I can grab them when in a rush. Boy did I need it Thursday night. I had got confused, and thought that my meet up with Mike was a couple of days away. So imagine my surprise when Mike called saying he was outside. I quickly grabbed my camera gear and ran out the house. That was going to prove costly later on.
We got to the secret location, and started throwing down the peanuts that Mike had bought along at selected spots. Even though it would look random to any passer by, these where carefully selected spots that we thought would attract the badgers. The badgers had chosen a lovely place to live apart from the cursed midges. Guess what Mike and I hadn’t come prepared for.
We spotted a good place to view the potential entrances from. However the clouds of midges decided it was also a good place to eat Mike and myself. Forcing us higher into a protective breeze.
As Mike and I passed the time we chatted away. It was then that I spotted a little movement in the entrance to one of the holes. I saw the flash of a snout, which was gone as fast as it had appeared.
Above Left: Mike awaits the appearance of the badger. Above Right: This alien creature landed on my leg!
We sat quietly this time waiting for the badger to reappear. But after what seemed like an age, the only reward for our patience was the breeze stopping. Being opportunist little buggers the midges attacked with renewed venom. I swear they were trying to make up for lost time. Well folks you know how I am with midge bites, I was being eaten alive. I pulled my fleece up over my head and tried to keep an eye out for the badger in a brief gap I had left to see. Mike wasn’t faring any better with his coat. It’s times like this that I sometimes wish I was still smoking. A good ol’ ciggie and it’s smoke would of kept them at bay. It was during this moment of the midges using Mike and myself as an all you can eat buffet that the badger decided to make an appearance.
It was magically seeing the badger make it’s tentative moves out of it’s hole. Sadly it seemed a bit nervous, which meant after about five minutes it disappeared back into it’s hole. Had it smelt Mike and myself? Who knows but it was very dark and after ten minutes or so waiting for a further reappearance we gave up and headed back to the car. It was during this packing up and walking back that we saw a couple of hedgehogs.
So here is the video that I shot, edited and uploaded for your delight. I know these nature videos don’t appeal to folk as much as the gear videos. But hey I enjoy doing them. Sadly on this one the footage didn’t come out as well as it looked on the cameras lcd screen. Just remember Mike and I suffered for this, and I’m paying a high price in my reaction to the bites.
Well the fantastic response to yesterdays call for help was incredible and has really taken me aback. There are some really generous and helpful folks out there and I thank you for the kind offers. I’ve sent out Paul’s contact details to you all and hopefully something can be arranged.
In the meantime I am really enjoying following the life cycle of the frogs/toads at Oakenshaw NR. We saw not long after I moved up here that there seemed to be a thriving colony in one of the ponds. I didn’t see the spawn, but I have certainly seen the tadpoles amongst the reeds, and I’m keeping an eye on them so I can photograph them as they go through the different stages of growing in to frogs/toads. But obviously the tadpoles I am observing were conceived later the little fellas I spotted the other day. Which are hoping around all over the place at the moment.
I love frogs, they bring out the little boy in me. I have fond memories of looking for frog spawn in the dykes and ditches of the fens as a young lad.
So join me as I walk down memory lane as I look at the photos I took this morning of the young amphibians.
I had a phone call today asking if I knew of anyone who is going wild camping that wouldn’t mind taking along a newbie to wild camping.
Basically Paul has done some backpacking before, has all the gear etc. But he has never been wild camping. Paul lacks the confidence to try it by himself, and would love it if some one would be prepared to take him under their wing for his first wild camp.
If you are able to help Paul drop me a line and I will put you in contact with him.
I remember the day well it was the second time I had met Dave. 
