I amhappy to stand corrected in my naming as I am not a flower expert.
A collection of wild flowers spotted on todays walk.
This pink flower is growing in large patches in on of the horse field we cross looking on line I think it is Geranium robertianum,
It has lots of common names herb-Robert,[red robin, death come quickly, storksbill, fox geranium, stinking Bob, squinter-pip , crow’s foot.
It is a type of cranesbill.
This blue flower is growing at the fields edge I know it as Speedwell. Veronica chamaedrys is its scientific name. Other common names include. Bird’s-eye speedwell, or cat’s eyes, germander speedwell.
A Bank Holiday Week-end and away from the madness.
Remaining on our local patch this long week-end as it is likely to be busy at the coast and popular areas due to lockdown liftings school, 1/2 term and a forecast of good weather.
Rabbits are everywhere at the moment but not alway the easiest mammal to photograph.
In the same field as the close observation of the local alpha Roebuck Thursday we spotted this doe feeding.
To our surprise a small head appeared mum was hiding her very young kid(fawn) in the long grass.
Further along I spotted this young Roebuck – I think he is one of the twins born last year.
Something new and not seen before was picked up on our trail cameras a Muntjac deer.(buck). Also known as a barking deer or rib-faced deer. Significantly smaller than our usual Roe Deer. They are actually a native of china but escaped from Woburn Park where they were introduced in 1901. Now they are living wild and are rapidly spreading in many areas of the UK.
Our second trip since COVID lockdown restrictions have lifted 380 miles travel & 2 nights away in the camper van at a site near Honiton, South Devon. Not new places to see just a welcome return to places familiar and not seen for a while – some places I have blogged about before.
West Bay.
A visit to West Bay near Bridport,Dorset. The commercial trade of the harbour was exporting Bridport’s ropes and nets this declined in the second half of the 19th century. The railway arrived in 1884, and the village developed into a resort. I first remember visiting West Bay about 45 years ago it was a run down on place something and nothing. Frankly a bit of a dump! In recent years the area has undergone a bit of a revival and today it is up and coming with a mixed economy of tourism and fishing.
West Bay became “Bridehaven” in the 1998 TV series “Harbour Lights” and “Broadchurch” in the series of the same name which ran for 3 series from 2013.
The cliffs to the east and the beach was used in the TV crime drama, Broadchurch.
Sidmouth.
The village dates back many hundreds of years and it it remained a village until the fashion for coastal resorts grew in the Georgian and Victorian era of the 18th and 19th centuries.
With its sand and shingle beach flanked by red cliffs Sidmouth remains a popular holiday destination today. Sidmouth is known as the gateway to the Jurassic Coast.
Jacobs Ladder is a series of wooden steps leading from the beach up to Gardens – which provides lovely views of the coastline. Jacob’s Ladder is at low tide is the sandy, western end of Sidmouth’s town beach,
While at the sea a RAF Chinook helicopter flew along the beach at low level.
Teignmouth.
A walk on the beach at Teignmouth beach another seaside Victorian holiday destination to view the pier.The pier opened in 1867. Out to sea many cruise ships and liners wait for the COVID pandemic to end so they can start their trade these ships have been redundant for over a year now, We counted 16 ships between Weymouth and Brixham.
Pilgrim of Brixham BM45 is charity owned and operated by a charity . She celebrated her 125th Anniversary in 2020 and is the oldest surviving trawler that was built and rigged in Brixham sh.e is part of the National Historic Fleet
Berry Head.
Above the fishing village of Brixham,a place I visited many time from childhood. Berry Head is now a nature reserve. A headland which is surrounded by water on three sides You get great views across Torbay and beyond. You can visit a short lighthouse and Napoleonic Forts,
The lighthouse is only 16 feet tall, yet its light is 190 feet above sea level. Built in1906.It is reputedly the shortest lighthouse in Great Britain,
Portland and Portland Bill.
The Verne High Angle Battery is a 19th-century gun battery on the Portland Situated close to the Verne Citadel. The battery was built in 1892 to protect Portland Harbour. The guns were hidden from enemy’s view. The “high angle” that the guns fired meant that the shells would drop down to on the vulnerable upper decks of an enemy ships. The Citadel was built between 1857–81, as Portland Harbour’s main defensive fortification. The citadel was turned into a prison in 1949 I understand it has now closed.
A view of one of the battery’s underground magazine tunnels Way into the Citadel.
Some nature at Portland Bill.
Crow.Sea thrift or Sea pink
In front of a MOD building and around the corner of the security fencing I could get distant glimpses of the sea cliffs with Guillemots and Razor Bills.
GuillemotsRazor Bill
Portland Bill.
Portland Bill is a narrow headland at the southern end of the Isle of Portland.,It is the southernmost point of Dorset. With its lighthouse,cafe and a large car park it is a popular with visitors.
I always take lots of photographs when I am at the”Bill”.
Today was about lots of fairly close encounters with the local deer.
Deer in long dead grass show amazing camouflage. You can easily overlook them watching you often they let you walk past staying still but never take their eyes off of you.
I had placed a trail camera with a hope for some further young fawns with their mother passing but only caught the mother having a close encounter while she was feeding on some new bramble growth.
Local deer (part2). Roebucks from yesterday’s camera collection. At least 2 different deer noted by antler differences – one deer is smaller and has thinner antlers.
Our local deer. (part1). Today we collected our trail cameras the reward was some great footage of the new family. On the downside someone had stolen one of the cameras. I guess a problem of living in a fairly crowded area.
I will add another post of more trail camera footage in the next few days.
Below pictures taken with my standard digital camera in the area where the trail camera was taken from.
Continued Reflections from my world. 