Stephen M.'s photos with the keyword: northumberland

End of the line! This impressive landscape occurred in December 2015 during a very high flood of the River Tyne. As a side effect, a popular hiking trail was destroyed and has remained unreplaced since then. Unfortunately there were no signs warning of this at the start of the trail, making for an unfortunately abbreviated walk along the very scenic Tyne valley.

A Wall Brown butterfly taking nectar from a buttercup flower on Holy Island.

An adult male Red-backed Shrike along the Crooked Lonnen on Holy Island. This bird was part of a large influx into eastern Britain, with a total of eight noted on Holy Island and up to 20 birds noted at several sites in Shetland. PIP #1: A second bird found along the Crooked Lonnen track.

A Swallow allowing close approach near the lake on Holy Island.

A summer-plumaged Wheatear posing nicely at the Shotton Pools.

A close-up of some Forget-me-not flowers at Cresswell Pele tower.

Dandelions are something you can pass by without noticing every day, but it is an amazing flower when seen up close.

It is not every day you have such good views of an owl! Hearing an unfamiliar call in a woodland, I went to investigate and eventually tracked it down to this Tawny Owl alarm calling at something on the ground. As Tawny Owls are known for being quite aggressive during the breeding season, I did not want to get much closer than this and so the source of the alarm will remain a mystery.

Looking north from High Plains onto the Tyne valley and the gentle foothills of the Northumbrian Pennines.

The Grove is a triangular park in the centre of Bamburgh in the north of Northumberland. It appears that the area was used as the village quarry up until the late 1700s when it was closed for safety reasons and infilled. The Oak trees dominating the park certainly look less than 200 years old. While not looking at its best in early spring, the leafless trees do highlight the noisy colony of Rooks nesting in the crowns of the Oaks and it is wonderful spending a few minutes here listening and watching their comings and goings. PIP #1: A Fritillary flower growing in the Grove. PIP #2: Another view of the Grove showing its triangular shape.

A Fritillary flower in the Grove woodland in the centre of Bamburgh village. The species is normally only found in meadows so this small colony may be derived from garden escapes. A small hoverfly can be seen resting o the top of the flower.