Category Archives: Flora and Fauna

20th March picture of the day…

20 Monday Mar 2023

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics

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Not a great start to the week this week. I’ve been pretty optimistic since my return from Asia but today (for a variety of reasons) that optimism evaporated. To be honest with the UK the way it is at the moment optimism is a bit of a slog. One only has to look at the mess the Government is making of the rail industry (and as a consequence – net zero) to see that. Add in the fact that once again bankers have been wankers and done their best to crash the global economy, plus a few issues closer to home and it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimism and ‘what am I doing here?’ It will pass. It always does, but there’s no denying the world’s in a mess right now and the UK feels like a failing country. Not that the Tories seem to care. They seem to have given up any real hope of winning the next election on the basis of any competency. Instead they’re cutting back spending to save money for election bribes whilst planning to fight their next campaign on ‘culture wars’ rather than anything tangible. Let’s face it, they’ve no claim to economic competence (Brexit, anyone?) and corruption has been rampant, so what else is left other than to sow more division with such nebulous crap as the ‘war on woke’ whilst at the same time trying to demonise trans people and their rights. It’s straight out of the American far-right playbook of course – hence the ridiculous huffing and puffing over drag acts being a ‘danger’ to children – as if no-one remembers watching mainstream TV in the 1970s where you had Danny la Rue and Stanley Baxter with their own shows, or the Two Ronnies and Les Dawson, and let’s not even mention pantomime. I have a feeling that the next election is going to be a very nasty and divisive affair with repercussions that will go on long after the result is declared.

I know, I’m a right ray of sunshine today, but this is my blog so my rules – and feelings!

Anyway, I’m hoping for a better day tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which adds a splash of much-needed colour to life. I spotted this plant in the gardens by the bay in Singapore but I’d no idea what it was. I’ve now been able to identify it as . Mussaenda erythrophylla, otherwise known as Ashanti blood.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

16th March picture of the day…

16 Thursday Mar 2023

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Malaysia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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The pair of us have had another busy day here at Bigland Towers. Dawn’s been slaving away in her home office downstairs, having her day packed with online meetings and vast amounts of paperwork and spreadsheets. Remember the concept of the ‘paperless office’? It never happened, but at least this houshold doesn’t generate anywhere near as much as we once did.

Whilst Dee was busy downstairs I’ve been kept busy upstairs. I’ve almost finished editing and captioning my Asia travel pictures. The latest batches can be found if you follow these links to either the rail or travel images. Out of the pair of use I was the luckier one as I was able to tear myself away from my desk for an hour late this afternoon in order to complet my daily walk which I combined with a visit to our local supermarket to post some mail. I even made a detour via our local pub, the ‘Big 6’ for a quick pint. We visit infrequently nowadays. This was my first time over the threshold since I got back from Asia. Appropriately, the beer I chose was a pint of Elland brewery’s ‘Tank Engine’, a zesty pale ale at 4.8%. After a few months away where the only beer that passed my lips was lager it was lovely to taste a proper pint of bitter – but just the one mind!

When I returned home Dee was still bashing the computer keys so I took over domestic chores including cooking. Well, reheating really. I didn’t have to prepare anything fresh. Instead, we’d taken one of Dee’s home-cooked prawn and chorizo risottos out of the freezer. They’re spicy, filling and delicious! Now it’s time to switch off and relax for the rest of the evening before another busy day tomorrow. Dawn’s in the CRN office tomorrow but I’ll be at my desk in order to finish off the last few Asia pics which will leave me free to focus on other jobs next week – and even get out with the camera to catch up on the UK rail scene – although I’m not sure where I’ll go yet. There’s plenty to look at West of here, so it all depends on the weather.

Now I’ll leave you with the picture of the day, which has nothing to do with architecture or trains for a change. This time it’s flowers. I’d no idea what this particular bloom was that I’d photographed in Kuala Lumpur but it’s been identified thanks to my old friend Peter Mugridge. Here’s Cheilocostus speciosus, or crêpe ginger.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Asian adventure day 39. Georgetown day 7.

18 Saturday Feb 2023

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Georgetown, Malaysia, Photography, Travel

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My back is gradually recovering which meant I was more than happy (and able) join Charlotte and Adi on their last Penang outing before they head down to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. The three of us had a quick breakfast of chicken curry and rice in ‘Line Clear’ before catching the 101 bus out to the Spice Garden which is on the coast road West of Batu Ferrenghi. There was only one slight problem. The bus was already packed when we embarked, so we ended up standing – and the guy behind the wheel drove it like he’d stolen it! You’d think he was a frustrated fighter pilot by the way he threw that thing around! The coast road is very winding in parts which is hardly ideal when someone’s driving in that manner. The result of which was that Charlotte became a little green around the gills and we had to disembark 3/4 of the way to allow her to reset her horizon, It wasn’t a problem, we just waited for the next bus as they’re every 10 minutes and arrived at the Spice Gardens a little later. After all, it’s not as if we were on a schedule or tour.

The gardens were really interesting and the staff lovely. The first thing they do once you’ve paid is offer to smother you in mosquito spray as these places are a haven for the little buggers. One of the women behind the counter very diplomatically asked Charlotte (who paid) if I qualified for a discounted ticket as I suspect she assumed I was Charlottes’ Farther! (a polite way of saying – is he an old bugger and get pensioners rates?). This provided us with some amusement later when Charlotte told me. Truth be told, I’m in the same age bracket as her mother so the honest answer would be yes, even though her Dad’s my elder brother.

Family amusements aside we really enjoyed the Spice Gardens which was created out of a former rubber plantation back in 2003. It’s a restful place stocked with a fantastic variety of native trees and plants complete with a pond and meandering stream. Now’s probably not the best time of year to visit as many plants aren’t flowering. Also, some sections (like the café and cookery school) remain closed due to Covid. Even so, there’s lots of interest including the poisonous plants section which is a bit of an eye-opener as so many of the plants that can kill can also heal – in the right doses – and that’s the skill…

On leaving the garden we took a short break on the attractive little beach opposite before catching the bus back, this time with a well-behaved driver.

Not a bad bit of beach. I may have a day out here next week…

For our final evening together we’d thought about trying Nonya food but it’s the weekend and many restaurants are booked up as the place is teeming with local tourists who’re outnumbering Europeans by huge margins. Instead, Charlotte and Adi suggested going back to the Pork noodle soup stall we ate at the other night as they’d enjoyed it that much – and so we did. Only this time we ordered the large bowls which cost just over 7 Ringgit (£1.40) each. They were gorgeous! Street food is hard to beat and it’s no wonder this place often has people queuing for a table.

This is streetfood, not nouvelle cuisine. It’s flavors and ingredients that matter, not presentation.

Tomorrow I’m back to travelling solo. It’s been lovely having the company but now that my back’s slowly getting better I want to get out with the camera more. Plus, I may have a Singaporean friend paying me a flying visit on the 20th…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Asian adventure day 35. Georgetown day 3

14 Tuesday Feb 2023

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Food and drink, Georgetown, Malaysia, Photography, Travel

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This won’t be a long blog, but it will contain a few different pictures. This morning the three of us took the bus out West to the butterfly farm. It’s an easy journey as the 101 bus to Teluk Bahang leaves from almost across the road from our hotel. Plus, they run roughly every 10 mins. The journey was really interesting for several different reasons. I’ve not made it for over 20 years. Georgetown’s changed a helluva lot, but also because Charlotte got talking to a local man on the bus who gave a lot of valuable insights. My first impression was how much the skyline’s changed. When I first came to Georgetown in 1992 there was only one ‘skyscraper’ – the Komtar Tower. Now they’re springing up like mushrooms. Some of them are rather attractive. Others have all the aesthetics of a road accident! A number are there purely to provide residences for foreigners, European (especially English), Chinese – and Russian. But then Georgetown’s rather an attractive place to have a second or primary home as there’s no shortage of medical services and – generally – things are cheap here. That said, there’s a burgeoning Malaysian middle-class with money to spare and shops that will sell you all the expensive goods that you require to show off that income!

Whilst the bus journey was an interesting insight into the human condition the butterfly farm was a fascinating place to observe the insect world. Since I last visited the farm’s moved site and vastly expanded, it’s just as much an education centre as a refuge for butterflies. It’s not cheap to get in but it’s well worth it just to be with so many beautiful creatures and learn more about them. Here’s a few examples. I haven’t had time to research the names of all the critters we saw, so any help from you, dear reader – would be much appreciated!

Here’s a fantastic example of camouflage. When this particular butterfly is feeding it folds its wings and looks like a leaf. But the next picture shows what happens when it opens its wings in flight. The colours are absolutely stunning! It looks like the inside of an Abalone shell.

You can find many more butterfly shots in my Malaysia gallery if you follow this link.

I could have stayed there all day with the camera but as we’d been up early and left without breakfast we decided a few hours was enough and headed back to Georgetown on the bus, passing through the popular beach resort of Batu Ferringhi once again. The town means Foreigners (Ferringhi) rock (Batu) and sci-fi fans will recognise the name as it was nicked to describe a race of jug-eared aliens in ‘Star Trek’.

The return bus was packed and took ages as it stopped everywhere. By the time we got home we were all famished so headed straight to a local Chinese-run eaterie to hoover up whatever food they had left, which was mostly rice with chicken or fish. Even so, it was delicious! Afterwards we all retreated to the hotel. I needed time to edit pictures and design a personalised Valentine’s card for Dawn so it would be in her inbox first thing (the beauty of an 8 hour time difference and Photoshop!).

The evening was very much in the same vein. Charlotte and Adi had the evening to themselves (who wants to play Gooseberry on Valentines day?) whilst I quickly nipped out to Little India for a vegetarian thali before resuming my editing.

A banana leaf vegetarian Thali. Yours for less than £2.

It’s now 23:00 and I’m listening to a thunderstorm unleashing torrents of rain upon us – which it’s been doing for the past 20 minutes.

Tomorrow I move hotels to another old haunt. More about that when it happens. In the meantime, here’s a couple more pictures from today.

Oh, here’s a food stall on Lebuh Chulia that’s been going for many years, although the food may stick in the craw of the football fans of other teams!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

30th December picture(s) of the day…

30 Friday Dec 2022

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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‘Tis only a short blog from me tonight as the wanderer has returned. After spending Christmas with her parents and brother plus his two teenage children Dawn has returned to God’s own country (as I’m reliably informed Yorkshire has to be called). I’ve been in a flurry of activity in anticipation, finishing of various DIY projects on the cottage, then giving the place a good clean and tidy-up to make the place seem as welcoming as possible and the homecoming relaxing. So, tonight I’m on cokking and everything else duty.

Fortunately, we’ve had an incredibly mild day, so I could fling open the windows and give the cottage a good airing to banish the smell of fresh paint and other fumes. Well, until this afternoon, when the weather everted to type and the rain returned. Thankfully, as we live high up on the side of the Calder Valley we get advance warning – as this picture taken from our bedroom window this afternoon shows.

Rain sweeps in from the West up the Calder valley and envelops Sowerby Bridge

Once the rain departed the gales arrived, making it a very blustery afternoon indeed – as I found out when I ventured to the shops to stock up on some post festive season provisions. At least the extra weight added a bit of ballast, which was sorely needed when I crested the hill at Spring Edge.

Back home I had time in between chores to admire the local birdlife which is thoroughly enjoying the Oats and cooked rice I’ve been leaving out for them. Today’s visitors included Magpies, Doves, Thrushes, Blackbirds and this feathered staple of Christmas cards.

Seen from my office window at the back of the house (with the aid of a 400mm lens), a Robin perches on our wall before scoffing more of the oats and rice I’ve been leaving out. Birds seem to love them and it’s a damn sight cheaper than commercial birdfeed.

Right, time to go. See you tomorrow…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

28th November picture of the day…

28 Monday Nov 2022

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, London, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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It’s been a frustrating day here in Bigland Towers as I’ve been chained to a desk and hot computer all day. I’ve got lots of work done – including having edited all the pictures from the past few days but I’d been hoping to get out for my usual stroll to keep the exercise levels up. Dawn had to take the day off to go and help a friend. That wouldn’t have been a problem apart from the fact two parcels were due to be delivered, so I agreed to wait in until they arrived. Only neither of them did. One company claimed to have called but no-one was in (‘oh yes – I bloody well was’!) and the other never showed up or even left a message, so what little exercise I got consisted of pacing back and forth from the office to the front window, watching out for delivery vans. Ho hum, maybe tomorrow…

As a consequence, it’s a short blog from me today. Still, here’s a few links to the various galleries containing the lates batches of photographs.

The GWR franchise

TfL/Elizabeth line

The GTR franchise

Infrastructure and engineering

Railway stations

Railway people

And last, but not least, a new gallery dedicated to Saturday’s Class 315 commemorative event.

There’s plenty to look at and not all is about trains themselves but also the people, infrastructure and stations that make up our rail network.

I’ll be working from home again tomorrow planning some other sorties, both UK and abroad, but I’m determined to get out at some point, even if it is just a stroll around the valley. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture, which illustrates the sometimes-uneasy relationship we have with our feathered friends, especially in cities.

These tree pigeons are roosting on the handrail of the main staircase in the ‘Lawn’ at Paddington station where they’re surrounded by cafes and restaurants. There’s a constant stream of people passing by but they’ve come to a wary truce with them, even if the truce isn’t reciprocated due to the mass they make with their droppings. But as far as the pigeons are concerned, it’s warm and sheltered with plenty of scraps on offer…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

17th November picture of the day…

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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It’s a short blog from me today as I’ve not had the most exciting of days. Much of it has been taken up with paperwork and general administration, along with household and the rest of the mundanities that keep life ticking over whilst you tread water, waiting for something more exciting to appear over the horizon.

There’s still plenty to blog about of course, it’s just finding the time. I suspect my next opus will when the Government finally release details of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) and the Eastern leg of HS2. There’s been mountains of speculation in the media about this over the past few days. It’s looking like the Government are announcing policy by leak, but I’ve resisted the temptation to comment until we actually see what’s announced rather than leaked. If the news is as piss-poor as we’re lead to believe, I won’t be holding back. But until then…

Ignoring the hoo-ha, I did manage to tear myself away from my desk and enjoy an amble around the valley with Dawn. The weather was far more changeable than had been forecast but we managed to avoid the rain to enjoy a pleasant (if slightly chilly) stroll down to Sowerby Bridge, along the canal and back up through the woods to home. Feeling virtuous, I then set about scanning some more old slides in an effort to break the logjam caused by having too many other things to do. I only managed to get 20 done, but that only leaves me 3 more pages to go before another albums finished. That leaves me just 6 here in the home office (and the same amount off-site) meaning the project will finally be finished in early 2022. At long last!

The current album’s a real mix of personal shots and a few travel images that were never filed properly for one reason or another. I never quite know what I’m going to find in these albums, but today’s picture was one of them.

I took this shot on the 22nd May 1992 when I was travelling solo for a year. I spotted these young Water Buffalo and their mother wallowing in a mud-bath in a field on Samosir Island, Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia when I was out for a walk and I couldn’t resist grabbing a shot.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

16th November picture of the day…

16 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Musings, Photography, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

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It’s been a quiet one here at Bigland Towers – albeit a long on as I was up at 06:30 as I needed to get a magazine article finished and various pictures from COP26 sent out to clients. Not that I minded. The weather’s been pretty miserable here in the Calder Valley so I was happy to be spending most of it in the warmth whilst watching the antics of our feathered friends outside the office window.

I’d completed the urgent tasks by lunchtime, which seemed like a good time to take a break and walk down into Sowerby Bridge as part of my daily constitutional and also pick-up some shopping. I was foiled on the last part. I’ve developed a taste for the low-alcohol version of Leffe, the famous Belgian beer. I can normally pick it up in our local Tesco but they’ve run out. Sadly, it was the same situation in Sowerby Bridge. Oh, well, back to the low-alcohol Adnam’s ‘Ghost Ship’ it is then…

Back home I had the house to myself as Dawn was working in Huddersfield all day, so I knocked off early as I had the kitchen to myself and knocked up a pan of pea and ham soup using the gammon joint I’d slow cooked the day before. I’m gradually restocking the freezer for the winter and home-made soups are a good way to do it. They make a lovely lunch after a chilly walk.

As the weather worsened by the evening I’ve not been tempted to do anything more than stay indoors and catch up on some more picture editing whilst being entertained by the local foxes. I’d cut up the fat off the gammon and put it out the back for the birds – only one of the foxes got there first this evening and snaffled most of it whilst being watched by ‘Popi’, the neighbours three-legged cat. Neither creature bothered the other, although Popi did keep a wary eye on the much larger male Fox – just in case…

Tomorrow’s going to be another day working at home. The weather’s expected to be mild but dull, but I’ll have the excitement of preparing a load of invoices, so I’m not complaining too much as it’s the beginning of the reward at the end of all the hard work. Maybe I’ll get to nip out with the camera later whilst there’s still some leaves on the trees, who knows? They’ve certainly provided some stunning colours this year, as today’s picture which was taken in Sowerby Bridge on Sunday shows…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

31st July picture of the day…

31 Saturday Jul 2021

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Musings, Picture of the day, The USA, Travel

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Gordon Bennett – it’s almost August! I’m struggling to understand how the year’s managed to fly by so quickly. It is said by some that as you get older time does seem to do that. I’m now finding myself in agreement with that view. Today’s not been the most exciting one at Bigland Towers, unless you count the cat losing one of his last two teeth! The old boy was going to the vets today for a check-up and have his bloods done. Just as we were about to load him into his basket Dawn discovered one of his two front bottom fangs (all he’s got left) had dropped out and was stuck to his fur! It caused us a few palpitations en-route to the vets as we had visions of another large dental bill. The vet was less worried than us and explained that this was normal in old cats. Their bodies reject their teeth, dissolving them until they fall out. Jet was actually fine and there was no need for any dental work, which was a huge relief. Mind you, the bill for the blood tests and treatments still came to £180!

Having dropped the moggie back at home we decided to get out for a bit and go for a drive, visiting local places we’ve not seen for ages due to Covid. It turned into a bit of a random trip as we kept getting detoured through dodging tractors on the narrow country roads. In the end we decided to ‘go with the flow’ and see where we ended up – which was high above Mytholmroyd where we stopped to admire the view from the one bit of road where it was safe to stop without worrying about getting mown down by farm machinery! The road led us to Hebden Bridge but we didn’t stop as the place was packed. Instead we doubled back along the valley bottom and called in at one of our locals, the Moorcock Inn for a quick drink before food shopping and home. It may be Saturday night, but we’re happy to have a quiet one at home with good food, a drink and a film on TV. Not exactly the ‘rock and roll’ but far more relaxing!

So, what’s the picture of the day? I’d been wondering that myself but I’ve plumped for one of the latest batch of slides in the queue for scanning. I took this shot on the 25th October 1990. Four of us had pitched up on the West Coast of the USA for a touring holiday. Having hired a car in LA we drove up the coast to San Francisco. It was a brilliant trip and on the way we stopped at the wharf in Monterey, California which was teeming with pelicans, either roosting on roofs, or perched on poles like this one. It beat seagulls, that’s for sure…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Ist June picture of the day…

01 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by in Flora and Fauna, Picture of the day, Travel, Yorkshire

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And what a brilliant day it was! Dawn had suggested we drive over to the East Coast today and visit somewhere where I’d never been – Flamborough Head, near Bridlington. The area has some excellent cliff walks as well as teeming with marine and bird life – as I was to find out. The drive took us around two and a half hours due to some busy roads and heavy traffic on the M62 although the weather was wall to wall sunshine and we got to pass through some areas of the country I’m unfamiliar with, so it wasn’t all bad. Dee drove and I navigated to help share some of the strain. It was only when we arrived at Flamborough we realised there was one thing we hadn’t planned on. Fog. Sea fog! The area was covered in it! The lighthouse kept disappearing, one minute it was there, then you turned your back, looked back over your shoulder and it was gone. So much so I suddenly understood why Trinity House had built the thing in the first place! It was so thick you couldn’t see any of the bays and we debated on moving inland but knowing how the fog can suddenly clear we decided to go for a walk along the cliffs anyway, which proved to be a wise decision as within half an hour we were stolling in unbroken sunshine as the fog retreated northwards and out to sea, leaving us free to enjoy unhindered views of the cliffs, the thousands of seabirds that inhabited them and the dozens of seals that basked on the beaches or played in the inlets.

The area deserves a travel blog of its own which I’ll write up soon. Having explored we moved on to see another attarction, the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs, just a few miles futher North. It was a fantastic place where the cliffs are the nesting site for around half a million seabirds which gather here between March and October. They include Puffins, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Gannets, Guillemots and Shags. The sight of these birds nesting precariously on narrow ledges it quite spectacular. Mind you, it’s not just that which takes your breath away – the pungent smell of guano does too! It’s easy to find where the greatest concentration of nesting birds are – just follow your nose! The RSPB have built wooden viewing platforms on the cliffs which are ideal places to get pictures (if you have the right camera equipment).

I’ve got a busy few days ahead of me so I probably won’t get all the pictures I took online until next week at the earliest, so I’ll leave you with this one of nesting Kittiwakes. Whilst they’re a member of the Gull family they’re the only one in decline, which is believed to be because their natural food (Sand Eels) are also shrinking in numbers.

I could happily spend hours here with a camera trying to get shots of some of the birds behaviours so I’ll certainly be returning one day.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!