Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Christmas in the Lakes
More like "Christmas at the lake" as the only lake we saw all week was Windermere. Having driven up the steep drive to the flat, we were then obliged to leave the car there all week as further falls of snow meant that if we went down, we would not get up again!
A modest walk up onto the south-eastern end of Loughrigg Fell gave us this view of where we were staying (the crescent-shaped grey building halfway up the picture on the left-hand side). It snowed heavily while we were on the fell, making the descent quite slippery. The woods on the lower slopes held long-tailed tits, wrens and a green woodpecker, while eagle-eyed Greger spotted a treecreeper.
On this low-level walk round Ambleside, Greger waits patiently while I photograph a tree covered in moss and ferns. He's possibly swearing, as I think a lump of snow has just fallen from a branch onto his head - for the umpteenth time during the walk.
Loads of birds visited the garden. As well as the usuals we saw a male bullfinch, three siskins, a nuthatch, two coal tits (one of them almost entirely black), jackdaws and crows. Three reed buntings flew down for peanuts, and Greger snapped this one through the window.
Our last walk was up the Scandale Beck to High Sweden Bridge. Greger was quite taken with this little packhorse bridge; he enthusiastically pointed out the impressively flat arc and voiced his incredulity that it stays up at all while urging me to stand right in the middle for some photos. (Hmmm....) Naturally I obliged but I dislike photos of me, so my inferior picture will have to do.
On the River Rothay where it runs into Windermere there were goldeneye and goosanders. Out on the frozen part of the river where it was covered with snow, a lapwing was standing on one leg. What a strange place to take a nap - especially as a peregrine was cruising.
There were two dippers: one ringed.....
......and one not ringed.
I wonder if those rings feel cold to their legs in the bitter weather? I used to throw scraps of food on an old metal garden table, and the birds would land on it reluctantly and keep lifting first one foot then the other.
We drove home today through dullness, rain and fog. I don't think we saw the sun all week; but we enjoyed the break and were sad to leave.
// posted by Christine @ 9:42 AM 
