Nigel's Photo Blog

Consequent on the U.S.Department of War's declassification of 162 files on unidentified anomalous phenomena I am posting a couple of unexplained images recently taken by my wife after dark from Glasgow , Scotland a couple of weeks ago.    Glasgow's latitude and longitude coordinates are: 55.860916, -4.251433.

  Introduction This evening, I am focusing on historic Mortlach Church, Mortlach near Dufftown on Speyside .  Information on Mortlach Church Mortlach translates as ‘big hillock’. The church is believed to be built on a very ancient and early Christian site dating back to AD 566 . This was when Moluag of Bangor established a place of worship here. The earliest church dates from 1010 AD. This is contemporary with a battle in the area when the Scots secured a victory against a Danish force. The building is aisleless and rectangular. Restoration occurred in 1870 and 1931.The adjacent burial ground has tombstones from the 17th-20th centuries. There are also two Pictish carved stones, one inside the church and other in the burial ground. Class II Pictish symbol stone, located standing in the graveyard down the hill to the southeast of the kirk.      Traditionally the above stone is thought to commemorate a victory in battle of Malcolm II over the Danes in...

Here is a small, portfolio of images taken this morning at Rouken Glen Country Park i n Glasgow Southside, Scotland. Grey Wagtail  Above image has been affected by a combination of a long lens and low light conditions. This bird is more colourful than it's name suggests. It has slate grey upper parts and distinctive lemon-yellow under-tail.Likes fast flowing rivers and woodland.    Group of Coot chicks on lily pads. Here is the day' s   pièce de résistance. A Canada Geese family with ten goslings have relocated to a discreet pond which is-conveniently-at eye level.   More information for the visitor. The publication, Visitors’ Guide to Scotland includes sections on Glasgow and bird watching .. This book is heavily illustrated and contains a wealth of information. The ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. Also available via Kindle.

 Further to my recent post covering synchronised hatching of ducks, geese and swans on a local pond, this morning I happened to chance upon a brood of recently hatched Coot chicks. For a week or so I have been monitoring a Coot nest but observations were hampered by distance-about 50 yards from water's edge. Here is a recent image of the nest (with parent bird in situ) taken with a long lens camera.   This morning I was stunned to find a brood of four chicks near the water's edge with two parent birds keeping a watchful eye on the youngsters.Images are shown below. Here are three of the four youngsters.   Feed time for two lucky chicks.  Coots are cousins of Moorhens. Refer this web page for more information on bird watching in Scotland. M ore information For information on Scotland’s extensive history , wildlife , geology , sightseeing and much more please refer to the publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is als...

  Introduction This morning, I am reporting on a recent visit to Appleby-in-Westmoreland. Information on on the trip and the market town of Appleby. Key rehearsals: Appleby probably has its origins as a settlement by incoming Norwegians in the late 1st millennium AD.  Location is about 50 miles south of the Anglo-Scottish border in NW England. After the Norman-French conquest of England in 1066 the Normans built a stone keep (castle) on high ground for defensive purposes. This dates from the 12th century. Population is about 3,200. I travelled by train from Carlisle which entailed passing through rolling, lush green landscapes populated with cattle,sheep and arable farms. On arrival I walked down into the town then availed of a coffee in a delightful, quaint coffee shop and then proceeded to explore. It transpires the original village was built by the Normans with defense in mind. The linear layout is relatively short with narrow access points. In 1388 the Norman church of St ...

Introduction On Monday 18th I paid one of my regular visits to the archaeology in process at Carlisle Cricket Ground  Report and Background on the Carlisle Site The Romans invaded Britain in AD 43. A landing took place of the shores of what is now southern England sometimes facing stiff resistance from the local tribes.   Carlisle (pop 110,000) has evolved from the Roman fort of Luguvalium which was established in AD72. Later, in the 2nd century, Hadrian's Wall was constructed east to west across what is now northern England. Luguvalium benefited from this in that it fell within the Romanised territory to the south of the Wall. Furthermore, the Wall incorporated 17 major forts of which one, Uxelodunum was situated a short distance from Luguvalium to the N.E. Consistent with Roman military practice, a bathhouse was constructed to serve the 1000 strong garrison at Uxelodunum. This facility was located roughly equidistant between Uxelodunum and Luguvalium and close to ...