Nigel's Photo Blog

Introduction Tonight, I am in Doncaster , Yorkshire, northern England.This former town (pop 312,000) has recently been granted city status, the highest accolade for a community in the U.K. This city has Roman origins, the clue to which lies in the name. The 'caster' element is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon caester which effectively mean 'Roman fort'.This name is derived from the Latin ' castrum '. Here is an artist's impression of the fort in context of the nearby River Don which contributes the first syllable of Doncaster.The 'Don' name predates the Roman period and probably mean 'water'. More information on the Roman fort The Romans successfully invaded what is now England in AD 43 and progressively worked north from their southern base. The earliest fort at Doncaster dates from AD 71. This was re-built 15 years later.   The fort was partially abandoned from the AD 120s, a development which may have been influenced by the construction o...

Yesterday, I visited Ayr, a town in SW Scotland. Key purpose was to visit the garden of a private house in the town which had been opened to the public for four days to raise money for two charities. The garden had been deliberately designed as a natural garden entailing lots of steps, uneven and narrow paths, protruding branches plus wasps and bee nests. There are also mice, rabbits, foxes, hedgehogs and, occasionally, stoats.The property is close to the shoreline, thus, apart from the prevailing westerly wind and sandy soil the sea is ever present and can reach close to the house during storm surges. Not being an expert horticulturist, I have been unable to identify all the plants. In fact, my emphasis was on the photographic appeal of the blooms and other features of this excellent little garden. I hope readers enjoy the portfolio of images below. Colourful corner dominated by sub-tropical tree.   Blue Lupins. Note half whisky cask in bottom left the wood of which may have eman...

  Autumn Flowering Crocus, Howick Hall, Northumberland This evening, I am reprising a one-day tour of northern England. First, we departed our lodgings in Melrose, Scotland and drove S.E. for a couple of hours to our first destination of Howick Hall Gardens and Arboretum near Alnwick in Northumberland. The house dates from 1766 and is home of the aristocratic Grey family. Charles, 2nd Earl Grey was British Prime Minister between 1830-1834 and achieved lasting fame through the Earl Grey tea blend. The gardens here feature: Snowdrops and Spring Bulbs Wildflowers Woodlands Rockery Bog Garden Arboretum. We had a light lunch here and then drove S.W to visit two sites on Hadrian’s Wall, namely Housesteads Roman Fort and Vindolanda. Colourful Border at Howick Hall, England Bog Garden, Howick Hall, England Thistles at Howick Hall, England Howick Hall, Alnwick, England Housesteads dates from the 120s A.D.  and is positioned on the line of the Wall.The fort is complete...

 This evening, I am reprising a trip from Scotland to Ireland. (Above image shows the P&O ferry at Troon this morning.) First, we departed our lodgings in Troon, on the coast south of Glasgow and caught the 11.00 am ferry to Larne , Northern Ireland. This sea crossing took 2 hours 15 mins and passed close to Ailsa Craig en-route. Ailsa Craig is a small island of volcanic origin from which Scottish curling stones are manufactured. Ailsa Craig On arrival at Larne we disembarked and drove south for about 1 hour to the coastal town of Carrickfergus where we stopped for shopping. There is a 12th century castle at Carrickfergus although we did not visit it. Carrickfergus Town Centre Carrickfergus Castle Next, we continued south towards Dublin, stopping for shopping and a break at the old town of Newry , County Down. Newry Cathedral Newry Town Centre We finally arrived at our destination of Navan about 6.00pm whereupon we checked into our hotel. Navan position...

  Here is the entire family out seeking food. they are very active and rarely sit still. This evening, I am reporting on my encounter with a family of Little Grebes earlier today at Rouken Glen Park, Glasgow. For about three weeks I had been monitoring the gestation process which entailed the two parents sharing egg sitting duties on a well camouflaged nest built on a lily pad on a local pond. Here are my previous posts: Little Grebe Hatchlings:https://www.nigelsphotoblog.co.uk/2022/06/little-grebe-hatchlings.html Nesting Little Grebes:https://www.nigelsphotoblog.co.uk/2022/05/nesting-little-grebes.html A couple of days ago the first hatching occurred subsequent to which the nest completely disappeared. This morning I was pleasantly surprised to encounter the entire family of six actually swimming towards me as I walked alongside the pond. Unfortunately, I did not have any conventional camera equipment with me and consequently had to rely on my 'phone camera the results of which ar...

  River Avon at Stratford This evening, I am posting highlights information on the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in central England. Stratford is forever associated with famous playwright and poet, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) who was both born and buried in the town. In addition to birth and burial places (both of which are open to visitors) there is also the famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. More information: Stratford is a prosperous town with a population of about 26,000. Located about 104 miles N.W. of London. Situated on the banks of the gentle flowing River Avon. Boat trips are available. Shakespeare’s burial-place is inside the 13th century, Church of the Holy Trinity which itself is an interesting medieval structure. The town centre is well populated with ancient, black and white, timber-framed buildings dating back hundreds of years. To accommodate high volumes of visitors Stratford is well endowed with hotels, lodgin...

   Above image captures both parents with chick in middle. Today was the culmination of a 3 week incubation period for a pair of Little Grebes which I have monitoring on a daily basis. From personal experience these birds are not endangered but not exactly an every-day sighting.The pair under focus are the only representative of the species on the particular small lake near my home in south Glasgow. Here is summary information on the Little Grebe species obtained form the RSPB (bird charity) website: "The little grebe is a small, dumpy grebe which often appears to have a 'fluffy' rear end. It readily dives when disturbed, surfacing unseen some distance away. In summer it has a bright chestnut throat and cheeks and a pale gape patch at the base of the bill. It can be noisy, with a distinctive whinnying trill."   Parent with chick Parent with empty nest Note young chick in bottom right corner of above image facing camera. Parent approaching Lily pads. It is to be hoped ...