Goose's Nest

The pleasure of a spring-time walk in woodland is always enhanced by the sight of bluebells and although it's not possible to walk amongst the bluebells at Goose's Nest, the view of the annual spectacle from the roadside can be breathtaking.

A bank of Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) at Goose's Nest
Anne Bronte, in her poem The Bluebell, writes:

"A fine and subtle spirit dwells
In every little flower,
Each one its own sweet feeling breathes
With more or less of power.
There is a silent eloquence
In every wild bluebell
That fills my softened heart with bliss
That words could never tell."
The woodland and bluebell banks at Goose's Nest are in the care of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust.

Wandering the Wansbeck

Leaving Kirkwhelpington by the gated lane to Wallington, I stopped by the side of the River Wansbeck thinking I might see a dipper. Sadly there was no dipper, but a pair of grey wagtails were feeding on the river side, a Blackcap was singing across the water, a male Redpoll trilled high in a tree behind me and Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs were calling from every direction. Then, a robin, which had been flitting in and out of the hawthorn beside me for some time, forgot about insects for a moment, perched and sang its heart out.


Robin (Erithacus rubecula), singing in the hawthorn


A female Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinera)
I took time to enjoy the flowers today, having overlooked them for too long on my wanderings. There was a wonderful carpet of bluebells in the laneside wood with cowslips popping up amongst them, their complementing colours splashed by thin shafts of sunlight breaking through the undergrowth. And I was delighted to see water avens, with their nodding, bell-shaped flowers, and ferns, twirled as tight as a Bishop's crook, on the verge of unfolding. Butterflies included large and green-veined white, peacock, orange tip and small tortoiseshell. So, birds, flowers and butterflies; a perfect and peaceful afternoon.


Bluebell (Endymion non-scriptus)


Water avens (Geum vivale)


Cowslip (Primula veris)


Lots of ferns unfolding


Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
The picture of the Grey Wagtail was digiscoped. All of the other pictures were taken with my Nikon D50.