Mendip Rail / Freightliner Stone
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Another from one of my outings to the Mendips to find the heather.
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50008 'Thunderer' climbs away from Somerton with an additional ballast train on the Friday before Christmas in 1989.
This was once my favourite photographic location, located at the top of a deep cutting in the hills south of the Mendips, quiet except for the passing of trains and helicopters from the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton.
Thanks to kindly station staff, this was taken during the period I was reading the weekly special traffic notices. From the notices, I knew a ballast train was due up from Exeter through Somerton and was very likely to produce a DCWA class 50.
As I remember, as I climbed to the top of the cutting I could hear the roar of the early running class 50 on its ballast hoppers echoing across the valley and didn't get into position I needed. However, the image size produced by my Pentax 6x7 combined with the razor-sharp (and wholly impractical) Kodachrome 64 allowed a pleasing cropped result.
I was browsing my collection for an image to upload and realised it had to be this one: taken 31 years ago exactly.
Cold frosty start to the day on the Somerset Levels viewed from Deerleap on top of the Mendip Hills.
A morning on the Mendip hills watching a Redstart family... A bit of sunshine would have set this male off nicely, but as it's the first pair I've seen in a couple of years now, I was more than pleased to get a few shots of these gorgeous little birds. :@)
There was some decent mist on the Somerset Levels this morning. This is from Deerleap near Priddy looking over the Levels.
Mendip Hills, Somerset, England.
© www.stevetholephotography.com. All Rights Reserved©
So... Trip number five really paid dividends. Back at the same place as last night. This time she flew right past me and landed in the tree. No sign of the male tonight, but hey...
This was taken hand held and a good half hour after sunset, so forgive the poor image quality.
I like it when a plan comes together.
:@)
Large Prairie 4110 2-6-2T at Mendip Vale on mother's day at The East Somerset Steam Gala on 19 March. 4110 was in action for the first time in 58 years at the gala following the restoration. The gala saw a double heading with 4110 and 4555 Large Prairie on an historic recreation of the last through steam running on the line with the special headboard 'home counties railway society'
So... My plan was to do badgers on the Mendips tonight, but they didn't show for what ever reason. Then I remembered the Nightjars were only a fifteen-minute drive away, so off I poodled.
I'd heard one out on the ridge the last time I was there, so I thought I better head in that direction. As I neared the top one flew right past me, I knew then I was in the right place. I stood and waited, but by then the cloud was coming over, and it was getting really dark really quickly, so I thought I'd bang it on the head, pick a better night and try again...
As I walked back to the fence line I could see a tiny blob about the size of a blackbird sat on a post, I couldn't quite make out what it was, so I put the pop-up flash on and hit the shutter button. 1/15 of a second was not ideal... had I thought about it, I could have changed the settings, walked up to the little fella (might even be a female as no obvious white on wing or tail outers) and got a better shot, but I was only thinking bird in flight captures... Anyway, I've now hatched a better plan... :@)
Another of my go to places, up on the Mendip Hills. I just wanted to get out in the fresh air last night after a long week. It wasn't very promising at first and I imagined I would have to capture some broody stormy clouds, but then the sun came out and there was a hint of warmth in the light and some fantastic clouds. This tree is very popular standing on the ridge above Priddy Pond - I probably have almost as many of this as I have of Clevedon Pier!
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View On White
At the 'lone pine' overlooking Priddy Pond in the Mendip Hills, Somerset.
© www.stevetholephotography.com. All Rights Reserved©
Couldn't think of a better title...
Nice to see another of my badger shots on BBC SpringWatch Instagram page...
:@)
This is the overflow from the reservoir shown in the next shot.
My first effort at smudgy water. Hope fully will improve as I go along.
Managed to get this lucky shot of this Grebe having its lunch. I must say it took some time for the bird to manage to devour its catch.
Priddy Mineries is normally a good place to see this delicate damselfly in the mid-late summer, but I saw very few on this visit. Not sure if it was due to the lack of sunshine, or maybe they're just having a bad year.
Taken on the same day as the Nursery Web Spider I posted earlier, the field we are monitoring is particularly good for crickets, we have counted 5 species in the 2 acre site with the most common being Roesel's Bush Cricket.
The Dark Bush Crickets were nearly always found near the hedge boundary in the deeper foliage and this one was in the hedge.
At this time of the year most had disappeared and the ones that were left were all looking a little battered, particularly the males.
Best viewed very large.
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You can see more of my images on my other flickr account Heath's moth page
Mendip Hills Sunset.
View down over the Somerset Levels from Deerleap on the Mendip Hills in Somerset as the sun set this evening.
So... Not to be put off by the gale force winds, I popped out to see how the peregrines were doing (not the ones I shot a few days ago), but a pair I used to visit regularly a few years back.
I saw a pair of birds, but was unable to get clear shots of both to get a positive ID, but I'm pretty sure it's the same two...