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Another image from the GCR Winter Gala Weekend in 2013 that might have more appeal this time around.......
Detail from Ivatt Mogul 46521 - perhaps one for the rivet counters.
Loughborough
25th January 2013
The boring, dull, numbing grey of the buffer's mark.
Canvas version of www.flickr.com/photos/pahnl/2590381731/ ...
6" by 16" stretched canvas.
My contribution for this week's theme «infrastructure»; for the Swedish photo group Fotosondag.
Mitt bidrag till Fotosöndag och sommarens tema «infrastruktur».
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Asia and in Europe, where its name is the nuthatch. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the Far East have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
The preferred habitat is mature deciduous or mixed woodland with large, old trees, preferably oak. Pairs hold permanent territories, and nest in tree holes, usually old woodpecker nests, but sometimes natural cavities. If the entrance to the hole is too large, the female plasters it with mud to reduce its size, and often coats the inside of the cavity too. The 6–9 red-speckled white eggs are laid on a deep base of pine or other wood chips.
The Eurasian nuthatch eats mainly insects, particularly caterpillars and beetles, although in autumn and winter its diet is supplemented with nuts and seeds. The young are fed mainly on insects, with some seeds, food items mainly being found on tree trunks and large branches. The nuthatch can forage when descending trees head first, as well as when climbing. It readily visits bird tables, eating fatty man-made food items as well as seeds. It is an inveterate hoarder, storing food year-round. Its main natural predator is the Eurasian sparrowhawk.
Fragmentation of woodland can lead to local losses of breeding birds, but the species' range is still expanding. It has a large population and huge breeding area, and is therefore classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being of least concern.
The adult male of the nominate subspecies, S. e. europaea is 14 cm (5.5 in) long with a 22.5–27 cm (8.9–10.6 in) wingspan. It weighs 17–28 g (0.6–1 oz). It has blue-grey upperparts, a black eye-stripe and whitish throat and underparts. The flanks and lower belly are orange-red, mottled with white on the undertail. The stout bill is dark grey with a paler area on the base of the lower mandible, the iris is dark brown and the legs and feet are pale brown or greyish. Most other members of the S. e. europaea group differ only in detail from the nominate form, often with respect to the hue of the underparts, but S. e. arctica is quite distinctive. It is large, pale, has a white forehead and a reduced eye-stripe, and it has more white in the tail and wings than any other subspecies. Nuthatches move on trees with short leaps, and do not use their tails for support. In flight, they have a characteristic appearance, with a pointed head, round wings and a short, square tail. Their flight is fast, with wings closed between beats, and is usually of short duration.
S. e. caesia, the most widespread of the western subspecies, has orange-buff underparts except for a white throat and cheeks. The other western forms mainly differ in the exact shade of the underparts, although some southeastern forms also show a white forehead and supercilium. S. e. sinensis and S. e. formosana, of China and Taiwan respectively, have buff underparts like the western races, but have buff, instead of white, throats.
The female is similar in appearance to the male, but may be identified by her slightly paler upperparts, a browner eyestripe and a more washed-out tone to the flanks and lower belly. In the eastern form, S. e. asiatica, some males have buff underparts like the female, and birds with this appearance are difficult to sex in the field.[9] Young birds resemble the female, although their plumage is duller and they have paler legs. Individuals can be reliably sexed as female from about 12 days old by their paler and buffer flanks, or, in some white-breasted subspecies, by the creamier hue of their underparts.
Adults have a complete moult after breeding which takes about 80 days, starting from late May onwards and finishing by late September. The moult period for Siberian birds is more compressed, running from June to mid-September. Fledged juveniles moult some of their wing coverts when they are about eight weeks old.
In much of its range, Eurasian is the only nuthatch present. In southeast Europe and southwest Asia, the western and eastern rock nuthatches are larger and paler than the Eurasian species. They also lack white spots in the tail and are usually found in a different, stony habitat, and Krüper's nuthatch is small and has a black cap and reddish breast patch. In southwest China, the chestnut-vented nuthatch is very similar to the European bird, but is darker above, has less white on the face and has greyer underparts.
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Click to see the inscribed and pending UNESCO Sites in Iran: whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ir/
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The site consists of an oval platform about 350 m by 550 m rising 60 m above the surrounding valley. It has a small calcareous artesian well that has formed a lake some 120 m deep. From here, small streams bring water to surrounding lands. The Sassanians occupied the site starting in the 5th century, building there the royal sanctuary on the platform. The sanctuary was enclosed by a stone wall 13m high, with 38 towers and two entrances (north and south). This wall apparently had mainly symbolic significance as no gate has been discovered. The main buildings are on the north side of the lake, forming an almost square compound (sides c . 180 m) with the Zoroastrian Fire Temple (Azargoshnasb) in the centre. This temple, built from fired bricks, is square in plan. To the east of the Temple there is another square hall reserved for the 'everlasting fire'. Further to the east there is the Anahita temple, also square in plan. The royal residences are situated to the west of the temples.
The lake is an integral part of the composition and was surrounded by a rectangular 'fence'. In the north-west corner of this once fenced area, there is the so-called Western iwan , 'Khosrow gallery', built as a massive brick vault, characteristic of Sassanian architecture. The surfaces were rendered in lime plaster with decorative features in muqarnas (stalactite ceiling decoration) and stucco. The site was destroyed at the end of the Sassanian period, and left to decay. It was revived in the 13th century under the Mongol occupation, and some parts were rebuilt, such as the Zoroastrian fire temple and the Western iwan . New constructions were built around the lake, including two octagonal towers behind the iwan decorated in glazed tiles and ceramics. A new entrance was opened through the main walls, in the southern axis of the complex. It is noted that the surrounding lands in the valley (included in the buffer zone) contain the remains of the Sassanian town, which has not been excavated. A brick kiln dating from the Mongol period has been found 600 m south of Takht-e Soleyman. The mountain to the east was used by the Sassanians as a quarry for building stone.
Enjoy your evening and thanks for dropping by.
Barclay 0-6-0T no 1245 runs around at Lakeside.
Taken with a Rolleicord III (model K3B, 1950 - 1953) twin lens reflex medium format camera. Schneider Xenar 75mm lens, Compur Rapid shutter, yellow filter, Illford XP2 mono film.
We all have times when we hit the buffers, when we reach that point, we can delight in the knowledge that we have reached the most difficult part of the challenge we are facing at the time and from that point on, it will only get better.
Typical Danish plain buffer stop made of steel and cement.
Buffer Stop: 28 parts
Very high setting render from Stud.io.
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/d/dovestone/
A landscape that will take your breath away. Towering hills, sheer rock faces, swathes of open moorland, a picturesque reservoir - that's Dove Stone, the northern gateway to the Peak District National Park.
Walking, climbing, running, playing, cycling and even sailing. If you're into adrenalin-pumping activity or simply want to chill out surrounded by amazing wildlife, streams, waterfalls and woodland, then Dove Stone is a must.
At this stunning site, we're working with United Utilities to bring benefits for people, water and wildlife.
Opening times
Open at all times.
Entrance charges
Entrance to the reserve is free. Parking is free for RSPB members, but there is a parking charge for non-members.
Information for families
There are lots of natural areas to play and explore, but no formal facilities. Some events will include family activities like quizzes or trails.
Information for dog owners
Dogs are allowed anywhere. We would request that they are kept on a lead, as most of the reserve comprises of working sheep farms.
Star species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Curlew
Curlews are large, brown wading birds with very long, curved bills. In spring, you can hear their gorgeous, 'bubbling' song.
Golden plover
In their breeding plumage, golden plovers look very smart with black undersides and spangled golden backs.
Peregrine
Keep an eye out for a commotion among birds - a peregrine may be making a fly past. They are a regular sight overhead when a pair is nesting in the area.
Raven
You can see ravens' plummeting display flights from late winter, through the spring and hear their gruff, ringing 'kronk' calls throughout the year here.
Red grouse
Listen out for sharp 'go back, go back' of the red grouse, or watch them flying across the heather.
Seasonal highlights
Each season brings a different experience at our nature reserves. In spring, the air is filled with birdsong as they compete to establish territories and attract a mate. In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds - some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. In winter, look out for large flocks of birds gathering to feed, or flying at dusk to form large roosts to keep warm.
Spring
See ravens and peregrine squabbling on the quarry cliffs. Curlews and lapwings breed on the in-bye fields, wheatears and ring ouzels on the moorland edge with golden plovers on the open moor. Dunlins may also make an appearance.
Summer
Canada geese love to breed on the open moor. Dippers race up and down the brooks and streams, and keep an eye out for water voles on the moorland streams.
Autumn
Watch out for meadow pipits, fieldfares and redwings moving through. You could also see siskins and lesser redpolls.
Winter
Look for mountain hares turning white and red grouse scratching out a living amongst the heather. Mallards don't seem to mind what the weather is like and stay put.
Facilities
Facilities
•Car park : Parking is pay-and-display and costs 60 p for two hours or £1.30 all day. No height restriction and there'll be bike racks soon.
•Toilets
•Disabled toilets
•Picnic area
•Guided walks available
•Good for walking
•Pushchair friendly
How to get here
By train
Greenfield Station near Oldham - outside the station, turn right, walk down the hill following main road (A669), follow sharp left bend, pass Tesco on the left and continue to mini-roundabout with pub on corner. Turn left up Holmfirth Road (A635). Turn right at brown sign for Dove Stone reservoir.
By road
To get to Dove Stone, go through Greenfield village on the A669 towards Holmfirth. At the mini roundabout, turn left up the hill on Holmfirth Road A635. After 500 m, turn right onto Bank Lane. There's a brown signpost for Dove Stone reservoir. Crowden car park is off the A628 Woodhead Road in the Longdendale Valley.
Accessibility
11 February 2013
Before you visit
•Open all year
•Free, apart from car parking charges
•No RSPB visitor centre, café, shop or office but regular RSPB presence on site
•Car park and toilets open from 7 am to 10 pm, April to October; from 7 am to 7 pm, November to March
•Registered assistance dogs and other dogs (on leads from March to July) welcome.
How to get here
•Directions on RSPB website
Car parking
•Main car park just outside Greenfield. 117 spaces plus four Blue Badge bays
•Smaller RSPB car park at Binn Green, off the A635 Greenfield to Holmfirth road. 18 spaces plus three Blue Badge bays
•Charge for both. 60p for three hours or £1.80 for the day. Free to Blue Badge holders and RSPB members.
•No height restrictions.
Nature trails
•Main visitor trail part tarmac, part gravel surfaced 2.5 mile (4 km) circular route around Dove Stone Reservoir. Fairly level but steep in two places. Radar keys are required to access stock gates. Starts about 50m from the Blue Badge bays in main car park
•Wooden benches (most with backs and some with arms) at fairly regular intervals along path
•1.5 mile (2 km) trail around adjacent Yeoman Hey Reservoir. Rough, undulating grassy track and can be muddy
•Part Tarmac/part gravel steep track up to Chew Reservoir, 1.5 miles (2.5 km)
•Access to reservoirs and woodland trails from RSPB car park down a 1.5 mile (2.5 km) steep woodland track with steps and narrow stone stile
•Several informal woodland trails as well as large areas of open access countryside.
Viewing facilities
•Viewpoint at Binn Green car park up short, wide, surfaced track
•Woodland bird feeding zone in both car parks.
Picnic area
•A formal picnic area at Ashway Gap half way round main Dove Stone trail
•Five picnic tables and benches, including two accessible tables
•Wooden benches in main car park and Log benches at Binn Green. No tables at either.
Catering
•Hot food and ice cream van in main car park in good weather
•Variety of pubs and cafes in nearby Greenfield, Mossley and Uppermill.
Public toilets
•Main car park (managed by Oldham Council). Accessible toilet for use with RADAR key and unisex facilities
•Binn Green car park - male and female accessible composting toilets. No RADAR key required
•No baby changing at either.
Future plans
•Plans to improve the gravel surfaces around the site to make them easier for wheelchair access
•Plans to provide way marker signage for the main trails.
For more information
Dove Stone
Telephone:01457 819880
Moorland magic
We all know that the wild, moorland landscape above Dove Stones is breathtakingly beautiful. But did you know that it is incredibly important to both wildlife and people?
These moorlands supply the water that comes out of our taps.
If the moorland is badly managed, regularly burned, or overgrazed by sheep, it exposes the bare peat. The peat is then easily washed away by rain and gets into the streams, turning the water brown, the colour of stewed tea!
But, if we manage the moorlands well and protect the peat by growing sphagnum mosses, bilberry and heather, then the colour of the water is much improved.
On your walks, watch the skies for thrilling aerial displays from the fastest bird in the world - the peregrine
The peat has taken more than 5,000 years to develop. It is made up of dead sphagnum mosses and has locked up thousands of tonnes of carbon.
If the peat loses its cover of vegetation, the carbon is released into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change.
However, if we can ensure the continued growth of the mosses that form the peat, not only can we reduce the losses, but the bogs can actually soak up additional carbon from the atmosphere, helping buffer both ourselves and wildlife from the effects of a warming climate.
The Dove Stones moors are a special place for wildlife. On your walks, watch the skies for thrilling aerial displays from the fastest bird in the world - the peregrine.
In winter, you might be lucky enough to see snow-white mountain hares racing across the plateau; while spring signals the return of the moorland dawn chorus, with bubbling calls of curlews and the plaintive whistle of a golden plover.
The streams feeding into the reservoir are not only a great place for a paddle, they are also home to endangered creatures like water voles (Ratty from Wind in the Willows) and the delightful dipper. Did you know they keep their eyes open underwater as they search for insects to eat?
So you see, Dove Stone is a wonderful place for people, water and wildlife. We want to keep it that way – will you help us?
Community, youth and education
Access to Nature is a community, youth and education project with both on-site events and outreach sessions. The project is funded by Natural England, through Access to Nature, as part of the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme.
What we offer
Keep an eye on the events pages for a wide range of activities and guided walks. For schools and groups we offer tailor made sessions and bespoke training for teachers and leaders with RSPB staff and other experts.
Conservation, wildlife, art, photography, drama, storytelling, debates, walks and skills training are just some of the things the project has provided so far.
Contact
Rachel Downham
Community Engagement Officer
Email: rachel.downham@rspb.org.uk
07825 022 636
Geoff de Boer
Education Officer
Email: geoff.deboer@rspb.org.uk
Tel: 01457 819 884 / 07801 135 106
Contact us
Tel: 01457 819880
Where is it?
Lat/lng: 53.529355,-1.981482
Postcode: OL3 7NE
Grid reference: SE013036
Nearest town: Mossley, Greater Manchester
County: Greater Manchester
Country: England
At the peak of vibrant fall colours, an eastbound VIA train scoots along the wrong main to get around a slower freight train ahead. While VIA now requires buffer cars for its HEP fleet - parts of which date back to 1947, I was lucky this one had matching HEP cars acting as buffers on either end.
1Z21,Buffer Puffer 13 ( Eastleigh to Eastleigh via Lymington, Waterloo. North Kent Line, Dover, Canterbury, Ashford, Hastings, Eastbourne, Littlehampton, Portsmouth, Eastleigh, Waterloo and Eastleigh) passes Glyne Gap, Bexhill on the Hastings to Eastbourne section of the working. Harry Needle liveried 20314 leads while 20107 tails.
66103 Sporting Silver Buffers for reasons unknown on 6E26 Knowsley Freight Terminal - Wilton EFW Terminal at Heaton Norris 18/07/2022
DRS Class 37/0 37069 leads the Pathfinders Tours' "Buffer Puffer 15.0" railtour through Earley station at speed.
British Rail blue prevails at the Glasgow Queen Street buffer stops, with a Class 126 DMU and a Birmingham RC&W/Sulzer Class 27 locomotive freshly arrived on services from Edinburgh and Dundee respectively. The Class 126s were built at the BR Swindon works in 1955/56, pioneering the use of diesels on fast inter-city services when they took over the Edinburgh-Glasgow Queen Street service, operating on a half-hourly schedule. The Class 126 DMUs were made up of 3-car sets, with two sets coupled together to form a 6-car train set. Their 150 hp AEC engines were sufficiently powerful to reach a top speed of 70 mph, but the powered cars were noisy and teeth-chatteringly rattly, so I would make for the unpowered middle coaches for a modicum of quiet and comfort. By the date of this photograph, the units were life-expired and were due for imminent replacement by push/pull trains of Mark 2 coaches with a Class 27 locomotive at each end, operating to an accelerated timetable - a far better travelling experience.
The Scottish Daily Express that travellers are being urged to read was a separate edition from the English version, edited and printed in Glasgow itself from a black Art Deco building that was a smaller version of the landmark in Fleet Street, London. The Daily Express also ran a Manchester edition in a similarly styled building. All three buildings survive today, long vacated by the Daily Express itself.
The platform ticket machines are another echo of the past. They would have just been converted under the Decimalisation of the British coinage that had taken place just three months earlier, now taking 2p coins instead of the previous 6d (2-1/2p). This was the sole example to my own knowledge of the price of a product or service actually coming down in the wake of Decimalisation - everything else was rounded up to a higher net price, a contributing factor to the “roaring inflation” that Prime Minister Edward Heath had pledged and singularly failed to curtail.
April 1971
Zorki 4 camera
Boots ASA50 film.
By Jo Williams
The Parque Nacional de Doñana is one of Europe's most important wetland reserves and a major site for migrating birds. It is an immense area; the parque itself and surrounding parque natural or Entorno de Doñana (a protected buffer zone) amount to over 1,300 sq km in the provinces of Huelva, Sevilla and Cádiz. It is internationally for recognised for its great ecological wealth. Doñana has become a key centre in the world of conservationism.
Doñana is well known for its enormous variety of bird species, either permanent residents, winter visitors from north and central Europe or summer visitors from Africa, like its numerous types of geese and colourful colonies of flamingo. It has one of the world's largest colonies of Spanish imperial eagles. The park as a whole comprises three distinct kinds of ecosystem: the marismas, the Mediterranean scrublands and the coastal mobile dunes with their beaches.
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The configuration of the Parque Nacional de Doñana is a result of its past as the delta of the Guadalquivir river, the 'big river', or Wada-I-Kebir, of the Moors. But it is a delta with a difference. Unlike most, the river has only one outlet to the sea, just below Sanlúcar de Barrameda. The rest of what used to be its delta has gradually been blocked off by a huge sandbar that stretches from the mouth of the Río Tinto, near Palos de la Frontera, to the riverbank opposite Sanlúcar, and which the sea winds have gradually formed into high dunes. Behind this natural barrier stretches the marshlands (marismas).
The effect of this extraordinary mélange of land and water was to create an environment shunned by people but ideal for wildlife. As early as the thirteenth century, the kings of Castille set aside a portion of the Doñana as a royal hunting estate; later the dukes of Medina Sidonia made it their private coto too. One of the duchesses of Medina Sidonia, Doná Ana de Silva y Mendoza, indulged her antisocial instincts by building a residence there that was more hermitage than palace. As a result, the entire region came to be known as the 'forest of Doná Ana', or Doñana. In the eighteenth century, Goya is known to have visited the Duchess of Alba at the Palacio de Doñana when she was its proprietress. Subsequently, the land passed through many hands before the official creation of the parque nacional in 1969.
Meanwhile, adjoining areas of wetland were being dramatically reduced. Across the Guadalquivir vast marshes were drained and converted to farmland, until only the protected lands of the Doñana remained intact. For centuries there had been only a vacant spot on the map between Lebrija in the east and Almonte in the north west, but in recent years whole towns and villages have sprung up west of the Guadalquivir, and the resort town of Matalascañas has brought urban sprawl to the south-western edge of the Doñana, a place once occupied by reed-thatched fishermen's huts. The proximity of these settlements has further complicated the work of the park's wildlife guardians. Two of the Doñana's precious lynxes, for example, have been run over by cars on the highway to Matalascañas; cats and dogs straying out of the nearest towns have killed animals in the park, and birds that have overflown the fences have been gunned down by trigger-happy hunters despite stringent conservation laws.
A more permanent threat to the Doñana's ecosystem are the new ricefields and other agricultural projects north of El Rocío, whose run-off waters sluice pesticides into the marismas and the sulphur mines upstream at Aznalcóliar which was effluvium into the river.
Access
Marismas de Odiel, Huelva
Marismas de Odiel, Huelva
Entrance to the park is strictly controlled. You can take half-day trips with official guides or explore the environs of the visitors' centres on foot.
To visit the principal visitors' centre at El Acebuche, take the A483 south of Almonte and about 12km from El Rocío is the signposted turn at Km29 for Centro de Recepción El Acebuche (959 44 87 11), 1½km from the main road. Alternatively, you can drive 3km north of Matalascañas to the turn-off at Km29. The centre has an exhibition about the park, a café and a shop selling maps and books. From the centre is a signposted 5km trail through scrubland and pine trees. Next to the centre is the El Acebuche lagoon, with bird hides, where you can see purple gallinules, among other birds.
From El Acebuche there are four-hour trips into the park run by the Cooperativa Marsimas del Rocío (959 43 04 32), which must be booked in advance. The four-wheel drive vehicle can seat 21 people and guides speak some English. There are two trips a day (excluding Mondays), at 0830 and 1500 (1700 in summer). Full day trips can also be organised for groups, with lunch in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. A typical trip will take in all three ecosystems in the park - dunes, matorral and marshland - but the amount of exposure to each environment varies with the seasons. One thing is guaranteed - no two visits will be alike.
The nearest visitors' centre to El Rocío is La Rocina (959 44 23 40), 500m from the village and just off the Matalascañas road. It has information on the park and a 3km-long nature trail along the freshwater lake and marshland Charco de la Boca, which feeds into the Madres de la Marismas at El Rocío. The trail has five bird hides and it's possible to see purple gallinules, hoopoes, herons and Savi's warblers, among other birds.
Seven kilometres on from La Rocina is the Palacio del Acebrón, an old hunting lodge containing exhibitions on the park. In the grounds is a pleasant 1½-km nature trail through woodland and around a small lake, the Charco del Acebrón.
The Centro de Visitantes José Antonio Valverde on the northern edge of the park has some excellent birdwatching opportunities. It is 30km south of the town of Villamanrique de la Condesa, from where it is signposted.
The Playa de Castilla beach, reached on foot east of Matalascañas, runs alongside the park boundary and although you can't enter Doñana here, it is a beautiful, unspoilt stretch of coastline with good birdwatching possibilities.
The park can also be reached (but not entered) by taking the ferry boat across the Guadalquivir river from Sanlúcar de Barrameda where there is a visitors' centre, the Centro de Visitantes Fábrica de Hielo (956 38 16 35), with exhibitions on the Doñana. You can take the Real Fernando boat daily (except in January) from Sanlúcar for 13km up the Guadalquivir river, stopping in a few places for guided walks into the park. It's advisable to book in advance, especially during the summer and holidays.
Accommodation
The closest accommodation to the entry point of El Acebuche in the park is in Matalascañas, about 3km from El Acebuche. Ten kilometres north of El Acebuche is the village of El Rocío, with various hotels. Alternatively, between Matalascañas and Huelva there is Mazagón or Villamanrique de la Condesa to the north of the park. Accommodation will be very hard to find (or extremely expensive) around the time of the El Rocío pilgrimage at Pentecost. During the summer months Matalascañas and Mazagón are also very busy, so book ahead at this time.
• El Cortijo de los Mimbrales (959 44 22 37) Conveniently located for the park on the A483 El Rocío-Matalascañas road, 3km south of El Rocío. A former farm in an orange grove with delightful rooms set in beautiful gardens. Excellent bar and restaurant.
• Hotel Toruño (959 44 23 23) This is the best hotel in El Rocío. It is in a great location overlooking the marismas, so you can even birdwatch from your bedroom, if you choose your room carefully (ask for rooms 219, 221, 223 or 223).
Camping
There are many campsites close to the Playa de Castilla beach along the A494 between Mazagón and Matalascañas, which runs alongside the park boundary. In the summer it's well worth booking in advance when the campsites could be full, particularly in August.
• Camping Doñana (959 53 62 81) At the Mazagón end of the A494 at Km34.6, this shady campsite has wooden cabins and tents for rent and a swimming pool.
• Camping La Aldea Located inland on the edge of El Rocío village near the marismas, this campsite has bungalows for hire, a bar and a shop.
• Camping Rocío Playa (959 43 02 38) On the A494 Mazagón-Matalascañas road at Km 45.2, 1½km west of Matalascañas, is this large campsite. Facilities include a restaurant, tennis court, football pitch and a bar with wonderful views. There are wooden bungalows and tents for hire.
Flora
The park supports an incredible array of vegetation in a variety of virgin habitats. Inland are large expanses of stone pines, as well as Mediterranean scrublands, with narrow leaved cistus heather, mastic tree, rosemary, cistus scrub, glasswort, red lavender, rosemary and thyme. There are also junipers and forests of cork oaks, known as "las pajareras" for the enormous quantity of birds that nest in them. Among the flowering plants are lavender, tree heaths, gladioli, irises and rock roses. In the spring the marshlands are covered with flowers.
Fauna
This is a vast wilderness that supports an unrivalled wealth of fauna; 125 species of birds are known to be resident here, as well as 125 migratory bird species, 17 reptiles, nine amphibians and eight species of fish. There is a rich variety of mammals, 28 species in total, with some in danger of extinction, such as the lynx and the Egyptian mongoose. Also here are badgers, rabbits and otters. Game is also plentiful, with red deer, fallow deer and wild boar.
Birds
Doñana comprises delta waters which flood in winter and then drop in the spring leaving rich deposits of silt and raised sandbanks and islands. These conditions are perfect in winter for geese and ducks but most exciting in spring when they draw hundreds of flocks of breeding birds. If you're lucky you may also catch a glimpse of the rare Spanish Imperial Eagle, now down to 15 breeding pairs. In the marshes and amid the cork oak forests behind you've a good chance of seeing grey herons, lanner falcons, ring and turtle doves, partridges, oxpeckers, cattle egret, storks and vultures.
What you see at Doñana depends on the time of year and the luck of the draw - November, December and January constitute the off-season for visitors but is an ideal time for waterfowl, since the autumn rains have brought life back to the marismas and filled the lagunas. Gradually, the water attains a uniform depth of 30-60 centimetres (12-24 inches) over vast areas and the resulting marches attract huge flocks of wildfowl, ducks, geese and other water birds of the most varied kind. These are freshwater marshes, incidentally, although there are traces of sea salt in the underlying silt. Here and there small islands (vetas) rise above the water. These remain dry throughout the year, creating an ideal breeding ground for waders and terns.
Towards the end of February the geese that have migrated here from northern Europe commence their return journey, but at the same time the spoonbills arrive from North Africa to nest in the cork oaks. In March the waters begin to recede and spring begins in earnest. This is also the time when the imperial eagle hatches its eggs: 15 breeding pairs of these formidable hunters were counted recently in the park - above a third of all the imperial eagles known to survive in Spain. Each pair requires nearly 2,600 hectares of land to hunt over in summer, and even more in winter. This is a far from perfect environment for these great birds and Doñana pairs seldom raise as many young as those elsewhere in Spain.
In spring the marismas are alive with birds - some settling down to breed, others en route for more northern climes. Huge numbers of kites hang in the air, harriers send the duck scurrying skywards in fear of their lives. There are black-tailed godwit and ruff on their way to Holland and beyond, greenhank and wood sandpiper bound for Scandinavia, little stint and curlew sandpiper heading for northern Siberia and usually a marsh sandpiper that should be a thousand kilometres or more further east.
Overhead, vast flocks of whiskered terns wheel and circle along with a few gullbilled terns and racy pratincoles. There are swallows galore, some of them red-rumped, and bee-eaters and rollers perch on post and wire. All of these and more can be seen from the bridge at El Rocío - perhaps the best free birdwatching in Europe.
From bird hides at the reserve centre, just south of the bridge, you will hear Cetti's and Savi's warblers and watch egrets, herons and little bitterns come and go. Marsh harriers and kites are continually on view and sometimes a majestic imperial eagle will soar from the woods of Doñana over El Rocío to the Coto del Rey.
In mid-summer the temperature in the parched marismas easily exceeds 40°C. Aquatic birds that remain in the stagnant pools die of botulism, and each year thousands more die during the advancing drought in the Doñana. In August, there is almost nothing left of the marsh's aquatic fauna, but it is a good time for observing dozens of summer residents, which include griffon vulture, booted eagle, red and black kites, short toed eagle, Baillon's crake, purple gallinule, great spotted cuckoo, Scops owl, red necked nightjar, bee eater, hoopoe, calandra, short toed and thekla larks, golden oriole, azure winged magpie. Cetti's and Savi's warblers, tawny pipit, great grey shrike, woodchat shrike and serin.
Rivers
As part of the Guadalquivir delta, the park is riddled with creeks and streams, the main ones being the Brazo de la Torre, the Caño de Guadiamar and Caño Real. The park is dotted with ponds (lucios) that, like the marshlands themselves, can dry up almost completely in summer.
Walks
The core of the park is off-limits to independent walkers. There are footpaths, often with bird hides, leading from the following visitors' centres: El Acebuche, La Rocina and El Palacio del Acebrón. You can also walk alonside the park boundary on the Playa de Castilla, near Matalascañas. A signposted walk, the Sendero Laguna del Jaral Medano del Asperillo, is off the A494 at Km 47. Coming from Matalascañas, there is a car park on the left with an information board and map. It is a challenging circular 5.6km trail that crosses sand dunes and pine woods and will take around 3½ hours. It has superb views of the sea. Make sure you take plenty of water and go when it is not too hot.
Also signposted is the Sendero Cuesta del Maneli. This is a circular trail through the dunes and pine woodland between the road and the beach. It is 2.3km long and takes around 1½ hours and is easier than the Sendero Laguna del Jaral Medano del Asperillo. To get there, take the off the A494 Matalascañas-Mazagón road and at Km 38 there is a car park and information board.
Villages
El Rocío
Matalascañas
Mazagón
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Villamanrique de la Condesa
56130 'Wardley Opencast' in Coal Sector triple grey livery complete with red buffers, passes through Knottingley with a westbound empty MGR working on Thursday 9th June 1994.