A morning's wander in the woods and hills around the RSPB's headquarters near Sandy. It's an area that has always fascinated me, since its scenery is so different from the land that surrounds it, and the wide fields of Cambridgeshire that I call home. Here on a narrow outcrop of sandstone, known as the Greensand Ridge, bracken and heather thrive amongst the heaths and mixed woodland. Come and take a quiet stroll in this land of purple, green and gold.
Despite the presence of the offices of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds nearby the birds were not particularly plentiful or obvious. True enough, we did see a Buzzard on the Buzzard Trail and two sorts of Woodpecker on the Woodpecker Trail, though even the Nuthatches proved elusive on the Nuthatch Trail. On a brighter note we did see the nest of a pair of Hobbies, and Nightjars have been present for the first time in many years. But if you want to see Nightjars you have to come at night - the clue is in the name!
Take care.
You are right about the colour John. I have always fancied going there.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful area to visit. It is especially encouraging to hear of the return of the nightjars.
ReplyDeleteMy eldest son did his PhD on sedimentology which involved the study of green sand deposits, and one of the places he visited was Sandy. As a family we used to go there bird watching when we lived in N. Herts, it is a lovely spot.
ReplyDeleteThe colours in these photos are very pleasing and portray a real sense of just how rapidly Autumn is approaching.
Love the ferns! The birds are a bonus!
ReplyDeleteAh how lovely. Heather is such a gorgeous colour isn't it?
ReplyDeleteVery poetic introductory paragraph! It matches the poetry of your photos!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear nightjars have returned, they seem to be doing a little better all over the country at the moment :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, I like the mix of colours.
What a pleasant landscape to walk through. Very beautiful area and photos.
ReplyDeleteHi John - looks wonderful ... gorgeous photos - makes me want to visit and wander too ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteA lovely walk there. I wondered what bird songs you might have been hearing out there. Now I want to hear what Nightjar sounds like. Never even heard of that species before.
ReplyDeleteI would very much enjoy a hike there. The heather is colouring nicely!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks very dry, John. Nice colors even so, but it must be very worrying for the farmers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous spot for a hike! I see what you mean about the colors... a beautiful palette!
ReplyDeleteYou have such lovely countryside!
ReplyDeleteYour pictures are beautiful! They look magical in the way the light falls on them. You are a talented photographer.
ReplyDeleteLovely scenery!
ReplyDeleteSo pretty, especially those purples of late summer among the green and gold.
ReplyDeleteLovely colours and textures even if there are no birds.
ReplyDeleteVisited there once years ago, and it is a rather magical place to wander. As you say, rather different from all that surrounds it.
ReplyDeleteSo many browns it almost looks like fall. I do love lavender color against it all. One would think so much brush would attract many birds.
ReplyDeleteYour beautiful pictures really capture the atmosphere of the place.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, the heather is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous colours in your photos John. I used to live in Leighton Buzzard and loved doing the beautiful scenic Greensand Ridge walk. We regularly did LB to Woburn, Woburn to Ampthill or Ampthill to Haynes but never managed to complete the other two sections.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots of the purple, green and gold countryside John, the colours harmonize perfectly. Your bird musings made me chuckle 😊
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