Chillingham 'Wow' Castle

A day out with the jam eaters during the school holidays can easily turn into a nightmare. And the first sign that things are going to go very wrong are when you here that spine chilling phrase, 'I'm bored'!

I find the best way to avoid such nightmare scenarios is to engage children in activities that are simply not boring. So yesterday me and a seven year old jam eater headed to Chillingham Castle in the heart of rural Northumberland.

Chillingham Castle is brilliant for kids as it's not one of those stuffy properties you visit where everything screams 'Don't Touch'.  Quite the opposite in fact.

Chillingham Castle is a bonafide castle, with lots of suits or armour, ridiculous amounts of medieval weaponry, dead animals, and it's own torture chamber for welcoming our friends from over the border - Scots beware! Also handy if any children should misbehave :)

I gave my jam eating friend a camera and asked him to taking photos of anything he felt warranted a loud utterance of, Wow! And here's the results:

After a tour of Chillingham Castle we headed to see the wild cattle that have been at the castle since the 12th century. They are wild ancestors of our domesticated cows and only about 130 remain of this rare breed.

The wild cattle are about half a mile up the hill from the castle, requiring a short drive and a 5 minute walk.

The cattle can be seen at a distance of about 100 metres. They are truly wild and so there's no close encounters.

Standing in field of cows learning about their history and mating habits wasn't too interesting to be honest, and it was no surprise the dread words were heard, 'this is boring'. He was right. Time for a hasty retreat!

What was of interest was the fox and it's cub we encountered on the return walk, the robin's nest in the outdoor cattle exhibit, and learning about the badger setts, thanks to a gentleman we met on the estate. Now a Badger watching evening would have been very interesting! Like so many of these animal attractions the natural wildlife around has greater interest for those who care to look..

Chillingham Castle: www.chillingham-castle.com
Chillingham Wild Cattle: www.chillinghamwildcattle.com
For visitor information: www.visitnorthumberland.com
#nlandspirit, #nlandfun, #nlandbeauty and #wild

Home is where the hole is...

Tree Sparrow feeding young

Everywhere there's a hole, be it in the stone walls of our house, or our nest boxes, there's one creature or another making their home. That's why when the walls of our house were pointed last week, we ensured there was no over zealous application of mortar!

Blue Tit about to meet the world

Jackdaws have young in the gable end of our house, and in one of the nest boxes.

Red-tailed Bumble Bees nesting in the wall

Zebra Spiders hunt amongst the cracks

Red Mason Bee in the wall

Wasp nest in a bird box. Wasps are excellent pest controllers, eating aphids,
 caterpillars etc, so never need to use any chemicals in our garden.

Vulgar Commotion

Juvenile Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris)

A commotion drew me to the window this evening, where the sight, and sound, of at least 250 starlings devouring the insufficient fare offered by my bird feeders, was quite a sight.

The flock was a mix of doting parents, and vociferous youngsters. Well it is half-term after all.

Home is in the hedgerow

A wander along the field margins at East Holywell, gave me numerous encounters with the new residents in the hedgerows.

What was nothing but barren twigs just 4 weeks ago, is now alive with Whitethroats, Yellowhammers and Greenfinches.

And the Dandelion, persecuted by our culture of tidiness, is a corner stone of the hedgerow ecosystem - feeding the many insects that in turn feed the birds. In a parallel universe, they would surely be coveted blooms?

Bluebell - sometimes they're white!

Hoverfly

Black Ant

 Greenfinch pair

Yellowhammer

Whitethroat

Blackcap

What colour is your heron?

Purple Heron

After doing my Breeding Bird survey at Widdrington, it seemed sensible to pop along to East Chevington to see the Purple Heron. A cracking bird, showing well, but at half a mile away the 2x convertor went on the camera. This hazy shot was the result.

Sedge Warbler

Then, came a  report of a Great White Egret at Hauxley, just a couple of miles up the road. On arrival I was told it was in front of the Ponteland hide. It's a long walk to the Ponteland hide, and even further to then get to the Eric hide, where the bird had decided to move to after 'interacting' with a Grey Heron!

Interaction!

Great White Egret

Blue-headed Wagtail, Whitley Bay

Wagtail fest on Whitley Bay beach, right now! A superb Blue-headed Wagtail, a dozen or more White Wagtails, a Yellow Wagtail and even a Pied Wagtail completing the cast. Just park at St Marys and walk a couple of hundred metres south down the beach. The wagtails are feeding on the flies around the seaweed. Another reason not to clean seaweed off beaches.

Lucky Dip

Having dipped on the Pectoral Sandpiper at Backworth, a potential garden tick had I ventured onto my roof, I choose to have a wander around the patch to see what I could find.....

Golden Plover in their finest summer suits

Reynard looking bright eyed and bushy tailed

The Small and Mitey

Red-tailed Bumblebee & cargo

Finally, a bumblebee in the garden, rewarding my wildflower bulb planting. A Red-tailed Bumblebee taking nectar from a Grape Hyacinth. Unfortunately it has a few unwelcome stowaways, mites; the little pink things on it's 'neck'.

Goldcrest

A couple of other small visitors today included a Goldcrest, most likely just passing through on its way back to Scandinavia, and my first Willow Warbler of the year.

Willow Warbler

Wor Jackie

Wor Jackie

Jackdaws are putting the finishing touches to their nest, in the box that was supposedly for Little Owls. Not sure where they are nesting, but we hear them calling every night at the moment. Wor Jackie watched me checking the moth trap - best catch so far this year, not difficult considering the long winter and recent gales. 10 Hebrew Characters, 2 Common Quakers and this handsome Early Grey.

Early Grey

Meanwhile, in the rest of the garden, a Wren is nesting in my compost heap, a Woodpigeon is nesting behind the Gazebo, Blue Tits and Tree Sparrows are in nest boxes, and Swallows are swooping into the barn. Oh, and the wind is still and the sun is shining!!!!

Common Quaker

Bang! And the Winter's gone!

Spring has arrived with a bang, with gales rearranging garden furniture, trees, and I fear tiles! Still, it's far more spring like than it was this time last week.

Toads and frogs are finally spawning, Swallows are hawking insects across the fields, and my winter gas bill has arrived on the mat. Ouch!!

Winter may now be gone, but there are lingering winter visitors in the front paddock, or could they be staying as a new breeding species for Northumberland?

Fieldfare