Canoeing Over Low Force Waterfall

 With the recent rains the upper reaches of the river Tees have provided some great conditions for experienced canoeists. This was Low Force Waterfall on Saturday.

Autumn Colours are Fading Fast

With the high Pennine hills sporting a covering of snow autumn certainly seems to be giving way to winter. Last week I spent a pleasant morning near Low Force capturing a few images of the remaining beech trees that still had some colour. Yesterday I visited Gibson's Cave and it was clear that the recent wind and rain has stripped most of the trees of their leaves. A cloudy sky and flat light however made it ideal for capturing some long exposure shots of the various waterfalls on the beck. The fallen leaves giving just a hint of autumn and adding just enough colour to transform an otherwise bleak scene.

Ferns (possibly the Male Fern Dryopteris felix-mas) growing beside the beck just downstream from Gibsons Cave

The dead leaves provide a little colour but autumn is certainly giving way to winter.

Most of the trees have lost their leaves. Summerhill Force with Gibson's Cave behind.

Autumn Colours

A few autumnal shots of the beech trees on the banks of the Tees near Low Force Waterfall in Upper Teesdale. No Photoshop jiggery pokery has been used with the colours, neither was any used to create the abstract, which was simply done using a longish exposure while pulling zoom at the same time. In fact nothing much more than the effort of an early start, some low autumnal sun and those wonderful autumn beech trees - Mother Nature really is something special.

 

Thanks for the visit

The Little Gentleman in Black Velvet

The poor summer weather in the northeast of England certainly seems to be affecting some animals and plants in a negative way. This year many Horse Chestnut trees as well as others such Rowan and Beech are failing to produce much in the way of fruit and animals such as the European Common Mole Talpa europaea are having large areas of their usual habitat flooded by rising water levels. With significant areas of farmland and woodland becoming waterlogged you are much more likely to see moles on the surface as they try to avoid the flooding. Surprisingly they are excellent swimmers and will if necessary swim in order to reach higher ground. This movement however can create conflict with other moles if they enter an established territory. In such circumstances they will fight each other and may even fight to the death. Despite these natural hardships the greatest threat still comes from humans in the shape of farmers and gardeners who spend considerable time effort and it has to me said money trying to control their numbers.

Until recently I didn't have any mole pics in my portfolio at all, but fortunately the other day I got an opportunity to photograph one that had just been captured on the surface in a wooded area maintained for wildlife. The mole incidentally was not destroyed and after grabbing half a dozen images continued on its way.

Hungry and happy to eat while being handled

There are many stories and myths surrounding the mole but my favourite has to be the role they played in the demise of King William III in 1702.

It is said that Stuarts in exile toasted "the little gentleman in black velvet" after the horse of King William III stumbled on a molehill and he was thrown. He died shortly after in 1702 from complications caused by the injuries he sustained. I quite like the fact that a thug hell bent on power and using religion as an excuse to destroy lives, actually met his end as a result of such a tiny animal.

A Few Mole Facts
Colour black although there is some variation from brown through to silver. Lives in an underground tunnel system. Male 11-16cm with females slightly smaller. Weight between 65g and 130g. They have 44 teeth and will bite if handled roughly.

Food - Insectivorous and feeds mainly on worms and slugs as well as small insects such as beetles, centipedes, millipedes etc.

Habitat - Woodland, fields, gardens and high ground up to around 1000m in the UK. In the Alps they have been found up to 2000m. They are capable of digging up to 20 metres of tunnel in a single day.

Average lifespan - around 3 years (can live as long as 7 years)

Mating/breeding - takes place from February - June, although there are variations due to latitude and animals in the north will mate around a month later than in the south.

Litter Size - around 3 or 4 young but can be as many as 7.

Predators - Humans are the main predators (there is some suggestion that their pest status is probably exaggerated). Natural predators are Fox, Weasel, birds of prey such as Kestrel, Buzzard and Owl and Heron.

There are also high mortality rates as a result of environmental factors such as drought, flooding and a lack of food which leads to starvation.

Further reading
Macdonald D. and Barret P. 1993. Mammals of Britain and Europe, Pub Collins.

Staithes

Staithes really does fit into the classic image of a quaint fishing village. Pretty, steeped in history and something that is becoming increasingly under threat, is still actually involved in fishing, albeit in a small way with only one full time boat as well as a few part-time ones. Today in the sunshine the village was bustling with visitors of all ages. Some were sitting enjoying the view or wandering around the harbour, others were looking at the quaint houses, or simply sitting chatting in the warmth of the autumn sun. Some brave kids were even swimming in the sea.

Staithes. Copyright David Forster


Being on the Cleveland way footpath the village also quite popular with walkers as well and there were plenty folk with rucksacs wandering around, or puffing their way up the steep hill leading out of town towards Runswick Bay.

Our plan was to walk over to Runswick bay and back but we started off by having a gentle wander around town and to have a look at what photo opportunities there might be for later on in the evening. As soon as I stood on the bridge over Staithes beck I knew I had found the first.

Staithes beck at low tide. Copyright David Forster


A wander over to the rocks below Cow Bar Nab and I spotted this large anchor chain. The light was getting a bit too harsh but it did help with the detail. I decided not to correct the barrel distortion created by the wide-angle lens as I felt it added to the overall effect of space.

Copyright David Forster


We then headed off for our walk over to Runswick Bay but by now the light was really too harsh for anything particularly creative so I stuck to record shots.

Returning from Runswick Bay later in the day we had a pint at the pub while waiting for sun drop to give us some more dramatic lighting. We then headed back to the bridge but noted that the light was still quite harsh. Unfortunately waiting for more diffused light was not an option as the hill behind would soon begin to cast its shadow over the scene and it was a case of trying to get the best from what light is available.

Staithes beck at high tide. Copyright David Forster


All in all I was fairly happy with the images but I think on a return visit I will have a look at producing some images from higher up the hill and will try for some night shots of the harbour itself.

All images and text copyright David Forster

Taster Video - Valley of the Ice Flowers

This is a short taster video using some of the footage I made during the spring and early summer. This area of upper Teesdale has been scientifically classified as a sub arctic region and is recognised worldwide as a European and Global Geopark. All of the footage has been taken from the upper tees valley, from Bowlees upstream along the Pennine Way and Green Trod to the Widdybank Fell Nature Reserve.  The valley of the Ice Flowers refers to the rare plants that have grown in this valley since the end of the last ice age.  As it is just a taster I have only included a few plants such as the Spring Gentian, Mountain Pansy and Globe Flower. I have also added a few of our more common plants such as Betony, Bluebell and Celandine.




Please feel free to embed the video in your own site. If possible a link back to www.bluestoneimages.com would be great.

Summerhill Force (Gibson's Cave) in Flood

After the torrential rain of the last twenty four hours my initial plan was to head up to High Force Waterfall. On the way I noticed that the Tees was certainly very high, but it did not look to be higher than the 28th June 2012 flood level. Instead I headed to Bowlees and had a walk up to Summerhill Force (also known as Gibson's Cave). The dripping foliage and dark, dank and misty conditions gave the place a jungle atmosphere.

Summerhill Force. Gibson's Cave is behind the waterfall


Spray form the falls was a major problem and I had a frustrating time trying to capture a few long exposures without the lens getting covered. It was a case of fire the shutter, clean the lens, fire the shutter and clean the lens. Time after time I did this until I eventually managed to capture a handful of images where the spray did not ruin the shot.

Compare this to the one below in normal conditions.

Summerhill Force and Bowlees Beck in normal conditions. Copyright David Forster

Text/Images Copyright David Forster