The morning was showing promise of sun, though a bit blowy and fresh, but a good excuse to get out, have a woodland wander, rounded off with a cuppa and sausage butty with Mrs PR.
This time of year, male and female deer often part their ways and reside in separate areas. The fallow buck's are resting up, many starting to lose their antlers.
The main drive to the gatehouse, house and extensive grounds
The water levels are still quite high, the weir where the R Dene feeds into the R Avon at this time of year often reveals around six steps. Not this time.....
The fallow doe's enjoying their break from the lads...
Mrs PR spotted her first tree creeper. Not the easiest of birds to capture on camera, just like those goldcrests.....
There were plenty of blackbirds, robin's dunnocks, crows, magpies and many more, including little egrets, grey herons, but all evading the camera... But not the jackdaws, and this one in particular seemed to be quite happy following humans as they disturb the ground.
The walk back for a bit of refreshment, and we were serenaded by this goldfinch
Time for a cuppa sausage butty, but not before I spot my first housemartin of the year
After the refreshments, Mrs PR needed a little retail therapy, while I had to check out the housemartin and swallow locations.
Ooops, this one made a mad dash out, for food, DiY wattle and daub, who knows, but I almost missed the photo opportunity...
A blue tit on the brickwork....
Some yellow dung flies on fallow deer poo (you really want to see that don't you)
A pied wagtail
What better to end the morning with, fallow bucks, finally up and feeding, plus, some trying to scratch that itch
and here's one already prepared
and one yet to start.....
The sightings for this morning:
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler
Lovely - another place I miss since moving away from Cheltenham.
Nice set of photo's Mike, with blue sky... Great shots of the Tree Creeper and Pied Wagtail.
Bobs_Retired said:Lovely - another place I miss since moving away from Cheltenham.
It is lovely, and relatively easy to get to from Cheltenham.
Sadly they've endured very high water levels from the River Avon, though I don't think water got into the back of the house in the Victorian extension, but it was pretty damned close looking at some of the pics I've seen.
You may recall the thatched summer house by the Orangery, that has had a lot of TLC over the last few years and is looking very nice again.
SnappyMac said:Nice set of photo's Mike, with blue sky... Great shots of the Tree Creeper and Pied Wagtail.
Thank you Snappy. Both the tree creeper was surprisingly obliging.