Making the most of the weather

The weather has settled down and we are enjoying a spell of dry, bright, 'very' cold weather.  Combining this with B's work shift this week, she completes her shift by noon or a little later, we decided we would take advantage of the weather and go for some winter walks.

On Wednesday, B and I visited  Shugborough  a stately home about four miles from our home, and run by the National Trust.  Because we are members of the NT, we get free admission to the hundreds of sites they are responsible for in the UK  (The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland is another site in their care.)  We decided to enjoy a meal at the cafe before we went for a walk.  We chose to look at the Formal Gardens, designed centuries ago and neatly manicured in comparison to the rest of the grounds.  With the Sun coming from behind the clouds as the afternoon progressed, it was ideal for getting photographs of the Autumn colours.



A Bridge over the lake which was created to be viewed from the House





Another view of the 'lake' overlooking the parklands, many of the trees still with their Autumn colours.








On Thursday, B and I chose a different type of environment, two different wildlife sites. 

First we travelled to Doxey Marshes, a site managed by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, sandwiched between a large housing estate and the M6 motorway.  The only reason it has remained free of building developments is the nature of the land - it would be tremendously expensive to drain, and not very attractive for residential development so its safe for the flora and fauna for the moment.
In spite of the noise of the traffic, it attracts a large number of wetland birds. 

 
    A grey heron waiting patiently to catch its dinner.













                                          Swans , hoping we had some food for them!

B and I then travelled to another wetland site, Aqualate Mere, cared for by Natural England.
A large shallow lake, about one mile long and averaging 3 to 4 foot deep, it is surrounded by reed beds and natural woodland and attracts large numbers of birds and mammals. We particularly wanted to see a Starling Murmuration, so we timed our visit just before sunset. In the Autumn and Winter, tens of thousands of starlings accumulate and put on a spectacular aerial display as they look for a roosting place among the reed beds.

I took still photos so it's hard to imagine the fluidity of the movement of the great mass of starlings.  B took a video using her Smartphone.  We are planning to visit again next week, and this time I intend to take a different camera and hopefully sort out how to take a video.