Epping Forest

The Royal Photographic Society's Eastern Region Nature group met in Epping Forest. It was led by Ann Miles and Jonathan Vaines.  It was a popular event and good to see photographers from all over the region. The forest was a good place to try Macro and Landscape techniques.

The best postcode to use to get to the visitors centre is IG10 4AE. Epping Forest is a 2,400-hectare area (5,900-acre) of ancient woodland between Epping in Essex to the North, and Forest Gate in Greater London to the south, straddling the border between London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation.

It contains areas of woodland, grassland, heath, rivers, bogs and ponds, and its elevation and thin gravelly soil (the result of glaciation) historically made it unsuitable for agriculture.  Today's beech-birch and oak-hornbeam-dominated forest was the result of partial forest clearance in Saxon times.  The Autumn colours were still amazing but must have been outstanding a couple of week ago before the rain and wind.  It has been a good year for fungi and there were varies to discover.

The forest is thought to have been given legal status as a royal forest by Henry II in the 12th century. This status allowed commoners to use the forest to gather wood and foodstuffs, and to graze livestock and turn out pigs for mast, but only the king was allowed to hunt there. "Forest" in the historical sense of royal forest meant an area of land reserved for royal hunting.  Today many people enjoyed walking, cycling, running and of course photographing!

 

Winterton-on-Sea - the beginning of the Seal season.

Winterton-on-Sea is a village and civil parish on the coast of Norfolk, England. It is 8 miles north of Great Yarmouth and 19 miles east of Norwich.  Between the village and the North Sea are the Winterton Dunes which include a 109 hectare National Nature Reserve and are inhabited by several notable species such as the Natterjack toad. The natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) is a toad native to sandy and heathland areas of Europe. Adults are 60–70 mm in length and are distinguished from common toads by a yellow line down the middle of the back, and parallel paratoid glands. They have relatively short legs, and this gives them a distinctive gait, contrasting with the hopping movement of many other toad species.  Needless to say, I did not see one when I visited and did not even know they were inhabitants on the heathland.
In the late 18th century Marram grass was planted to stabilise the coastline against sea encroachments, and by the early 19th century there was a barrier of dunes between high water mark and the ridge on which the lighthouse stood, leaving a valley.
Instead of chasing Natterjacks, I observed the Cow seals that were arriving to give birth and mate.  It was certainly very early in the season and although there had been many births the cubs were very young and the bulls were not too interested in mating.  There were a few young bulls lying around and some young bulls and cows frolicking.  It was a serene scene with little activity. I surmise that there was not much oestrous in the air to stimulate the bulls to show off and demonstrate their prowess and strength. I observed quite a few still-births lying about but the Gulls did not seem to be interested in cleaning things up.
Three hours went extremely quickly and I met quite a few Wardens patrolling the dunes and counting the seals.

 

Eastbourne Sussex

It was time to take my Uncle for tea at the Grand Hotel and as we drove along the front, it started to rain however,  the light on the pier was so striking, I had to stop and get an image. Eastbourne council reduces parking fees in the winter, so one can easily access the beach, but this was a grab shot and no hanging about!

Buxton, Derbyshire

The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. It is mostly in northern Derbyshire, but also includes parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. We enjoyed the Autumn colours.  We woke to a very cold morning and mist across the Dales.  It was so lovely to see the landscape.

Lowry Theatre and Gallery Salford Quays

25 October 2019
The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex was officially opened on 12 October 2000 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Between 1990 and 1991 a competition was launched and architects James Stirling Michael Wilford Associates was selected. After the death of James Stirling in June 1992 Michael Wilford continued the project. Groundbreaking took place on 1997. Michael Wilford's design was constructed by Bovis and with stroll engineer Buro Happold.
The complex is close to the Imperial War Museum North and the Old Trafford football stadium. It is served by the MediaCityUK stop on the Metrolink tram network. In 2010 and 2011 it was Greater Manchester's most visited tourist attraction.
The Lowry footbridge spanning the ship canal was designed and project managed by Parkman, with design support from Carlos Fernandez Casado. It is a lift bridge with a clear span of 100 metres (330 ft), which lifts vertically to provide a 26-metre (85 ft) clearance for shipping using the canal.
The Gallery space displays the L. S. Lowry and other collections.