a blue anniversary

 28th Feb 2021, Warkworth, 9am

Beautiful blue seascapes today.  The sand has been scoured and a very low spring tide left pools of bright water reflecting the sky.

Despite the day of blue skies, calm seas and acres of patterned sands, I chose to photograph a rusty boiler on a shipwreck. (The low spring tide and shifting sands have revealed more of this shipwreck than I've seen before). I love the colours and textures and they hold a beauty in themselves. Also the old boiler could tell a story or two about the crew who stoked the fire with coal on many journeys across the sea. 

It seems likely this is the remains of a trawler from North Shields called "Premier" which ran aground at Birling Carrs on 25th February 1902 - 119 years ago almost to the day!

Later, from high on the dunes, I saw another photographer lining up the same photograph...

having a whale of a time

 26th Feb 2021, Howick, 7am

Got here in time for sunrise (but it's getting early these days!)

I was chuffed to see a flash of green as the sun first broke the horizon.  This is a rare phenomenon caused by the atmosphere.  I've never seen it in all my years of sunrise watching in Northumberland.  There's no photo I'm afraid.

I think these are twite.  They posted themselves very neatly on the tree.  There were goldfinches, yellowhammer, stonechats, linnets... all sorts of songbirds flitting about as well as curlew calling from the beach and a silent barn owl getting a late breakfast in the long grass.

Some views from the drone.

On our way back to the car I was keeping an eye open for porpoises when I saw a waterspout a few hundred metres out - A whale!  I got this one low quality image as he kept surfacing every few minutes (which means he was diving quite shallow).  I later met an expert who confirmed it was a humpback whale which is currently hanging about the Northumberland coast.

can't stand still

 25th Feb 2021, Alnmouth, 7:30am

Two people and their dog stand and watch the sunrise out over the ocean. 

A painter might observe the scene and paint it as they see it. 

But for the photographer the medium is the capture of an actual moment. 

And so it is that the scene may be not quite as they saw it if someone in the photo decides to turn and walk off down the beach just as they press the shutter button!

on a grey day

 24th Feb 2021, Warkworth, 4pm

Grey can be beautiful too.

no picnics

23rd Feb 2021, Alnmouth, 8am

A chilly wind whipped off the sea this morning.  Not a place to hang about for a picnic (even if it was allowed!)

The wind was whipping through the grass on the dunes. I thought I'd try to capture the movement of the grass. There's a lot of experimentation with settings for this kind of trick and which is 'best' is purely subjective.

 

colour to find

 20th Feb 2021, Warkworth, 9am

Not much colour around under grey skies but there were splashes of colour down on the sand if you looked closely enough.

quieter

 16th Feb 2021, Warkworth, 8am

No snow, calmer seas and warmer air.

snow melts

 15th Feb 2021, Longhorsley, 1pm

Valentine's flowers sat in front of me at the table so I needed to photograph them.

The thaw has arrived and it was like a spring day although the snow still lay thick on the ground.

15th Feb 2021, Alnmouth, 4pm

Over on the coast and there's no snow left.  In the bunkers on the golf course lie pools of frozen water that look out of place in the spring sunshine.

All these blue skies tempt you to imagine that it's spring but there's more winter to come I'm sure. 

It's wonderful to enjoy this weather after so many freezing days.

fun in the snow (continued)

14th Feb 2021, Longhorsley, 9am

The wind has blown drifts of powdery snow across the roads but these drifts were very deep and overnight they'd frozen into solid icy banks blocking the road.

Back home to cuddle and dry off in front of the fire

12th Feb 2021, Longhorsley, 1pm

More fun in the snow while it lasts...

 

a feast for the birds

 11th February 2021, Warkworth, 7:30am

Lots of litter and nature thrown onto the beach by recent easterly winds.

Th gulls filled the sunrise sky they were attracted by the free feast on the beach.

Snow on the beach is quite rare but you see it most winters.

I've never seen this before.

Where last night's high tide met the snow on the sand