Durham Dales part three

 The third and final part of this Blog is all about a couple of Adders we saw in two different locations. This makes it only the second and third time I have seen Adders in England and what makes it special, to me at least, is one of them was swimming.

I was taking photos of the Dipper when I saw this Adder out of the corner of my eye swimming across the stream. 

It swam to the bank side then curled up below some overhanging grasses and I left it alone so I could carry on photographing the Dipper.

A different location for the second one. I was taking photos of the Stonechats when I saw it moving through the grass. 

I got my images then once again left it to get some images of a Meadow Pipit.

Durham Dales part two

 I don’t think I have ever come across a more obliging Dipper. I was able to just sit on the river bank (moving occasionally when it flew to a different rock) and get loads of images.

The Durham Dales part one

 A few weeks ago, my wife suggested that we go up into the Durham Dales and visit an area that she use to go to when she was younger, her dad would take the family there for picnics, and I readily agreed, it’s a place that I have always liked to visit and there is nearly always some wildlife to photograph. We visited two areas and this is part one of three Blogs of the wildlife we saw.

 Stonechat.

A bit of a well-worn or possibly a young Stonechat.

Male Stonechat.

Meadow Pipit.

Another looking quizzical.

Pied Wagtail.

Red form of Cross/Garden Spider.

Spider.

Two Spiders with a meal all wrapped up.

Hoverfly hovering.

This beetle was struggling to get through the grass

It fell backwards and it showed its true colours.

It eventually got upright again and carried on struggling.

Ants.

More Ants.

I wasn’t expecting to see a female Black Darter up on the Dales.