A Well Kept Secret

Not seeing the wood(s) for the trees is another expression that would perhaps describe what I felt about our discovery of a nearby woodland at the weekend.

We have lived here almost 30 years and there are many beautiful places we have seen both near and far in Wales and the UK but still we find that some of the most stunning beauty is virtually on our doorstep. It felt like it had been a very well kept secret so I am not going to reveal its name or location, but I think it is definitely going to be the subject of a new StillWalk the moment I get the opportunity.

Most StillWalks videos have a location button on the video page – but not all! Here, anyway, is a bit of iPhonography of the place.

Coastal Walk

Click the first image or play button to play the video and enjoy part of the Galloway, Scotland coastline.

Click the second image to enlarge.

Coastal Walk Spring

Season to Season – On the Cusp

The birds are still fledging so I am still calling it Spring even though we are now in June.

As a final set for the season before I start calling it Summer, here are some of the selected images from the StillWalk “Coastal Walk” from Springtime in Scotland. More to come over the weekend.

Looking at other blogs this morning, I have just discovered it is World Oceans Day today – so perhaps this post is appropriate, at least in the video if not in these specific images. Click the link above to watch.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Coastal Walk Spring

Coastal Walk Spring – Goldfinch

Coastal Walk Spring

Coastal Walk Spring – Chaffinch

Coastal Walk Spring

Coastal Walk Spring

Coastal Walk Spring

Coastal Walk Spring

A Flower from the Garden – Welsh Poppy

Neither the sun nor the flowers were in the right position for the angles I wanted in the photographs I took of these Welsh Poppies in my garden yesterday, but it was good practice for another time.

Click the images to enlarge.

Welsh Poppies

Welsh Poppies

About to bloom

Rising with the Sun

I arrived at Penllergaer Woods at 4.45 AM last Saturday morning for a production day that took a little over six hours before returning to download the content of my cameras and field recorder. The day went well but I am still suffering from the midge bites I got for my trouble.

I started out with a preliminary scout around the valley floor and watched the sky lighten, the moon fade and listened to the birds wake up.

Here are some of the preliminary shots I got along with the dawn chorus.

Pre-dawn, Penllergaer Woods

Pre-dawn, Penllergaer Woods

Pre-dawn, Penllergaer Woods

Pre-dawn, Penllergaer Woods

Sunrise

Sunrise

Moon Reflection

Moon Reflection

Moon Reflection

Moon Reflection

StillWalks Video Viewing Tips

The last of the selected images from the Park Walk video below are available along with other images from this collection at the StillWalks PhotoShelter site.

And here are those video viewing tips again:

StillWalks videos are at their best when viewed in Full High Definition. You need to buy the videos to see them like this but whether you do or not, they will always be most enjoyed if you follow these viewing tips:

  1. Switch you mobile phone off or to silent.
  2. Click the play button on the video but then click pause. This will allow the video to load properly and should not stutter at all at the start.
  3. Click the Full Screen button in the bottom right hand corner of the video. Although the online versions will not be as crisp and clear as the Full HD, I hope you still enjoy them.

Clyne Gardens Clyne Gardens

Pink

Yesterday white, today pink – a couple more images from the Springtime StillWalk produced at Clyne Gardens, Swansea. If you would like to take a stroll through the gardens and hear the multitude of bird conversations, play the Park Walk video and don’t forget those viewing tips (see yesterday’s post).

Rhodadendron / Azalea

Rhodadendron / Azalea

Camellia

Camellia