Tuesday, May 27, 2014

A Day on the Durham coast


Some plants and animals from a day walking on the cliffs between Seaham and Hawthorn Dene on the Durham coast last week





















Dozens of fully grown drinker moth caterpillars on the steps leading down to Blast beach ...






















..... some had even made it all the way down to the beach
























Masses of bird'sfoot trefoil in full bloom on the edge of the limestone quarry























Bloody cranesbill coming into bloom on he magnesian limestone grassland



















Wonderful display of buttercups in the meadows at Hawthorn Dene




































Not many early purple orchids, but some nice specimens
















Some glorious displays of hawthorn near Hawthorn Dene. Best year for hawthorn blossom that I can remember




















Common milkwort around the quarry area



















There's not a lot of sea pink along this coastline but in full bloom























A goldfinch that seemed to be ill and was reluctant to fly, but with no visible signs of injury

.... and finally, fulmars soaring along the cliffs

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks Adrian - a rare day of perfect weather

      Delete
    2. Are these the caterpillars that make little blisters on your fingers if you handle them. I think the ones that do have orange triangular markings. They are both hairy as hell. Just like Keith.

      Delete
    3. I think quite a few caterpillars secrete irritating substances from these hairs - it's a defence against birds. Doesn't work on cuckoos though, which specialise in eating hairy caterpillars.

      Delete
  2. Looks like a nice day, great set of photos..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Always something interesting to see there Amanda

      Delete
  3. How lovely, this post has cheered me no end. Thank you Phil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The seaside has that effect on me Toffeeapple!

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.