The final instalment in my series about the WNAG excursion to Pensthorpe, featuring the Waders Aviary.
Welcome to the final instalment in my little series of posts about the annual WNAG excursion to Pensthorpe which took place a week ago yesterday.
A PLACE TO DIP IN AND OUT OF
The Waders Aviary at Pensthorpe is well placed for starting your explorations, or for ending them, or for filling in a few minutes, or for many other purposes. It does not have space for a vast number of people, so it is best not to spend too long in there on any one visit, but there is nothing to stop one from visiting several times in the course of the day, as indeed I did. There are a number of bird species to be observed there, not all of them waders, and a visit never disappoints.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Before I do the full gallery, here are a couple of pictures to help you identify the rest:
Now for the gallery proper…
Two avocet chicks – even at this stage the slight curvature of the beak is noticeable.A black winged stilt – both parts of the name are obvious in this shot.
Continuing my series about The WNAG outing to Pensthorpe last weekend. This one deals with artworks and insects.
Welcome to the sixth post in my little series about the annual WNAG excursion to Pensthorpe which took place a week ago today. Still to come after today are a post about the Waders Aviary and a page linking to each article in the series.
ARTWORK AT PENSTHORPE
There are many pieces of art dotted around Pensthorpe, and there is also a bridge inspired by a very famous artist. Flowers, birds and insects all feature, as does a fairy standing on a feather, and a heron sculpture in a stream. I also deemed one of the pieces worthy of a very short video:
GALLERY 1: ARTWORK
INSECTS
Pensthorpe do not particularly emphasize the insect species that can be seen there, but it is no surprise that there are some fine specimens. I actually saw a damselfly flutter past while on the trailer ride, but not even I could attempt to photograph that one – a small moving target when one is oneself on the move is simply not doable. However I did get some remarkable sightings.
INSECT PHOTOGRAPHS
Two damselflies in one shot – which at that time was a first for me……but I later managed to top it by getting three in a single shot.
Some general pictures from around Pensthorpe, as I continue my series about the WNAG trip there on Saturday.
Welcome to the fifth post in my series about the West Norfolk Autism Group annual excursion to Pensthorpe which took place on Saturday.
GENERAL PENSTHORPE PICTURES
This is the second post I have devoted to the general Pensthorpe experience rather than specific elements of the site, and it is the pictures that will do all the work today…
The fourth post in my series about Pensthorpe, giving the cranes and flamingoes (plus a few other species who were in the same area) their time in the sun.
Welcome to part four of my series about the annual WNAG excursion to Pensthorpe which took place on Saturday
THE CRANE AND FLAMINGO AREA
The Crane and Flamingo enclosure at Pensthorpe is close to the Monet inspired bridge, and can be approached initially by way of the Millennium Garden. Once inside the enclosure there is then a split, with Crane Hide one way and the Flamingo pond the other way. These giants of the bird world are not the only species to be seen here – I also observed a pair of shelducks, a pair of Egyptian geese, a pair of oystercatchers, and in the Crane Hide swallows had built nests in the roof and were visiting periodically. I made several visits at different times hoping to ensure that I did not miss anything.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Here is the photo gallery for this area, including every species mentioned above…
An adult swallow visits one of the nests.More from the swallow nesting area. The chicks were periodically poking their heads up and I tried to photograph this happening.
Covering the trailer ride at Pensthorpe, my third post in this series about the annual WNAG outing there.
Welcome to the third post in my series about this year’s annual WNAG outing to Pensthorpe which took place on Saturday.
THE NEW TRAILERRIDE
This year the old set up of a converted Landrover and trailer was out of action, and instead we had tractor-drawn trailer, which meant less capacity, and three trailer slots instead of two. The route was slightly different as well, being a bit shorter. The experience was as enjoyable as ever.
A general post about Pensthorpe, with photographs from around the site that do not fit into any particular category, the second post in my mini-series about the WNAG excursion there on Saturday.
This is the second post in my mini-series about the West Norfolk Autism Group trip to Pensthorpe on Saturday.
EXPLORING PENSTHORPE
The main parts of Pensthorpe are accessed by way of the gift shop, and you have to be wearing a wristband of that day’s colour to prove that you are entitled to be there. Once through the gift shop there are three distinct options:
The Waders Aviary which I will say no more about for now since I am giving it a post to itself.
An exit towards the Millennium Garden and other stuff which is right near the door to the aviary…
A viewing gallery at the far end of which is an exit that takes you out at the edge of a large lake with a wooden bridge across part of it. This is the way that leads ultimately to most of the really interesting stuff in the site, most of which is accessed from the far side of the wooden bridge.
There are several marked walks that one can take, and the site is generally very well signed (there are a couple of exceptions when you get to the further reaches of it) so you can simply follow your own instincts if you so choose, which is generally my approach.
The lake is full of water birds of various types. There is further water beyond, including of course the river Wensum without which Pensthorpe could not exist.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Here are the photographs for this post…
An information board about the Wensum.Pictures of the room set aside for WNAG members to eat in.
An introduction to yesterday’s excursion to Pensthorpe with the West Norfolk Autism Group, setting the scene for several more posts, with a selection of photographs.
Yesterday was the day of the annual West Norfolk Autism Group excursion to Pensthorpe, and we benefitted from excellent weather for the occasion. This post provides a rough outline of the day and a selection of photographs, while I will look more closely at various aspects of the site in future posts.
THE TRIP
I was one of those booked on the coach, which departed from its usual slot near Gaywood Library. We had asked people to arrive promptly so that we could set off at 9:30 sharp, and as it happened everyone was on the coach in time for us to set off a few minutes earlier than that. We arrived at Pensthorpe not long after 10, and once we had our wristbands in place there were only two fixed points to the day – the trailer rides for those who were booked on one of these, in my case at 11:15AM and lunch, which in my case was to be at about 1PM. Other than that, up until departure at 4:30PM the day was to be what we chose to make of it. We arrived back at Gaywood at about 5:15PM, and I walked home.
MY DAY AS IT HAPPENED
With limited time between our arrival and my slot on the trailer ride I deliberately did not venture too far afield at first, starting with a visit to the Waders Aviary, then a walk round some of the closer parts of the site, including the crane and flamingo enclosure and the Monet inspired bridge. Then it was the trailer ride, in a new trailer pulled by a tractor, with a reduced capacity meaning that we had three rides scheduled rather than two as in previous years. Between the trailer ride and lunch I ventured further, getting as far as Kingfisher Reach, where the path meets the route followed by the trailer, before heading back towards the restaurant for lunch. After lunch, which was excellent, I spent the afternoon engaged in further explorations, as well as revisits to some favourite spots. I was back at the coach in good time.
PHOTOGRAPHS
This gallery is just a small selection of the photographs I have from yesterday, designed to give you a hint of what is to come…
An adult avocet in the Waders AviaryA pair of black winged stilt – there is not much between these and the avocets in terms of leg length but the latter have bigger bodies, which makes the stilt legs look longer.The gate to the Millennium GardenTwo sculptures – three giant dandelion clocks and a fairy standing on a feather, all in silvery metal.The Monet inspired bridgeThe trailer returning from its first outing.An old growth oak, one of only three at Pensthorpe to have survived the great storm of 1987.An oystercatcher loose in a field.sheep in the shadow of a tree. A stretch of the Wensum.A platform with a gull on it.Another stretch of the Wensum.bird sculpturesA shepherd’s hut.A bee visits its part of the bug hotel.A tufted duck.Eurasian CraneGrey Crowned Crane (two pics)A goose of some description.FlamingosAn oystercatcher in the flamingo pond,.Greylag goslingsAn avocet chick (one of two I observed in the Waders Aviary)A bearded tit, another resident of the Waders Aviary.Three damselflies of different varieties in one picture (until yesterday I have never even managed to get two in one picture).Swallows nest in the crane hide.This pic which appears out of position in this gallery was the first time I had got multiple damselflies in one picture.
aspiblog 