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.
Part one of a three part account of the West Norfolk Autism Group’s inaugural activity, a visit to Penshtorpe Natural Park. The photograph section comes with a question/challenge.
The West Norfolk Autism Group was established in an effort to secure more local funding for activities for autistic people and also because a degree of disillusionment with the conduct of the National Autistic Society’s head office. More details about the new group can be found on its website to which I have already linked, and also in this article published by Your Local Paper.
GETTING TO PENSTHORPE
Pensthorpe is located just off the the road from Fakenham to Norwich (the X29, the bus between Fakenham and Norwich could easily include it in their route if they wanted to, and the route of the 36 between Fakenham and Wells could be adjusted to include without massive upheaval) but I did not have to worry about working out how to get there because a coach had been hired, with a pick up point at Gaywood Tesco, within comfortable walking distance of my home in North Lynn. Those using the bus were supposed to be there for 9:30AM yesterday for a 9:45AM departure. Thus at 9AM yesterday morning I set off, with a bag containing food, water and a book and made my way to the appointed place. The ride took about 45 minutes (a law abiding driver cannot do it any quicker even in light traffic, which we benefitted from). A few minutes after arrival we were good to start our exploration. Before lunch we were going to be walking around those parts of the site that can be seen on foot, and then after that some of us were booked on the Pensthorpe Explorer to experience the rest. The rest of this post covers the first part of the exploration I did on foot.
STARTING TO EXPLORE
Once one gets past the entrance, the shop and the courtyard cafe one is confronted by an expanse of water and a range of splendid water birds which set the stage for the wonders to come. I started by heading in the direction of the cranes and flamingoes, and then headed on beyond them, eventually reaching a sign pointing to the Monet inspired bridge (Claude Monet, the great French impressionist painter, had an ornamental bridge in his garden at Giverny, which his painting made famous). The bridge is quite impressive, and it does indeed resemble the structure that inspired it.
PHOTOGRAPHS
I end this with the photographs from the section of the visit up to and including the bridge, and a question/challenge. Should I go back to creating calendars as I used to do? Please comment with answers to this question, if possible fleshed out with details of photos you would like to see featured in said calendar. To view a photo at full size click on it.
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