Northumberland 2021: Part Five

6 and 7 June 2021

Right, the Covid test and filming complete at home, I headed back north again, for the Northumberland ones. The drive was on a Sunday, which meant the roads were fairly clear, and it made for a really pleasant drive. I aimed to stop back where I had stayed for the testing and fitting before, but since I had time to spare, I decided to try Newbiggin-on-sea and the Couple sculpture again… I think that fog might have lifted by now!! I drove straight to the parking spot I had seen, and then took a casual walk along the beach to the spot I hoped to capture it at. This location would look best, I think, on one of those very flat grey days, when I could get a long exposure minimalist type shot, blending sky into water, highlighting the artistic nature of this sculpture. It didn’t look like that today, but I was ok with it not being the ideal. The Couple was created in 2007 by artist Sean Henry, and is still an artwork that has extremely divided opinions. Some love it, some hate it… one review scathingly branded it as one of the worst seashore sculptures ever, being ‘an eye wounding erection’, and ‘the stupidest sculpture in the last 20 years’. Personally, I can’t describe it as one I love either, the couple feeling as disconnected with each other, as they are with their environment, however, I did like that its an interesting subject for my camera to point at, and that it brought me to a small town I would otherwise have driven right past.

With plenty of time until sunset, I walked over to check it out, and then went back for my camera. There was still half an hour to go, and if I was lucky, I might get a nice shot anyway. Although it wouldn’t be the nice still, grey shot I hoped for, it might be a fiery sky. I stood peacefully in my spot, taking photos of the couple being hit by the last rays of the sunlight, before it dipped too low and the sky then went a nice purple colour. The colour stayed muted, and simply deepened to the blue of the night. I wasn’t too sad it didn’t flare up. This was, basically, the recce I was unable to do when there was nothing to see earlier but the white wall, and I left with a couple of ideas on what I hoped to try at another time.

After I finished here, I drove on to Alnwick, and settled in for the night ready for the morning Covid test.

Covid test done by 9, I wasn’t sure quite what I wanted to do today. I considered a long drive anywhere to be a little too much after yesterdays one, so drove to Dunstanburgh to explore the area proper. Without any particular aim, I simply hiked the shoreline until I could see Howick. I had my whole kit with me, but felt the light was a little flat and uninspiring – the sky being just a hazy blue and not letting the sun through quite enough. The views were still nice though, and I snapped a few photos with my phone, just to get some ideas for another time when the light and tide might work better for me. For now it felt pretty here, but not photographic, so I didn’t get my camera out. During the walk I realised I had only brought one bottle of drink, and it vanished before I even got to Craster. I assumed a small shop would be available to buy another. When I got there however, there was no shop evident along the route, and I didn’t really want to wander aimlessly around the town, so I just pushed on.

It was a very pleasant walk, but I eventually stopped at Cullernose point, because I was tired and everything began to feel a little aimless. I simply sat here and rested for a while, watching a number of the sea birds flying around below me, before I decided to give bird photography a go. Yeah – trying to capture one of those in flight proved interesting, if not impossible!!! As I sat in my naivety, trying my hardest, it was clear that I had no idea on the best way to do it, since every photograph failed miserably! LOL. It was fun trying though, and eventually I gave up and turned the camera to a slightly easier subject – one sitting on a ledge a short distance from me. A bit of a cop out, I know, but it ended up quite a delightful shot for a newbie to bird photography. I assumed it was a Fulmer as I had been told last week that they were along this bit of coastline. I also recognised the Razorbill sitting next to him… (he flew away before I got a photo) These were also on Skomer when I went puffin hunting in 2018. I messaged my birding friend, giving a full description of my bird find, and he told me that, actually, this wasn’t a Fulmer at all, that it was in fact a Kittiwake. He then went on to tell me that they aren’t a particularly common a sight, living out at sea most of the year, and only come to land to breed. So kudos for my sighting!

My head really wasn’t in the landscape photographic game on the walk back, and I was feeling a little out of it as I retraced my steps. I grabbed a couple of simple snaps of the castle on my phone and still didn’t pause to get my camera out for some odd reason. I am not sure why I wasn’t quite feeling this location today, especially in hindsight, and I think its a shame, because this one might have looked quite nice if I had tried it with my Canon.

Once around the castle, I tried unsuccessfully for a wet rock shot of the castle. This is the traditional shot taken by many photographers, and is a corker image ordinarily… but I just couldn’t get it. I really struggled with what I was trying to do and I had no idea what I was doing wrong… should I be out in the water? lower down? here at a colder time? at an evening – or morning – time??? The whole scene looked flat, and no matter what I tried I couldn’t get the wet and black rocks in the image with the castle. Too tired to work this out I gave up and continued the trudge back to the camper.

As I walked I heard a very pretty, repetitive bird song coming from somewhere near me. I stood still, and looked really, REALLY hard for where the sound was coming from… and finally, after a bird fluttered up and back down again, I spotted it! This has to be a first, I laughed at myself! I got the camera out carefully, and tried a few shots of it as it looked warily back at me. Eventually I got an image that seemed pretty sharp, and as I looked back at the bird, something large and golden in colour swooped down at the edge of my peripheral vision, and then on spotting me, flew away again. It was so fast, I fumbled with the camera and missed the shot entirely, and didn’t even get a good look at the hunter that had attempted to go for this little cutie. I realised after, that the song it had been singing may have been an alarm, and not necessarily for me!

I continued to the camper with my camera in my hand and kept a keen eye (and ear) open for another bird to try and capture. I don’t usually walk with it in my hand, especially with the zoom on, because of the weight, but doing this seemed to be a more sensible idea. Along this stretch of coastal grassland I could hear several different bird calls, though I could see very few! (well OK…none…!!) It was far from easy, and I am amazed at how other birders and photographers manage it! Eventually I spotted a bird fly to a particularly twiggy tree, and stood trying to get a clear picture. Spotting his orange chest, I was sure it was a Chaffinch, a particularly pretty and colourful bird that I got excited at seeing. He didn’t seem quite as spooked by me, but he did eventually fly to a second spot when I got a little too close. Here I was able to see him more clearly though. I tried several shots, and eventually caught this image. My first clear handheld bird shot! I was beside myself with excitement at having captured a really lovely crisp portrait of a wild non-garden bird! (I don’t count those that come to my garden – since I am all set up with a tripod ready)

Once back at the camper I excitedly told my birder friend who kindly identified that I had seen a Meadow Pipit – guessing that the hunting bird may have been a Kestrel as they apparently like Pipits (!!) and telling me that the second bird was not a Chaffinch at all, but a male Stonechat. Yeah, I know… my bird identification clearly needs a lot of work!!! We went on to discuss good bird guide books – and on his advice, I have since purchased the DK RSPB Birds of Britain and Europe guide book… which, Oh yeah… has an actual Chaffinch on the cover! (https://www.dk.com/uk/book/9780241302248-rspb-birds-of-britain-and-europe/)

The hike proved to be 7.8km (nearly 5 miles), which is a lot for me. It left me even more tired than I already was today. The sunset, which was unlikely to happen anyway I felt, wasn’t going to be until late and with a 4am get up in the morning, it would have been silly to try and wait until gone 10 just in case, so I just drove back to Alnwick for the filming tomorrow and simply settled down for the night. Sleep proved nearly impossible though sadly, as is often the case the night before the first filming on a job – a mix of excitement for the day ahead, and fear of being late, I suspect…