...Wallington to Weardale

The beautiful woodland of Wallington Hall 

Saturday was a busy day for me, I had alot of miles to cover and not a great deal of time to do so. At 5:15pm I was due at St Johns Chapel in weardale (1 hour 1/2 from home in Tynemouth) for the AONB Wild Watch Final Gathering with the Wild Watch Team, Phil Gates (@SeymourDaily) and TV personality and childhood hero Nick Baker (@bugboybaker).

So I was running on limited time and fancied going up to Wallington for a chance to relax and work on my photography skills.
I parked my car on the field, which was doubling up as a car park, I don't have a habit of parking in fields! I then got my gear and headed to the entrance, renewed my National Trust membership and dove straight in.
Wallington was busy.....really busy, but the crowd thinned as I entered the woodland. It looked stunning, all those different shades of autumn being highlighted in the early afternoon sun. Auburn, gold and brown.

Once I reached the hide, I was informed it was more quiet than normal. Though I didn't see any Red Squirrels (grrrr) I did have astonishing views of Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Pheasant, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Marsh Tit.

Despite spending only about an hour in the hide I loved every moment.

Below are some of my personal favourite photographs which I took. I will be posting a more extensive collection in an album on my facebook page, Nature North East.

...and for those who made it this far, a GIF of the Great Spotted Woodpecker!