From Wikipedia

Druridge Bay Country Park is adjacent to Druridge Bay between Amble and Cresswell, on the coastline of Northumberland, England. The country park was opened officially in 1989, but works had been ongoing since the 1970s to remediate the site after opencast coaling operations. The park is accessible by vehicle from the A1068 road, and is located on the England Coast Path. Public transport can be taken near to the park’s closest village, which involves a 15-minute walk to get to the park.

The eastern edge of the park, where it meets the coastline, was used in the Second World War as an aerial gunnery and target practice range. This was administered by the nearby RAF Acklington station. Opencasting and quarrying were the previous industries in the area, and when these ceased, the site was redeveloped into a country park. Coal has been worked in the area progressively since the 1940s, which has left several large ponds and pools as an after effect of the coaling operations. Druridge Country Park is situated mostly on the former Coldrife surface mine, which was granted permission in 1965 and worked progressively over eight years.

The lake is fed by Lady Burn, and was created in the early 1970s, starting to fill with water from 1971. However, the water leaked out through old mine workings and had emptied by 1974. In 1983, clay from nearby coal workings was used to re-line the bottom of the lake and it was allowed to refill.

The park is 12 miles (19 km) south east of Alnwick, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Amble,[9] and 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Widdrington. It has a junction off the A1068 road, and is also accessible by bus from the nearby villages of Hadston and Red Row (No. 518, which includes a 15-minute walk to the country park).

Whilst access was available for some time before official opening the park was deemed to have been opened in July 1989 when the visitor centre was unveiled. In 1992, the Northumberland Shore SSSI was established, with the easternmost part of the park falling within the zone of the SSSI. In 2000, the park attracted 100,000 visitors Further investment in 2020 included a refurbishment of the visitor centre and the creation of an area for caravans and campers. Management of the park is undertaken by Northumberland County Council.

Image Details
Date: 1 January 2022
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Nikkor AF-S DX 18-55mm ƒ3.5-5.6G ED
Focal Length: 55mm
Aperture: ƒ/6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/1,600s
ISO: 200
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

From Wikipedia:

Episyrphus balteatus, sometimes called the marmalade hoverfly, is a relatively small hoverfly (9–12 mm) of the Syrphidae family, widespread throughout the Palaearctic region, which covers Europe, North Asia, and North Africa. It is considered the most abundant native hoverfly in Central Europe.

Image details
Date: 8 August 2021
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Tamron 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 300mm
Aperture: ƒ/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/500s
ISO: 800
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Image details
Date: 8 August 2021
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Tamron 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 185mm
Aperture: ƒ/4.8
Shutter Speed: 1/1,250s
ISO: 200
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

From Wikipedia

The black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic in Europe and Asia, and also locally in smaller numbers in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but many also remain in the milder areas of northwestern Europe. It was formerly sometimes cited as “common black-headed gull” to distinguish it from “great black-headed gull” (an old name for Pallas’s gull).

The genus name Chroicocephalus is from the Ancient Greek words khroizo, “to colour”, and kephale, “head”. The specific name ridibundus is Latin for “laughing”.

Image Details
Date: 15 March 2021
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Tamron 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 240mm
Aperture: ƒ/5
Shutter Speed: 1/500s
ISO: 400
Licensing: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

From Wikipedia

The black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small gull that breeds in much of the Palearctic in Europe and Asia, and also locally in smaller numbers in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory and winters further south, but many also remain in the milder areas of northwestern Europe. It was formerly sometimes cited as “common black-headed gull” to distinguish it from “great black-headed gull” (an old name for Pallas’s gull).

The genus name Chroicocephalus is from the Ancient Greek words khroizo, “to colour”, and kephale, “head”. The specific name ridibundus is Latin for “laughing”.

Image Details
Date: 2 November 2020
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Tamron 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 240mm
Aperture: ƒ/5
Shutter Speed: 1/500s
ISO: 400
Licensing: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Image Details
Date: 2 November 2020
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Tamron 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 116mm
Aperture: ƒ/4.2
Shutter Speed: 1/1,000s
ISO: 320
Licensing: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

From Wikipedia:

The Highland (Scottish Gaelic: Bò Ghàidhealach) (Scots: The Hieland) is a Scottish breed of rustic cattle. It originated in the Scottish Highlands and the Western Islands of Scotland and has long horns and a long shaggy coat. It is a hardy breed, able to withstand the intemperate conditions in the region. The first herd-book dates from 1885; two types – a smaller island type, usually black, and a larger mainland type, usually dun – were registered as a single breed. It is reared primarily for beef, and has been exported to several other countries.

Image Details
Date: 2 November 2020
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Tamron 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 300mm
Aperture: ƒ/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/400s
ISO: 800
Licensing: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

From Wikipedia:

The Highland (Scottish Gaelic: Bò Ghàidhealach) (Scots: The Hieland) is a Scottish breed of rustic cattle. It originated in the Scottish Highlands and the Western Islands of Scotland and has long horns and a long shaggy coat. It is a hardy breed, able to withstand the intemperate conditions in the region. The first herd-book dates from 1885; two types – a smaller island type, usually black, and a larger mainland type, usually dun – were registered as a single breed. It is reared primarily for beef, and has been exported to several other countries.

Image Details
Date: 2 November 2020
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Tamron 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 200mm
Aperture: ƒ/4.8
Shutter Speed: 1/400s
ISO: 800
Licensing: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

From Wikipedia

The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurasia and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home to the largest populations outside of its native range, with additional smaller introductions in Australasia and Southern Africa. The name “mute” derives from it being less vocal than other swan species. Measuring 125 to 160 cm (49 to 63 in) in length, this large swan is wholly white in plumage, with an orange beak bordered with black. It is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the beak, which is larger in males.

Image Details
Date: 19 January 2020
Camera body: Nikon D50
Lens: Tamron 70.0-300.0 mm f/4.0-5.6
Focal Length: 155mm
Aperture: ƒ/4.5
Shutter Speed: 1/500s
ISO: 640
Licensing: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International