Photos from the English Wilderness | Exploring the Wild Places

I was surprised to discover the chaffinch is the most common bird in the U.K. If I had to guess I would've said the most common are seagulls, pigeons, sparrows, blackbirds and starlings.
The most common birds are actually as follows. It looks like I need to take a few more photos to complete the set!:...

This morning we had the first decent snow of winter and the first chance to take photos of individual snowflakes. Here's the best attempt so far. The trick is to pick out a snowflake with the tip of a knife and move it a cold black surface. :-)
The first was taken on matt black plastic. Photo 2 & 3 used black paper. I'm still looking for a less reflective background and a better way to control the light....

Catrigg Force is an impressive waterfall as Stainforth Beck flows into a haunted dell. No-one seems to know who or what haunts the dell. I certainly didn't spot anything unusual when I visited after dark :-)