Light The Way

 

In the first of today's images you can see the lighthouse which stands at the end of Stanley Road in Hoylake, it overlooks Liverpool Bay, the Dee Estuary and the Royal Liverpool Golf Course. It is not an active lighthouse but is a replica of one of the four lighthouses that were built along the Wirral coastline to guide shipping into Liverpool (two were in Hoylake and two in Leasowe) none of which are  now active.

There is a small slipway onto the beach near Red Rocks which on a summer day (or any day for that matter) is a nice spot for a walk or to relax and enjoy the scenery. It is also a good spot on a clear night to observe, or even photograph the night sky, looking west out into the Irish Sea or south along the Dee estuary (although that direction does suffer with light pollution from the towns along the river's edge) there are so many stars to be seen..

The second image shows Hilbre Island, there is a small,  functioning lighthouse on the island but it is a simple white tower with a red LED beacon that can be seen up to 5 miles away.

The island has an interesting history and as a nature reserve it is designated a  Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Cut off by the high tide it is possible to walk across to the island when the tide goes out, to explore rock pools, observe the flocks of wading birds and watch the grey seals that live on a nearby sand bank and swim around the island. 

The island has been occupied on and off since the stone age, it has been a site of pilgrimage with a monastic cell established there between 1080 and 1550. The monks were responsible for maintaining a beacon for shipping and on the island in the late 1600's rock salt was produced on the island.

The two images were taken on the same day. The shot of Hilbre island was taken first and then a short while later as the weather conditions improved the second shot of the lighthouse and the reflections on the beach things appear so much brighter because of the low winter sun.

Pontoon

Here are a few more shots of the marine lake after dark, these were long exposures to smooth out the ripples in the surface of the lake. It also brought out the detail in the sky and reflections that otherwise would have been missed.

Across The Lake

 As I write this I am supposed to be in the New Forest, one of my absolute favourite places, for a well earned week away enjoying lots of walks and lots of photo opportunities. However, thanks to the Liverpool region going into Tier 3 lockdown I had to shelve my plans and find some other way to amuse myself.

Yesterday evening I went for a short walk along the waterfront at West Kirby and since there wasn't even the slightest breeze the surface of the marine lake was mirror calm. I didn't have my camera with me at the time so I determined that if the weather held I would pop back this evening to try some long exposure shots. Although there was a slight breeze creating the slightest movement in the water it was still nice and calm so I managed to get some pretty good images.

Here are a couple of shots looking across the lake to Hilbre Island.

In the first image I have used the small buoy to create a little foreground interest and I have adjusted the contrast to bring out the detail in the sky.

The next two images are the same shot but with different treatment. I do think it works well as a black and white image but I think I prefer the pastel tones in the colour image.

What Makes an Island

A  closer look at the shoreline shows some of the tiny creatures which colonise the rock pools and help to build up the coast. 

As well as these two macro images the other shots show different views of Hilbre Island looking across the seaweed covered rocks and pools.

One of the nice things about visiting the island is the fact that invariably it is possible to see some of the common seals which live in a large colony on a sand bank out in the bay. I tried to get some pictures of the colony but due to poor light and with the distance I wasn't able to get a good shot. However as the tide went out and the seals came to rest on the sand they were incredibly noisy and the sound carried clearly across the water. It was a nice bonus on my early morning walk.

Edge of the Bay

These pictures are still from Little Eye looking towards Hilbre Island. The islands are at the point where the River Dee flows into Liverpool Bay. To the left is the North Wales coast and then there is the Irish Sea. 

In most places across to the islands the sand is firm and quite safe but in places there are patches of quick sand so great care is needed. As the tide was just going out the sand and the silt beneath it was still waterlogged. As I made my way towards the main island I stayed close to the rocks expecting this to be the firmer ground but at one point I sank into the mud almost to my knees which was a bit of a shock. 

To Hilbre At Dawn

On Saturday I got up at the crack of dawn (04:45am) and set off across the sands to Hilbre Island, a wonderful nature reserve off the coast of Wirral. I followed the tide out as the sun was rising behind me. Unfortunately the sky was very overcast and so I didn't get the best of the sunrise however the early morning sky was quite dramatic.

I was completely alone apart from the flocks of seabirds and waders and I really enjoyed some moments of quiet reflection. I am so lucky to live so close to such a beautiful place.

The first shot shows Hilbre Island itself which is the largest of a group of three islands with Middle Eye just to the left. 

The final two images show different views of Little Eye, the first and smallest of the group and it is the point that you head towards following the safest route across the sands.

I have some more nice views from my brief visit which was cut short by the rain and I will share these and a few more details of the trip over the next few days.

Over the Dee

So a real feast of photos today in this the last in the current series of shots from Hilbre Island.  

I picked these pictures for the dramatic sky and the depth of colours on the rocks. I also love the reflections in the creeks and pools of the light coming through the clouds.  All of these pictures show how wonderful this area is and how lucky I am to have this on my doorstep. 

Seabirds

The pictures today are of some of the birds that regularly visit Hilbre Island.  I wasn't able to get as close as I would have liked and all of the above pictures were taken using a Tamron 70 - 300mm telephoto lens at 300mm.

Pictures 1, 2 and 4 are (I think) of Barnacle Geese, picture 3 are Knot and picture 5 is of Oyster Catchers. My favourite shots are pictures 3 & 4, let me know which you like best in the comments below.

Erosion

More photos from Hilbre Island, today the theme is erosion and the pictures speak for themselves. Let me know which you like best...

More from Hilbre

Having made a brief detour to Birmingham for yesterday's blog, today I return to Hilbre Island for the shots above.  

The first is a view towards Flintshire across the River Dee with the Sun's rays piercing the clouds, and the others highlight the ripples in the sand around the island.

More from Hilbre tomorrow...

On the beach

Today's pictures were taken back in 2009 during a walk across to Hilbre Island. 
The first picture shows one of the many buoys that dot the beach on the way across to the islands.  I think that from this angle what is a fairly mundane object becomes quite interesting.

The second picture is of the the first in the small group of islands called Little Eye which almost completely disappears when the tide is high.  It is the point at which walkers from the mainland turn left and follow the rock pools and shoreline towards the other islands.

The third picture shows a view between the islands and the mainland looking towards Liverpool in the far distance.  You can see from this shot how oppressive the sky was on this particular day  but even when the sun isn't out "cracking the flags" Hilbre Island is a fantastic place to visit.

Low Tide #3

For today, here are a few more shots from Caldy beach.  I found these posts really interesting as you can probably tell and so I have taken a number of pictures from various angles.  I hope you enjoy them.

I was lucky with the last photo because as I turned around the sun burst through and illuminated Hilbre Island which previously had been barely visible on the horizon, demonstrating that it helps to be in the right place at the right time.

Hilbre Island Dawn

Today's shots are the last in the series of early morning at West Kirby Marine Lake.  There are two shots of Hilbre Island too which is a real treasure.  On this particular morning it was really cold but there were a few small groups of walkers heading out there.  

I love the ripple effect of the sand in pictures 2 and 3 and I think the rock in the 3rd picture adds a little extra interest to the overall shot.

I had hoped to get out with my camera today but sadly it was raining and overcast pretty much all day, the sun eventually broke through about forty minutes before sunset so it was too late to get out.

Anyway I hope you enjoy today's pictures, feel free to leave a comment.