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I wrote a post about visiting Linwood warren a couple of years ago. We got some nice images out of it.... but capturing sunrise's can be difficult, because it is mostly dependent on the weather conditions.
1st attempt at sunrise from last year - the cloud near the horizon hid the sun from view
The Last Time we were there we had a bit of low cloud near the horizon, which essentially blocked out the sun as it rose up. so we didn't get the warm orange colours we were hoping for. We decided to head back out there last week to try again. Each day the weather conditions are different, so the pictures will be different this time around.
We arrived at 5:45AM (we had got up at 4AM, it was a very early start). The sky was just starting to change colour from black to a very dark blue, but the sun hadn't risen yet. There was some mist around, which was similar to the last trip. This time however, the clouds were in a better place...
You can already see the hint of orange in the sky...
as the time passed, the amount of orange steadily increased
This image shows it at its peak... and then just after this the colours faded as the sun rose higher in the sky
Check out this (very short) video clip I recorded while there.
It was so quiet and peaceful! I am not a morning person, but even I appreciate getting up this early to experience the sunrise.
Sunrise images achieved, we headed off round the rest of the reserve to see what we could find.
Linwood Warren is a reserve run by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. It features good examples of both Wet and Dry Heathland, and this type of habitat usually features Heather. Unfortunately we seem to be a few weeks late to see it at its best (ie August). Now in September, it has already started to finish flowering and the large swathes of purple have started to turn brown.
We did find a few patches in reasonable condition which were worth taking pictures off. And I'll make a note to return in August next year to see the Heather at its best
Bonus Wildlife
At this time of year (and this early in the morning there isn't a great deal of life to see). You can hear birds in the distance, and if you are very lucky you might spot a deer in the far distance. I didnt expect to see a great deal, so it was a nice surprise to see this Garden Orb-weaver (Araneus diadematus) sat in the middle of its web on one of the Gorse bushes nearby.
I even managed to get the sunrise involved in the second picture!
After this we headed off into the birch woodland adjacent to the Heather to see what else we could see... you'll see the results of that in a post coming soon.
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