Dark sites - good in practice..

[jimbo747]

Scary in reality

Found a nice little site a 10 min drive between belper and shottle, top of a valley with views across derbyshire, off a beaten track road in a pull in. Bit like allport heights,. Its a dark enough you can't see your hands type place. Seemed like the best night for visibility in months.

Started setting up, could hear all sorts of wild animals (and I know there were cows or sheep in field next to me, owls, some awful sqwarking noise that seemed to get closer and closer. I'm there with my million watt candle torch shining it everywhere shouting 'What was that!!!' - I must have looked like a lighthouse in the middle of derbyshire.

After 30 terrifying minutes of setting up and aligning (usually 5-10 in a 'safe place'!) I was ready. Until I could hear footsteps in the pitch black. I could also hear the bush near me moving despite there being wind, probably a honey badger about to rip my leg off I thought.

Had some great views but couldn't really concentrate - kept thinking something going to jump out whilst I'm looking through the raci.. so packed everything away again after about 20 minutes and sat in the safety of the car with the binoculars.

Anyone want to come and hold my hand next time?

[ronin]

Not many Honey Badgers up that area now, the Wolverines have beaten them up and taken over their habitats.

There are of course the Beasts of Belpher to consider, you really do not want to meet them but they hunt in packs and so make more noise.

It is however amazing how big a field mouse sounds and how many of them there are. Then there are things hunting the field mice, and it seems a hell of a lot of wildlife wondering what you are doing and trying to get a look through the scope.

Hedgehogs are really noisy.

You do not want to have a fox close, their "bark" will make you the UK, European and World record holder of the high jump.

[mikeyrea]

I do a bit of observing near an ruined castle.   It has two well documented ghosts, but I haven't seen them.

However, things do move around a bit...   ...last time I was there my dew shield went missing.   Turned up about 300yrs away...

[Astronigel]

However, things do move around a bit... ...last time I was there my dew shield went missing. Turned up about 300yrs away...

Oooh time travel, was there an old police phonebox nearby

[Floater]

... my dew shield went missing.   Turned up about 300yrs away...

Things that go bump in the night AND time travel! Astonishing indeed!

:-))

[Floater]

Snap!

[jkwhinfrey]

Sounds like my suburban garden at night.

Mice make a lot of noise, and birds too. You think birds just go far away somewhere at night, but they're jumping around in the undergrowth... which is where they go I guess I quite agree about the noise from hedgehogs, and let's not forget the domestic cats.

It might be a lot more disturbing though if it was actually dark :-(

I grew up down the road in Duffield and still visit my parents there. I've heard that the Honey Badgers are having a hard time. Does that just make them more hungry?

James

[Paul73]

I always thought that anything make the noises was probably more scared of me than I of them.

Last night was a bit of an eye opener. The noises turned out to be blokes with guns!!!

Fortunately they weren't interested in shooting astronomers.

A bit disconcerting though.

Haven't done my observing report from last night yet. Must include them.

Can't wait to get back out under the stars.

Paul

[toilandtrouble123]

Thats why you always tell the lads where you'll be, if you overhear them in the pub talk about going lamping.  My worst one was in a field in Oxfordshire, between Banbury and Kineton, 5 mins from my yard (worked as a live-in groom for a competition rider then), and my housemate and I set up my scope and were chatting about the Geminids that we were hoping to spot.  We didn't have hunting the next day due to oodles of snow and hard ground, so we went out with thermal flask of irish coffee and to catch some shooting stars.  After about 45mins, two military police officers came up in a landy and started interrogating us.  What we didn't realise was that where we were situated, I set up the scope to overlook the Kineton Army Barracks, and they obviously eye-spied us, and shooed us off when they realised we weren't up to anything malicious.  That WAS a scary time, I thought we were going to be arrested and my scope confiscated and destroyed!! Ah funny times...funny times... XD

[BigBoot]

I am a little concerned about this too.

At the moment, I'm having enough fun looking at stuff in the back garden, but my the amount of light pollution is eventually going to make me want to head for a dark site.

I was thinking about Sutton Bank as a possible target, but wonder what it would be like taking a young family there in the dark. Not bothered about animals, but might be a bit worrying in terms of who could be hanging around. I might take a trip up there in the daylight, and recce the place.

[mikeyrea]

Oooh time travel, was there an old police phonebox nearby

ha!

another 26 posts & I'll come back and edit it!

[Scott]

I do a bit of observing near an ruined castle.   It has two well documented ghosts, but I haven't seen them.

However, things do move around a bit...   ...last time I was there my dew shield went missing.   Turned up about 300yrs away...

A well documented ghost? The only way a ghost can be well documented is to say it doesn't exist Wind, on the other hand will have no trouble moving a dew shield 300mtrs

[triton1]

I always remember one very dark night last year could see the Milky Way so great get scope out and set up.We live in last road in town so back onto fields to North and East.

1.30 am could hear knocking and scraping sounds nearby tried ignoring it but couldn't,so torch out and investigated 20mins later found out it was next doors rabbit mucking about in hutch,the breeze had carried the sound doh!.

2.15am woman being killed in back garden aloud blood curdling shriek,me being brave sprint to backdoor(about 5ft) switch on security light foxes in upstairs garden they soon legged it.

2.40 am after large glenmorange and a smoke to help my eyes readapt continue on going great start hearing faint clicking noises,something brushes past my foot so after nearly dropping ep switch on headlamp,look down and see evil eyes looking back at me it was a-----------hedgehog doh!

3.00am after a large glenmorange and a smoke to help my eyes readapt continue on,my ears pricked trying to enjoy the clear dark skies and the magnificent views when footsteps coming closer and closer until shape appeared next to me in next doors pathway,panicked switched on headlamp with right arm and raised left ready to pounce.I shouted out in my deepest and most authoritive voice "who goes there"(I can,t believe I said that).The hoody who had used next doors back gate as a short cut,because they decided to switch a lamp back on at the edge of the field so they can see how to open it,Whites of his eyes agape sprinted off into the night.It was then I noticed that in my left hand was a 2 inch ep.What was I going to do throw it at him! Doh!

3.15 am after a large glenmorange and a smoke to help my eyes readapt I continue on------------to pack up my kit.At the end of that night I was a nervous wreck and this was 5ft from my backdoor so hats off to all you brave,courageous upstanding astronomers who venture out into the night----------------------alone.

[toilandtrouble123]

Brilliant!!!       

[LukeSkywatcher]

Since i moved house to a more rural location i have only ventured out to dark sky locations 2-3 times (each within 2 min drive or 5 minute walk). The skies are pretty truely dark. Lots of sheep,cows and horses in the surrounding fields.............as well as hedgehogs,foxes,badgers,mice,rats,bats etc. 

I quite like the sounds of all of these animals and if they cross my path i just let them get on with it. The only animal i fear is Humans and most of them are students and live down the road nearer the main town. Ive never met another human on my 2-3 trips outside of my back garden. Cars really dont even pass by.

I dont believe in ghosts or any such..........so being alone in the dark really doesnt scare me. 

[alan potts]

I think at least out in the open while a bit hairs on arms standing up, you can ready yourself to expect such. However here at home in the obsey I would have thought I was safe. Er, no.

Almost everyone around me has a cat apart from us, they tell me they have them for mice hunting. Now the cats all got together and had a meeting, the outcome was to hell with mice lets all go to Alans and eat what he puts out, first there best fed .

Now I was looking a Jupiter a few weeks back now and taking in the view when a cat about two feet away and totally unheard and unseen by me let out a cry of where's my grub, when I came down I can't print what I called it. If that was not enough two nights back an owl landed on the top leading edge of the sliding roof, they don't make any noise when they fly, just induce heart attacks when they land. Tonight I am expecting the Spanish Inquisiiton.

Alan.

[faulksy]

i used to be jumpy like that. especialy 20 miles or so from the nearest house. then 1 day i smashed my sump on my engine and had to walk around 9 miles to get a signal to cry for help, since that day im not bothered now, because whats the chances of meeting a robber some were remote. also its a great idea to get there in the daytime as you get used to the enviroment

[JamesF]

For me this is just the way it is observing from home.  We get foxes howling and wandering about looking for food, hedgehogs (sadly rare), bats, roosting pheasant (they're a real sod for giving you a shock if one of them decides you've got a bit too close) and all sorts.  A couple of nights ago I went out of the back door to check how bad the seeing was before I went to bed and not three metres away was a badger.  A few years back I had one get really close when I was out with the scope.  Neither of us realised the other was there until we were almost next to each other.  I don't know which one of us was most in need of a fresh pair of trousers after that.

Once you get used to nights in the countryside not being silent and even learn to recognise some of the noises it's nowhere near as bad.  Having the radio on or something similar may help.  Many animals will avoid the noise if they have the choice.

James

[damnut]

Hi Jimbo,

Have you ever heard a few foxes, they can screach the house down. Even the police have had mis-reports of attacks.

EMS have a dark site just outside Belper .It sounds as though you were there. The cricket club can be very dark, and on one occasion I had a complete layer of ice over it. Drop me pm if you are going again, always get  some   dutch courage at the Hurt Arms

[faulksy]

For me this is just the way it is observing from home.  We get foxes howling and wandering about looking for food, hedgehogs (sadly rare), bats, roosting pheasant (they're a real sod for giving you a shock if one of them decides you've got a bit too close) and all sorts.  A couple of nights ago I went out of the back door to check how bad the seeing was before I went to bed and not three metres away was a badger.  A few years back I had one get really close when I was out with the scope.  Neither of us realised the other was there until we were almost next to each other.  I don't know which one of us was most in need of a fresh pair of trousers after that.

Once you get used to nights in the countryside not being silent and even learn to recognise some of the noises it's nowhere near as bad.  Having the radio on or something similar may help.  Many animals will avoid the noise if they have the choice.

James

thats one posh badger there james

[LukeSkywatcher]

A Vixen (female fox) crying out at night can sound like a woman being attacked or even like a small child screaming/crying. Its a horrible sound. Once you get to know it, its ok. 

[scarp15]

I am a little concerned about this too.

At the moment, I'm having enough fun looking at stuff in the back garden, but my the amount of light pollution is eventually going to make me want to head for a dark site.

I was thinking about Sutton Bank as a possible target, but wonder what it would be like taking a young family there in the dark. Not bothered about animals, but might be a bit worrying in terms of who could be hanging around. I might take a trip up there in the daylight, and recce the place.

The problem is, you might have to recce the location at night as day time can be deceptive. Unless you are meeting with a local astro club, who may have some exclusivity to a particular dark sky located car park, then who knows who may turn up. More than likely the person or persons will keep to themselves, but it can be a little intimidating depending on why they are there in the first place. So there are places such as country parks local to myself, that if I am on my own, I prefer if possible not to go to on a solo venture. I have though established locations - much further away from Tyneside and outlying Towns, that are quite OK and if anyone should be there, they have so far been ecologists, a landscape or wild life photographer or even another astronomer. On one occasion a curious local policeman turned up, each making agreeable passing company. 

The wild life of course are all fine, cant comment about the ghosts.

[RichM63]

25 years of living in the wilderness, I feel far safer in the middle of the woods at night than I ever do in an underground flood lit CCTV covered car park.

I always consider myself priviledged if a wild creature wants to nuzzle up for a closer inspection of the Alien in its midst.

But I do understand the fear aspect that might arise, dark and silence except for the natural world takes some getting used to, and as I have previously mentionned I have adult visiting friends who can't cope with the 'silent dark'.

[faulksy]

also to add, dont tell people on social network places like bookface and the like were your going. some horrible people out there

[laser_jock99]

I used to be happy outside at my dark sky site. Then I watched Richard D Halls 'documentary'- UFO's & NATO - The Human Mutilation Cover Up. And that scared the bejesus out of me for a few nights.

I even lock the doors at night now.......if you observe outside alone, I'd give it a miss.