More Of The Same

As at last some settled weather had arrived I decided to revisit the Bowland Fells to see if any wheatears or stonechats had arrived. The weather up on the tops above Slaidburn was still very cool,cloudy and a brisk wind had set in from the East. It was not an afternoon for venturing far from the car and I did as previously and cruised the roads and lanes looking for wildlife.
The hills were alive with the sound of...( No not Music )... but dozens of curlews which have now returned to these remote fells to breed.They were very busy displaying and making those wonderful bubbling calls which are so evocative of the high moors. I was able to get some nice images of the curlews from the comfort of the car as they are very wary and quick to depart should you attempt to leave the car. Also showing well were the ever present red grouse, with the cock grouse on sentry duty as the hen birds fed in and amongst the rough moorland heather and grasses. The hen grouse are never easy to see well as their wonderful camouflage hides them from possible predators. I was particularly pleased to get some nice shots of the hen bird as she skulked through the vegetation. I did briefly see one wheatear but it didn't hang about in the cool and windy conditions.
As I returned home some late evening sunshine was warming things up. I was delighted to see a number of hares which had come out to enjoy the warmth and feed on the sparse grasses of these wild upland pastures. This was a nice ending to a pleasant afternoon touring some of my favourite parts of Lancashire and I will be returning soon to catch up hopefully with some of the summer migrants returning to breed in this lovely part of the Forest of Bowland. I have uploaded a few images from the day and hope my readers enjoy them as much as I did in capturing them.