The Early Bird

This week I decided to make the effort of getting up early and do some birdwatching and photography before most people were up and about. I was up at 4am !! and away by 5am and in action with the camera just as the sun was coming up over the Bowland Fells around 6am. It was a fabulous morning with no wind and I had the magnificent Bowland countryside to myself.
I had gone to the moors above Abbeystead to see the Dotterel and Golden Plovers which had been in the area for a few days. They were still there but rather distant and the dotterel never came close enough for decent shots. The golden plovers were a little more obliging but still very wary of the car and again kept their distance. I was also photographing directly into the rising sun which made exposure tricky to get right....very rarely is everything right for that perfect shot and  wildlife photographers are never happy until their objective is achieved. It was however wonderful to be up and about at this early hour and as the morning moved on I was treated to some wonderful views of wheatear and snipe posing on the roadside fence posts and enjoying the warmth of the morning sun.
As I made my way back down towards Abbeystead I had some terrific views of lapwing chicks backlit by the sun as they fed in the dew covered fields under the watchful eye of the parent bird.Also very active were brown hares which gave me more great images to add to my growing collection of shots of this wary and elusive mammal. Down in the village by the stream I located the pair of pied flycatchers which had returned to nest in a natural hole in one of the bankside trees. Both male and female birds were very active as they chased each other around in their courtship displays and gave me more memorable images.It had been a wonderful experience to be up early with the sunrise and enjoy this beautiful part of Lancashire at it's best. I have posted a few images from the morning and hope you enjoy looking at them.