Black Grouse.....The Lek

This week myself and Paul Foster had the good fortune to be invited to accompany  wildlife artist Jonathan Latimer to an early morning black grouse lek in the wilds of County Durham.  It was an early start and we had driven up to meet Jonathan on site. We met up around three in the morning and were greeted by sub zero temperatures and a wonderful star filled sky. We gathered our equipment and made our way to the area where the birds lek to erect a hide for photography, Jonathan's hide was already in position. We were in position and ready for action just as the sky was showing signs of getting lighter, it was now around four in the morning and was still well below freezing.
It wasn't long before the most amazing sounds surrounded us... the black grouse had arrived and were tuning up for action. The noises they make have been described as bubbling and wheezing like espresso machines and to hear them at very close quarters in the darkness was a wonderful experience. Gradually more daylight lit up the scene and we could now see the shapes that were producing the sounds. It was still too dark for photography and we just sat for an hour or so enthralled by the unfolding drama before us.
By around six we were able to take some images and for the next couple of hours or so we were treated to some amazing sights as the ten male black grouse present that morning at the lek strutted their stuff. It was still below freezing as the sun came up and the grouse departed on a couple of occasions but always returned to their favourite part of the damp and rushy hillside. It was at times a little cramped in the hide but time soon passed and around eight o'clock after the birds had finally departed we decided to come out of hiding and make the trek back to the waiting cars.
What an amazing experience it had been to witness at close quarters one of Natures great spectacles and one I can hopefully experience again sometime in the future. I would like to thank Jonathan for making it possible for us to join him and to Paul for providing the transport and the hide from which we enjoyed those wonderful sights and sounds. It was a memorable trip and one that will long remain in the memory..... Thanks to you both.
I have posted a few images from the trip and hope they convey to my readers some of the magic moments we enjoyed on that very frosty morning in the Northern Pennines. I may post more images at a later date but in the meantime hope you enjoy this account of a memorable day out.

Close Encounter.....Dotterel

I have been fortunate in previous years to see dotterel as they stop off on their long journey to their breeding grounds in Scotland. They certainly get my vote as one of the most beautiful of British birds. If conditions are favourable at the end of April into early May a few dotterel usually stop over on Pendle Hill in Lancashire. This regular location is well watched at this time of the year and many birdwatchers make the climb to the summit of Lancashire's highest hill to see  this very special bird. So it was this week,the week of the General Election,that I went with two colleagues to Pendle Hill to hopefully see the two dotterel that had arrived the day before our visit.
The morning had been damp and drizzly hardly ideal for climbing Pendle Hill but being the eternal optimist I had persuaded Mike and Robin that we should make the effort as the dotterel were still there and the weather might improve. Improve it did and on the way there the clouds were lifting and we could see the summit of Pendle which was very encouraging. As we left Pendleside Farm to head up the hill my good friend Paul Foster was just making his way down and I could see from the broad grin on his face that he had at last managed  to see the dotterel. Paul had made two trips up the hill that morning the first one was wet and not suitable for photography but with the clearing weather he had gone back up to get his well earned images.
We continued upwards in the knowledge that the birds were still there and also that there were some other birdwatchers on the summit. Half an hour or so later we were on the summit and we made our way across to the birders already there. The weather was kind to us during our stay and we all enjoyed stunning views of the two dotterel. One of the birds was a female in her splendid breeding colours and I understand the other bird is also a female but she has not yet got her full breeding plumage but is still a stunning bird to see. I lost track of time as I got some wonderful close up shots of the dotterel as they moved around the stony summit of Pendle in their quest for food. At times both birds came within about twenty yards or so of the camera and did at times  pose nicely for me to record this memorable event.
Eventually we decided to leave the birds in peace as we made our way back down the hill. We arrived back safely at the car having experienced a close encounter with this enigmatic and very special bird of the mountain tops. I understand as I write this two days later the birds are still there and will be waiting for favourable weather conditions before they make the long journey to the breeding grounds. I wish them well on their journey and certainly look forward to another close encounter with what I think is one of Britain's most beautiful birds. Hope my readers enjoy the images I have posted of this memorable visit to the summit of Pendle Hill.   

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.   

North Pennines....Black Grouse

Continuing on from my last posting as promised, here is my account of a wonderful day's birding in the North Pennines,with good friend Paul Foster. To hopefully obtain some close up images of Black Grouse was the primary objective of our trip to the hills above Middleton in Teesdale. As previously described we were diverted from this task by the sheer beauty of the area and the super abundance of waders which could be found in every roadside field.
Eventually however we approached the favoured area for the black grouse close to where the leks take place. We soon found a solitary male bird not too far from the road but it was very wary and took flight. Other birds were seen but were too distant for decent shots so we had another tour round before returning late afternoon to the leking area. Again we found a blackcock not too far from the road and it stayed around long enough for us to get some reasonable images before it too departed.
As we were thinking of setting off for home we couldn't believe our luck as down below the road the birds had begun to lek again. This was wonderful to see as the male black grouse strutted their stuff. I have seen this display described as "like gentlemen in evening dress at an old fashioned ball".With the sparring and minor combats that go on however I would say it was more like a typical Saturday night in any of our towns and cities with much noise and fighting between groups of males to woo the attention of the females. They were a little too far away for close up shots of the action but hopefully the lek shots above show the colourful scene which took place below us.
However better was to come as we were leaving the area to go home . We just couldn't believe our good fortune as a male black grouse was at the side of the road very close to the car. Panic stations ensued as cameras were hastily grabbed to make the most of this wonderful opportunity for the close up images we had come for. We were not to be dissapointed as the bird lingered long enough for us to get those elusive shots of a black grouse at close range. This had been a wonderful day out in this very special part of Northern England with great company,wonderful scenery,and the fulfilment of our objective to get close to this elusive and vulnerable bird. I hope you enjoy the images above, a record of our memorable day in the North Pennines.

Pennine Plovers....Green and Golden

I have been up to the Northern  Pennines again this week, this time in the company of my good friend Paul Foster. Paul like myself is a keen and enthusiastic bird watcher and photographer. We had both visited Upper Teesdale earlier and had seen black grouse but bird photographers are never happy and are always looking for better shots. Despite the volcanic ash clouds over Britain the weather was fine but was still very cool and it did indeed feel decidely cool in the hills above Middleton in Teesdale.
Our main objective and target species was the elusive black grouse and that will be the subject of my next posting. Whilst travelling around looking for black grouse we saw probably hundreds of lapwings or green plovers. There seemed to be at least half a dozen birds in every field performing their wonderful acrobatic display flights and making preparations for nesting. The farming practices in the North Pennines are sympathetic to wildlife and nowhere else in England can ground nesting waders such as lapwing,snipe and redshank be seen in such numbers.
As we drove slowly around Paul spotted a Golden Plover very close to the road and we very carefully stopped and drew alongside the area where it looked like the birds were possibly nesting. For the next half hour or so we were treated to some stunning close up views of this handsome  male golden plover as he kept watch for any intruders into his territory. Later we had brief views of the female bird as she was disturbed by a passing heavy lorry. We couldn't believe our luck at being so close to this fabulous looking bird and many dozens of images were taken of it before we moved on to look for the black grouse. Had I been alone I probably wouldn't have seen the bird but thanks to Paul's vigilance we were able to obtain some excellent images of this special bird of the Pennine Uplands. I hope you enjoy looking at the above images of green and golden plovers as much as I did in taking them. I will soon post another account detailing our efforts to obtain some close up images of that very special bird of the Northern Pennines...the Black Grouse.

A Grand Day Out

Kath and I left Lancashire behind this week and travelled through Cumbria over the North Pennines to Upper Teesdale. It was a number of years since I had been this way and it was nice to return to this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The weather forecast for the Pennine Areas was cool and cloudy, quite a contrast to the warm and sunny weather we left behind as we travelled over the Pennines above Brough. We had stopped for a morning coffee in Kirkby Stephen, a lovely little market town but we hadn't time to explore as we pressed on over the moors into the County of Durham.
Dropping down towards Middleton in Teesdale I stopped to photograph a red grouse which was posing for me on a roadside wall. One of my main reasons for visiting Teesdale was hopefully to see the black grouse, a bird I had never seen but maybe today was the day. Before we did any birdwatching we visited England's highest waterfall, High Force, on the river Tees. A very impressive and dramatic location. We enjoyed wonderful views of the waterfall and surroundings from both below and above the waterfall which was well worth the £1 we had to pay towards the maintenance of the footpaths and facilities adjoining and leading to the waterfall.
It was then time to drive the moorland roads to look for the elusive and very scarce black grouse. The black grouse is on the increase in the area and the well known area around Langdon Beck was my first stop on the moorland drive. Very soon after turning onto the minor moorland road to St John's Chapel I spotted  a black grouse feeding in the valley below the road. I saw four males in total and although they were distant probably about 400yds away, I did manage to get one or two decent record images of this my very first sighting of black grouse. I was thilled to have seen the grouse and then we climbed up Langdon Common and again I was lucky with a sighting of a golden plover at the summit of the moorland road. The weather on the tops was very cool and cloudy but was improving and there were still drifts of snow at the roadside in this very bleak and exposed part of Durham
We drove around some other likely looking areas but had no further sightings of black grouse only red grouse which were close to the road and one female posed nicely for me as we stopped to take her picture. We returned to Middleton in Teesdale for a warming drink and later in Kirkby Stephen we had a welcome meal prior to the journey back home to Lancashire. It had been an excellent day out and we had both enjoyed the splendid scenery in this very special part of the Pennines. I hope to return soon and hopefully get a little closer to some black grouse but in the meantime I hope my readers enjoy the images I have posted of our grand day out.

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.