Moor Self-indulgent Reminiscing

Oh dear, it doesn't get better, does it?

With things to do and places to go, I was nonetheless determined to get at least some exercise and, inspired [or reminded..] by previous returns to long-past stomping grounds, I took myself up to some more. Most notably, a place where, back in the 80's [yes, them.], I had more fun than you could credit one heap of rocks that didn't even have their own hilltop or be officially called a tor, for. ::Deep breath::

Bonehill

Ah, back in the day.. Way before the sour-hearted vigilante[s] took it upon themselves, or even the thieving bar stewards got busy.. Back in the day, there were more than 20 letterboxes here. A small child could spend happy hours wandering very safe [for what they are] rocks looking for them while happy parents relaxed.

Fast-forward and I couldn't find one. I wasn't expecting to.

I did find some winter thrushes close by, and a couple even posed;

Redwing

"Ok, here's a better pose, now will you please go away?"

From Bonehill, I naturally headed up along the ridge to Honeybags Tor, passing the odd rock along the way;

Pretty

Balancing Monks strike again

I found a sheltered nook and plonked myself down to enjoy the view

Wait, what's that white stuff??

But the weather had noticed me, and the next shower wandered over to say "Ha ha!". This pattern would set in, eventually escalating into a full-on blizzard* later on.

Before then, I still saw the odd goodie in the sunshine;

Not fast enough

Poor Bowerman,

if he'd only zigged not zagged...

I moved on to a second site, which had quite a few more people wandering about, so excuse the scaling figures;

Arooooooooooooooo

[That'd be Hound Tor, then]

The Village

Looking at That One

After lunch on a nice little bit of Greattor I know [out of the weather, ha ha to you too], another loop around was partly to avoid the crowds, but mostly to get up sun of the large roadside flock of Chaffinch plus Bramblings, which I'd passed on the way in. As I approached the line of roadside Beeches, I flushed no less than 4 Snipe from a wet bit - they each went a different way and I got no photos once again! Argh!

The Brambling - at least 4, probably more - proved just as irritating; not only were they mobile, among 40+ Chaffinch, plus 5 Bullfinch, and a few Blue and Great Tits, but also they were regularly flushed by passing cars, people, and blimmin Woodpigeons...

Then the snow arrived.

I retired to the little lane behind the car park, where I found 2 males buried up to their little blackish bonces in Beech leaves. I carefully stalked and set up a tricky shot [you have no idea how well Bramblings blend in to fallen Beech leaves, especially mixed wet and dry ones...] and then.. The car.

Here are the few shots I did get.

That's not a Brambling..

Not even a finch

"Why don't you just give up, eh?"

When I lined this up, a male was right in the middle...

The fruits of persistence

It was time to go off and do all those things that needed doing. And thaw my hands...



Be Seeing You..





[[*Admittedly, one that didn't settle, but still, sideways snow is sideways snow!]]