Getting Up On The Roof

First up, a Public Service Announcement;

 

The Dreaded Lurgy strikes again and I am a most unhappy [and snotty] birder.

[Aren't you happy to know that?]

But I haven't let that stop me [at least before I got too contagious].

It was a merely sore throat on Sunday when I took a wander up on t'Moor with The Folks and The Stealer Of Hats.

It was all sunny and warm and far more like July than October, but hey that's warming for you...

We went where we'd gone before in said Summer, when it was overcast and the wind was howling and we didn't get that far [before relocating to the Teign for shelter and Dippers].

This time, well, we did rather better.

Bit of a view

Getting up Rowtor, we found a far friskier wind than forecast [and that's allowing for Moor Rule*], but in a shock move, we pressed on up to West Mill Tor.

As an aside, I am a big fan of people new to the Moor starting this way; park at the big parking bit, go up Rowtor [it's right there], then when you get up and are feeling a bit happy, you see West Mill Tor rearing up in front of you like a granite wall. Oh. ok. So you go over, get up it... And then there's Yes Tor and the Wilhay doing the same thing beyond that...    o:)

[And if they get up to the top of Yes Tor and see the view, well, they know that a) they've really earned it and b) they can probably get up anywhere else.  :D ]

That photo up there is from our lunch spot on said WMT, looking Easterly, with the Belstone and Cosdon ridges stretching across the view.

Also on WMT,

On the way up,

Wheatear!

And another!

They were in the clitter you can see in the first photo, but made themselves very scarce as we had another visitor pass by. I even got her in a photo [Just. Honest.], and here is same, with scenery, and The Folks themselves watching her pass!

Spot the Sprawk!

Well past, and angling up the slope by the time the camera was out, on, and shooting.. But she [a nice adult] is in there. Really.

Also on the wildlife front;

If you can't find a flower, a jumper will do

Heather Beetle,

having survived a

dip in the dog's water!

Lots of Rove Beetles about

Hawthorn Shieldbug

Mipits and Skylarks [especially the former] present in numbers and banding up, other wise pretty quiet aside from a suprise late and distant good-sized group of Golden Plover [pre-roost collection, I figure, this was about 1700]; 40+. Seen wheeling about towards Cosdon and lost to sight under the horizon.

Also of note, a sustained and day-long southerly passage of large butterflies - almost all Red Admiral, though the odd Small Tort, Peacock, and Comma in with them - with a rate of at least 50 an hour and seemingly occurring over a wide front.

We pressed on in the afternoon and despite the hordes [and being distracted by His Majesty's Finest playing "Contact!" near Rowtor, with many a smoke grenade used

Can you spot the small unit action?

Contact himself, motivating the

proper use of cover.

followed by a very thorough debrief, and a policing of brass. All good stuff!]

  we got ourselves up to High Wilhays.

Up on the roof

there's a fair view.

Haldon Belvedere

Also noticed this,

BRENT

carved into Wilhay's

southern outcrop

Enjoying the scenery is all well and good for hoomans, but 'orrible dogs tend to get ideas [at least, once all the food's gone] when nothing seems to be happening...

Marleybones with

purloined headgear

Every pog has their little eccentricities, and pinching hats right off your head is one of his [along with slobbering you right in the face.....].

Let's have some more scenery

From WMT's west slope, on

the way back.

Whilst fruitlessly looking

for the Goldies, something

else appeared.

It was a lovely day - the weather helped, the unseasonably warm wind not least - and we all had a time.

I haven't fogotten the Patch, by the way, and you shall see that in the next 'exciting' [Legally-mandated apostrophes there] installment of 

Baaaaaaaackwaaaaaard Biiiiiirdiiiiing!!!

[Oh dear]

Be Seeing You...

[[* Wind always at least one and usually two points higher on the Beaufort Scale than the forecast says. ]]