Off Letching The Stregs

Saturday saw me vertical at an almost reasonable hour and off out up onto t'Moor!

After a little vacillation, I ended up at Shipley Bridge, where I discovered they've fixed the ticket machine [Drat] [It's coin only, though.   Well, you can try 'the app' but there's not exactly mobile signal there..?!?]. Oh well, at least the loos were operating, too. [[You get older, you appreciate these things more. Wait and see.]]

Anyways, I, as last time, went up the tramway to The Sub, though this time I went on to Western White Barrow, then cut down to the Redlake Tramway and followed it to Leftlake, where after a chat with a very dedicated Ranger, I cut up to Three Barrows. The weather shifted decisively pretty much as I got there, so planned leisurely lunch and skywatch was curtailed due to a lack of visible birds and - perhaps more relevantly - a frigid wind [proper two-tone day; the morning had been sunny and rather warm], the kind known in the family as lazy. Because it can't be bothered to go around, so cuts right through you...

Avon in frisky mood

3 Barrows from The Sub

I crossed Hinckley Plain, past Hinckley Tor, and stopped again at Skylark Tor, where it was a little more sheltered and a lot more birdy.

Looking past Ugborough Beacon

Goldies!

[Bit distant..]

Assorted parties of Golden Plover were flying around, and indeed lurking on the deck about the Plain, and some even got in the way of the camera, 

 

One, two, three...

 

 

All too soon, time pressed, so I curtailed and went down Diamond Lane, then back along slightly less steep and far safer [yes, that's including traffic] lanes.

Yes that is a lane

and not a streambed

My route and stops were hoping for some vismig, perhaps find a stripey-headed wader of some sort, and maybe even a nice patrolling Shortie or Hen Harrier, possibly even another Merlin [You can never see too many!].

Nope.

I did get a fair few Golden Plover, and a handful of Redwing [lovely photo I have of one, too...] as I returned to lower climes. Though a lone Fieldfare was the only non-Blackbird in the [admittedly short] section of the Avon Gorge I looked at.

Lovely photo of a Redwing

So it goes, sometimes you sees the gratuitous flyby Hen Harrier, sometimes you sees the gratuitous flyby Mipit.

Other than birds, there were a few sights, and maybe one day you'll get to see them [mostly fungi, don't get too excited]

Exciting post, yes? 

Be Seeing You...