Spring Thing. Pt.3, Finding Your Own Stones. Also, The Whinchat Of Consolation

I needed a walk. And it was Spring, which gives you ideas. Ideas that go 'Cu-koo', among others.

Up onto t'Moor and off about a favoured area; Vitifer!  It was a bit windy, still [though slightly less than the day before], but there was the possibility of some sunshine, so you never know...

As well as Cuckoo, the thoghts of... Wheatears? Late Ring Ouzel? Early Whinchat? Only one way to find out!

The Heath Stone

Didn't expect that, did you?

I will get to this lovely standing stone, all its companions, and the interesting history thereof.

But first, where I was first;

Vitifer

Cuckoo 1

Cuckoo 2

I would apologise for awful pictures, but when the frickin' birds WILL NOT co-operate, what can you do?

Admire the Willow Warbler serenade, be wound up by yet another invisible reeling Gropper, go looking in vain for Wheatears, and stake out a possible passage Ouzel site, that's what.

 

 

Where things changed, and a bird was Good. Sort of. For about ten seconds.

Not a Ring Ouzel

No Ouzels [shock] but a Whinchat of Consolation will do, I think.

:D

[Possibly Devon's first of the year?   Could be?  Maybe?]

I did have one find, while sitting about watching Distant Soaring Buzzards and No Members of the Thrush Family At All;

Who's a pretty beetle, then?

Eventually accepting the inevitable, I headed off north in search of a theoretical chance at open ground raptors [again, you have to put the hours in]

Before that;

Stone row

[with minor Victorian

additions]

 

 

Keepng eyes down as well as up [it's an all-round exercise, being out birding]

Early Dog Violet

"Come and have a go

if you think you're

hard enough, mammal!"

 

Devil's Coach Horse Beetle. Don't mess.

:)

So, to that bit from up there;

Stone Row

[no well-meant

amendments]

And the other way

Time for too many words.

The stone you can see up there on the skyline is [as you may have worked out] the one in the first image. This is, it is believed - and I agree - the actual Heath Stone. The one marked on the OS is a stone in a boundary wall near Fernworthy entrance and very unlikely to be the one mentioned along mediaeval routes and perambulations and so on. That said stone is visible to anyone coming on to the Moor from Chagford and is on the route to join the Moreton-Tavvy road is pretty good evidence. [The official one is in a dip, btw. Just try finding it without GPS I dare you]

Who believes? Try in here;

More hut circles and pounds than you can

shake a trekking pole at. While fully complete for the

time of writing, there are later finds naturally not included.

But as a guide to the prehistory [and history, tinners included]

of the Moor, there's still none better.

Ok, yes dear pedants, those stones aren't mine and I didn't find them. Wasn't even my first visit. The title's a reference to The Other Place, where I may have gloated let the people know about a nice early Whinchat on the day.

 

I have more up to date news, though no more gripping photos [oh, but I was so close], but they shall have to wait until the next time.

Be Seeing You...