I went up Pendle hill yesterday(thats a pic of pendle hill in my "twitchwithmitch" head banner above) to see if I could see the 2 Dotterel and the ring ouzels, reported on eastlancsornithologists website.
Great weather for walking so I decided to go up the steep side from Barley rather than my usual route from wellsprings. All the way up, passing birders on the way down told me that the dotts were still there and pointed out the best spot for the ouzels.
On reaching the trig point I couldnt find the dotts immediately but spotted a fleeting glimpse of a hunting Hobby racing over the peak. Just caught a flash of red from its thighs through my bins. It was probably hunting all the newly arrived summer migrants -mipits,wheatears and skylarks.
Then I found 3 red grouse and 3 golden plover whilst searching for the dotts. Then 2 other birders from blackpool waved me over the wall to the Clitheroe end of the hill.
And there they were. Female in striking plummage, the male quite dull, they were very accomodating, showing down to 10 meters.
Got some video up the hill today (1 min 6 secs).
Popped into moor piece after pendle, to see if I could twitch the pied flycatcher and wood warbler there, but no luck. Nice view of a tawny owl in flight and a roe deer came close too.
The hedgehog turned up for some grub in the garden again, once it was dark.
Heres the list for the day 42 species and 3 mammals
pendle
kestrel
rook
lapwing
pied wagtail
carrion crow
swallow
chaffinch
curlew
wheatear
mipit
ring ouzel
hobby
skylark
red grouse
golden plover
dotterel
moor piece and garden
tawny owl
herring gull (over)
grey heron
goldcrest
great tit
blue tit
coal tit
chaffinch
goldfinch
greenfinch
dunnock
robin
wren
willow warbler
chiffchaff
nuthatch
gs woodpecker
starling
blackbird
song thrush
magpie
mallard
jackdaw
wood pigeon
collared dove
house sparrow
roe deer
hedgehog
rabbit
