Nothing to do with Galway birding but felt I just had to tell somebody about my great good birding luck on my Wainwright Coast to Coast walk over past two weeks. I saw eight Ring Ouzels in one day (yes eight, 5 male and 3 female) on the high level route from Keld to Reeth on top of Swaledale.
Six days earlier I met a Coast to Coaster in Ennerdale Bridge B&B (he was doing the route from East to West). He was chuffed that he had seen two Ring Ouzels on top of Swaledale, even got a passable photo of one. He told me where to look. The following day I saw my first ever Ring Ouzel, a solitary male near top of Haystacks on high level route through Ennerdale valley. I also saw Goosanders on Ennerdale lake. Two firsts in the one day - not bad - and I wasn't even birding.
I set out from Keld 5 Days later and climbed up on to the high ridge. I met two birders coming down. I asked about Ring Ouzels. They had seen four. This looked promising as it was not long after 9.00 am. They told me exactly where to look. I saw three at their location and five more further on. It must be a real Ring Ouzel hotspot.
All in all a wonderful trip but I was often conflicted between bird watching and the need to finish very long days walking at a reasonable hour - usually by 7.00 pm.
Firsts seen:
Goosanders 5 or 6 mostly Ennerdale Water
Ring Ouzels 9 1 in Lakeland Fells, 8 on top of Swaledale
Black Grouse 2 on top of Pennines near Nine Standards Rigg
Birds heard: Woodpeckers and Cuckoos. Heard many woodpeckers but couldn't hang about long enough to see one.
Other birds: Buzzards (loads), common sandpipers, Canada geese, Greylags, lapwings (loads doing tumbling displays), Kestrels, Wheatears (loads), Red Grouse (hundreds if not over a thousand).
Couldn't believe the numbers of Red Grouse I saw on Westmoreland heaths, Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, Cleveland Hills and North York Moors. Cocks squaring up to each other and fights going on on a regular basis. There were signs along these routes warning walkers to keep dogs on leads and not to walk off track in the heather for fear of disturbing birds during the months of April, May, June and July. I noted the irony that the month of August wasn't mentioned. When the annual slaughter fest begins on the 12th August, this year's fledglings will be slaughtered indiscriminately along with the adults.
About half way down Swaledale I came to Ravenseat Farm, one of the highest working farms in Yorkshire and a place that crops up now and again on BBC outdoors programmes such as Countryside and Spring /Autumn watch. It was full of breeding waders. I could have spent hours there had I not the best part of 10 miles to walk. I saw many tiny waders not much bigger than a robin that looked like miniature Common Sandpipers (white mark around elbow of wing). The nearest match in my pocket bird guide was Temmincks Stint but looking up better books when I got home, I doubt if they were. Any suggestions?
