Rich and I are back up on the moors again this year, conducting breeding wader surveys for the North Yorkshire Moors National Park - not to anything like the same degree as last year (when we covered the huge, five-yearly survey across the entire NP), but a relatively small area involving Locton, Levisham and Fylingdales Moors.
Male Common Redstart
As mentioned previously, the weather has been consistently kind for all outdoor activities this spring (and indeed year), and we had wall to wall sunshine last week as we Brown and Shepherded our way across the sites.
Male Ring Ouzel (above); Raven and Carrion Crow (below)
And what a joy it was. On the scrubby, regenerating slopes, Cuckoos, Grasshopper Warblers, Ring Ouzels, lots of Stonechats, Willow Warblers and Whitethroats, pleasingly numerous Whinchats, Redstarts and Tree Pipits headlined, while in the more fertile upland areas, we'd Golden Plovers, Snipe, Curlews and Lapwings to plot on the maps.
Breeding Willow Warblers
Whinchat (above), Curlew (below)
More Tree Pipits in parachute display flight
