SPRING AT COTTERDALE: THE UPLANDS

   At this time of the year the uplands and higher fells are alive with breeding birds and one of these was my primary target to photograph during the week. This bird is the Golden Plover which is a species I have pictured during the winter where many stay on some of the arable fields in our region, however at that time of the year close views are very hard to get and I had been told that up on the higher fells during the breeding season they were much more approachable. I decided to use a local expert to help find them called Simon Philpott who runs various workshops all during the year and who I had used before when I attended his Red Squirrel hide.

   Driving over the small roads that cross the upper fells Simon led us to a heather covered moor where he said that the Golden Plovers were quite tolerant of us in the car and indeed it turned out that he was right giving me the opportunity to take pictures of these beautiful birds at very close quarters, both male and female. We even caught a fleeting glimpse of a chick rapidly disappearing into the heather.

   Another species that we spotted on this moor was the Redshank which is also seen around here but usually at a long distance. It was good to see them fairly close and I was happy to get a photograph of one bird perched on a dry stone wall.

   On all the moors we crossed we saw quite a few Red Grouse, mostly males with their red eyebrows but also some females which I personally think look fantastic with their mottled brown and gold plumage that blends in so well with the heather.

   Probably the highlight of the trip was when eight Black Grouse flew into a road side fell next to the car. They then proceeded to graze on the vegetation as the showers came through giving great views and at one point two of the male birds began to display to each other which Simon said was unusual to see at that time of the day. Normally Black Grouse males congregate at dawn on traditional sites that are known as 'leks' to display and fight to impress the females and assert their dominance before dispersing to graze. Black Grouse are much rarer than their Red Grouse cousins and require different vegetation to feed on, many of the land owners are trying to encourage them by planting the moorland with their foodplants. Unlike the reds the Black Grouse are not shot and indeed they are encouraged as some sort of status symbol by the estate owners. I was very lucky to get such good views and Simon said that they were some of the best views he had got from the roadside. Normally to get pictures of them displaying involves a trip to the Cairngorn area of Scotland where a hide is run on one of the leks but this involves getting there before dawn and trekking a distance to arrive before first light.

   A few of the other species seen up on the moors were Snipe, Short eared Owls, Skylark, Curlew and Grey Partridge, the last two of which are pictured below