A Cormorant diving on Yeoman Hey reservoir. Disappearing on some dives for over a minute before resurfacing in a new spot. Yeoman Hey, the first of the four reservoirs at Dove Stone, built in 1880, is, so I’ve read, sixty five feet at its deepest. Accounts of how deep Cormorants dive seem to be variable – between twenty and thirty feet.
On a walk along the ridge looking down over Dove Stone a female Wheatear, dead close, repeatedly flying off and returning, closer each time. Orange flush to its breast and white rump flash.
Down in the valley a large group of noisy Long tailed tits. Take a look at Long tailed tits through a scope or bins sometime if you haven’t already.
Walking round the main Dove Stone trail a Great Spotted Woodpecker flying very close straight across my path onto a dead tree. Two fighting Dippers on Dove Stone reservoir shore.
Reports worthy of a mention in more detail soon: Hen harrier persecution and Grouse moors, perhaps a mention of George Monbiot and the Nagoya biodiversity summit and RSPB’s report ‘ Financing Nature in an age of Austerity ’. And this Wednesday sees the announcement cuts to be made under the spending review so more on that soon as well.