A Peak District Jolly, but no BV...

Friday 31st July, I'd planned to take a drive to the Peaks in hope to see the bearded vulture, but with no confirmed reliable sightings, I decided to make a day of it irrespective.

My first stop was Eyam Moor, mainly for the views it yields, before moving on to Froggatt Edge, and it was a hot day!

The moor was busy with wildlife, what I initially thought were swifts, turned out to be swallows, kestrel(s), plenty of moths and small copper butterflies, and a nice steady footfall of walkers, including a DoE team for Edale MRT in training.

I not only took the camera, but also the camcorder, and new tripod, and made good use of the time to play around with them, and successfully, even if many of the vids were, well, rubbish, but that's how you learn.

Anyway, less of the twaddle, and more of the pics.

Though a hot day, particularly when I got on to Froggat Edge, Eyam Moor was a nice 20.8ºC held in place by a lovely 11.5 mph gentle breeze (F3 on the Beaufort Scale)

Now the bit you really want to see, a lovely sunrise on the drive up,

Heard in the distance, a helicopter. my initial thoughts were someone trying to disturb the bearded vulture,

Only once I'd seen it land, and was able to see more clearly, it was the East Mids Air Ambulance, a cyclist had to be recovered from Longcauseway on Stanage Edge.

Not quite the spotting i had in mind.

But, a kestrel came out, hunting for prey, not very brilliant photos, but a pleasure to watch nonetheless....

While playing with the camcorder, I did manage to get some footage of a kestrel, and following the bird while diving, wasn't easy, so I was pleasantly surprised at what I managed to obtain. It also answered my question as to where the kestrel wa landing when I was searching to get some pics of it on the ground.

It didn't, on all footage taken!

The link below will take you to the YouTube video

https://youtu.be/wWPOrzaCS1s 

While sitting and taking in the view, the swallows were charging around, and I did manage to get a half decent pic to tell my my swift ID was very wrong! Of course, I could be wrong again, but the brown marking on the head made me think swallow, so please, correct me if I am wrong.

Then the small copper butterflies came in abundance

Just as I was leaving, the kestrel came over again.

It was then time to move on, though I could have stopped there all day, and after the soaring heat on Froggat Edge; 31.0ºC, with no breeze, I almost wish I had!

Understandably, there wasn't much bird activity, there were a few swallows and crows, but generally it was very quiet, and the footfall was low as well.

But I did get some heather pics

A harebell

And finally, a small (not the smallest I've seen, there's an even smaller one at the nearby Barbrook Reservoir called Barbrook II Stone Circle) stone circle, Stoke Flat Stone Circle

Thanks for looking and I hope I haven't bored you all....

  • Lovely pics Mike and great to see the Kestral on the hunt...Not bored at all. Looks like a great place with stunning scenery!
  • Linda257 said:
    Lovely pics Mike and great to see the Kestral on the hunt...Not bored at all. Looks like a great place with stunning scenery!

    Thanks Linda.

    The Peak District has family links, my grandparents came from there, my mother came from Manchester, and my early hill and moorland walking days, as a child, were there, so it's a place close to my heart, just a shame it's a two hour drive min from home, in HS2 country!

    Our son took his first hill and moorland walks there, so lots of happy ties.

    Sadly, as those who know the area, it has become a grouse shooting fraternity (as are many parts of Scotland) in recent years, not that it hasn't been in the past, the Kinder Mass Trespass was across grouse moorland, so that's why there will be many concerns around the survival of the bearded vulture. Also, there is a big push on mountain biking, which really doesn't do some of the paths any favours, making them become mud tracks.

    But I still love the place, and still return when I can.

  • A lovely set of photos Mike showing this beautiful area of the Peak District, since we moved we are now less than half an hour drive away so no excuses for us to explore further once we get sorted in the new place. Good to see the small copper butterfly and the two Kestrels ! that looks a handy gadget.
  • Nice set of pictures Mike, we don't get small coppers round my patch in Suffolk so nice to see one. I do like to see landscape shots so I can see other people local patch.
  • Really great Kestrel fest for me to enjoy too, thanks Mike ... & for the lovely views which show me what my Edale Cousins can see!

  • Well done with your photos Mike, lovely to see the Kestrel hunting and of course the countryside is spectacular.
  • A lovely sunrise and a shame you didn't get the BV (this time). I still need to get some photos of the local heather in flower, that is if the sun ever decides to put in an appearance again when I'm out and about before it's too late.
  • Very nice Mike, its nice to be able to get out again.
  • Thanks all, it was a good day no matter what.

    Alan, it was way tooooo hot for me (I'd be happy enough at -30ºC Grinning ), but I was there and I was going to make the best of it, whatever. I probably would have been better to stay at the first location, at a nice 20 ish C and a lovely breeze to help.

    Sadly, I have paid for it, my leg has been very painful for the following four days and kept me housebound.

    Jim, I know what you mean about getting out again, just be careful so many places not normally busy, are getting overcrowded.

    Tony, though my grandparents came from there, I wish that was my local patch, but it was a good 80mls north, from where I live, which is east Brum, slap bang amid HS2 Hub country, where it comes from London into B'ham and out for Manchester, a rapidly spreading; bricks, concrete and tarmac jungle, that was fields and woodland until a couple of years ago!

    You may have heard.read about the mass woodland destruction around here, as well as Bucks and a few other places.

    Wendy & Gaynor, I'm happy to oblige with the kestrel photos and video.

    Nige, the heather wasn't quite in full bloom, though it should be during the latter half of August, which could be the better time to get heather in all its glory.

    I'm not so sure I'll be travelling to the BV's new roost, its a trek which I'm not able to do and the drive would be around 4 hours each way.