Caton Moor.

On a brilliant calm sunny day yesterday, Ian suggested a walk up Quarry Road from Brookhouse to the wind turbines on Caton Moor and return down by Kirkby Gill and past Claughton Hall into Claughton and back to Brookhouse, probably six miles....so off we went. 

No major discoveries, and certainly not overrun with birds, but it was good to be out birding again for the first time in eight days, and to get some fresh air - is there such a thing these days - into the lungs, and be surprised to find 7 Lapwing back up on the moors on the early date of 28 December, probably an all time earliest date for the species to be back on breeding grounds. Twelve Fieldfare and a single Redwing seen, 8 Rook were noted in a field, 3 Long-tailed Tit, with Blue Tit, Wren, and Robin noted. Two raptors seen on the day, a Kestrel and my second - 24 November - Hen Harrier in a month, both ringtail.

The Redstart.

Black Redstart. Richard O'meara.  

I was grateful to Richard for his enquiry about what the bird was in the photograph above which he attached to his e-mail to me, he had seen it by the slipway at Knott End mid-afternoon yesterday, it was an excellent picture of a female/1st winter male Black Redstart. 

Impressive stuff Richard....Keep 'em cumin!