Alleluia....again!

But first....

Spotted Flycatcher. John Bateman.

Thanks to John for the nice image of one of the Tower Lodge Spotted Flycatchers seen recently, undoubtably one of the best areas for this species and not for the first time I may add, this year there are at least five pairs present with two active nests found.

Meadow Pipit. Pete Woodruff.

Yes, another Alleluia day when I found 9 Stonechats on Birk Bank in a five hour dawdle, they were seen as three pairs, two juveniles, and a female with which I could see no male despite my 'hanging around ' a while. So there's a distinct possibility of five pairs of Stonechat on Birk Bank at the moment but notably none to be found on Clougha this year. Also noted was an interesting movement of at least 35 Meadow Pipits and 15 Mistle Thrush, also noted 9 Willow Warbler, 2 Blackbird, 2 Wren, and a lone male Linnet. I also saw a lone Red Grouse in the entire visit here today representing an all time low count here of this moorland bird. I watched 4 Raven at a distance in an enthralling ariel display, these birds are masters of aerobatics and are a treat to observe, they also gave a Kestrel a hard time mobbing it for several minutes, the size comparison was interesting in that they made the raptor appear no bigger than a Swift. Non bird sightings were 5 Small Heath, 2 Small Tortoiseshell and a Golden-ringed Dragonfly.

          

Cotton-Grass. Pete Woodruff.

As can be seen I managed to find a little time to get to work with my improvised photographic equipment today and managed a half decent shot of the Meadow Pipit and the attractive Cotton-Grass, characteristic of boggy ground and fluttering in the breeze on the bog which will soon no longer be a bog if the dry spell continues. I also visited here twice today five hours apart but found no sign of any Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies.

And finally....

 

Well, whats all this then, the trees have been torched and are and gone forever....controlled upland land-management, uncontrolled upland land-management, or pure raw vandalism, either way - small area though it may be - this is a Forest of Bowland tragedy in my view.