Lee Harrison's Nature Photography.: 4...3...2...1...

4 new tick, 3 day, 2 for the year and 1 cock up

It's been a fantastic few day, for me and my Dad, as you saw, on Friday (day 1) we managed to find the elusive Gargany at Marshide (tick number 1).

On Saturday(day 2), we decided to try and see the Eagle Owls at Dunsop Bridge, full of optimism after all the tales that we'd heard of children and dog walkers going missing, so we set off early on the hunt. We spent hours walking up the valley, followed the instruction word for word "Head up the valley, as it splits, take the high track, as you reach the highest point look down to the left of the valley, that's were they are" so that what we did, we got to the highest point of the valley... We waited... We waited and We waited but nothing so we decided to head for the next valley down just in case we had the wrong place, 4 mile later, we were at the head of the valley, the highest point, we couldn't go any further... "We must be in the right place" but still no Owls. So we decided to head back and retrace our steps, after 10 minuets we decided to stop for dinner and as if by magic the second we settled down, the heavens opened and we got drenched but sure enough, 15minuets passed, we set back off and the sun came out "I'm sure some one had it in for us" half way back just as we reached the top of the first hill, we happened to bump into a guy that we had met 2 weeks before at Leighton Moss whilst watching the spoonbill "seen owt" , " nah nowt much, just a few bits and bobs, were hoping to see the Eagle Owls really", " Yeah............ You'd be lucky.... You're in the wrong valley" our hearts sunk (ONE COCK UP) and a big one I might add. Luckily after this unforeseen knock back which I must admit made us laugh and slightly well very red in the face, we managed to find up a few bird that picked us up and sent us home in a good mood, these include 5 Ring Ouzel and countless number of Red Grouse (tick 2 and 3).

Here a few record pics. that I managed to get on the way around:-

Ring Ouzel

Red Grouse

After we had finished at Dunsop Bridge, we decided to go home but before we stopped for tea, we decided to head up to White Coppice for an hour and see what we could spot, we decide to just sit in one place with our scopes and wait to see what turned up, no sooner had we settled down before we heard the unmistakable call of the Cuckoo (A years first), we had actually come in hope of seen this rapidly decreasing bird which I am truly honored to see this year as unfortunately they're due to be demoted to the RED LIST if migrating numbers keep declining. The atmospheric sound of spring that will be sadly missed, I keep my fingers crossed that more and more will make it across every year.

Soon after the Cuckoo had left, a wheatear dropped in behind us and a small flock of 4 Redpoll apeared in a nearby bush, here are a few pic that I took on my way around:-

Cuckoo

Pied Wagtail

Redpoll

And now to Sunday (day 3), I spent all day with my beloved but i had to drop her off at work at 4 o'clock so my Mum, Dad and Me decided to shoot over to Plex moss and try to scope out the Cattle Egrets, we headed off down the lane and sure enough, the first bird we saw, was a lone Cattle Egret(tick 3) sat 2 fields back by a young bullock. We watched it for about an hour in hope that it would venture into a closer field, this did give some results but it was bout a million miles aways (John Dempsey I am very envious of you're shots, there fantastic) unfortunately we didn't manage to see the Hooded Crow but we did encounter a white throat and a flock of just over 30+ Whinbrel (No. 2 for the year).

Here are a few pics that i managed to get on my walk down Plex Moss:-

Cattle Egret