Ring Ouzel, male. Stanage Edge, Derbyshire Peak District. DSC_9077.jpg
I nearly didn't get up when the alarm went off at 5 am, but the weather forecast looked good and I couldn't resist another trip with another early start, though I was still a little hampered a bit by the ME triggered by my last visit on Wednesday.
Some great moments and I was really glad I did go.
It was beautiful up there, not another soul around for the first hour, under blue skies and early morning sun with the frost on the ground, with only the sound of Red Grouse and Curlew to break the silence.
I'd been tracking a female Ring Ouzel feeding in open ground below the Edge with a male bird in close attendance, obviously a pair, but I'd lost track of her as I lay in wait for her to come into view for a shot. I scanned the immediate area and found the male perched up on this heather clump, looking good, so crawled up to get closer, which was quite tricky in such open ground with only clumps of marsh grass, heather and the slightly uneven ground for cover. He must have been sat for 10-11 minutes all told as I closed in and then watched him sit quietly looking around, scratch, preen and stretch various limbs, before he decided it was time to rejoin his partner foraging. A super experience.
Thanks for your faves and comments, appreciated.
Ring Ouzel, male. Stanage Edge, Derbyshire Peak District. DSC_9077.jpg
I nearly didn't get up when the alarm went off at 5 am, but the weather forecast looked good and I couldn't resist another trip with another early start, though I was still a little hampered a bit by the ME triggered by my last visit on Wednesday.
Some great moments and I was really glad I did go.
It was beautiful up there, not another soul around for the first hour, under blue skies and early morning sun with the frost on the ground, with only the sound of Red Grouse and Curlew to break the silence.
I'd been tracking a female Ring Ouzel feeding in open ground below the Edge with a male bird in close attendance, obviously a pair, but I'd lost track of her as I lay in wait for her to come into view for a shot. I scanned the immediate area and found the male perched up on this heather clump, looking good, so crawled up to get closer, which was quite tricky in such open ground with only clumps of marsh grass, heather and the slightly uneven ground for cover. He must have been sat for 10-11 minutes all told as I closed in and then watched him sit quietly looking around, scratch, preen and stretch various limbs, before he decided it was time to rejoin his partner foraging. A super experience.
Thanks for your faves and comments, appreciated.