Croasdale Fell

With the clocks going back just lately,I thought it timely to reflect on the wonderful Summer that we had.I was out and about in the Bowland fells quite a bit,sometimes alone,and other times with good friend and excellent photographer Brian Rafferty!We chanced upon this male Ring Ouzel on one of our outings and managed a few shots between us!

I returned alone,a few days later and set up my stall in the hide,well hidden amongst the heather.Ring ouzel are not the commonest of birds and usually see you coming,before you see them.

He was frequenting a little ravine where I`d seen these birds on previous visits.It was classic Ring Ouzel territory with heather clad banks.

A favorite perch was a dead tree half way up the gulley and he would regularly visit and belt out his song.These mountain blackbirds are iconic to the terrain here and it was a pleasure to soak up the atmosphere on this fine summers day.

On the return journey down the lanes,a Tawny Owl had taken up position in an old barn and from the car allowed a good photo opportunity.

Another bonus was the Little Owl in his usual area,eyeing me up nervously!
Bowland is such a great place to visit and I cant wait for Spring to come around again so I can return to this fantastic area that I have on my doorstep!Hope you enjoyed going back a few months and more blogs will be posted shortly!