​Champion Moor
21 September 10:10 - 14:50
Sunny Warm Breezy
Number in Party 7


The lucky seven saw a Champion day on Champion Moor. The weather couldn't have been better for walking, warm and sunny with a slight chill in the fresh northerly breeze. As we approached the SSSI we had a feeling it wasn't going to disappoint. Walking down the single-track country lane towards the footpath where a large flock of meadow pipit plunged into the field next to us, their parachute-like wings guiding them with precision into the long grass and safely out of sight. On the perimeter of the field, a pair of Stonechat busily fed amongst the Dry Stone Walls.
We had barely climbed over the gate when a pair of Raven chose to scold a Buzzard resting on the wall and a right old tussle ensued as the Buzzard was not for moving, the aerial acrobatics from the Ravens though soon won the day and forced the Buzzard to seek refuge elsewhere. Heading on a horde of little brown jobs set down fifty to sixty yards in front of us. Stopping to determine what they were was a bit of a challenge as they bobbed up and down in the meadow. They turned out to be a mix of Linnet and Goldfinch with siblings. Their identification was made a little easier when they flew to the top of the dry stone. Suddenly, a cry of Hobby! went up, as it came from out of the blue and rose for good views as it flew into the valley beyond. Still in view and the heart rate up from the excitement, another shout rang out! Hen...nnn Harrier...rrr!! a silver-grey male teased us on the skyline before it disappeared over the boundary wall. We scoured the area where it vanished along the top of the wall when a Buzzard caused more tension as it came into the fray. Not knowing where to look for best a Kestrel then decided to join us, where they had come from at that moment in time, Who knows! The excitement wasn't over yet as we caught up with the Hen Harrier briefly before it vanished again into the ether. Bustling with excitement we decided to move on, if only to get the heart rate down to double-digits again, chatting over what had just happened our delighted voices rang out over the field only to disturb a pair of Barn Owls, I don't know who was more shocked as they both flew in front of us and out of sight over the hedge.
We then decided to head south down the path to the roadside where we disturbed a Tawny Owl from his rest. Continuing onto a barn in the distance where we were able to get our breathe back and have our sandwiches, there was common snipe in the adjacent field and a male Kestrel waiting for us on the roof as we approached the barn. Exploring the tree line around the barn gave a pair of Sparrowhawk spiralling above the Łwoods. Back on the road once more there we were never short of a Buzzard or two flying in the distance. Closer to us along the hedgerows, the wild-flowered hedges had seen better days, the onset of Autumn well upon us, giving up there fruits and seeds to the season. My interest was taken by one of the many garden spiders Araneus diadematus whose webs covered almost ever other plant along the hedge, it was busily making its intricate web among the available flower stems.
Back into the fields, we were escorted across them buy a herd of curious friendly cows, shepherding us onto Holloway, an ancient pathway, before a bit of a steep climb back onto the moor. Here the fields were boggy in parts and were full of lesser spearwort, well suited to these damp meadows. Wheatear played hide and seek with us amongst walls, giving us great views when we found them.
Finally, back to the cars the day seemed to go in a flash, this champion day on champion moor.

​Lunt Meadows
7th September 2019 10:30 - 15:40
Warm Sunny day
Number in Party - 4


Making the most of the window of good weather the farmers were already at hard at work harvesting, when we arrived at Lunt Meadows on Saturday morning. We had scarcely gone a hundred yards into the reserve when we saw a northern wheatear alight from the grass onto one of the nearby posts lining the driveway to the car park, then a covey of grey partridge basking in the early morning sunshine that stayed with us for the best part of the day. Our first stop inside the reserve gave us four snipe probing the food-rich mud like sewing machines. Weaving our way around the reserve we disturbed countless numbers of butterflies on the paths where their cryptic colours blending seamlessly into its surroundings, amongst which were red admiral small tortoiseshell speckled wood and large white to name but a few. Walking the embankment we saw Pink-footed geese come into rest on the pools. We had our sandwiches by the old pump house where the butterflies continued to dance in and out of the reeds, parties of swallows and martins passing overhead. There was still large swathes of a colour throughout the reserve from golden yellow ragworts, sow thistles and bindweeds as we continued around the pathway. The earlier flowering umbelliferous plants were beginning to leave their skeletons high above the hedgerow vegetation but in a small corner of the reserve, the mugwort towered above all else. Hearing the mewing call of a buzzard we looked up to see three of them circling on the thermals above us. In the distance we could see a lone bird flying almost directly towards where we were standing, initially it looked like a Shelduck with it's pied colouring but as it drew closer it turned out to be a juvenile great crested grebe still with it's striped face pattern. Other standout birds included Ruff, a dozen common gull among the usual array of gulls, wagtails and large numbers of lapwing on the pools. As we finished a great day at the reserve bathed in sunshine pink feet could still be heard heading towards the pools.