Harthope Valley

Last week a visit to the Harthope Valley , weather was changeable, sunny but a cold wind , pair of grey Wagtails and Pied wagtails on the stream , Chiffs singing , as where yellowhammer, Chaffinchs and Mistle thrush  , located two Male Ring Ouzels  at one  stage having a brief  argument over territorial boundaries squaring up to each other   rising like a cock fight but without any contact, the seaming victor retired to a perch in a tree which I think was central to the dispute, and sat and preened while calling softly , which you can just hear in the short video. Tim Cleaves had also witnessed the same birds the day before and produced his excellent note book complete with artwork and a detailed  account of the action it inspired me to try and take more notes and try the odd sketch (probably be very odd sketch)Plenty of Red Grouse around if you fail to see them here you really are out of luck. Only a single pair of Stonechats seen as was a  single pair of Wheatears   these at the same nest site I have seen a pair for the past 6 years. Raptors where absent from the scene or I could have just missed them spending so much time trying to get some digishots of  the Ouzels and Grouse . Rain at times put a bit of a damper on the the day but overall very pleased to have at least seen the Ring Ouzels

 Typical views up the valley sides

Red Grouse which sat on this wall for most of the morning also the same one in the video.
Ring Ouzel after routing its rival, for now anyway ,it sits and preens while calling softly you can just hear it above the wind and red Grouse.

Wheatear a very short video , I had to use video because sometimes the digi is so slow to capture the bird as it  preens etc, you always fail to get the head in etc:

And again as this bird was so obliging to sit around in view I took a short video