I headed up to the reservoir, first time in a while. Actually, I just checked back and it was only a few days ago!
Anyway, first spot of the day was an Osprey cruising over the water.
It was just circling around, mostly over towards the other side and obviously on the lookout for a tasty fish.
I guess they'll be planning their journey back to Africa, for the adults and Europe for the juveniles.
On up the road a touch and a bird landed in a tree top just off the trail.
A young Blackbird that didn't look very old at all, maybe just recently fledged? It didn't hang around too long after a good scout around, it was off again.
I didn't see a great deal at all on the way up to the picnic bench but, once I reached the gate and the sun came out, things started to look up.
There's a space up there, in that area, that I always check now, after last year.
Last year I spotted a "village" of Fly Agaric in this space, not so many at the moment but I'll keep checking.
Past best?
On towards the first gate.
Young Stonechat
The fallen tree before the gate is becoming a good spot for birds, it lies over a burn and I think they must have easy access to the water below, I've seen quite a few pop up here.
I noted both these Stonechats as youngsters, the Male on the right looks like it's still colouring up, to me anyway.
Young male Stonechat?
They stayed long enough for me to grab a decent set of shots, then gone.
On through the gate and a Reed Bunting female landed on some weeds in the tall grasses. She has a beak full of bugs so I'd say there's a nest in those grasses somewhere. Anyway, she watched me until I'd wandered past before dropping down.
There was quite a strong breeze blowing now, it always seems to be like that up there, no trees around for protection.
As I approached the second gate I spotted a few birds at the bottom end of the fence, I could make out a Meadow Pipit and Whinchat but they weren't hanging around for photos.
Looks like a male and a youngster.
I carried on through the gate and around the bend, there are often birds in that area but nothing today, well, a Buzzard over the hilltop so, I tuned back and started for the car park. There was a female Whinchat on the gate post watching me approach and she just hopped down a few fence posts as I got closer.
Again, might be a young bird, the tail looks a wee bit short to me? Anyway, I decided to try getting closer as she moved towards the water and the other birds.
You might notice another bird just beyond that big post, not sure what it was, the legs look a different colour for Whinchat.
As I approached I spotted a bird hanging onto the wire.
A Sand Martin having a break! I'd been surrounded by them all the way up the trail dive bombing me but no chance of a shot so this was a cracking bonus!
It didn't hang around for long so I climbed back up to the trail and carried on. And then I spotted another Osprey, or was it the same one still hunting? I'll never know.
Then again, look at that notch in its tail!
So in case you didn't check back to the first Osprey shots, they both have that notch in the tail so I think it's the same bird.
I was still up between the gates when I spotted the Osprey and as I walked back I kept an eye on the sky all around me, you never know!
Then I spotted a bird out on the water.
A Black-throated Diver, way out in the middle of the water. I first spotted and photographed a pair of these birds back in April this year and I've kept hoping they're here to breed but, no sign of a second bird or young ones for a good while now.
I have seen other photographs of them with young elsewhere, maybe they're just slower up here? I was now through the gate and decided to walk down the fence line to the shore, see if I could get closer, the shot above but, the bird was swimming away up the reservoir so, I decided to stay on the shoreline for a change and work my way back.
I spotted movement on the shore up ahead.
Redshank wandering along the shore in front of me. It managed to stay ahead of me for quite a while before taking off and landing behind me to continue its foraging un-hindered,
On along the shore to the point just below the picnic bench where I started back up to the main path.
Goldfinch
Meadow Pipit, I think
Coal Tits on pine.
I think the Coal Tits might have been a parent and youngster.
And that was that, a really nice, windy walk with the sun shining and hardly another soul up there :)
