An Average Evening

Instead of a bike ride I decided to go to the Goyt. It was cooling off a bit when I eventually got there and up on the top of the hill there was a cooling breeze. I had brought my camera as the previous couple of times I had left it at home only to be confronted by Curlews almost posing to be photographed and a close encounter with a Coal Tit (no sniggering at the back, you know who you are!) Of course Sods Law meant that nothing would come within a mile of me, but I took it anyway. I'm glad I did.

The scenery was still there doing its stuff, and as I strolled down the track to "the bench at the top of the reservoir", a couple of kestrels floated along on the thermals whilst the curlews kept up a liquid cry worrying about the presence of the two birds of prey.



At the bench, I sat down and watched a solitary Great Crested Grebe do a bit of fishing, and a Heron flap nonchalantly down to the waters edge.



And then a real surprise and magic moment. A couple of red deer that had probably been keeping cool in some thick wooded undergrowth broke cover and ambled across some open land before disappearing into the trees.



I thought about following them but realised by the time I had walked around the headland (about a mile) they would have been long gone. Actually what really clinched it was the emergence of about twenty school kids singing and making alot of noise accompanied by a "responsible" adult armed with a loud and crackling walkie talkie. I explained about the deer, and he excitedly shouted out to the children at the front that there were deer about and that they should keep very quiet. The decibels went up a few notches as they all began to shout and demand to be allowed to use the walkie talkie to tell their mates (yes there were more of them) a few hundred yards behind. I beat a hasty retreat up the hill, as I suspect did the deer.

Still it had made my day, and I forgot to mention the Ravens.

Go to Work on a Grebe

I managed to drag myself out of bed at around 5.00am this morning. I had planned to get up an hour earlier so that I could lie in wait for the dawn chorus but it was hard to tear myself away from comfort and warmth of the marital bed and Mrs BW. But I am glad I did. It was a glorious morning.



A brisk stroll brought me to the "Bench that overlooks the top resevoir" and there I sat, the richest man in Derbyshire (figuratively of course) surrounded by the Goyt in all her glory. I had been brooding over the day to come in the car but I swear that it is impossible to think black thoughts when you are under the influence of the Valley. She casts a spell that lasts so long as you are there.




What better way to start the day than watching a pair of Great Crested Grebes dive for fish. They are magnificent birds, graceful and effortless on the water. Okay a bit Heath Robinson in the air but you can't have everything.




And then just to round the morning off (It was about 7.00am by this time) the Short Eared Owl appeared just over the crest of the rise, hunting for food for its mate that hopefully is sitting on a clutch of eggs.



It was hard to tear myself away, to take off the walking boots and drive back the short distance, to put on full business suit and step out into the so called real world but I went to work with a song on my lips this morning. Great for me but a nasty surprise for anyone within hearing range.