Field Companions

How many rabbits can you spot?

I managed a short walk over to the north-west corner of the moor, partly on a quest for three parish boundary stones marked on the first edition OS map, but it's also probably the best part of the moor for birds. On the walk across the skylarks were in full song and the meadow pipits peeping, and then as I went over the crest of the moor and descended to Lobley Gate, the sound of lapwing and curlew began to take over.

The track at this edge of the moor had been the scene of the the Baildon Boundary way race a few weeks ago, and was a quagmire, but the boundary wall provides great cover for peering into the wet pastures of Glovershaw, with their hundreds of golden plover and wheeling lapwings. On this stretch I picked up my first reed buntings of the year and then what was the highlight, a solitary Snipe, which sat atop a pole for a good ten minutes while I watched from thirty feet.

The boundary stone spotting went less well. There were some large stones in the right places, but moss had encroached and nothing as clear as the one a mile or so to the south. There are supposed to be thirteen of these stones on the Baildon parish boundary, but I've only seen the one so far.

Following the boundary of the moor around to the east, I came across this group of field companions. There were more than twenty rabbits visible at the warren, and again the wall provided a good viewing screen. Adding to the scene was a small group of wheatears, of whom two are visible in the picture, paricularly if viewed large.

So no boundary stones, but three birds for the year list. No pink-footed geese or oystercatchers, but they were probably off visiting a local reservoir. And then in the afternoon, we had another avian visitor just the other side of the garden wall. Another encounter that had me dreaming of what might have been possible with a better camera and lens.

A good day, and that's without even mentioning the football.