Flock

It was a very fine day, and I was lucky in that I'd already committed to a proper walk rather than just pottering about my usual spots.

One area that I hadn't really explored before was the side of Wharfedale opposite Ilkley Moor, so I picked out a route from Ilkley Station that would take me to Denton and Middleton and up to the edge of Middleton Moor.

The first stretch was along the river and I saw my fourth Kingfisher of the year.

Arriving in Denton I found a pristine estate village with a fine little church (extra) with a graveyard liberally adorned with snowdrops and a nice Victorian post box (extra). I'd been hearing the mewing of Kites for a while, but as I was leaving the village they came into view, four in all, with one feasting on carrion in the fields along with attentive crows (extra).

Heading over fields and through woods I approached Middleton, and it is here that I encountered the huge flock of Curlew that I've chosen for today's main image. I spent a while watching them rise and settle between different pastures. When viewed large you can count the individual birds and I make it 280+. It'll probably be another month or two before they disperse to their breeding grounds on the surrounding moors.

Climbing further, I reached the edge of Middleton Moor (extra) and although I was tempted to go higher in search of cup-marked rocks and boundary stones that dot the map I decided to save that for a longer day.  The drop back down into Ilkley was an easy enough walk.

Today's miles walked: 9.6. Walking total: 74.2/1000