Cotton Grass on the Pennine Way

An early start for me to be on the road by 7am. I was heading for Cutthroat Bridge lay-by in The Peak District. When I got there by 8.30am there wasn't much space left. The reason for this was due to a very large bird in the area. A bearded vulture to be exact. I'm not making this up. A youngster has arrived and is causing quite a stir in the bird watching circles. 

I was on a day's bird watching trip myself organised by a wild life travel company. Within about 10 minutes of us all meeting, we got a view of this amazing bird. And it wasn't even on the agenda for possible sightings today either.

We started out from here and walked up Whinstone Lee Tor looking for Ring Ouzels. We didn't catch sight of any but were treated to a peregrine when we reached the top, as well as great views over Ladybower Reservoir.

Our next destination was woodland for cross bills, which we did see fleetingly in the treetops.

Our final spot of the day was on top of the moor along the A57 or Snake Road where the Pennine Way footpath intersects the road. This is where I took this photo. We then walked out over the blanket bog in search of Golden Plovers and Red Grouse. We saw both.

And while we were looking for Cloudberries, we found an Emperor moth caterpillar (see extra). The blanket bog is it's perfect habitat.

A great day out (12 hours) and I was exhausted by the time I got home.