Ring Ouzel

It's been ages, unsurprisingly, given the snow and cold winds, since I've been up before dawn to go out with my camera. Today turned out to be the perfect day for it. There's something very special about the moorlands at a Spring dawn - the grumbling cluck of the grouse, the joyous song of the skylarks and meadow pipits, the scolding of the stonechat and the plaintive cry of the curlew. Another whistling call that I'd hoped for was that of the ring ouzel. Whilst doing my bird challenge, I went up to Stanage Edge so often to try and get a shot that I was happy with. Sometimes I saw none, at other times I saw them but didn't manage a shot I was happy with, until eventually I got one which deserved its number. Today, this one took me almost by surprise as it appeared on the edge then flew down onto a fencepost not so far away from me. I was home for breakfast by nine, before many of the Sunday walkers were out and about. A very satisfying outing.