This weekend we had a family day out and while we were up in Yorkshire I had a trip down memory lane.
Next year’s birders short week in Scotland is in the planning stage and after discussion with several guests on this year’s tour it became apparent that an overnight stop off on the way to and from Scotland would be an improvement. I used to be taken as a boy to the Yorkshire Dales and one of the sites there would suit the bill for one of the stops. A day spare on the way back from the family gathering gave opportunity for reconnoitre around the site I had in mind.
My word the area had changed. No longer the rough tumbling footpath through the riparian woods; a neat level replacement was now in place. There was still the carpet of Bluebells and more wild garlic than I remember but the sessile Oaks that line the valleys in the upper reaches were still as beautiful as they ever were.
The birds were there in good number. We were greeted by a Wood Warbler belting out his song that we could hear from over 400m away. He gave me the second opportunity to photograph this species in as many weeks. Redstarts were around and Pied Flycatchers were flitting from branch to branch collecting insects… Just as I remember.
Letter From Norfolk 