Red Grouse Study (5)

Back up the moors this morning for another trip to see how the Grouse were getting on...

Unusually for me, I overslept this morning and didn't leave the house until 7.30.

Actually, I've had a stinking cold for the last couple of days and I really didn't feel like going anywhere, but I had been looking forward to seeing the Grouse for the first time in a couple of weeks and decided to make the effort.

I was really hoping that there might of been some youngsters to be seen today, but sadly I didn't manage to spot any.

In fact it was an unusually quiet day for Red Grouse and I only saw 4 males and just the one female.

I must admit, that feeling so lousy restricted the amount of searching I was prepared to do and although it was a nice bright morning, the usual cold wind wasn't making me feel any better and my energy levels were very low.

You always have to be careful when approaching birds, especially at this time of year when they are tending to their young and I was very conscious this morning of not getting too close to the Grouse in case there were any juveniles around.

I've become very familiar with the Grouse in this area and I knew that if I set my camera on the tripod and waited, then the birds would come to me.

Sure enough after a short time, a curious male bird came within a few feet...

By this time, I was losing the battle with my cold and after foolishly forgetting to bring any water with me, I decided to call it a day and head back to the car.

The long walk back to the car seemed to take forever and I really was beginning to regret getting out of bed.

The only thing keeping me going was the occasional wildlife sighting, which included a very distant Mountain Hare and a few beautiful Golden Plover...

I was the only human being in this lonely part of the Peak District this morning and although I normally revel in the isolation, it became slightly worrying at times as my tiredness started to get the better of me and my thirst became more and more of a problem.

The sights and sounds of the moorland birds lifted my spirits and helped to keep my focus away from self-pitying state of mind.

There are always good numbers of Skylark about at this time of year, but spotting them isn't easy in the thick heather landscape.

Now and again, you do get lucky and one will make it's self known to you...

Finally, the views are always stunning in this part of the world and it's always nice to stop for a while and take them in...