Winter Quality Mountain Day

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In the Mountain Training arena, the unit of measurement of mountaineering experience is called a Quality Mountain Day (QMD), and you need to obtain 20 Winter QMD’s to attend a Winter Mountain Leader Training course, then you need another 20 Winter QMD’s to attend the assessment.

The definition of a Winter QMD will involve most, if not all of the following factors:- It is most likely that the ascent of a significant mountain is included in the day. The individual takes part in the planning and leadership. Navigation skills are required. Knowledge is increased and skills practised. Attention is paid to safety. Adverse weather and underfoot conditions may be encountered. Five hours or more journey time. Conditions encountered should be in terrain and weather comparable to that found in the UK in true winter conditions. An ice axe and crampons are likely to be required, and that ladies and gentleman is exactly what I got yesterday.

The day started with a frustrating 4 hour drive to Crummock Water, and because of the motorway delays I was desperate to get out onto the hills and get back to the van before darkness kicked in. However in my hastiness to get out there, I made a few basic schoolboy errors. I was halfway up the hill before I realised I hadn’t put on my gaiters, which I deeply regretted once I got up into the deep snow and the snow started getting into the top of my boots. Neither had I grabbed my water bottle, or my flask and my battery pack was on charge in the car with my phone having only a small amount of charge in it.

In my Mountain Rescue Team we are implementing a system called STOP, PAUSE, GO, and by introducing that short pause you give yourself an opportunity to think about your kit, the route, is the car locked, and the other million things running around your head. This introduced pause would have been helpful on today’s adventure, but these were minor issues and although some snow got into the top of my boots it didn’t really warrant me heading back down to the van.

My first hill of the day was Grasmoor, and at 852 metres is the highest Wainwright that I haven’t yet climbed. Of course I had a plan B, but the weather according to MWIS looked reasonable and I’m definitely not one to fall into the ‘Scarcity heuristic trap’, as some of my best days out have been on lower hills.

Head down I trudged upwards, turning occasionally to enjoy the views, and about an hour later I hit the halfway mark at Lad Hows. From here is a steep ridge upwards, where the left of the ridge was scoured where the snow had been blown away, and the right was loaded with snow with cornices forming higher up. So I kept to the left and as I gained height the clouds came in and visibility was reduced to about 10 metres. As the terrain started flattening out, I stopped and took a bearing to the top of Grasmoor, I also paced it to make sure in the seriously reduced visibility that I wasn’t going to drop of one of the many cliffs that I was heading towards. Given the occasional deep snow I also added 10% onto my pacing count, and a short time later I arrived at the summit shelter.

From here my route took me down to the ‘Hause with no name’ at Grid ref NY186202, I broke this section down into 2 legs with each leg paced and on a bearing. At the ‘Hause’ I saw my first other walkers of the day, and after a brief chat with a pleasant chap I took a bearing and headed up to the summit of Crag Hill. There were big areas of ice on this section, but it didn’t quite warrant the use of crampons, and my ice axe was tucked away between my rucksack but available quickly if needed.

At the ice covered summit I grabbed a quick photo of frozen trig point, took a bearing and headed back down towards Wandope. On the way down the clouds lifted briefly to show me the drop down into Addacomb Hole where cornices had formed at the top, and keeping these to the left I was able to use the edge as a handrail which led me nicely up to the summit of Wandope.

This is where the weather changed and heading into the strong winds with driving Graupels meant I was diving into my rucksack for my goggles. With visibility down to less than 2 feet for about half an hour I took another bearing and paced out to the cairn at the top of Whiteless Edge. Luckily the clouds lifted a bit and I was able to check out the ridge line to the top of Whiteless Pike and grab a few images. Again the ridge was scoured on one side and loaded on the other side, remembering a saying from a course at Glenmore Lodge that ridges are bridges, I kept away from the loaded side and made my way to the top of Whiteless Pike passing a couple of guys in crampons.

From the top of Whiteless Pike I made my way back down to Whiteless Breast, up Rannerdale Knotts for my fifth Wainwright of the day, and then down to the road where I made my way back to the van.

So once changed, I was sat in the van eating a nice warm meal with a fresh coffee reflecting on the day. Although it ticked all the boxes of being a Winter QMD, I was sat looking at my battery pack on charge, my full water bottle and flask on the side and my clean gaiters on the floor. So note to self, ‘ Introduce that Stop, pause, go system prior to heading out’.



Busy, busy, busy

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I thought the site needed an update as its been nearly a month since we returned from Scotland. In the past few weeks I have been teaching Bronze D of E students in Liverpool Emergency Procedures and First Aid, I’ve led a couple of night walks for Large Outdoors in the North Yorkshire Moors as past of their ‘Dark Skies festival’, I’ve attended a couple of Mountain Rescue training sessions where I had to plan one of the training scenarios, I’ve run my own Bronze Navigation Course with 4 excellent candidates who I am happy to say all passed with flying colours, I’ve honoured my monthly Walking for Health walk, and amongst all this I have had to hold down a full time job. I have also spent quite a bit of time searching for a camper van, and after a number of wasted journeys I am happy to say that we have a new addition to the family.

So what next? In the next month I have a couple of weekends back in Liverpool for more D of E training, a weekend in South Wales leading walks for Large Outdoors, a Super Moon night walk for Boot Routes, a selection day for our water rescue team and a Mountain Training Workshop in Snowdonia.

We’re also planning a photography weekend to Skye this summer, an introduction to navigation session and an introduction to night navigation session, so watch this space. In and amongst this we ensure that we continue to maintain and develop our skills by attending a number of Mountain Training workshops as part of our Continuous Personal Development.

Dreich - Scottish word, meaning miserable cold gloomy weather.

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The title of this blog pretty much sums up the weather for last few days, on a trip with my gorgeous wife Heidi to photograph Sea Otters on the magnificent Isle of Skye, and the word ‘Dreich’ was mentioned quite a few times during the trip.

The trip started after work on Monday where we wanted to break the back of the journey and save 4 hours, and once clear of Manchester we made good time up to Glasgow for a comfy night in a relatively cheap hotel. This then allowed us a much more relaxed day on Tuesday for a leisurely drive to Fort William. The drive over Rannoch Moor was interesting to say the least, with driving snow threatening a road closure, but luckily a fleet of gritters ensured the roads were kept open. One of the normal highlights of this route is the breathtaking views of the mountains as you approach Glen Coe, however poor visibility prevented any of these usual views today, and this lack of views was pretty much the theme of the trip.

At Fort William our planned walk at the end of Glen Nevis was cancelled due to driving rain and flooding; I distinctly remember 2 words from the local weather report being “Heavy and Persistent”, and sadly the weather man wasn’t wrong. However not to be deterred we drove round to Neptune’s Staircase for a short walk on the beach to grab a photo of an old ship wreck. Fort William then kept us entertained until the following morning staying at the reasonably priced Imperial Hotel. We spent the evening painting, but apparently I’m not allowed to discuss Heidi’s cow painting that looked human, which we nicknamed ‘The Cuman’.

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Wednesday we continued North to Skye and drove down the Strathaird peninsular to enjoy the lack of views of what should have been the Cuillin Mountains from the little fishing village of Elgol, and our planned stop at the Blue Shed Cafe to check on wildlife sightings on the island never happened because it was closed. High storm waves and slippery wet rocks with high winds also stopped us from visiting the ethereal Spar Cave. Not a problem I thought, as there was plenty to look at to the North of the Island, so we headed North to enjoy the view of the thick bank of clouds that had replaced the Old Man of Storr. So, not to be beaten by the Dreich weather, we pushed a bit further North to the viewpoint at Kilt Rock and finally our first view of a recognised Isle of Syke landmark, but with driving rain and a cold cutting wind we didn’t hang around too long. Eventually we admitted defeat and returned to our accommodation at Portree and a first class meal at one of the many excellent restaurants in the town.

Thursday I left Heidi to enjoy the pleasures of Portree and I headed out on my own to a possible Sea Otter viewing spot. Once I had secured permission from the land owner I made my way down to the coast line and within seconds I caught sight of some movement on the beach, Crouching down I managed to get the camera up just quick enough to grab a few out of focus shots of a big male otter, but it had also spotted me and it was off, and out of sight. I continued down the beach where I found a large mound of Otter spraint and some fresh crab claws nearby. After donning my Ghillie Suit, I was just settling down behind a rock to monitor the scene when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye and there not 20 feet away was another otter, this one hadn’t seen me and I daren’t move, but as it went past I just about managed to grab a photo as it disappeared from sight. I settled down for a few hours in the cold driving rain, and other than a couple of Oyster catchers and a Curlew there was no more sightings of any Sea Otters. Eventually the cold got the better of me and I retired back to the car for a 20 minute drive back to a nice warm room. An excellent meal in Portree and a nice bottle of red wine then helped warm the cockles. Just to rub some salt into the wound my phone kept beeping with alerts from my Aurora watch app, indicating that the Northern lights may be visible from a dark sky area, but with nothing but thick clouds covering all of Scotland there was no chance of any Northern lights on this trip.

Friday was an uneventful long 9 hour drive back home in the driving rain, only stopping briefly at Fort William to fill the car up, and getting stuck behind a slow moving wide load for about 60 miles. That my friends is about it.

So were a couple of blurred images of a Sea Otter, and 4 days of Dreich weather worth the 900 mile round trip?

The answer surprisingly is a resounding yes, not only did I confirm a quality location for some future wildlife photography trips, get permission for said location, obtained some prices for group accommodation for future trips, get a few decent images of some other wildlife, eat some stunning food, paint some below average pictures, but we also managed to spend some quality time away from normality which has certainly brought us closer together. Skye we’ll be back soon, as apparently you have some great views.

Busy few days

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Well that’s been a busy few days, it started early Saturday morning after collecting a client for a trip to the Lakes to bag a few Wainwrights. However with a forecast of driving rain, gusts up to 90 mph and a wind chill factor of minus 12 on the tops, it was an easy decision to resort to plan B and not fall into that commitment heuristic trap.

About an hour later we arrived at Malham, in the Yorkshire Dales where we did the Malham Cove, Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss circular walk followed by a trip to Stainforth to look at the waterfalls and the nearby Hoffman Kiln. Wildlife sightings included Dipper and Green Woodpecker.

We were on our way home after a windy but dry day when I got a call out for my local Mountain Rescue Team. So once my client was safely deposited back at home I joined my red jacketed colleagues for an extensive search in some horrendous conditions on some very unforgiving terrain.

The following morning I was heading back up Black Hill near Holmfirth to support a Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team colleague who was running the 286 miles Montane Spine Race. After I had given some valuable support I headed down, negotiating some severely swollen streams and headed home to get my kit dried out again for a trip to Dufton in the North Pennines.

At Dufton I booked into the excellent Youth Hostel and met up with about a dozen other Mountain Leaders and the friendly staff from Large Outdoors.

The following day after a healthy breakfast we walked up to High Cup Nick, again in some freezing and wet conditions, with the mist lifting just enough for a view over the stunning glacial valley.

Back at the Youth Hostel it was time for coffee, cake and debriefs before heading home just in time for some more Mountain Rescue training.

So today after drying all my kit out for the third time in 3 days I finally managed to get 5 minutes to relax, update the website, reply to a few emails and confirm some course bookings, which reminds me, we have still got a couple of places left on our Bronze Navigation Course on 22nd & 23rd February 2020 in the Holmfirth area for anyone that’s interested.

And finally, relax. :)

Walking Holme

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After 3 days of Christmas binge eating and drinking I was in desperate need to stretch the old legs and try and shift a few mince pies. I had been looking at the River Holme for a few weeks and trying to figure out a route to walk its full length of 8.6 miles from Digley Reservoir to Huddersfield.

I had 2 criteria for the route, the first was to try and stay as close to the course of the river as possible and the second was to try and keep off main roads. However there were sections where these 2 criteria conflicted with each other and I ended up taking a longer footpath route to keep away from the main roads, but a well established ‘Riverside Way’ would help me out most of the way.

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I drove into an empty car park at Digley Reservoir, and walking on the dam wall to the start of the walk I knew it was going to be a special day. Armed with camera and long lens in my rucksack it wasn’t long before I was snapping away. Dropping down to the start of the River Holme from Bank Top I was surrounded by wildlife. Grey squirrel chasing each other on the trees, Robins, Blue Tits and Goldfinch fluttering around the tree tops. Soon the noise of the birds was drowned out by the sound of running water and I was finally walking alongside the river.

This first section was stunning, moss covered trees everywhere with the occasional flash of burnt orange from oak leafs that were too stubborn to fall, and old mill ponds just about visible in the undergrowth. After about 10 minutes I popped out of the woods at Holmebridge with the church looking stunning in the early morning light.

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Here followed a short road section but the back roads rather than the main road, and after a while I was passing Hinchcliffe Mills which is one of 13 old mills that had existed between here and Digley Reservoir. A nearby sign was a reminder of a disastrous flood in 1852 that took out many mills and killed 81 people.

This next section was a very pleasant riverside walk to Holmfirth, passing a millpond supporting Mallard, and a Grey Heron. Further down river I spotted a Dipper which sat long enough for me to get the big lens out and grab a few photos, but eventually the Dipper caught sight of a ginger cat that was stalking it and it flew off up river before it became cat food.

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Into the centre of Holmfirth I found some footpaths which kept me next to the river and took me away from the busy main roads. A short steep climb up a slippery woodland path and I was on an old railway embankment which took me onto Thongsbridge. After another elevated footpath overlooking the river and I eventually popped out at Mytholm Bridge and through the camp site at Brockholes with the new camping pods and duck pond.

Another riverside section followed here with the back end of some old mills on the opposite side of the river spoiling the atmosphere a bit. After about 20 minutes later I was crossing Woodhead Road to find another path away from the river and eventually dropping down into Honley, but only for a short road section before I found another footpath that took me to the other end of the official Riverside Way. From studying the map I knew that route finding from here was going to be lot more difficult, and straight away I was walking away from the river which I didn’t see for another half hour until I dropped down into Armitage Bridge and found another church that needed photographing.

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I then found a route that took me within sight of the river and alongside Armitage Bridge Cricket Club and behind an industrial estate which eventually led me out onto Meltham Road for the longest road section of the walk. At Lockwood lights I turned right to find a footpath alongside the river which eventually led me to where the River Holme joined the River Colne and the end of today’s walk. From here the River Colne continues North East where it becomes the River Calder, The Calder eventually becomes the River Aire, the Aire becomes the River Ouze and the River Ouze becomes the River Humber.

Today’s walk was a total distance of 17 km (8.5 miles), with some very scenic river sections, there was plenty of wildlife about, some useful information boards on local history and the weather was especially kind to me. Yes there were some short road sections but the route in the main was stunning and a highly recommended walk. It is a linear walk so cars, lifts, buses will need to be planned prior to setting off. For a full detailed description of the route click here.

Mountain Rescue - A year in

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As a qualified Mountain Leader with a love of the mountains and a desire to volunteer towards a good cause, I looked towards my local Mountain Rescue Team, namely Holme Valley MRT based at Marsden on the outskirts of Huddersfield.

An online application mid-year was the first step of the ladder and then towards the end of the year I received an email inviting me to attend an induction date with 24 other candidates. The induction day consisted of chats with last year’s trainees, an informal interview with some of the team leaders and a guided tour around the team's Head Quarters at Marsden. The afternoon consisted of some moorland navigation exercises, and a first aid scenario. I thought I did okay, but the level of competence from the other attendees was clearly very high.

What followed then was a nail biting 24 hours waiting for the phone call to see if I had made the final cut. The following day I got that phone call to say that I had been successful and a week later I was on my first Tuesday evening training session with 11 other very capable trainees.

Over the next few months I attended monthly trainee evening sessions, monthly team exercises and various other events representing the team. I was desperate to try and maintain a decent attendance level, but my works shift pattern meant I was missing some key training sessions. However, towards the end of the year I managed to change my shift pattern where I was able to attend more training sessions and eventually managed to catch up with some missed key training areas. I must add though, that there was no pressure from the team for me to catch up, this was purely a personal choice as I wanted to try and maintain the high standards that the team constantly demonstrates.

Towards the end of the year we had the dreaded final assessment; 6 different scenarios over 17 hours in some horrendous weather. We had some invaluable help from other full team members that had sacrificed their Friday night to come and help us trainees carrying various stretchers and equipment to and from some difficult terrain. At the end of a very cold and wet assessment we found that we had all passed and were no longer trainees but now probationers for 6 months.

So, what have I learnt over the last 12 months? Apart from learning lots of new skills I have met some fantastic folk, made lots of new friends and I am now part of the Mountain Rescue family. I have an overriding feeling that I am doing something good to benefit and help others. The team are super professional, with plenty of knowledge from all members of the team, who are all non-judgemental and all willing to help.

So, what’s next? Now as the proud owner of the prestigious red Jacket I want to get through the next 6 months probationary period and become a full team call out member. I’m also keen to join the water rescue section, help the next set of trainees through their training as much as possible, help promote the team’s profile and raise some much-needed cash for what is undoubtedly a fantastic charity.

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Ingbirchworth Reservoir

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An early start to grab a sunrise image at Ingbirchworth Reservoir, and as I left home at 7am everything looked promising. However 10 minutes before sunrise a big band of clouds came in and spoilt it. Luckily I had my long lens in the car, so after a quick lens change I went for a short walk around the reservoir grabbing a few bird images. The highlight for me was a Tree Creeper which I was quite chuffed about as I have been after one of these for a while, however when I loaded the images onto the computer they were a bit noisy (Too high with the ISO).

Another highlight of the was when about a thousand Canada Geese came into land, sending waves up the banking and spoiling the smooth water for reflection, but the noise was deafening and I could hear a few alarmed dogs barking at the other side of the water. Still a nice way to spend a couple of hours and stretch the old legs.

Walking for Health

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Today a small group braved the continuous wet weather for our monthly Walking for Health walk around Castle Hill near to Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

With weeks of rain, everything was absolutely sodden, and wellies were the best footwear for today’s walk. However as I drove up to the car park at Castle Hill the rain suddenly stopped and there was some blue skies for a change. As I got out of the car a cold cutting wind reminded me that winter had well and truly arrived and to wrap up warm.

I joined the rest of the group for a steady 2 mile walk around the area, but not much wildlife about today, but we did manage to see some Twite and Goldfinch. There was plenty of colour on the trees with some cracking views in all directions, but the mood of the group was a bit subdued as one of our regular walkers was having surgery for a heart condition, but I have since learnt that all is well and he'll be back with us for the next walk.

These walks are ideal for anyone recovering from illness or injury, and all are welcome. Please note that next year (2020) these walks will be very 4 weeks rather than every 3 weeks.

Donna Nook - Grey Seal pups

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Today I had an early start and headed East in the driving rain towards Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast. My reason for the visit was to photograph the Grey Seal pups, ideally with a sunrise, but there was no chance of any colour in the sky today.

Every winter hundreds of heavily pregnant Grey Seals gather at Donna Nook to give birth, at the same time the bull seals are patrolling the area looking to mate. The first pups are born in early November, and by the New Year the beaches are empty. The pups will grow rapidly in size from the fat rich milk of their mothers, and the females are mated before they leave.

Britain has about 40 percent of the worlds Grey Seals, with this being one of 4 known places in the UK where they breed. There is a visitor centre here and a low fence separates the seals from visitors which can be seen only a few feet away. There are various information boards on the short coastal section, and a visit is highly recommended. The pup count today was about 140, and with the bulls having a go at each other there is plenty to look at.

Sphagnum Moss Planting

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Today I joined 17 other volunteers and 2 National Trust Rangers in planting 4000 Sphagnum Moss plugs on the moors above Linch Clough in the Peak District. We made our way from the visitor centre at Fairholmes, in the National Trust Land Rovers up to the Kings Tree, and from here we made our way up Linch Clough by foot and onto the moors. Here we found various sections of the moors where the heather had already been cut back by the National Trust and each cut area had an allocated number of Sphagnum Moss plugs to plant. Although a little damp with some drizzle it wasn’t too bad, and it’s a really great way to meet some fellow minded folk. After 6 hours of not too labour intensive work we returned back to the Land Rovers with a feeling that we had actually contributed something worth while.
Sphagnum Moss is key to the area for many reasons. It can hold up to 20 times its own weight in water which can help prevent flooding. It helps keep the moors damp and thus helps prevent wild fires from spreading and it stores huge amounts of carbon which helps with global warming. We also saw some plugs that had been planted in February this year which had quadrupled in size.

Well done to the British Mountaineering Council, Mountain Training Association and National Trust for organising. If you want to volunteer check out the Moors for the Future website.

Non Native Species

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This morning I went to my local nature reserve with the intention of trying to get an image of a Kingfisher. On my last brief visit here I caught a quick flash of blue, so I went to set up a few branches over the river and find somewhere to sit up. Only a few yards from the car and I disturbed a deer which stood around long enough for me to get an image; a good start to the day. Half an hour later and I had found a perfect location under a fallen tree by the river bank, which was on a bit of a bend and allowed me some good views in both directions.

Right next to me in the mud were some fresh tracks, but tracks that I didn’t recognise and I grabbed a quick photo with my phone so I could try and identify the prints when I get home. No sooner had I put my phone away I saw exactly what had made these prints, an American Mink on the river bank opposite me. It was totally oblivious to my presence and was in and out of gaps in the rocks hunting for what ever it could find. I managed to get a few images of it before it disappeared from sight.

Although a stunning animal, Mink are ruthless killers and are partly responsible for the drop in the numbers of our native Water Voles. Once the Mink had disappeared then a few other animals made an appearance including a Grey Squirrel and a Yellow Wagtail at the waters edge.

Happy that I had found a decent place to hide up on future visits I made my way home to report my sighting to the relevant authorities. The Environment Agency weren’t interested and I was directed to the Non Native Species Secretariat, where the procedure for reporting a Non Native Species is simply using the i-record app. I attached some of my photos of the mink to my sighting and a couple of days later my sighting was confirmed by an expert. I am now in the process of persuading the land owner to capture or eliminate the Mink.

Harewood House

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Following a boozy Saturday in Harrogate, a Sunday morning walk was very much needed to clear the head and make the most of the rare sunshine. Harewood House was on the way home and with an abundance of wildlife in the area it was the obvious choice for a walk. We pulled into the village hall car park, made a deposit into the honesty box, put our boots on and headed off into the estate.

There is an obvious route around the estate and playing havoc with my OCD we did the walk anti-clockwise. A short time later and we could see the herd of Red Deer with stags still pumped up from the rut and a couple still roaring and chasing off smaller stags that fancied their chances with the hinds.

Above us were a couple of Buzzards and dozens of Red Kites making the most of the warm air, but other than that there wasn’t much else to see, mainly because it was very busy with weekend walkers and plenty of dogs running around but to be fair I was only after a decent shot of a Red Kitewhich I think I got.

Once back at the village hall, we popped into the excellent Muddy Boots cafe for coffee and some delicious cake whilst watching the Red Kites overhead. In all just under 5 miles and a great way to spend a couple of hours.

D of E expedition

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This weekend I’ve been looking after a group of 6 young ladies on their Bronze practise D of E expedition. The group were of mixed abilities with some of them having never spent a night in a tent before, but they embraced the experience and pleased to say that they thoroughly enjoyed it.

Day 1 remained dry, and with heavy packs we covered a distance of about 8 miles. We stopped to do a First Aid exercise and had a good input on the countryside code. After plenty of stops to discuss map reading we eventually arrived at the campsite. The girls (me) put the tents up and had a substantial meal whilst we talked about camp craft and nutrition. Once they had washed up I left them for the evening.

Day 2 started wet and miserable, but after breakfast we took the tents down and set off on a shorter walk. Today’s focus was on navigation, and we stopped half way for an emergency procedures exercise. The day ended with personal debriefs and wet kit handed back in.

Despite the wet weather it really was an enjoyable weekend, the girls demonstrated some excellent examples of teamwork, and even shocked me with the use of some half bearings at crucial navigation points. A couple of them even went so far as to say that it was the best weekend ever, which is certainly rewarding for any instructor.

Good luck on the qualifying expedition girls, sorry I can’t make it, but keep up the teamwork and you’ll smash it.

The Deer Rut

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An early start this morning, a quick cup of coffee and then a 45 minute drive before arriving at Harewood estate, North of Leeds. The plan was to get some photos of the red deer stags in the morning light, hopefully with some mist in the air. However it was throwing it down, with no colour in the sky and no mist to be seen. I parked up at the Muddy Boots cafe and walked on the lane into the estate, and I could hear the stags roaring from about a mile away. I approached the deer field and there were dozens of stags running around but a very large one blocking my path so I couldn’t get much further. On the way back to the car I saw a group of Fallow Deer in the woods but it was too dark and my images were a bit grainy.

By the time I got back to the car, the cafe was open so a full English breakfast was the order of the day. After an excellent breakfast I found another footpath further North where I came across a group of Red Kites and just about managed to get one decent shot. I also saw a tree creeper and a Nuthatch but the heavens were opening and my camera was getting soaked, so I reluctantly returned back to the car and headed home.

Well worth a visit and Harewood is much closer than my usual deer location in the Lakes, and I’ll definitely be going back there soon.

Where have all the Mountain Hares gone?

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This morning I had an early start heading up Black Hill to look at some contour features for an upcoming navigation course and also to try and get some photos of Mountain Hares, but the day didn’t go as planned.

Years ago when I came up here I would see dozens of Mountain Hares, but on my last two trips I have seen only one Hare on each visit, and the rotting carcass of a Mountain Hare at the side of the footpath five minutes from the car was not a good omen. I did think about checking it for signs of lead shot, but then I recalled images of Mountain Hares with red bulging eyes doing the rounds on Social Media last year, so I kept my hands away from the well decomposed body.

This mornings rare sighting was a solitary Mountain Hare warming itself in the morning sun, and with the sun glinting in its eyes it would have made a perfect image. Typically as soon as I started bringing the camera up it ran off and was never to be seen again. I continued on and made my way over to Wrigley’s cabin and then up to the trig point at ‘Soldiers Lump’, and whilst there were plenty of ‘Meadow Pipit’, and ‘Red Grouse’ with one rare ‘Snipe’ there was no other sightings of any Mountain Hare.

So where are they all then?

We have seen plenty of photos of hundreds of Mountain Hares laid out in rows after being shot by gamekeepers in a bid to control an alleged tick born disease. Then there were the horrendous images of Mountain Hares last year with bulging red eyes, carrying a potential strain of myxomatosis. Then there is the possibility that many have been predated, but I saw nothing else that would be likely to take a hare. I am also aware that Mountain Hares are nocturnal, but I would certainly have expected to see a few more which I have done in previous years.

So I turned to Google to see if I could find any answers, and the first item I found was a BBC report from last year showing that Mountain Hare numbers were at 1% of their 1950’s numbers. mainly down to "indiscriminate and ruthless" mountain hare culls.

The Mountain hare is the UK’s only native hare and was listed as Near Threatened in a recent review by the Mammal Society indicating that the species is of conservation concern in the UK.

What ever the reasons, my move into wildlife photography is certainly going to be more difficult as Mountain Hares and many other species moves towards extinction. I covered a good few miles today, and in any other terrain I would have seen dozens of different species, not just three.

Spurn Point

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Yesterday I spent the day at Spurn Point as part of the Spurn Migration Festival (Migfest). There was lots going on, with guided walks, talks, photography workshops, bird ringing followed by a hog roast and some live entertainment. However I avoided most of that (apart from the hog roast) and just went for a walk with my camera. I met some lovely folk, and saw plenty of wildlife with some new species for me including a Marsh Warbler, White Rumped Sandpiper, Spotted Flycatcher, Yellow Wagtail and Ringed Plover. There are plenty of places to sit and watch the waves for passing dolphins and whales, plenty of hides for birders and a fantastic new Yorkshire Wildlife Trust centre. A really enjoyable day out, the weather behaved itself and I clocked up a few miles in the process.

Trees For Life

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Trees for Life is a registered charity working to restore the Caledonian Forest and its unique wildlife to the Scottish Highlands. Their long-term goal is to create a fully restored, healthy ecosystem, which will include the reintroduction of missing species of wildlife, such as the European Beaver, Wild Boar, Eurasian Lynx and the Eurasian Wolf.

The vast majority of their work is carried out by volunteers. By engaging people from diverse backgrounds, they aim to achieve a powerful and educational experience that will promote the work of restoration to wider audiences and lead to increased support for the return of the forest and its species.

Today Boot Routes has purchased a ‘Corporate Grove’, where we will plant a tree for every person that books onto one of our paid walks, courses or trips.

Here at Boot Routes we are passionate about our wildlife, and understand the importance of trees in helping to reduce the impact of global warming, prevent flooding, and offer valuable habitats for endangered species like Red Squirrel.

So there it is, book onto one of our paid walks, courses or trips and we will plant a tree, and your name will be added to our bespoke ‘Corporate Grove’ webpage https://treesforlife.org.uk/groves/73886/.

Or alternatively you can just make a donation to help add trees add to the grove.

For more information on Trees For Life, visit their website at https://treesforlife.org.uk/

Or watch this You Tube clip on their Red Squirrel project https://youtu.be/dYVqAj9s_Zw

Red Squirrel Hide

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Yesterday I spent the day in a private hide in some woods near to Hawes, courtesy of Paul Fowlie Photography. My task for the day was to get a decent image of a red squirrel, and I came away with loads of keepers of the cute little critters. In addition I saw Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Tree Creeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Robin

The day started at Hawes where Paul collected me and drove me to some nearby woods, then after a 5 minute walk we were at the hide. No sooner had we arrived and there were red squirrels everywhere. Paul has set up a few stands which he loaded with nuts, then once he had given me some instructions on camera settings and shown me where to get the best images he left me for a few hours.

Highly recommended, and to book visit https://paulfowliephotography.co.uk/.

Fish and Chirps

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Yesterday I made a start on the Holme Valley Circular Walk, with the intention of mapping some wildlife sightings. The walk which at 24 miles with 4000 feet of climbing is a similar distance and height gain to the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. However with temperatures of 30 degrees and most of the wildlife sheltering from the glaring sun there really wasn’t that much to see.

There are some stunning sections on the route, but also a few dodgy road sections, and although the route is defined on the OS maps there is very little in terms of footpath signage, so your navigation has to be on the ball through some of the built up areas.

This said I really enjoyed my first day on this walk, I parked at Castle Hill and dropped down to Berry Brow, passing the Stirley Community Farm where I saw Goldfinch, Swallow and Twite. I have previously sighted Dipper in the river at the bottom of Berry Brow, but not today.

I followed the route through the woods to Honley where I saw a few Grey Squirrel and a Wren, and at Honley I had to negotiate a lot of left and right turns through the village before popping out on the other side and over the tops towards Netherthong.

At Netherthong I grabbed an Ice cream from the local shop before pushing on to Upperthong where I saw Kestrel, Nuthatch and Buzzard. I eventually dropped down to Compos Cafe where my lift home was waiting. I enjoyed some cracking fish and chips with the family before heading back to Castle Hill to collect my car.

I am certainly looking forward to the next section which includes some moorland and woodland, but hopefully it won’t be as hot. For the map and sightings follow this link:- https://maphub.net/BootRoutes/Holme-Valley-Circular-Walk-wildlife-sightings

Raptor Fest

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Today I returned to St Aidan’s Nature reserve, this time on my own, with no time restraints or worrying about any clients. The weather was a bit of a mixed bag, with sunshine and showers, but nothing was stopping me from enjoying this walk today. What an abundance of species, I counted at least 30, including Green Woodpecker, Dunlin, Spoonbill, Spotted Redshank, Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret and various raptors.

The highlight of the day was watching a Marsh Harrier hunting over the ridge and furrows field. Later the same Marsh Harrier was involved in some aerial acrobatics with a Peregrin Falcon, a Red Kite, a couple of Buzzards, and 3 Kestrels. Basically the Peregrin was attacking anything that moved, whether it was bigger than itself or not.

My target species for the day was a Little Owl by the visitor centre, but although it was showing for everyone else there was no sight of it for me. Guess that means that I’ll have to come back.