Our group of 10 set off from Newsham in a three-car convoy up Moor Lane driving very slowly and carefully towards Holgate. It was not long before we spotted Linnets flying from the hedgerow onto the wall tops and by our first pull-in we’d seen Curlew, Lapwing and Oystercatcher. We caught sight of a few Snipe and those with good hearing caught the sound of their ‘drumming’ display flight.
Redshank obliged with several shows along our route, perched on the walls or in the wetter patches of grassland near gateways. The Cuckoo was calling clearly but we could not see it so added it yet again to our list as HBNS (Heard But Not Seen).
We parked up again near a plantation with a small pond and heard Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler and saw Mistle Thrush. Continuing on our way we had views across the open heather of plenty more moorland birds, many with young families including Grey Partridge. Black Grouse unfortunately failed to make an appearance on this occasion, but we were lucky to see a Kestrel and a pair of Wheatear.
On the return leg we were treated to a very good sighting of Spotted Flycatchers in the trees on the plantation’s edge - typically landing on the fence line and swooping on insects rising from the pond. A nice sight amongst the yellow flag irises and a “first” for two members of our group.
Coffee break calling we headed to Barningham Village and once re-charged made our way onto the edge of the moor. Having parked up again and just stepped out of our cars we were fortunate to have a Buzzard and a Red Kite circling overhead. It was then a straightforward walk up to and across the bridge. Near the peaty stream were a pair of Grey Wagtails collecting beaks full of insects for their young.
Although June is often considered a quiet time for birdwatching between us, we saw more birds than expected (43 species) helped in no doubt by the good fortune of having nice calm, mild, dry weather conditions.
Report by Charlotte Washbourne