Having a Grouse

Well tied to the house again because of the weather so it will be another day of floor tiling. Yesterday it never stopped, and it looks like another day of it, its coming down like stair rods as I type.
     However I do have some pics of Tuesdays outing and Wednesday, although most of Wednesday was spent painting the staircase and then the Olympic torch came through. Wednesday was a cracking day lots of sun and I would much sooner have been out birding than painting, but as its an outside iron staircase well it can only be done in good weather.
        So Tuesday out in the Northern Pennines having a drive round and found a Lapwing chick only a couple of days old , running around on the side of the road. its an area where there is a steep bank from a hay field and when the chicks get too close to the bank they fall onto the road. Anyway I caught it and put it back in  the field and the parent bird came in to look after it . We travelled the same stretch of road last year and it was littered with dead chicks, then predators come to feed on them and they get killed.
      Further on and we came across these Red Grouse.

Male and Female Red Grouse

 

2 of a least half a dozen Red Grouse chicks , most of the time they where well hidden.

 

2 adults and one chick.

And around the patch before the weather changed, A woodpigeon enjoying some clover leaves.

And near one of the ponds an Oystercatcher probing for worms

At Thacka cottages and at Mats farm near the M6 there are to small colonies of House Sparrows

Looking at this pic. you could be forgiven for thinking this is an ideal place to do some birding, but I turn the camera round and --------------

You can't hear yourself think for the constant roar of motorway traffic, so no chance of hearing any birds singing, until the path eventually veers away from the M6. Amazingly soon after this I got a beautiful male Blackcap singing but too far away for pics.

Fields of white and Gold.

The horse paddocks, all part of the patch, and the house Sparrows where flocking into the field feeding on seed, and there must be a wealth of insects in there as well, as the Swallows and House Martins hawk all over the fields.

Well its still persisting out there so its back to the tiling, God knows when I'll be able to get out for more pics, hopefully it won't be too long.