Clee Hill

For once the peregrines let us down, with only one juvenile showin gup just as I was leaving, which was a shame as Ian and I had hoped for some decent flight shots that day. Such is life though, and there are other targets up on the hill.

First to grab my attention were the juvenile wheatears hopping about. I wanted some low-level shots of these, which meant lying on the grass... shame it was littered with sheep droppings. Another one to add to the growing list of things I've managed to lie in in the pursuit of different shots!



One wheatear amused me as it landed on one of the rusty old signs up there which was a bit hotter than it expected, and performed some sort of dance along it, to find a cooler perch!

From the car park, there were a couple shrinking puddles, one of which was attracting house martins, which collected mud from the edge. Ian's car made for the perfect hide, and we both managed some decent shots of these exceptional flyers. They're like bats in a way, as they flutter around, scouting the area before landing.




Also around were linnets, and again the car covered us enough to get a few pics. The red breasts on the males looked gorgeous in the sunshine.


And on the way down the path, I spotted a juvenile stonechat, hiding on a fence amongst the shrubs. Soon flew off when it realised I'd seen it! Still, made for a good end to what looked at one point to be a poor session.