Streaked out but happy

Our streak ended after 9 runs in 8 days but has kicked started more training and much more importantly, re-kindled a desire to get out and enjoy the outdoors generally. We ran yesterday evening and benefitted from a free fire-work display, then this afternoon we've been for a walk by the river. The highlight of this was undoubtably seeing a dipper close to the caravan park weir singing his heart out!

Easter plans

My plans for Easter involve hopefully having a bit of down-time prior to my stag night next weekend, and our wedding the week after. With reports of pied flycatcher and common sandpiper arriving in the local area along with wheatear and golden plover I'm very keen to do some bird-watching walks. Roding woodcock is a possibility because outings might have to be early or late if the weather is good. Ring ouzel is another target bird, especially if we venture further up the dale at some point

Back

Stef and I are back running with a lovely run in the sun yesterday with our friend Richard up to the trig point above Chalker Reservoir and a plod along the Dales Way today; again with Richard. Yesterday we saw and heard our first chiffchaff of the year. Today we heard four more, plus spotted a sand martin too. It won't be long before common sandpiper, swallow, willow warbler, wheatear, swift, wood warbler etc are added to the list of birds which are back in Yorkshire

Two out of three ain't bad

I went for a walk in the Strid Woods on Sunday evening. It is still quite cold and the wind always seems to funnel downstream at Bolton Abbey (i.e. from the North) whichever way it's blowing, but I saw redstart (one handsome male) and pied flycatcher (a pair near the Hobbit's bus stop) along with lots of other woodland and riverside birds (LTT, treecreeper, nuthatch, willow warbler, common sandpiper, oystercatcher, sand martin etc) 

There was no sign of wood warbler (the last two years there have been three or four singing males in the area around the Strid itself) but I'll probably go for another walk later this week to try to see one. A wood warbler was found near where Stef's folks live in Devon and there are great photographs of this real woodland special here and here