Spring lambs

Is it just me but are the local lambs really late appearing this year (and thin on the ground too)?

Friday's lambs

Lambs

Spotted yesterday as I drove down the dale after a lovely walk from Grassington with Rich, Jan and Tussock and snapped today by Stef

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

An early lamb and more plans

Yesterday we went down to Derbyshire to see my family but before we went we had a run up the Beacon. We were out around first light but didn't quite need headtorchs. I was amazed to spot a ewe with a lamb in a field the other side of the river. There was a real feeling of spring in the air with birds singing in the hedgerows although we got treated to a short burst of sleety rain when we were about three-quarters of the way up the main climb on the Beacon!

Along with the events I've already targeted for this year I'm also going to enter the Wadsworth Trog and probably the Heptonstall fell race. I notice entries have also opened now for the Wharfedale Off-road Marathon which I've only ever done once before and somehow I've been talked into entering the Saunders Mountain Marathon with John Preston!