Nature Notes November 2021

Nature Notes November 2021

The low cloud was streaming north-east in the strong wind as we set out for a walk on Bleaklow in Derbyshire. It was our first venture away from Norfolk for two years due to the pandemic, so walking in the mist was not going to deter us. A sudden whistling call caused us to look up, and through the murk, we could see a flight of small waders battling into the gale. They called again, confirming that they were Golden Plover as they disappeared from view. They were leaving the hills, possibly for the first time since spring, as these outliers of the Pennines are the most southerly of their breeding grounds in Britain.

The recent rains had turned parts of the path into a quagmire but had also stimulated the fungi to fruit. A group of Blue Roundheads nestling in the grass beside the path were the most spectacular, although there were many species of different colours and shapes. The pale yellow Moor Club grew in profusion where the peat had been partially exposed and there were even small red Waxcaps amongst the shorter vegetation.

The cloud slowly started to lift until we could see Kinder Scout on the further side of the Snake Pass and by the time we reached the highest point of our path, we could look back and see the Welsh Hills beyond the Dee estuary. Our focus was rapidly brought back to the scenery around us, when a Red Grouse broke cover and flew rapidly over the nearest hill, complaining loudly with its ‘go-back, go-back’ call. Later, we saw two more on a nearby skyline, their heads just visible as they checked for danger while feeding on Heather shoots.

We then followed a shallow gulley on the sheltered side of the hill where there was deeper heather on the peat hags, watching for any movement and checking anything that looked pale against the dark moorland vegetation, until after much searching, a pale shape on a peat bank was indeed the Mountain Hare we had hoped for. We were able to watch it for several minutes while it pretended not to be there, but the instant we turned away, it raced down a little valley and out of sight. It reappeared several hundred metres away on a hillock; looked back, and deciding we were far enough away not to be of danger; loped off over the moor in a more leisurely fashion. It was a very special encounter.

Do let me know if you find anything of interest rachel.42rr@btinternet.com