The continued residence of the now famous vulture in the Derbyshire Hills, just to the east of Manchester, proved irresistible. I visited a couple more times, mainly in the hope of some of the point blank views that it seemed to allow at times. Whilst I saw the bird each time, and the views were excellent, I never managed to nail the hair-parting photographs. That's not just because of the views though, it's also my photographic ineptitude.
On the 6th September, the vulture showed only distantly, but there was nice compensation in the form of a ringtail hen harrier cruising along the moors. On the 9th, the lammergeier was repeatedly buzzed by a female goshawk, an incredible site. Great to see some other raptors on the moors, and it's hard to know what to make of some of the continual vitriolic debate at times. I have no doubts there is a serious issue with raptor persecution, but that doesn't mean it's all estates. Let's hope enlightenment prevails.
Back to the birds, red grouse were also seen in the valley, as would be expected, but the number of passage ring ouzels was amazing and not something I've witnessed before. My high counts were 13 and 22 on the respective dates and it was a treat to watch them feesting on rowan and moving about in large flocks.
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