Day Three dawned cloudy and breezy, but with a promise of brightening later.
We had decided to take a trip up to Harthope Valley. Taking the road as far as you can go, we parked up, and then walked up a steep path to Housey Crags. For someone as lardy and unfit as I, this was pretty strenuous, and required three or four stops before reaching the Crags.
We had seen Grey Wagtail in the burn, and numerous Pipits on the way up. Anyone who reads many of my posts (for example Day Two!) might have gathered that I have a particular problem iding Pipits. Well, to be fair, they were giving me the best chance they could to work them out… but they obviously don’t know who they’re dealing with!!! So not claiming any lifers or anything!
We finally reached Housey Crags and stopped for a spot of lunch. As we were eating, a Ring Ouzel flew past – a brief but excellent view of definitely my third trip lifer.
The path moved along to Long Crags, and then up some more before returning to the valley floor. The “along” bit was fine – few bird in terms of species, but dozens and dozens (it seemed) of Pipits.
Then came the “up” bit. That was ve-e-e-e-ry steep. (I am ve-e-e-e-ry lardy!). We were about ľ of the way up, and not happy with all the uppiness of it all, but we would surely soon be cutting across.
Anyway, on about our fourth rest, some donk appeared across the tussock and marsh grass with wife (?) in tow. They seemed a very pleasant couple, and we exchanged pleasantries, and mentioned that we weren’t enjoying all this “up” but figured we knew where we were. “Oh I’ll tell you exactly where you are”, he says and gets out his electronic GPS gadget. He read off a grid reference, which put us about 500 metres from where we thought we were.
We were quite pleased actually, because it meant that although the path was ill-defined (= NON EXISTENT!!!) it was time to cut across the hill side.
Tussock Grass, Marsh Grass, Rocks and Boulders, Steep Slope, Weather Now Hot, I fell over and bashed my knee (great bruise by the way!), me and Partnyorsha fell out, ‘cos we had both JUST ABOUT HAD ENOUGH THANK YOU VERY MUCH, when at lo-o-o-o-ong last we finally found the stile that put us back on the right path.
Anyway, the fall out was only the kind you have when you know you are both just sulking, so we quickly made up. It was just about now, that I realised what had happened. We’d traipsed across this ridiculously difficult piece of terrain, all because matey-boy and his gadget had told us we were wrong! And then it struck me… he even gave us a clue… “My mates thought I was mad buying this, but it’s got me out of all sorts of trouble.” !!!!! Clearly you have to get IN trouble in the first place. Strikes me YOU CAN’T READ A MAP!!!!!!!
Anyway, satisfied in the knowledge that every subsequent problem could somehow be blamed on the donk with the gadget, we continued (=trudged) back to the car!
We were both so tired, that it required any birds to land practically on our noses for us to see them… and they all but obliged. Even the Pipits. Two, of the gazillion we saw landed on adjacent fence-posts, and were significantly different in colour. One was much “oranger” including the legs, and (after discussion with another BF member) I am confident that it, and the Holy Island Pipits were Meadow Pipits (and therefore lifer number 4), whilst the darker chappy was a Tree Pipit.
(The whole Pipit episode has made me rethink the Pipit on my lifelist, but at least I can come away from this trip comfortable I have seen three!)
Also obliging was and brilliantly coloured Linnet and a Pied and White Wagtail all drinking at the same puddle. (For the record, the White Wagtail is still “under discussion” as perhaps juvenile Pied, but it was definitely grey backed and black naped, so unless I am convinced otherwise by discussion, I am listing it as White – I’ll keep you posted.)
We left Harthope Valley in search of meal, and decided to visit The Jolly Fisherman in Craster, to partake of some of their Kipper Pâté. It must be said that we enjoyed a very pleasant meal looking out over the rocks and sea, on a good selection of birds, the highlight of which being plunge-diving Sandwich Terns.
Returning to the B&B, we still had time for a walk along the seaside close to Howick Scar, which being less than a mile from the Fisherman produced much the same birds, with an additional Greenfinch, and a flypast by 37 unidentified gulls. Oh, and as I make these notes, a Grey Partridge is calling in the field outside the window!
Hi Birdman,
Interesting what you have to say about GPS, not long ago I was doing some survey work using GPS and discovered that it was remarkably unreliable - sometimes out by up to 1km! I guess it partly depends on the quality of the set though I've heard that the military have been messing about with the systems in order to confuse baddies. If they can make the thing go 'out of focus' what use is any of the information it provides - especially when trying to map breeding birds in tracts of endless moorland, which I was.
I'll stick to a map, compass and pedometer in future!
MV
I thought that intentional degradation was abolished in 2000, because the military now have the capability to mess with the signal when needed in areas of conflict.....civilain GPS was only accurate to 100m before, but now should be c20m. Mind you I'm strictly a compass and map man, myself, don't trust anything that needs batteries to get me off a hill in bad conditions!