Day 70 - Hen Harrier Day

Day 70, yesterday, was Hen Harrier Day (and also my birthday!)

http://birdersagainst.org/circus-cyaneus

 

I spent the day in the lovely Goyt Valley, somewhere I've walked lots of time (and is also surrounded by grouse moors).

These photos were taken on the walk from the car park to Goytsclough Quarry

I was early. I'd arrived before 9am as I expected the car parks would quickly fill up that morning.

That meant a bit of loitering as people gradually arrived. I noticed a dark green fritillary butterfly, feeding in the sunshine.

I also, against my usual shy nature, said hello to a fellow Hen Harrier supporter I'd seen the night before and then recognised on Twitter.

The next photos were taken as the crowd assembled, before the speakers began.

Charlie Moores (BAWC)

Jo Smith (Chief Executive of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust)

Jeff Knott (RSPB)

Chris Packham

I highly recommend you watch Packham's speech to the crowd as he is brilliant and it will fully explain why we were there, what Hen Harrier Day is all about. It's 15 minutes but well worth the time.


This is a scene walking back to the car park after the event.

A bit later in the day, back home, I took my jacket off in the garden and put it down on the grass for a few moments, then, heading back indoors, I picked it up and shook it and suddenly there was a grass hopper on the path.

Field grasshopper

I really have no idea where it came from but I wonder if it had somehow got on my jacket in the Goyt Valley, become trapped in a fold somewhere and was then let out when I shook it. I'd be very surprised if that was the case as my jacket was tied around my waist for several hours so surely I would have crushed it when I sat in the car or  it would have fallen out at some point, or just died while it was in there.

However, I've never seen hoppers in the garden before. They are in the fields across the road and probably in the fields at the back, bordering the garden, but in all the years I've lived in this house, I've never had a garden grasshopper so it seems unlikely it was in the garden already.

I was tempted to pop back to the Goyt Valley to take it home, but decided to take it down the garden and behind the workshop where there's a bit of a wild patch beyond the fence and hope he was happy with that.

See also

Dr Mark Avery's blog post about Hen Harrier Eve & Findlay's post about Hen Harrier Weekend