Over the years I,ve clocked up 110 species here as well as amazing numbers of moving birds during the visible migration season which all add to the pleasure of having this location as a local patch.
Of course its not all sunshine and roses, far from it , with probably 4 out of 5 visits spoilt with the weather due to the elevation of the area being first to get the low cloud and strong winds.
The biting westerly wind drives heavy drizzle over the moor and with no shelter up there its just grin and bear it. Of course when the fogs down the visit has to be abandoned, as well as in winter when the snow makes the road impassable.
Having said all that, when I,m up there to see the sunrise on a quiet Sunday with Curlews calling as well as a chorus from all the other moorland species, Golden Plover, Snipe, Red Grouse and noisy Canadas on the water there,s no better place I,d rather be, its something money can,t buy.
In nearly 50 years birding up there nothing of the habitat has changed and is unlikely to so I,ll keep plodding on up there taking the good with the bad never knowing what each visit is going to produce.
BS