Dawn Chorus

The day started at 4 am when we set out for the Trentabank Ranger Centre in Macclesfield Forest to hear and see the dawn chorus.

We arrived just before 5.30 and joined a party of 10 plus 3 Rangers who were to be our guides. We were given access to areas of the forest where the general public are not usually able to go.

At the Ranger Centre there was a bird box with camera where Blue Tits had nested. There were 10 eggs in the nest, two of which had hatched. By the time we had returned from our walk another four had hatched with a further two not far behind. As we drank our coffee there was much ooing and ahing.

We rewarded ourselves with a marvelous Modest breakfast in Buxton before we headed on to the Tissington Estate and Village set in the rolling hills of the Peak District. There we did a 6 mile walk finishing with a welcome ice cream when we returned to the car park. We arrived home 13 hours after we had set off, tired but very happy.

A pied flycatcher which we spotted on our morning walk.