My first dotterel on Pendle Hill for four years, how times have changed! CLICK ON IMAGES FOR LIGHTBOX
DOTTEREL IS BECOMING A RARE SIGHT ON PENDLE HILL. As their numbers become fewer, they are ever more difficult to find as they stopover in East Lancashire on their way north each spring. Ironic that this year has seen the least disturbance on Pendle in recent memory, with hardly anyone making the hike up there, following the dubious closure of the Pendleside footpath. It would still have been a great place to keep your distance from other folks and much less risky than lots of places that were kept open. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this subject and came to the conclusion that the trip to the supermarket is infinitely more dangerous! Nevertheless, the finder rightly didn’t want the news broadcast despite the easing of lockdown allowing local folks to visit, in the knowledge that it would attract twitchers from much further afield. We were already aware of a birder making three c.100 miles round trips to Pendle the previous week in the hope of a dottie. We also thought that if this showy bird by the path to the trig point wasn’t battered by loads of toggers, as usually happens, it might attract some more during its stay but this proved not to be the case even with the lack of the usual endless stream of hikers and dog walkers with their animals off the lead. There really are fewer dotties now than even 10 years ago, a sad situation! The concensus is that this is a first summer female, any other thoughts are welcome.