May 2024 – The Bovey Birder

Cuckoo Cacophony

Spring at Emsworthy Mire was exactly how I remembered it, bringing on a wave of younger nostalgia; crisp wind, stone wall snaked valley and parachuting Meadow Pipits wherever you looked. Following one plunge into the heather, was as exhilarating for me as it must be for him, so small, yet powerfully prepared against the airContinue reading “Cuckoo Cacophony”

Final Thursday

The final morning dawned bright and early, and the frantic packing governed those last precious few hours we could afford at the Grant Arms Hotel. Breakfast was a frantic affair packed with goodbyes, beginning with Dawn and Pete strolling towards us. It would be the last time we saw them for what would probably beContinue reading “Final Thursday”

The Final Countdown

We awoke early on our final full day, a grey but dry Wednesday morning ready to welcome us. Unlike previous days, breakfast was a bit more of a feature in the day, with a few special encounters coming to call. So as we prepared for the morning’s outing to Spey Bay, we reflected on theContinue reading “The Final Countdown”

A Terrific Tuesday

Here we go again! Another day at the Grant Arms began earlier than even the previous morning, with alarms set with one goal in mind; Black Grouse. And while the building still slept in the dawn air, we set off onto Dava Moor. The moor was huge, with heather and intermittent trees stunted with theContinue reading “A Terrific Tuesday”