30 Aug 24 - A Good Ending To August For The Historic Isle Of Purbeck Year List

I'm two-thirds through the year on my Historic Isle of Purbeck Year List challenge for 2024. The target is to comfortably pass the two hundred species barrier, following BOU taxonomy with no reintroduction species or feral pigeons. I was on 175 at the end of Jul 24, which was relatively disappointing compared to my previous Poole Harbour Year Lists attempts. However, I had been abroad for a month from mid-Jan to mid-Feb and consequentially I missed a good chunk of the first Winter and four expected Winter species: Merlin, Woodcock, Jack Snipe & Brambling. However, Jack Snipe can be tricky to locate at the best of times and Brambling is most easily seen as a Vis Mig species in late Oct - early Nov.

The size of the two areas are broadly similar. Poole Harbour adds in the good & well-watched Lytchett Bay & Swineham patches: which allow a few easy Year Ticks that are very hard to unlikely to see in the Isle of Purbeck such as Bittern, Pochard, Garganey, bonus Waders, Water Pipit etc. But the latter patch includes the Jurassic coastline with easy bonuses such as Red-legged and Grey Partridges, Puffins, Corn Buntings, much better migrant Passerines & seawatching. But a lot fewer Birders watch this coastline and lack of coverage is a downside.

My best ever Poole Harbour Year List is 206 in 2011, with the record of 209 being achieved by Nick Hopper in 2008. In comparison in 2022, I reached 195 by 24 Oct in the Isle of Purbeck and would have finished the year on about 205. But instead, I headed out for two back to back tours to very remote parts of Indonesia with Bird Tour Asia for seven weeks, followed by an eight day bout of Salmonella picked up in Bali or on the plane home. This meant I didn't see any additional species. The Isle of Purbeck Year List record is 202 achieved by James Leaver in 2023.

Wood Sandpiper: This was a species I reckon I only had a slim chance of seeing in the Isle of Purbeck. So, I quickly headed over to Brownsea to see it. I didn't have my camera with me, but I just managed to squeeze it onto the DWT Brownsea TV screen whilst showing it to visitors (3 Aug 24)

Fortunately, Aug 24 has provided a good start to the Autumn, with my first Yellow Wagtails and the bonus Wood Sandpiper on Brownsea at the start of the month. It was the best part of three weeks before I saw another new species, despite getting out every Birding locally nearly every day. The weather cracked up on 22 Aug when Storm Ernesto battered the UK and produced some nice seawatching at Durlston. The highlight was a couple of bonus Sooty Shearwaters, with another on the following morning. That afternoon I finally bumped into a Ring-necked Parakeet. Up to a couple of years ago, this was an easy species to see around Studland and I often bumped into them elsewhere locally. However, I'm only aware of a handful of sightings this year, thanks to a decision by the Studland Golf Course to employ a pest controller to shoot them over the last couple of years.

Ring-necked Parakeet: A few years ago, I started seeing them around my Swanage house. However, thanks to some Parakeet-hating golfers, the small Purbeck population that has probably never reached twenty individuals might well disappear completely (29 Aug 18)

Things picked up when I went to Brownsea on 24 Aug after a Little Stint was found there by local Birder & Brownsea volunteer Graham Armstrong. I then found an eclipse Male Garganey & Graham upped my Year List again with a Curlew Sandpiper. I didn't dare to dream of a three Tick day at this stage of the year.

Garganey: Eclipse Male on the DWT Brownsea TV screen (24 Aug 24)

I thought a Grasshopper Warbler on 29 Aug would be the last Year Tick of the month. However, after a wonderful day spotting on the Birds of Poole Harbour Bird Boat, I was heading home, when local Purbeck Birder James Leaver rang about a Wryneck he had just found on his evening walk patch at Knowle Hill. The car was rapidly spun around in Corfe Castle and a few minutes later, I met up with James. It was a nerve-racking ten minute wait as the sun slowly lowered, but then James saw it pop up again. Another bonus Year Tick that I wasn't banking on, left me on 184 at the end of the month.

Wryneck: We didn't try to get close to get better photos as we didn't want to disturb it, in case other local Birders wanted to look for it the following morning. In the end, nobody did look for it & it could still be around

Wryneck: It seemed happy to take in the last of the evening sun

In addition to the four Winter species, still have a few fairly easy species to see: Storm-petrel, Bonxie, Short-eared Owl, Pied Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Warbler & Ring Ouzel. Then I will be reliant on some scarce & rare Autumn & Winter species to push me over the two hundred barrier. At this point, it seems possible and the challenge will help me get out Birding daily over the next few months.

30 Aug 24 - The Poole Harbour Osprey Pelagic

I was down to act as a spotter on the Birds of Poole Harbour Osprey cruise focusing on the Wareham Channel in the morning. We left on time at 09:00 for the three hour cruise & headed off for the Wareham Channel with Mark Constantine, Paul Morton & Sam Ryde on board running the commentary. We also had Imogen Lloyd from the Isle of Wight Forestry England Sea-eagle Project on board as a guest visitor. We were quickly heading for Gold Point where Sam had picked out a perched White-tailed Sea-eagle on the beach. It was remarkably unfazed as the bird boat approached. However, this is something I had seen ten days earlier when the resident female was seen sitting on a 'No Landing' sign on the Wareham Channel side of the Arne Peninsula: on a cruise when I hadn't taken my camera.

White-tailed Sea-eagle: Male. Sitting on Arne's Gold Point

White-tailed Sea-eagle: Male. It's tricky to figure out which of the pair it was, until it shuffled on the beach and revealed it only had one foot

After filling our boots with the White-tailed Sea-eagle, Paul remembered it was an Osprey cruise & we departed for the Wareham Channel. It's tricky to be sure how many Ospreys were seen during the day, but I wouldn't be surprised if the total reached around ten individuals. This included a mixture from the local family, as well as, arrivals heading South from other UK pairs. We started with two Ospreys distantly perched in a bare tree on Arne, but quickly saw the first fishing Osprey. This was followed by Ospreys being on view somewhere in the Wareham Channel throughout the morning.

Osprey: Adult. This adult Osprey made a fairly close pass to the boat before heading off to another part of the Wareham Channel to fish. We had plenty of Osprey encounters during the morning, but this was the only one I photographed

As a spotter, my job is to help the passengers see the Ospreys, Sandwich Terns and other Birds & Seals that were feeding in the Wareham Channel, as well as, to provide useful tips on how to identify them. Often this means that once I'm happy that all of the passengers around me are looking at the present species of interest, I switch to scanning in other directions to look for other interesting species. But occasionally, I stopped scanning and took a few photographs.

Sandwich Tern: There were several Sandwich Terns fishing in the Wareham Channel during the day

We spent the morning cruising up & down the Wareham Channel. As well as the many Osprey sightings, we enjoyed flight views of the White-tailed Sea-eagle pair fly along the Channel and land in a waterside tree. Eventually, it was getting close to mid-day & we headed for Poole quayside. Everybody seemed to have had a good morning. For once the weather had been kind with warm, still & sunny weather and jackets and fleeces were taken off in the sun. As we disembarked, Mark & Paul asked if I wanted to go back out on the afternoon boat, as Mark had some pressing work commitments that stopped him going back out. It only took a few seconds to say yes. I headed off to get some lunch before returning in time to join Liz Woodford as a spotter on the 14:00 boat.

Historic Lancaster Bomber: This was the second day of the Bournemouth airshow and we had nice views of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster, as well as, a couple of more distant Spitfires. This was the 'Bird of the Day' for me

Paul & Sam led on the commentary on the afternoon cruise as we motored towards the Wareham Channel. Fairly quickly, Sam decided to get Paul to run through the new Birds of Poole Harbour exercises that they had been practising. Fortunately, the passengers were sensible enough to not all stand up & join in.

Paul & Sam call this the White-tailed Sea-eagle Position

Paul & Sam call this the Buzzard Position. I was too slow to photograph the Osprey and Marsh Harrier Positions

With the exercises over, Paul & Sam's commentary switched to the importance of Poole Harbour and the successful reintroduction of Ospreys into Dorset. Later, Imogen provided more detailed about the Isle of Wight White-tailed Sea-eagle reintroduction project. This was followed during the afternoon with views of multiple Ospreys and more distant views of the White-tailed Sea-eagles chasing Ospreys with fish over the top of the Arne reserve. Unfortunately, these aerial dog-fights weren't close on this occasion.

Osprey: Well it was an Osprey cruise

It would be interesting to know how these numbers in the Wareham Channel compare to a decade ago before the first Osprey releases. Certainly, Ospreys were regular in this area in the Autumn, but there weren't the frequent bird boats to allow a direct comparison of non-local Ospreys over the years. However, it does feel that the presence of the local pair have helped to attract & hold migrating Ospreys these days.

Osprey: Like the morning, there were frequent Osprey sightings throughout the afternoon

On both cruises, we saw Common Seals & Grey Seals. This Common Seal was an absolute beauty as it enjoyed a relaxing rest on the mud bank close to the main channel leading into the River Frome. It was unfazed by our boat, albeit we weren't as close as this photo suggests.

Common Seal

Common Seal

Common Seal

Common Seal: Showing the short and concave snout of a Common Seal. Grey Seals have a longer and more Alsatian-like pointed snout, as well as, being significantly larger. There is a good comparison of the head shapes for the two Seal species in one of my recent Blog Posts

In the end, we were late back to the quayside as Paul decided to head back up the Wareham Channel towards the end of the cruise for another Osprey. It had been another superb Osprey cruise.

Osprey: We saw this individual dive into the water & it spent some time before it resurfaced. Clearly, it had caught a decent-sized fish and had managed to drag it back to the surface

If you haven't been on one of the Birds of Poole Harbour cruises, then I can thoroughly recommend them. But it is best to overdress as it is generally colder on the water than on the quayside. It was a pleasant chance to be able to get down to T-shirts in the glorious afternoon weather.

Osprey: But, it was clearly struggling to get the fish out of the water

The final thought was the Birds of Poole Harbour team would have made a profit from these two cruises. They reinvest this money into inviting schoolkids from across the towns around the local area on a cruise, where they focus on educating the schoolkids about the importance of Poole Harbour and protecting it and its wildlife. This is a free event for the schools, but hopefully it will help excite a passion for Poole Harbour and its wildlife in the next generation.

Osprey: After a long fight, the Osprey decided to drop the fish as it was clearly too large to lift out of the water. Maybe it spent the evening calling to the other Ospreys about 'the one that got away'

28 Aug 24 - An Eclipse Male Garganey In The Isle Of Purbeck

Garganey are a difficult species to see in the Historic Isle of Purbeck. This is quite frustrating as they are just about annual at Swineham which borders the area. I've only seen five individuals in the area over the previous twenty-seven years of living in Dorset, including three eclipse & First Winter individuals that I've found. I reckon I only had a slim chance of seeing one for my Historic Isle of Purbeck Year List.

On 24 Aug, I had a call from Graham Armstrong to say he had found a Little Stint on the DWT Brownsea lagoon. I was just leaving Brands Bay as the tide had come up, so I headed for the ferry & thanks to connecting ferries was on Brownsea within a half hour of hearing the news. After a bit of searching Graham & I relocated the Little Stint, which was a nice Year Tick. Graham left to take over running the DWT vid-scope whilst I stayed on in the Tern hide. I noticed there were good numbers of Teal & switched from the Waders I had already scanned through to the Teal. About halfway through a lovely eclipse Garganey popped into view. I rang Graham as I headed to join him in the closer Avocet hide. He had got onto it, in the few minutes I had taken to walk around. Later he found my first Curlew Sandpiper of the year. Three not guaranteed Isle of Purbeck Year Ticks was much better than I could have hoped for. The only shame was I hadn't taken my camera that morning with me.

Garganey: Eclipse Male. It's good to see it is still around with a Teal for comparison. It's good to get some purple tones & it reminds me of my early Birding with my first telescope: a Bausch & Lomb Discoverer

Today I was back on Brownsea & started by scanning the Teal from the Avocet hide. I had a suspicion the Garganey might still be around and quickly provided this to be the case. All the Ducks flew before I get a photo, but they came down by the Greenshank logs. My initial photos were uninspiring & I abandoned the photography in favour of a quick check of the Tern hide. Later in the afternoon, I had a quick look at the logs & the Garganey was still around. I pointed it out to a couple of visitors in the hide & grabbed a couple of photos from the vid-scope's TV screen.

Garganey: Eclipse Male. I was fractionally too late to get a clear photo but I did see it had an extensive pale blue wing panel, as it opened its wing to preen after a quick wash. It's possible to see part of the pale blue in this photo. It's nice to find an eclipse Male locally, but it would be nicer to find a pretty Spring Male at Studland

28 Aug 24 - An Eyed Hawk Moth Caterpillar

As I walked down to the Avocet hide overlooking the DWT Brownsea lagoon, I saw this caterpillar on the path. It was cleared one of the Hawk Moth caterpillars, but which one. The options are Eyed Hawk Moth or Lime Hawk Moth as both are pale green caterpillars with pale stripes and a bluish spike on the tail. Lime Hawk Moth caterpillars have yellow stripes and small red blotches on the sides of the body, whereas, Eyed Hawk Moth caterpillars have white stripes. So, it looks like an Eyed Hawk Moth caterpillar. Their preferred food plants are Sallows, Apple, wild and ornamental Crab Apples and they also occur on Poplars and Aspens. There are a number of Sallows around the hide.

Eyed Hawk Moth Caterpillar

This is what it should look like when it is an adult.

Eyed Hawk Moth: My Swanage garden (12 Jun 10)

27 Aug 24 - It's That Time Of Year Again

It's that time of year again when the Autumn Lady's Tresses are appearing on the short grassy slopes of the Purbeck coastline. It's the last of the British Orchids to flower, but it's also one I enjoy seeing. I saw just under two hundred today on the Southern slopes of Ballard Down, without making any attempt to thoroughly count them.

Autumn Lady's Tresses

Autumn Lady's Tresses are a species I always associate with Autum migrants: so where are the birds?

21 Aug 24 - Improving Table Manners

In a Blog Post 'Red Squirrel Behaving Badly' on 17 Jul, I provided evidence that one of the Red Squirrels feeding on the Dorset Wildlife Trust peanut feeder had picked up some poor meal-time manners.

The badly-behaved Red Squirrel (17 Aug 24)

I passed these comments onto Nicki & Jonny, the two resident DWT rangers & maybe they have done some meal-time training with the Red Squirrels, as the three that were on the feeders were well-behaved today.

Red Squirrel showing better feeding etiquette

Red Squirrel: I never get tired of seeing my favourite UK land Mammal

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel: Head & Shoulders

Red Squirrel: There is room for another peanut

Red Squirrel

21 Aug 24 - There's A Storm Coming

On 17 Aug, the Global Flyway twitter account announced that a Storm had hit Poole Harbour: something that the local weather teams overlooked. But it was understandable as it was Storm the female Spoonbill, AKA colour ring NH45. Storm was ringed as an adult female Spoonbill on Schiermonnikoog Island in early Jun 2024 and she was also given a satellite-tag. She left the Wadden Sea early, on 31 Jul and spent twelve days in Oostvaardersplassen. The next stop was Hellevoetsluis, south of Rotterdam, where she spent five days. She left at dusk, flying overnight to Lymington after passing over Dungeness, before continuing onto Poole Harbour to arrive on the evening of 17 Aug.

Since her arrival, a number of local Birders have been looking for her. I'm sure we saw her on Brownsea on 20 Aug from the Birds of Poole Harbour Bird Boat, when we saw a CR Spoonbill with a large white ring and a red ring above that. This is the first Spoonbill I've seen with a red ring above the white ring. I have seen at least three CR Spoonbills on Brownsea this Autumn with large white rings which is the 'normal' Dutch Spoonbills we see. Paul Morton & Shaun Robson were also on the boat and didn't recognise this ring combination either. But nobody could read the letters on the white ring from the boat and the toggers didn't fare any better either.

Spoonbill Storm (NH45): She was one of twenty-three Spoonbills on the DWT Brownsea lagoon

Fortunately, I could see a CR Spoonbill with a large white ring and a red ring on the following morning from the Tern Hide on Brownsea on my regular volunteering day. My photo isn't good enough to see the ring number, but I could clearly see it was NH45 with my scope. It was good to see Storm in Poole Harbour, albeit the Dutch team will have known her movements over the last few days.

Spoonbill Storm (NH45): She stuck around for a few weeks, then disappeared. It turns out she has carried on flying South & she reached the Senegal river delta by the start of Nov 24, according to this image copied from the Global Flyway Network (@GlobalFlyway) on twitter

17 Aug 24 - Some Garden Butterflies

As I headed out for the afternoon, I saw a Holly Blue & a Speckled Wood in the back garden, which provided the chances for some quick photos.

Holly Blue: The first I've seen of this year's second brood. But it has clearly been flying for a few days given it isn't fresh

Speckled Wood: Another second brood individual

17 Aug 24 - Jersey Tiger

Jersey Tigers used to be restricted to the Channel Isles. But they have been a well-established breeding species along Dorset's Purbeck coastline for a decade or more now.

Jersey Tiger: It's always nice to see them locally

15 Aug 24 - Golden-ringed Dragonfly

The highlight of a walk down Winspit was a couple of Golden-ringed Dragonflies, one of which posed for a few minutes near to the valley's sewerage works.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly: The British Dragonfly Society states "they breed in acidic rivers & streams of all sizes and they may be found away from its breeding habitat over heathland". There isn't any acidic heaths closer than Corfe Heath, so given the lack of water locally, I'm assuming they are breeding on the nearby sewerage works pool or the outflow stream in the valley

Golden-ringed Dragonfly: I always enjoy a head & shoulders photo of a Dragonfly

14 Aug 24 - Failing To Photograph The Celebrity

It was only when I was sorting these Black-tailed Godwit photos, that I noticed that I had failed to photograph the celebrity: the out of focus colour-ringed Blackwit. We did notice it was ringed soon after.

Black-tailed Godwit: The back individual is an eleven year old Female

It was colour-ringed as Juvenile Female on 10 Nov 13 at Seaton Marshes LNR. The ring details are: left leg lime over black over lime & right leg yellow over red over yellow. Since she was ringed, she has been seen in a good number of locations, but she seems very faithful to Poole Harbour in recent years:

• Seaton Marshes LNR, Devon - Axe Estuary Ringing Group (10 Nov 13)

• Seaton Marshes LNR, Devon - Neil Croton (14 Dec 13)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - Axe Estuary Ringing Group (19 Jan 14)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - Michael Summerton (24 Jan 14)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - Ian Stanbridge (25 Jan 14)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - David & Elisabeth Price (25 Jan 14)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - Katharine Bowgen (29 Jan 14)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - AJ Bellamy & Jenny Newland (23 Feb 14)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - Richard Ormerod (3 Mar 14)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - Axe Estuary Ringing Group (29 Mar 14)

• Bowling Green Marsh, Devon - Lawrence Pierce (15 Apr 14)

• Arne, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Julian Swindell (4 May 14)

• Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Graham c/o Kevin Sayer (20 May 14)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (28 May 14)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (9 Jun 14)

• Holes Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Chris Walker (15 Aug 14)

• Holes Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (1 Jan 15)

• Holes Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (26 Jan 15)

• Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Graham Armstrong (4 Aug 15)

• Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Chris Thain (17 Aug 15)

• Holes Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (16 Jan 17)

• Holes Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (30 Jan 17)

• Lytchett Fields, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (19 Oct 17)

• Lytchett Fields, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Shaun Robson (24 Oct 17)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (26 Oct 17)

• Upton Country Park, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Greg Wills (30 Dec 17)

• Holes Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (28 Feb 18)

• Oare Marshes LNR, Kent - Gary Clewley (25 Jul 18)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Shaun Robson (8 Oct 18)

• Lytchett Fields, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Shaun Robson (12 Oct 18)

• Baiter, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (12 Mar 19)

• Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Thomas Weston (17 Mar 19)

• Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Clare Slade (18 Apr 19)

• Titchfield Haven NNR, Hampshire - Clare Harrison (19 May 19)

• Lymington-Keyhaven NNR, Hampshire - Martin Cooper (17 Jul 19)

• Lymington-Keyhaven NNR, Hampshire - Martin Cooper (5 Aug 19)

• Lymington-Keyhaven LNR, Hampshire - Pete Durnell (6 Aug 19)

• Avon Floods, Hampshire - Keith Betton (30 Aug 19)

• Holes Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Steve F Smith (25 Sep 20)

• Frodham Marsh, Cheshire - Bill Morton (7 Aug 21)

• Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Martin Adams (17 Sep 21)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Shaun Robson (19 Nov 21)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (28 Nov 21)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (29 Nov 21)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Shaun Robson (15 Dec 21)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Ian Ballam (22 Jan 22)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Shaun Robson (25 Feb 22)

• Lytchett Bay, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Shaun Robson (15 Feb 23)

• Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Steve Smith (14 Aug 24)

• Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Dorset - Martin Adams (16 Aug 24).

14 Aug 24 - A Brownsea Little Egret

One of the nice things about visiting Brownsea, is sometimes it is possible to get close photos of Brownsea's Birds. Generally, this is when they are in close to one of the hides. So, it was good to see this Little Egret feeding on the shoreline next to the main jetty.

Little Egret: When I first started Birding, Little Egrets were a national rarity. Around the start of the 1990s, they started occurring more often and the first pair bred in the UK in 1996. Poole Harbour is home to nationally significant numbers of Little Egrets and this is one of the species that gives Poole Harbour a Special Protection Area designation

14 Aug 24 - Poole Harbour Seals

We are lucky to be able to see both species of UK Seals in and around Poole Harbour. The most frequently seen species are Common Seals. They can be encountered anywhere in Poole Harbour, but especially in the Wareham Channel, around the islands from Long Island to Brownsea and Studland's Brands Bay. Grey Seals are the scarcer of the two species. Again they can be encountered anywhere in Poole Harbour, but they are generally more likely seen closer to the Poole Harbour mouth. They are also the most likely species in Studland Bay.

Common Seal on Stone Island

As I was waiting for the National Trush ferry to Brownsea, I could see there was a Seal on Stone Island, the stoney bank just inside Poole Harbour. A quick scan with the scope confirmed it was a gorgeous Common Seal, showing off a green algal coat. A closer scan confirmed there was a second Seal in the water looking at it: this was a Grey Seal. These two individuals provided a good comparison of how to identify the two species.

A close up of the Common Seal showing the shorter, more concaved head profile: Adult Common Seals grow to about five foot in length

Grey Seal showing the elongated head with the long muzzle: This is often compared to the mussle of an Alsatian Dog. Adult Grey Seals are longer than Common Seals and grow to about eight to nine feet in length

12 Aug 24 - A Trip Down Memory Lane

A visit to Ilkley, to catch up with my sister & her husband and my Dad's side of the family, allowed me to have a quick walk around the Cow & Calf. This was my first chance to revisit this distinctive landmark perched above Ilkley since I was a kid. When we were kids, this was a guaranteed walk on the many trips we made to the area to visit relatives.

The Cow & Calf Rocks: The Calf is the right hand most rock

The Cow & Calf Rocks

The Cow & Calf Rocks: The rocks are Addingham Edge Grit which are a type of Sandstone. Addingham is the next town to Ilkley

The Cow & Calf Rocks: 1871 graffiti. At what point does graffiti become historically significant?

The Cow & Calf Rocks: More 1875 historic graffiti

The Cow & Calf Rocks

It was good to travel back down memory lane to this iconic landscape.