Route March

Today was a long walk to the east of the village. So far east that I completed about 15km by the time I returned home. Walking through Nafferton I recorded nothing of note except 3 Herring Gulls and 2 displaying Sparrowhawks before crossing some pretty barren farmland to Lowthorpe. Here I added a single Buzzard which took my Foot It list to 60 species. Another kilometer down the road and no woodpeckers in the wood but a group of 5-6 displaying Buzzards filling the air with their evocative calls.

Nothing much else so I headed to my primary destination - Kelk lake. Here I had hopes of a variety of wildfowl. Sadly my hopes were dashed with just 2 Mute Swans. Safe to say I wont be heading back... I booted back through Millingtondale where I saw nothing much except a flock of c40 Yellowhammers mixed with Chaffinches as I got to Nafferton Carrs. I guess this is the regular flock that live in Yellowhammer hedge which got flailed at the beginning of winter. Nonetheless they were a pleasant surprise. The last sighting of interest was a Grey Heron hunting in a flooded field in the Carrs. Reading it back it all seems very staid but it was hugely enjoyable walking in the sun as I got the miles UTB and burnt upward of 1300 calories. Which is after all the point of foot it?