Moorland
birds  |
Moorlands are good places for wildlife watchers because they are ideal habitats
for game birds and reptiles. Nature's Calendar looks at some of the
activities you can get involved in within moorland areas. Ìý | | Weeting Heath
- rich in wildlife. Photo - English Nature |
Stone
Curlews
 If
you're looking for Stone Curlews, you'll have to look long and hard because these
are some of the best camouflaged birds around.
But there is one place you
are almost guaranteed to see Stone Curlews - Weeting Heath reserve. This
is only place you can be sure of being close to a Stone Curlew but much depends
on where the birds choose to nest. The birds nest in open space but there
aren't many of them and they are very easily disturbed. They are so well
camouflaged that you'll need binoculars or a telescope, if you have one. The
birds are a stony brown colour which makes them hard to pick out with the naked
eye so look out for a flash of their distinctive bright yellow eyes. Their
favourite territory is open fields where they can see potential predators from
a distance. Listen for the Stone Curlew's eerie wailing call. One trick
is to carry a recording of their sound to track down the birds. Stone Curlews
are especially active at dusk which is a good time to see them. Farndale
moorland bird hunt  If
you want to see some good wildlife, don't just walk down into the middle of the
moor or you'll find yourself looking for a needle in a haystack.
Look at
areas where the moorland meets the farmland where many birds nest during the spring
because it provides safety and cover. These edge habitats are also close
to land which is not that intensively farmed, so it's rich in food. It's
also an area with a high water table so the birds don't have to work to hard to
find worms, insects etc Also look where the heather has been burned - some
birds like Golden Plover like this type of landscape. Try not to stand out
like a sore thumb so make yourself small in order to watch the rare birds. Look
out for Grouse, Meadow Pipits, Golden Plover, Curlew and Lapwings. Look
carefully at the landscape and you'll see strange shapes cut out of the heather.
These narrow strips are cut to encourage young
shoots to re-grow and these areas are popular with Grouse chicks who feed on them.
If a predator comes by they only have a few
feet to scurry back to safety under cover of the old heather. The
place where the male Black Grouse display to attract a female bird is called the
Lek. Look around for black feathers - the
birds often fight for the objects of their affection and competition is intense
so feathers can go flying. The Lek site is
a sensitive area so don't disturb it - go and watch the wildlife from a nearby
hide on the edge of the moor. Black Grouse
display best at day break which is a good time to head for the hide.
A
good place to see these birds is the Ruabon Mountain Black Grouse Hide on the
edge of Ruabon Moor at the Llandegla Forest Centre.
Lizard
watching Lizards can be relatively easy to spot if you know
where and when to look. Until they warm up, Lizards can't get their muscles
working to move about quickly. So they rely on the sun and like to bask
somewhere hot in areas such as the south facing grouse 'butts' (former Grouse
shooting hides) which are sun traps. Sometimes they're quite well disguised
due to their colour, so you will have to scan around carefully to spot them. Watch
out for their tongue darting in and out, sensing the air for any prey that might
be around. Lizards can be found across Ruabon Moor as can Adders. If
you have no luck in the grouse buts, Lizards also enjoy basking on the footpaths,
so keep a careful eye out whilst walking. Photo
credits Image of Weeting Heath copyright
of Natural England and Peter Wakely. | 
