A recent jaunt up north to Consett, Co. Durham visiting my Brother led to a couple of days walking alone around sections of the North Pennines while my Brother went about his work. One of which included the Groverake Mine on Rookhope Burn. As patches of heather burned on the valley above me I clumped down the steep footpath that dissects this derelict site - the remains of a small collection of stone buildings dotted around two tiers of level land beside a small stream in a deep trough cutting through the mossy, rocky ground, recording in it's banks the winter strength of this now docile trickle. In fact, when exploring, I found that the only crossing I could see for miles had already been washed away. leaving only a thin edge of path traversing the 4' diameter steel pipe purposefully positioned in the current.
What turned out to be the roof of the pump shed, housing the rusty carcass of a diesel pumping engine had collapsed in the centre leaving slate tiles piled around the machine and hanging precariously from the fragile rotten roof trusses.
On the far side of the upper tier was the first of two mine shafts cutting into the hillside. Peering down the dark hole gradually descending into the valley wall to what I have now discovered was one of the last and most productive Fluorspar seams in the Pennines left me feeling uneasy, and so walked further down the rocky path to the head frame.
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| Male Grouse strutting about making a right fuss |
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| Meadow Pipit? |
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| Definitely a Meadow Pipit |
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| Wheatear (m) |
As I walked around the mine site with Skylarks singing above me and the sounds and odd glimpses of Grouse and Lapwing I was pleasantly surprised to see a pair of small raptors pop up from the roof of one of the derelict sheds. I quickly hid myself as best I could on the shadowed side of an adjacent building. As I watched I could see each of the birds taking turns to circle higher and higher before folding their wings back and diving fast towards the river and swooping low before climbing a little and landing on the steep grassy bank above on the opposite side from my position. Occasionally perching on the very top of the mine's one remaining head frame, before dropping to the lip of a small chimney cowling atop the same roof the pair appeared from behind earlier.
Here are the best shots I could get of the Peregrines with a 300mm zoom. I attempted to get shots of the dives but this, as I found very quickly takes a lot of skill. My results are mediocre at best!
I also managed to see a number of birds completely new to me. I find searching and comparing photos until I've identified them completely immersive. As long as I get a reasonable photo, all goes well!
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| Lapwing |
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| Another Meadow Pipit? |
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