The summer residents return

Nidderdale Moorland Group

What a beautiful start to the day we had this morning in Nidderdale and made even more special as the first of the returning Curlews can now be seen and heard on the moorland fringes.

This great picture was sent in this morning by one of our moorland gamekeepers of a Curlew coming in for a frosty landing in a moorland edge pasture.

Lapwing, Golden Plover, Oystercatchers, Merlin and many more of our summer residents are all now appearing ahead of this springs breeding season and it is a great time to spot these iconic moorland breeding species in the dale as they arrive.