What a glorious Autumn afternoon it was in the Lune valley yesterday (Thursday), but unfortunately the tranquility was disturbed by one of the Bearded One’s hot air balloons launching near Bull Beck and maintaining very low altitude as it drifted East over Claughton and Hornby – I’d guesstimate no more than 200 feet – scattering around 250 greylag and Canada geese grazing / preparing to roost in the fields between Brookhouse and Claughton. I suspect they were disturbed a second time further up the valley, as most reappeared from that direction half an hour or so after first being disturbed. Maybe I’m misinterpreting what took place, but I hope the choice of flight path was not made with the deliberate intention of providing the ballooners with an eyeball-to-eyeball encounter of birds in flight. Any balloonists out there who can provide an alternative explanation?
