Kingfisher with minnow
There is a good walk along the River Nidd from Old Bilton, quite a lot of which is managed by the Woodland Trust. I regularly see a kingfisher there, along with grey wagtails and goosanders.
The link below should take you to a map of the walk
http://www.getamap.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/?key=IynuGObu5Eqoc76Vc2HNVw2 walk along old railway line Along the river.
Its a brilliant walk with birds and wildlife to see all the time every season.
Haven’t yet managed to get a photo of the Grey Wagtails. Seen every time!! Goosander I’m pretty sure these are goosanders, but mergansers are very similar, so if anyone knows any different, please tell me.
Haystack Stone
Lovely walk today with my mate Angela on Ilkley moor. Flippin’ cold but all togged up with snow gear trousers and trusty Berghaus was fine!
The Haystack stone has some prehistoric carvings on it. Called cup and ring carvings, they are found all over the world. there’s a lot of theories about them but nobody really knows what they mean or why the were carved.
To find out more click
Didn’t see a lot of wildlife apart from a few grouse and a kestrel.
Sparky in his smart warm coat
A good old chat, catching up and putting world to
rights, then a picnic of hot chocolate with Baileys and a mince pie.
Thanks Angie!
If you plan to visit Yorkshire, Ilkley Moor is one of its wonders. Beautiful scenery, wildlife and history.
Went to the Lyn Dyke area of the reserve on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of the roosting Long Eared Owls, but no luck, they must have found somewhere else to kip!! Got a good look at them a couple of years ago, as they are fairly regular visitors at this time of year (Oct onwards), but don’t think they were around there last year. They are normally quite shy birds and only congregate to roost. The “ears” are not ears at all but tufts which can be raised to look just like ears. They have been declining in Britain, possibly due to competition from Tawny Owls.
Anyway, I didn’t see them but was surprised to see a number of cormorants perching on electricity pylons and wires. The pictures aren’t very good but gives you an idea.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/seenature/reserves/guide/f/fairburnings/index.aspx
We were told there were “swarms” of redpolls and mealies, but didn’t see them. However, we did see flocks of redwings, which I was dead pleased about. There’s still plenty of berries on the bushes and trees and they were feeding on these. I have seen redwing, but only from a distance and to get a recognisable photo was brill.
This morning I took Sparky for his usual walk across to the open area over the back of our house. Well I say usual – it was partly, because after passing by the foxes den, we made a little detour onto the golf course! Well………………no one was going to be playing, covered in snow and ice! There had obviously been some sledging going on over the weekend!
Anyway, its got lots of trees, bushes and hedgerows, lovely places for birds. The chaffinch, bullfinch and goldfinch were in there usual spots and there were plenty of fox and rabbit tracks in the snow. Sparky was keen to follow the foxes path and found it did indeed lead back to the hole where I thought foxes could be living.
However, the waxwing that I spotted right at the top of a tree all alone had to be the highlight of the morning. Just the one And on My Patch
It was really unexpected. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Was well pleased AND I had my camera and zoom with me. all alone!
I was surprised that it was all alone, as they usually travel in flocks ……………..I think? Greenfinch
There was a greenfinch on the same tree. And further on the chaffinch that I see every time.
Well yesterday turned out to be a good day for Mike and I at Adel Dam. At the first hide we had good views of the nuthatch although photos aren’t great. Upside down! The squirrels were getting in on the act too. Don’t think they remember where they buried their nuts, as they were eating everything under the bird table! I know a lot of people think that the grey squirrel are vermin, not native and just tree rats, but you gotta admire them haven’t you? I mean its not their fault that they were introduced from the U.S. And they are very picturesque and most obligingly did some good poses for me in the snow! Tree Rat? Beaut! Fantastic acrobat Just gotta luv em!
Yes, they are sooo successful that they have forced our even more beautiful red squirrel, out of their niches and into the far reached of Scotland and Northumberland and its’s not fair, but then life isn’t fair is it??
Next another fabulously picturesque very British bird – the robin! Cute? Friendly?
Robins, often called the gardeners friends because they will often come down and land near you when you are gardening, or perch on a fork or spade handle. Robin Red Breast.
No doubt waiting for something nice and juicy to be turned up in the soil you may be digging!
They may be tame enough to even eat out of your hand. They absolutely love meal worms and if you can’t bear to have live ones, you can buy dried ones, which I soak in hot water before putting on the table. They are rather expensive though. This cute, friendly bird can be very feisty though, with other birds and will literally fight to the death any other robin which tries to invade it’s territory. That’s why you generally only see one robin, unless the male is with a female, normally in spring time. Like these two in my garden last year. Mr and Mrs.
And now onto the real excitement of the day!! We walked around to the lake hide and sat looking out on nothing but a very frozen lake. Then Mike suddenly spotted a deer right across the other side, where the fox normally is. Not one but two roe deer. They were in shadow so not brilliant photos, but just glad to capture what we saw.
We only managed to get one deer on camera unfortunately. If I’d been a little quicker getting my gloves off, and the lens cap off, and the lens stabiliser on, then I might have managed it, but I was so excited I was all fingers and thumbs!! There were loads of tracks in the snow: fox, rabbit, deer, squirrel and all sorts of bird ones.
Just as we got up to leave the hide, the teal that normally winter at Adel arrived – or at least three did!! Teal
After a very satisfying walk it was dinner at the Lawnswood.
Well the 6-7 inches of snow turned into about 10 inches, I reckon and minus 9C on Wednesday night! Brrr! Those poor outdoor creatures! Made sure the feeders were topped up but was no use putting out fat balls as they just froze. Did put out some suet blocks which the starlings devoured in no time.
Its been thawing today and there’s been lots of activity at the feeders:
goldfinch, greenfinch, bullfinch and chaffinch, great tit, blue tit and coal tit, starlings, blackbirds, pair of collared doves and robin.
Took Sparky for walk on fields over back. About 5 – 6 inches of crisp white snow and all was very quiet. At 3.30pm as I was making my way back I saw the gulls heading north above me, as they do every day around late afternoon (dusk). I stood and watched them rising up from the housing estate and counted around 500 gulls all in groups of 10 – 20’s. There’s the Asda supermarket on the estate and a large secondary school, which no doubt attracts the birds with easy pickings. I’m not very good at identifying which gull this would be. I will try to be more observant and let you know!! By the time I got home at 4, there were more flying over. This happens every night – one of the most successful birds – scavengers! Crow are as well aren’t they? And rooks! The Red Kites are as well and are pretty successful around here.
Anyway, when I got home into the back garden a flock of about 20 thrush like birds flew overhead, some of which landed in the sycamore tree behind my garden. I couldn’t get a really close look even through bins, but from size and jizz (behaviour/movement) I reckon they were Redwings. I was hoping they had spied my feeders and would descend into my garden, but alas they buggered off!!!
The snowy weather has hit Leeds over the weekend and at the moment it is beautiful. I’m lucky as I don’t work Mondays, so have been out on my patch with Sparky.
It was very quiet and I couldn’t hear or see much around. I guess they were all at the garden feeders!!
However, I soon saw blackbirds eating the berries still left on various bushes and trees.
The chaffinches were nowhere to be seen, but a dwindling flock of goldfinches were about.As I walked across the golf course I noticed a small family of four greenfinches. The younger ones often fool me, as they are not very green at all, but you can tell they’re finches by the bill and greenfinches by the flash of a yellow bar on their wings.
Next to them on the same tree were a couple of bullfinch.
I am almost certain that I have found a foxes den/earth on my patch and keep meaning to get up before dawn, to see if I can confirm this with a glimpse, but guess I’m just too lazy!
Adel Dam is a small Yorkshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve at the far end of Golden Acre lake.
http://www.ywt.org.uk/_filestore/File/Nature%20reserves/Adel%20Dam.pdf
It is well managed by a group of volunteers. It consists of mixed woodland, with marshy areas and a lake. I have seen plenty of wildfowl, herons, teal, mandarin, pochard, cormorant, coot, moor hen, woodpeckers, foxes, thrush and roe deer.
There are two hides. One overlooking a marshy area, that has feeders. All the tits and finches visit and the greater spotted woodpecker. The other hide is at the far end of the lake. It was here that i got the best view I have had of the fox.
Foxes are such beautiful creatures I cannot understand anyone labelling them vermin.
On walking back, i spied the greater spotted woodpecker in the trees.
It doesn’t take much to please me – I was totally made up to have seen these chaps.
I’m pretty sure these are goosanders, but mergansers are very similar, so if anyone knows any different, please tell me.
Well yesterday turned out to be a good day for Mike and I at Adel Dam. At the first hide we had good views of the nuthatch although photos aren’t great.
