nuthatch Archives - RAMBLING EXCURSIONS

Went for a walk today with my friend and Sparky. Across Cookridge Golf course and on to Paul’s Pond, Breary Marsh and Golden Acre Park. This is Part 2 of “My Patch”.

It is pretty good for birds and wildlife
and is well managed.

There are plenty of woodland copses and hedgerows, together with a lake, makes for quite a few different habitats. There are gulls, blackbirds, crows, rooks, thrushes, redwings, waxwings, great tits, blue tits, coal tits, long tailed tits, greenfinch, goldfinch, bullfinch, house sparrows, dunnocks have all been seen. the redwings and waxwing only this winter. There is occasionally a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.

If you walk on the footpath from Holt Farm on Holt Lane, and follow the yellow topped marker posts, you will eventually come to Breary Marsh and Pauls Pond.

Click on the map to enlarge. Then click here for a bit more info
It is a beautifully quiet spot normally, but has become busier as the route from Golden Acre has been developed, which makes it suitable for disability scooters.

The pond was used for private fishing, not sure if it still is. Today was iced over which it has been for about a month and there were no signs of any water fowl.

As you can see, these photos were taken in spring time. The lillies are beautiful and provide a home for baby coots.

Today is the first time that I saw a nuthatch there. Loads of chaffinch, blue and great tits and blackbirds. Its a great walk for dogs too, but have to keep them on the lead over the golf course. There is a stream running through from the pond to Golden Acre. The trees around the pond are mainly mature deciduous trees. those further on are alder, birch and silver birch.

I absolutely love trees. They are so photogenic and the differing light coming through the branches and leaves is quite beautiful.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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!!

After a very satisfying walk it was dinner at the Lawnswood.

Tag: nuthatch

Pauls Pond and Golden Acre (My Patch Part 2)

Deer, squirrels and nuthatch.