5th February 2012, on a (lap) wing and a prayer!

So the threatened snow arrived but no great quantity around these parts and the paths around the house and the drive were soon cleared. A warmer but dull day promised a thaw and as I brushed away the snow it turned quickly to the messy sludge that is the unwelcome residue of winter precipitation.

Discussions about a walk were held, the quiet lane down the valley is a favourite and there is usually something of interest to see.

The humble but much loved sparrow, rear view only as it refused to show its face!











There have been a few murmurations of starlings recently quite near to home, a few of the participants put on a little mini display just for us:-)

Lapwings are a great personal favourite, their wheeling flight and distinctive call stands them out amongst other birds, the plaintive note of their song evokes boyhood memories of the local moors now in the midst of winter we find them feeding on lower level grazing land.

Pheasants now live in some numbers in the lowlands of the valley, wonderful colours and a strange manner and a joy to see in the wild.

Passing through Low Holden Farm we had a chat with the resident farmer, he had been in Austria the previous week at temperatures of -21c! He was having a break from shifting dung from the cow sheds, the warmth from said stuff may have been welcome but the smell was just enough to hurry us onwards!

Four legged tracks across the ice and a hole...we looked in the water and there was nothing evident so hopefully not a bad outcome!



The competition in Dancing on Ice has been tough this year, this moorhen decided to set a high tariff...a single leg toe spin without pike but performed elegantly:-))

Magpies are not everyones favourite, indeed few peoples favourite, but they have a part to play in the world of nature. The rascal of the treetops, along with jays, they will quite willingly rob nests of eggs and young nestlings...but lots of other birds do this too and without the bad publicity.

Mrs Wildlife was trying to attract my attention now, I was watching robins which posed briefly until the lenscap was removed then flew off...I was directed towards a dunnock, cracking little bird oft neglected because it is not spectacular, I love them, their fluttering wings and thin warbling call are a delight.

Wandering back to Silsden now we got a brief view of what we think are winter plumage golden plover, not the greatest photo at long distance and in very dull light.

The snowy lane had been a delight to wander on, to have such peace and quiet so close to home is much treasured and the time spent down here pays off as we see the change in our valley from season to season. The birds are beginning to sing their songs of delight, territorial, partner attracting...whatever...it is simply beautiful!!!!!











4th February 2012, The day the snow arrived

We planned an early start for a riverbank and woodland walk from Barden Bridge near Bolton Abbey, snow is forecast but the weather people seem unable to decide just when it will arrive. A cold but still start to the day and the frozen paths were welcomed after some muddy recent outings, a lovely thrush was our first sighting.

This lovely robin posed for a while as we headed downstream, apart from a few mallards there was little to be seen on the river, perhaps the cold weather has caused the usual goosanders and dippers away to different and warmer climes?

We wandered onwards into the woods and heard the loud drumming of a woodpecker, despite a lenghty visual search we could not locate it. Visitors scatter bird food around the walls and path near the Harrison Ford shelter and good bird sightings are the result. Coal, great and blue tits, chaffinches and nuthatches all seen at close quarters as they fed close to us.

Further into the woods some feeders are hidden away from the path, well worth a little diversion and we were rewarded by another nuthatch.

We crossed the bridge and began the return pausing to stop and look at the ice forming around the reeds beside the river, it was getting much colder now and the extra layers we had carried were very welcome, brrr!

Dippers are normally pretty easy to find here, today they seem notable by their absence until we heard the lovely song of these delighful birds.

Soon after this the leaden sky began to bestow us with snow flakes, nothing too drastic just small flakes but becoming a little heavier. The roads were clear though as we headed back through Skipton, the market traders seemed to be doing little business as perhaps the weather forecast had kept potential shoppers away. I don't know why town centre traffic control systems seem designed to make it difficult to get out of a town but it seemed to take an eternity to escape the town boundary!

Mrs Wildlife was heading home to some warmth while I had plans for another short wander. Leaving the car heater behind I was dropped off at Kildwick, an exploration of the Leeds Liverpool canal and the river Aire beckoned. I don't know what I expected to see but what I did see was very little in the way of wildlife. The frozen canal was a desolate place, a very cold wind permeated even my windproof clothing and my gloved fingers were rapidly numbing.

Diverting to the riverbank brought little reward, a young swan photographed through a hedge was scant consolation on such a cold day.

Nearing Kildwick again as I looped around I decided to call it a day and my return to the canalbank for the walk to Silsden was swift. A weary plod along the rutted path ensued with little to distract me from my mission to head to the warmth of the tap room in my local pub:-))

The boatyard in Silsden provides some warmth to the canal water as the engines of the boats are running and a swan and a few ducks were taking advantage of this thawed patch.

Not the greatest day for wildlife watchers but we still enjoyed it, and the tap room was a splendid place to warm up my frozen extremities!!!

The source of the Aire, or Malhamdale.

A grey day in Airedale today, I was hoping for frozen paths and dry conditions which would have made the canalbank and riverside footpaths a little more appealing rather than the mudbaths of late. Our plans for a kingfisher expedition were shelved, another finer day will surely not be far away!

We had already planned a potato buying trip to a garden centre in Gargrave and with first early, second early and main crop safely purchased plus some more bird food, we headed up to Malham. Gordale and Malham becks flowing from the east and west respectively eventually combine to form the river Aire, somewhat incongruously to me at least its area of birth is celebrated by the name Malhamdale not Airedale until it is safely on its way out of the National Park.

Malham can be off-putting, swamped by visitors and in the midst of summer there can be barely room to breathe let alone park a car! A grey damp day like this deters many and the village was quiet as we passed through on our way to Gordale.

This easy walk up to Gordale Scar would normally be swamped by visitors, these harsh conditions show it well, despite the man made path this is tough country in winter and walkers can take it too lightly.

Chilly overnight temperatures mean icicles, now we have a thaw and the damned things are falling like spears as I venture close to the overhanging edges!

Plenty of water gushing down from the falls and no hardy scramblers making their way up today, not for me nowadays but always a joy to look at.

Next we visited the Cove, we were hoping to catch sight of the Peregrines which nest here but they seemed to be absent today, in fact there seemed to be little or no wildlife about which is a little disappointing for a wildlife blog author!

Scanning around with the binoc's I found myself playing spot the bunny...you can play too!

We were then visited by a blackbird and a robin who just pleaded to be photographed, desperate as I was, I obliged...

Wandering the short distance back into the village we met the guardian and emblem of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the indomitable Swaledale-

And then just as we were thinking that was it for the day, a very colourful couple of birds appeared...bullfinches! Not oft seen, light was going and camera speed was not great but here are a few images.

A fine end to a lovely little wander, Gordale Scar and Malham Cove will always be amongst our favourite places and the Peregrines will be there another day.

I intend to show the journey of the Aire from its birth, down the valley to Silsden and beyond over the coming months. I may have to necessarily break the journey into manageable chunks but there is much beauty in this dale.

28th January 2012, Crossbills & blue skies

A great benefit of being a trusted part of the "birding" community is the willingness to share locations of rarely seen birds. Some, like the short eared owls, must be kept to vague description because too much human presence means they will move on somewhere else, today we visited Elslack Moor plantation home to crossbills. This is much easier for the birds if they don't like your presence they disappear into the conifers!

Moving slowly and as quietly as we could we were rewarded:-

Moving through the forest we had a brief glimpse of a weasel plus the usual woodland suspects of wren and robin, a short walk and we returned to the car for a warm up and a coffee. Taking a different path on our return to the wood paid immediate dividends, a small flock and feeding too. Hard to photograph in the treetops but what a joyous song to behold.

A little frustrated at the lack of clear shots but woodland photography is never easy! We will return.

A text from my old school mate lead us over to Barden, kite, buzzard and kestrel had all been seen from the raptor view point. A buzzard flew close overhead while we there chatting, my camera was in the car:-((  We took a short walk upstream beside the Wharfe, a dipper was in clear sight, across a wide river the photo could be better.

My Panasonic bridge camera serves me well while I am learning my SLR craft, focusing through branches is hard for once I got this great tit about right:-)

Walking for the day is done, twilight beckons and all of a sudden a mighty racket from some trees on the far bank of the river Wharfe. Fieldfares and starlings, a strange mixture!

And then the drive home....and a beautiful light over Lancashire! Us border inhabitants have learned to co-exist, some of us even enjoy one anothers company!

What a wonderful day! Tomorrow ...............weather depending, spuds to get ready for chitting and a kingfisher hunt.

A windy day 21st January 2012

The high winds that have plagued this area for a good few days still refuse to move on, perhaps a woodland wasn't the wisest place to visit but no boughs or branches crashed to earth around me!

Moving quietly around  Low Wood, Riddlesden I saw absolutely nothing, I heard a few birds deep in the bushes and trees but showing more sense than me they kept well hidden and protected.

On the verge of giving up and going home I decided to sit for a while in a sheltered corner of the wood, out of the wind it was quite warm and my trusty flask of coffee was being enjoyed. Someone, maybe John Muir, once wrote that when man steps into nature the natural rhythm is disturbed and only returns when the man settles for a while and nature accepts him, what wise words they are. Within minutes I had small birds all around me.

Robins and wrens  may not be spectacular sightings for some but for me they represent the beauty and fragility of the tiny creatures.

A different song was discernible among the sweet notes of the robin and the chiding wren, a group of long tailed tits arrived in range of the camera. They don't stay still for long, or at least parts of them don't as the following demonstrates rather well:-)

Patience brings its rewards though and a litttle later:-

My best shot yet of these stunning little birds, and there were further treats in store in my little hideaway in the woods.

The smaller birds are the most vulnerable in a cold winter, wrens and long tailed tits particularly so along with another of our tiniest birds the goldcrest. Difficult to see let alone photograph so even a sighting is great, a rare chance today and I managed a reasonable photo too!

Another visit from the strident wren could not be ignored, one tiny stalk of grass prevented me from getting a really good shot but on a day when I thought I might see nothing at all I cannot complain!

A wonderful morning eventually, more learnt about the behaviour and habitat of a few of our most beautiful birds and that is really worthwhile.