9th February 2013, Fieldwork for the future

One of my aims or ambitions when I started doing this blog was to enlarge my knowledge of the wildlife that can be seen around the valley, to further my knowledge I decided to spend a day not deliberately looking for wildlife but observing one of the places where many species will pass through.

On a walk through deep and untrodden snow a couple of weeks ago we passed through some farmland very near the edge of the moors, with hedges, old trees and a stream running through a deep sided little gorge there could be much to see.

The weather was far from perfect, grey skies and sleet falling do not make for a perfect day for sitting still for a long time!

Making my way up the fields close to home I was encouraged by a few sightings of birds in the trees, first a female chaffinch..

I saw a pair of greenfinches but could not get near enough for decent photographs in the low light but walking onwards I saw some redwings and a careful approach allowed me to get a reasonable profile shot of one of them..

Flocks of goldfinches were feeding well on remnants of seeds in the treetops, trying to get the camera to focus on what I wanted just eluded me though!!

I spent an hour in a wood on my way to the moor, a glimpse of a sparrowhawk gliding through the lower branches was the highlight but somewhere to visit again.

Momentarily the skies brightened as I reached the top of the hills, spirits raised? Nah I knew it wouldn't last:-))

Sitting on the leeward side of a wall for a while I took several lengthy looks through my binoculars, trying to search for likely owl roosts or nests, maybe a fox passing through. My imagination can run riot while I sit quietly and just watch the day unfold...all good information stored away for better days even on an uneventful day like this.

Another mile or so later I loitered awhile by this old disused barn, a pair of blue tits kept me entertained and also kept out of range of the camera!!

My love of silly captions leads to taking a photo with the words already in my head...

Nothing compares, two ewes......sorry!!!

I decided to check the canal for wildlife in the late afternoon, it looked like the magpies were doing the same thing..

Sightings were not great as I wandered to the west of Silsden, a small group of long tailed tits entertained me with their busy antics though and one stayed still long enough to disclose how they got their name..

Some of the ducks around here can be very interesting cross breeds, this one definitely has muscovy roots but also an interesting hairdo!!

As the already dull light faded I did capture a moorhen shot as it foraged for food in the field margins..

Although the dull skies were a nuisance for wildlife photography, the lack of wind allowed me to get a lovely reflection of the hills and canal boats.

Sometimes when the weather conspires against you it is good to set out with little ambition, saves on disappointment and any good sightings are then treasured:-)

This male blackbird nearly completed my sightings for the day..........

But a robin always deserves attention, and focus:-((

The quest for better sightings and photographs continues.........

This week will see the blog pass 10,000 views, hard to imagine when I started this just over a year ago! Heartfelt thanks to you all, very much appreciated and it makes the effort worthwhile.

p.s. Don't forget if you do feel like adding a comment I have to OK it first so it may not appear immediately! It would be nice if comments could appear immediately, unfortunately the less good side of the internet world makes this unpalatable:-(