A forecast for a warm and sunny weekend co-incided with a decided lack of opportunity for decent walks so some planning was required. With a long trip to Scotland next month we needed to do some shopping and an afternoon trip to Leeds was on the menu, I escaped to the canalbank early in the morning to top up my patience reserves!
Good early sightings of dunnock and chaffinch were encouraging..
The paths have dried well, the sun was shining and all was well....
The lovely and quirky moorhen always gets my attention..
A rook, very similar to the carrion crow but distinguishable by the grey bill, crows have black bills.
A little wren gathering nesting material, I cannot imagine the leaf being too comfy but some moss will no doubt be added!
Further on a greylag goose was doing the same job but on a larger scale, obviously!
And finally nearly back at the car, a delighful robin burst into full song despite nearly being blown from its lofty perch..........
On Sunday we had dedicated the day to looking at cars after deciding we would like a change, my only wildlife came in the form of a starling in the garden..
And so to Monday and finally the chance to get out for a decent walk, Barden Bridge by the river Wharfe was my chosen location. It was very windy but at least the direction was southerly and warm and a light fleece was the only jacket required.
A beautiful common sandpiper appeared quickly, just a shame the foamy water spoils the shot a little..
Reaching the shelter on the eastern side I paused for a snack and a drink, the food placed here by staff and visitors attracts many birds...first a pheasant.
Then a nuthatch..
A chaffinch....
A blue tit..
Another nuthatch..
Another chaffinch..
And a great tit..
Walking on down into the sunny glades of the woodland I found my first butterfly of the year, a comma..
The lovely grey wagtails are back in numbers..
I crossed the bridge by the pavilion and headed back up river, looking carefully through the trees I got fairly close to a spectacular mandarin duck..
Another short respite stop brought me a close sighting of a coal tit..
Birdsong was ringing out all around me, chiffchaffs and willow warblers to the fore although try as I did I could not locate them.
Curlews were in flight and I chanced a quick shot of one that came near enough..
The woodland flowers are starting to bloom, this is a wood anemone...
Another nuthatch sighting as I walked..
And a great tit too...
The pretty colours of coltsfoot...
And finally I reach the bridge near the car park...
A great walk in the sunshine and I joined my raptor watch friends for a short while and was lucky enough to catch sight of a goshawk!
Lets all hope this warmer weather continues for a while and we can all enjoy our walks and wildlife.
What a change to see your lovely bird photos set against blue skies and in sunshine. Let's hope it lasts, or should I say return, as we are in the middle of some very wild, windy and wet weather at the moment. Tremendous variety on this album, loved to see the nest building in progress.
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