21-30th September 2013, Still trying but not much to see!

Another difficult spell for my wildlife watching, but lessons learned in the past serve as reminders in difficult times. If you want quick and easy almost guaranteed sightings visit wildlife centres or zoos, if you decide you want to see animals in natural settings be prepared for barren spells and develop an impervious and indefatigable sense of optimism!

A busy time with other things has not helped but I cannot pretend I have not ventured out, walks both in my home valley of Airedale and also nearby Wharfedale have been undertaken and the weather has not been too bad.

Wandering through the fields and by the canal near home I found a lovely chirpy robin...

Taking a break for a coffee in a field edge I saw this rabbit approach quite close to me............

It seems to have been a good year for fungi, I have no idea of the name of this one but I wasn't taking it home as a supper accompaniment!

Mallards are always plentiful around here, most revert to water when I stroll along the canal towpath this one proved to be braver!

It has been a great summer for butterflies, now the main one I see is the speckled wood...

The trees are bearing good fruits, horse chestnuts ripening in the sunshine of the day...

Another day and an outing to Wharfedale for a walk in Strid Woods by the river.

The futility of trying to capture photographs of birds in low murky light as only the feet of this great tit remained motionless for the 1/30th of a second the shutter release took.

Down by the river we settled in at a good place to see dippers, we were not disappointed as one came gradually closer...

A favourite bird but hopes of really close up shots were dashed as two young lads decided to throw stones in the water, not at the birds I hasten to add and they were only enjoying themselves.

I resorted to a new smaller lens for a couple of shots, firstly the gushing Wharfe surging through the Strid...

...and a view up Wharfedale as the trees begin to gain their autumnal hues...

Back to the zoom lens for a grey wagtail and then a pied wagtail...

Another weekend and a similar story, lots to do including being interviewed for some voluntary fund raising for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, RSPB, a charity very close to our hearts...all went well, more on this subject in the future.

Time for a walk on a sunny afternoon and I am by the canal again, the local herons continue to amuse me with their antics...this one had taken to a walltop for a better view of the valley..

The canalside bushes have definitely become autumnal...

And the herons continue to pop up!

A trusting cygnet came in really close to see if I was offering food...I wasn't!

The grouse shooting season has passed its height now and a short walk on a local moor was pleasant enough, finding a sheltered spot in a cool wind I scanned around for grouse...

And then to show its versatility the grouse too took to a walltop for a look round its newly found peaceful habitat...splendid!

Soon the foliage on the trees and bushes will turn the glorious colours of autumn, a special season, as indeed they all are!