6-8th April 2013, Spring arrives for a couple of days

The weather forecast for the weekend promised sunshine and warmer temperatures, trusting the forecast I set the alarm for an early start and headed over to Bolton Abbey in Wharfedale before the sun rose.

The sun was just beginning to show over the hills as I set out...

A few days of dry weather had firmed up the paths nicely and the joys of spring were all too obvious as I walked with a symphony of birdsong to accompany me. From the haunting calls of lapwing and curlew on the hillsides to the merry "yaffling" of a green woodpecker and the drumming of a great spotted woodpecker with melodic interventions of the robin it was just wonderful!

First decent bird sighting of the day was an oystercatcher..

Mandarin ducks, originally escapees but now firmly established here...

The Wharfe is a great place to see dippers, I caught the pose of this one well, unfortunately it was in a shaded area and the colours are not as clear as I would have hoped.

As I wandered onwards the strident and insistent call of a wren demanded attention, not the biggest bird but among the loudest!

And then for contrast the delicate colours and soft call of the grey wagtail...

In another month or so the woods will be full of birdlife with many special species due to return soon, the repetitive call of the male chaffinch was the dominant sound on this stretch...

Another wren played hide and seek and refused to appear completely for my lens!!

I ventured off path as I was watching a nuthatch which I failed to photograph successfully, I was in camouflage clothing which came in very handy as I heard movement through the trees. Moving very carefully I managed to get within about 10 yards of this lovely roe deer...

Regaining the path I looked out over the adjoining fields, a distant curlew....

And a pair of lapwing in display flight...

I witnessed the comical behaviour of a great spotted woodpecker as it landed and then saw me, it peeped first from one side of a tree then the other...great fun:-)

It was time to head homewards now, after some lunch I had a walk by the Leeds Liverpool canal near home...once again the path was much improved:-)

I have a favoured spot on here where there is some tangled and thorny undergrowth, the warmth of the sun was obviously to the liking of this cute robin as it basked blissfully..

My standard shot of Nab End, Rombalds Moor as I walked toward Silsden..

There were no kingfishers to be seen today, but I'll see them again if I am patient. The greylag geese seem as happy in the fields as on the water..

By the edge of town a swan came close, I used the camera settings to get this muted effect...

And finally for the day....a robin proclaims that spring is finally here....

And a moorhen does some sprucing up:-))

A great day to be out enjoying the warm sunshine.

On Sunday we had some jobs to do at home, after several hours of successfully assembling some bedroom furniture I felt the need for a short walk to loosen my joints! One of my favourite local walks for occasions like this takes me through some farmland, I often wonder if people think I am strange as I peruse walltops through my binoculars! There is a good reason, walltops are a favourite perching place for little owls and occasionally I am successful in my perusal:-)

Knowledge of habitat is really important to finding the wildlife you seek.

I returned to Bolton Abbey on Monday for another short walk, another grey wagtail offered an opportunity for a photograph, nearly good but the focus was not quite correct...

A pair of goosanders were taking a break on some rocks in the water, male and female respectively..

A small tributary stream is often visited, the light lends itself to slow shutter speed shots of the lovely cascades..

I had packed some lunch and as I enjoyed a sandwich and a cup of coffee a lovely mallard appeared, strangely it  wasn't the coffee it was interested in!!!

All in all a decent weekend........................

20th January 2013, A Bolton Abbey circular in the snow

Choices were limited today, the light was not good and snow was forecast for later in the day. Road conditions were OK though and we decided on a riverbank and woodland wander over at Bolton Abbey, parking places at our preferred start of Barden Bridge were all occupied so we returned up the road and found a space by the Priests House at Barden.

The priory ruins looked atmospheric with the covering of snow and the slate grey sky..

We didn't have to wait long for a bird sighting, everyones favourite..a robin..

The river Wharfe was in good flow as it gushed past the aqueduct..

The cold nature of the weather is portrayed quite well by these riverbank icicles reflected in the dark water.

A short diversion off path by a tributary stream found us no wildlife but the cascades were in good form..

Trying to get a decent focus on this blue tit proved beyond my frozen fingers!

Resuming our walk by the river we then found a nuthatch posing somewhat strangely by parking its bum in some snow!

Walkers had left food for the birds and we watched a coal tit feeding happily...well they were titbits!

The path was extremely icy, some were slipping and sliding their way round, our yaktrax proved their worth again as we walked without mishap even on the steeper sections.

Peering through the riverbank shrubbery I managed a shot of a male goosander..

We listened to the sweet song of a nuthatch and looking around for the source we found another nuthatch listening intently.

Brief sightings of dippers occurred but none close enough for the camera in these conditions, as we reached the cafe and the bridge we would cross for the return I did manage a couple of shots..

A group of goosanders resting out of the water were spotted just up stream..

Some kind soul had wedged a fatball in a tree, great and blue tits queued up for a bite!

Food scattered on the path was being zealously guarded by a blackbird..

Another lovely robin posed happily..

We were walking briskly to keep warm, despite plenty of suitable clothing the cold wind soon bit if we loitered for any time.

The view down to the river through snowy trees was enchanting at times.

Just before the uphill road walk back to the car we found the abominable snowman:-))

We hurried from this point!

5th November 2012, My first Monday off:-))

After some patient and well thought discussions with my boss I now no longer work Mondays, some cover for the holidays of a colleague will be necessary but essentially I now have a three day weekend.

A bonus too at this time of year is the free mid week parking in Bolton Abbey, Christmas holidays and half terms excluded of course, the estate isn't made of money, well it might be but rules that deter young families still apply for some ill thought reason.

I set off from the Cavendish Pavilion car park, walking westwards to try and get the best photographic conditions on a bright and sunny day. The trees were autumnal, golden brown and stunning..

 

 

This small desolate area was largely bare of leaves though, the frost and wind probably accounted for the leaves judging by the crunching beneath my feet!

 

The Harrison Ford shelter, named after a local ford not any mythical adventurer is a good spot to linger, many people put bird food around its edges and shelves, some lovely birds appear such as this nuthatch..

 



 

I tried a few shots, the low light in the shelter does not lend itself to great pix, especially with bright light streaming through the remaining leaves. A cute little coal tit was my only other decent shot...

 





I took a short break just before the aqueduct, here looking back down stream...

Crossing over I now strolled through shadowed woodland, pausing for a shot made famous by a JMS Turner painting..

There was a photographic workshop in place down by the Strid, the rocks were very slippery, their expensive lenses and camera bodies stayed clear of the classic shot of the gushing force!

To be fair my camera stayed short of it too, it gets slippier as you get further out...another day with drier rocks I'll get on the edge:-)

Wildlife sightings had been few so far, as I neared a stretch where I could get off the path I decided to try just that...it works, no surprise there, and I got a reasonable pic of a female goosander..

A small time sat quietly by the river paid dividends, this lovely dipper sang its squeaky yet exquisite song exclusively for me..............

Getting near to the water level allowed my camera to capture the colouring quite well, another splendid day:-)