4th August 2012, Low Wood in the sunshine

The blog had a week off, apologies to regular readers and viewers, a painful infected leg from my tumble at Malham and my 60th birthday celebrations meant not much ourdoor activity last weekend. Rainy days and Olympics have meant evenings on the sofa too!

With a few days of penicillin inside me the leg is a bit better but not right yet for a full day on my feet, I chose a favourite local walk for today...Low Wood at Riddlesden, the route there is via some splendid tree lined and quiet lanes, sometimes the camera can be snapping away at the birds down here but today there was little to see. The weather forecast was for heavy thundery showers so the waterproofs were in the rucksack, a look back in the direction of the prevailing wind showed the forecast could be slightly wrong..in a good way for once!

Regulars will know of my love of herons, big and quirky they are full of interest for any wildlife lover with their stealth and sometimes downright funny poses. I caught this one in full hunting mode-

Reaching the nature reserve at Low Wood by the canal I took the main path westwards, usually a great place to see woodland birds normally but today there seemed to be little to see. I like to practice my fieldcraft as often as I can, having the ability to move quietly is so important if you want to see and photograph birds and animals at close quarter so I took the opportunity to go off path and venture deeper into the woods. Anyone who has watched Ray Mears will know how he stresses the importance of preparation, pack your rucksack so there are no unwanted noises, check the contents and distribution of your pockets, look ahead on your intended route and above all look where you are putting your feet!

Tracking quietly I heard a fairly loud mewly sound from the treetops, quite likely a buzzard and a young one by the slightly strident edge to the call. Time to go into silent mode, moving at a rate that would make a snail look like Usain Bolt I edged towards the location of the sound, fifteen minutes and about the same number of yards later I saw slight movement up in the canopy, definitely a young buzzard and I had seen where it landed. Right, this is where the practice pays off, lens cap quietly removed and camera switched on...eyes fixed firmly on the small gap in the canopy, move slowly...SNAP..an unseen twig and the noise sounded like thunder to my oh so disappointed ears! A flurry of wings and my intended subject flapped away indignantly:-((

I am at least learning the patience to sit and wait for things, choose a place and test your habitat skills, it is a fun game but not always rewarding. Today I found some wood warblers, flitting around and with juveniles spreading their wings in the sun and basking in the dusty woodland floor.

I think I have the identity correct but it is a tough time of the year to i.d. birds when many are in a tatty condition after breeding, please let me know if you have any other ideas about these.

I wandered back through the woods and to my delight found an emperor dragonfly that was quite willing to pose while I practised my macro shots...

Fascinating creatures and great to watch close up.  I had set out with hopes of seeing nuthatches and treecreepers, no sightings so far but I had enjoyed a lovely day and was happily heading for home, one last call off down a small track by the canal...habitat friendly for treecreepers..and..

Extremely low light for this one, I would have liked a sharper shot!

Wandering on through my grassy stroll I pondered just how many people walk along here and see nothing of the beautiful creatures I had encountered today, between two golf courses and next to the Leeds Liverpool canal it really is a splendid area.

As I passed Low Holden Farm a swallow chirped from an overhead wire, soon they will be preparing for their long journey and its a shame we cannot tell them just how much we love their presence here for a few precious months...

A grand day in the sun and as I head for a pint or three a few rain drops begin to fall, you know what? I didn't care!!!

10th June. Moors, woods, fields and canal.

The opportunity to meet up with a mate with whom I have shared many happy hours on the hills presented itself for Sunday. Sorting a walk out was no great problem and even the weather promised to behave, Mrs Wildlife very kindly gave us a lift to Keighley Gate and the top of the moor, this would enable me enjoy a decent walk without the strain on my joints of the uphill slog:-)

No sooner had we departed from the car when a red grouse appeared on a nearby wall.

It was up here where I had my cuckoo chasing adventure a couple of weeks ago, sure enough we heard one and though it was at some distance the sight and sound confirmed it was definitely a cuckoo.

The warm sunshine was really welcome, hoped for sightings of roe deer in the cleared section of Rivock Forest did not materialise though and I had to be content with some smaller creatures...first a wren then a coal tit chick.

Reaching the edge of the woods and the clear views over the Airedale valley I was pointing out some local landmarks to Simon when we spotted a kestrel landing not too far away. Attempts at getting nearer without disturbing it were futile though.

A short road walk ensued now as we were dropping down towards Jaytail Farm and Riddlesden, a small flock of birds caught my eye and Simon waited patiently as I gathered my shots. I thought at first that they were twite, closer inspection of the photographs said linnet...a juvenile and a male.

A splendid meadow walk with wild flowers all around was reminiscent of Swaledale for a short while.

We were chatting merrily all the time, re-climbing the hills we had conquered and the time fairly flew. There wasn't much in the way of wildlife by the canal which was unusual to say the least. These colourful rhododendrons completed the pix for the day, just over eight miles in bright sunshine and great company, a super walk:-)

Saturday 3rd March 2012, Gloomy...hang on the sun is coming out!

For those of us who work Monday to Friday weekends are a treasured opportunity to get out, see things, generally enjoy ourselves. When you wake at seven o'clock on a Saturday morning and open the curtains to see a wall of grey, murky skies this person feels entitled to have a good grump about the weather!

A cup of tea and some breakfast later I checked the internet for a weather forecast, mmm interesting, the BBC forecast shows brightening skies and maybe some sunshine towards lunchtime and early afternoon.
A few jobs filled the time nicely, snacks and flask were prepared and as promised the sky began to clear and my mood lifted in similar levels to the pace of the improving weather.

We didn't fancy travelling far and there are plenty of things to see near home, our first visit was to Redcar Tarn near Keighley. A quite small sheet of water is home to a good array of birds, Embden geese were originally a domestic and captive species, now plentiful in the wild they have vibrant blue eyes and a feisty nature if you get too close!

Tufted ducks are one of the smaller members of the duck family, named for obvious reasons they dive frequently and are plentiful here.

Female tufted duck.

Male tufted duck.

A circuit of the tarn does not take long, a noticeboard informs visitors that three circuits are needed to complete a mile! A good few Canada geese were here too, I always find these one of the most approachable geese and they rarely seem to exhibit the aggression some geese show.

Coots are comical out of water, their feet may be great for paddling and propelling them swiftly through water but they look massive on dry land.

Black headed gulls are now gaining their mating colours and the "black" heads are becoming the recognisible chocolate colour.

Our circuit was now complete and the Embden geese were round our car seeking food.

As there was no evidence of any golden eggs we let the geese go hungry!

We took a short drive through Keighley and parked up by the canal and Low Wood at Riddlesden, a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve the wood is rich in wildlife of all kinds. Birdsong was plentiful as we strolled through the trees and we watched a jay flitting from branch to branch, out of camera range though and we had to be satisfied with the view through binoculars.

A mighty racket emanated from the sky and we watched through the treetops as a buzzard flew past being continually harassed by some resident rooks, the buzzard seemed unpeturbed and kept its dignity!

Spring is not far away now, virtually all the birds we saw were carrying nest material and their songs were joyous. Approaching a small pond we witnessed several frogs diving out of view, their spring has already arrived by the look of the spawn in the pond!

Another jay sighting as we walked on after a brief period of shelter as a heavy shower fell, the sun returned and we headed for the canal bank and some scrub land. Plenty of great, blue and long tailed tits were in evidence here together with robins and wrens, I was having no luck with the camera though as none of the smaller birds were still for long enough!

Watching wildlife regularly has a fine tuning effect on the senses, an unusual noise or movement may be the sign of something just a bit different and each should be investigated. A bird flew from the trees on our left, the plumage was definitely out of the ordinary...a green woodpecker! Luckily for us it settled not too far away, across the canal but near enough to get a good view and a presentable photograph as a bonus too!

When the sun shines on Airedale it is a beautiful valley as this view over Low Holden Farm shows :-

That small patch of blue was the last we saw, the clouds returned and the rain began to fall as we reached the car, one blue tit at last stayed still for a while though.

What had looked like a very unpromising day turned out to be a good one!

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.