Cracking Day Out

   Decided to venture out for the day yesterday to North Cave
   and then to Bempton Cliffs and what a fantastic day it was,
   the highlight being a family of Stoats playing in a field it was
   absolutely amazing but trying to get a decent photograph was
   a nightmare as everything is done at 100mph, believe it or not
   the first bird I saw at North Cave was a Marsh Harrier it came
   close as well but bloody settings were all wrong on the camera,
   no surprise there then but it was still great to see, I bumped into
   an old friend but didn't realise it was him until after an hour of
   speaking as he's lost that much weight after a bad illness, it was
   great to see him back out on his rounds again although I was a
   little bit embarrassed and he knows his stuff on nature so its always
   nice to have his knowledge, had him laughing when I laid down to
   take a photograph and broke my bloody binoculars. Linford is his
   name, Birdwatching is his game, such a nice fella.

   Bempton was good but much too busy for my liking, though there
   were plenty of friendly people about instead of the usual arrogant ones.
   Highlight here was the Lesser Whitethroat for me but it decided to
   scarper just as I was focusing on it, Hobby was also seen but not by me.

   Locally Ive had plenty of the regular birds on the feeders feeding there
   young and the odd mammals popping up now and again.

 

Castle Carr Rd

    Finally got my camera back so being out of practice
    I thought I'd take a trip to Fly Flatts but the weather
    wasn't playing coz by the time I'd reached Nolstar the
    fog and mist had come down, so I backtracked and went
    for a look down Castle Carr Rd.

    Lots of Skylark song and Meadow Pipits bobbing about,
    and about 8 Swift were darting about as they do, further
    up the road the Curlews were being noisy though at a
    distance and a Red Legged Partridge was running about.
 
   At the end of the track 2 Swallows were on the wires and
   lots of Goldfinch were about 2 of them picking sheep wool
   up for their nests which Ive never seen any do that before,
   and what looked like a female Stonechat was in the heather.

   Garden had Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Blackbird,
   Blue Tit, Dunnock, Collared Dove, Jackdaw, Magpie, and
   a couple of feral Pigeons, also Roe Deer was seen on my
   outing. One Greenfinch was ringed.

 

Green Woodpecker in Garden

 Not been out for a while as I'm still waiting for my camera
 to return from being fixed, but dug my old camera out just
 in time to get this beauty in my garden, a beautiful Green
 Woodpecker calling and showing well, I am well chuffed
 as this bird as always been a bogie bird for me, often heard
 but only seen at a distance so this was a cracking surprise.

         Other birds seen lately in and around the garden have been,
         Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Blue Tit, Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk,
         Kestrel,  Linnet, Corvids, Dunnock,  Starling and Blackbird.

Latest Stuff

    Not been out because I'm still without my beloved camera
    but theres still been plenty going on locally. highlight for
    me was yesterday morning as the wife was getting the car
    washed at Shibden Hill garage I sat on the grass bank at the
    top of the forecourt and a Yellowhammer was perched for
    a while on a lone tree it then went back and forth between
    other trees for about ten minutes before disappearing into
    the Shibden valley area, I was made up but peed off I'd no
    camera, some were also seen in other local areas too by other
    people.  3 Buzzards were soaring and screeching over Claremount,
    and a Linnet was on the feeders which came back 2 hours later
    with a friend, I managed to get a shot of the Linnet as I ran in the
    house and swept the dust off of an old camera hoping that it still
   worked, luckily it did tho not great but it'll have to do.

   Peregrines were seen at a famous landmark in Halifax and a
   Cuckoo was at Giants Tooth, Ogden Water,
   garden had Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Dunnock, Jackdaw,
   Wood Pigeon, Starling, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Sparrowhawk,
   Stock Dove and Linnet.

   Phil D got some fantastic shots of an Osprey fishing at a Reservoir
   just outside the area, Ive got to admit I'm a tad jealous.
 

                                          Yellowhammer taken last year