Adel Dam and Dowley Gap

  A morning trip to one of my favourite reserves today
  Adel Dam NR, usually plenty to see and people very
  friendly even the visitors to Golden Acre Park always
  say good morning, everyone seems so relaxed over there.

  Birdlife was on good form although the Brambling didn't
  show as they had yesterday which was a shame,
  it was the first time Ive been when the hides were quiet
  although it was early doors and they soon filled up later on,
  it was a bit dull and overcast first thing but then brightened up
  into a lovely summer sky.

  Plenty of Tufted Duck, Mallard and Mute Swan on the lake,
  2 Red Kite flew overhead, the reserve was full of song with
  the Song thrushes in full voice and plenty of drumming going
  on with the Woodpeckers, Jays were doing plenty of squawking
  and the Water Rail was making a racket while it was hiding, it only
  showed itself for a few seconds before diving back into the reeds, a
  woman put her hand out of the hide to point and a Nuthatch landed
  on her finger which surprised me how tame they were and a squirrel
  went for a swim in the pond at first hide which was another first for me,
  Mandarin Ducks, GSW'S, Nuthatch, Jay, LTT'S were all showing well
  and it was the same story at the 2nd hide on the big lake where an Otter
  showed itself for a second or two then disappeared and a Roe Deer was
  in the field.

  I was then set off to Eccup Reservoir but saw that my petrol was low
  so gave it a miss and headed back home but stopped at Dowley Gap
  for a short visit, it'd be rude not to seeing as Im passing, this place
  had Canada and Greylag Geese in the field and a few Greylag on the
  canal, a few Dunnock, 7 Alba-Wagtails all in the trees which surprised
  me, 3 Blue Tits, 1 Grey Wagtail and a Sparrowhawk and a Red Kite
  overhead, at home in the garden were Gold & Greenfinch.

 

 

Pepper Hill

    Visit to Ogden earlier this week was a dead loss, hardly
    anything about, I was hoping for Redpoll and maybe a
    Kingfisher below the Prom but no joy, GS Woodpecker
    was drumming and 8 Goldfinch were seen along with lots
    of gulls and just gulls on the lake.

    Cromwell Bottom was also pretty quiet apart from the
    regular birds at the viewing area, 2 Teal were up by the
    weir and a Cormorant was on the river.

   Pepper Hill had 2 Raven flying over and 2 Kestrel hunting
   together, 7 LTT's which are always nice to see up this end,
   4 Greenfinch, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Dunnock, 2 Blue Tit, 1 Great Tit,
   4 Blackbird, 2 Stock Dove and lots of Corvids and Gulls.
   2 Robin and 2 Collared Dove.
 

Bearded Tit day at Swilington.

   
   Took a trip down to Swillington Ings or St Aidens RSPB reserve
    to see the most photographed birds in the world the Bearded Tits,
    but no sign of it early doors so disappointed I took a walk around
    the reserve going to see the Great White Egret, Tundra Goose and
    Bittern that have been seen this week, I was lucky enough to see the
    Bittern fly just in front of me but no time to photograph it before it
    disappeared into the reeds again but I was well chuffed seeing it.

    100+ Lapwing and 50+ Pintail flew over and around the reserve,
    I couldn't find the Pink Footed Geese which I was also hoping to see,
    5 Pipits were in a tree but don't know what kind, could've been Meadow
    Pipits but Ive never seen them in trees before, Tufted Duck, Shoveller,
    Shelduck, GC Grebe, Gadwall, Little Grebe and lots of Coot were about
    on the water and a couple of Herons were seen all a Buzzard was soaring
    in the distance and I was surprised to see a couple of Curlew.

   Back at the Beardie spot there were 40+ people with cameras all glued
   to the reeds and lo and behold there it was, just the one male though
   playing hard to get and staying low in the reeds and feeding like a dinosaur,
   but what beautiful birds they are and it made the travelling worth while.

  On the home front 100+ gulls were soaring over Pepper Hill, reports of
  Redpoll at Cromwell and Ogden and Short Eared Owls up on the moors.

 

 

Waxwing Heaven

  Hello everybody, I'm back after a computer breakdown so I apologise

  to my readers or followers.

  Lots of reports of Pink Footed Geese flying over Calderdale during the

  last few months and good to hear that the Waxwings are back.

  I got a nice surprise on Christmas Day on the garden feeders, a 

  Lesser Spotted Woodpecker stuck among 20+ Goldfinch it stood out

  a mile what a beautiful bird I believe it was a female,  also had an albino
  Goldfinch on the feeders.

  Yesterday I had 2 Peregrine Falcons fly over the back fields together

   towards Swalesmoor, so today with the sun coming out to play I decided

  so shall I after more reports of Waxwing at Lane Head, Brighouse, well 

  lo and behold they were there maybe 50 or more mixed in with Redwing

  and a few Mistle Thrush, plenty of birders their with camera's clicking away,

  and it was nice to bump into Graham H, David L and Phil D, at the top of

  the park were 3 Brambling tho they were very flighty.

   At Cromwell Bottom, 50+ Pink Footed Geese flew over and a Buzzard flew
   out of a tree and low along the river, a Green Woodpecker was in the back field
   of my house but flew off before I could get a shot, but it seems to becoming
   a regular visitor.