Harold Park

Sunday 6th November a.m.
 After a cloudy start the sun came out at Harold Park where the temperature was 4°C as we headed for the lake.There was just one Mute Swan(Yellow Tag 162) but good to see three Goosanders among the Tufteds,Coots and Moorhen.There were three species of Gull, these were mainly Black-headed but there were five Commons and one Herring Gull.It was also good to see a Little Grebe and a Gadwall, as we walked round the lake we saw two Grey Herons in the trees on the island.As we completed our circuit a Kingfisher flew out of the trees and away in front of us which was good to see.We decided to check the small pond higher in the park in case there was anything else of note, we were pleased we did finding another thirteen Goosanders here.One of them was eating a fish, this bird looked to be a young male which was starting to moult in to its adult plumage.We walked back down to the main lake where we spotted three Grey Wagtails which we caught up with near the children's play area, where the rain began to fall so we made our exit to the car and off home.

Goosander

young male eating a fish

young male moulting in to adult plumage

male Goosander

Thirteen birds on the small pond

Gadwall

Grey Heron

Grey Wagtail

Little Grebe

Cloudy start on the main lake

sun showing the Autumn colours

Harold Park 6/11/2016

Yeadon Tarn

Saturday 5th November a.m.
 A bright sunny start at Yeadon Tarn with a temperature of 5°C and feeling cold in the strong wind coming across the water.There was a good selection of birds on the water the best of these being four Great Crested Grebes,three Goosanders and three Cormorants.One of the Grebes caught a large fish which will have served it well for breakfast.Other birds on the water were Mallards,Coots,Tufted Ducks,BH & Common Gulls and Moorhen.There were also ten Mute Swans, two of which were juveniles and we spotted one yellow tag ring number 437 on an adult.After a walk round we headed back towards the car park seeing four Lapwing fly over and around ten Goldfinch high in the trees.We also had a first for this site when a bird flew in to the trees in front of us, with the bins we saw it was a Great Spotted Woodpecker, we even managed to get a snap before it flew away to round off the morning.

GSW a site first

Goldfinch

Cormorant

Goosander

Gt Crested Grebe

Fish for breakfast

Mute Swans

Tufted Duck

Looking across the Tarn from the airport end

plenty jetting off to no doubt warmer climates

Yeadon Tarn 5/11/2016

Cullingworth & Hewenden Reservoir

Sunday 30th October a.m.
 Yet another cloudy morning with a temperature of 10°C as we made our way through the village to Hewenden Viaduct.In the trees at the side of the viaduct were a mixed flock of birds containing Blue, Great and LT Tits plus Goldfinch these added to the Robins and Collared Doves we had seen on our walk here.An initial look at the Reservoir had BH Gulls on the Dam wall,a couple of Canadas, Mallards and a Grey Heron on and by the water, above we were treated to a flypast of c100 Woodpigeons.At the other side of the viaduct we saw a couple of distant Mistle Thrush, from here it was quiet through the wood and the top end of the Reservoir but coming back the other side it livened up a bit.We saw a mixed flock of Fieldfare and Redwings with c20 of each on the water were four Teals and four Tufteds all at distance,a Cormorant was seen overhead.The Fieldfare and Redwings were scattered when a Kestrel came and landed in the tree where they had made their quick exit from.Our final birds of the morning came at the farm where there were a couple of Pied Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail.

Fieldfare

Goldfinch

Fieldfare & Goldfinch

Redwing

Kestrel

Pied Wagtail

Some Autumn colour at Hewenden Reservoir 30/10/2016

St Ives

Saturday 29th October a.m.
 A cloudy start to the day with a temperature of 13°C at St Ives near Harden which felt much warmer than yesterday with a lot less wind blowing.We headed straight for the Coppice Pond where there were c50 Canadas with the same numbers of Mallard and BH Gulls.The hide proved fruitless as it has done on all our recent visits, but there were a couple of Goosanders which gave us chance of some snaps.There were also two Mute Swans with Yellow Tag numbers 101 & 136, a domesticated Greylag which now calls this area its home, others were Coots & Moorhens.We did get a first here as we heard the call of a Wagtail which we spotted on the island,it was a Grey not much else was seen as we walked around the Coppice Pond.

Goosander

Record snap of Grey Wagtail

Domesticated Greylag

Mute Swans

St Ives Coppice Pond 29/10/2016