Waxwings

Ok I know a third post involving Waxwings but I think they deserve it. They stayed in Morley a few days and I managed to get some more shots including that brief moment last week when the sun came out, remember what sun is? It had been so long here since we had any the chance of photographing them in it couldn't be passed up! They were a bit flighty and they'd also increased in numbers, the flock was now over 50.

What a difference a day makes!

Around the Patch

The patch is looking up, i've been able to get out a fair bit and i'm adding to the list. I was almost able to add Fieldfare to it but they were just outside the boundary, which was a little annoying!

The garden has been busy thankfully as i'm still stuck at home for another few weeks yet. I got a new garden tick with a Redwing passing through though mostly it's the usual garden birds. There was a huge flock of Canada Geese in the classic V formation overhead this morning, we have a 'flight path' at the end of the gardens which is great for passing geese, gulls, swans and other possible waders that i've never been quick enough to ID.

The Wren is in the garden nearly every day, never stops moving for long,

The weather has not been good and I've even been going out walking in the rain a couple of times. It's just good to get out! Of course it doesn't make for great photos but i've managed a few.

The park today was very foggy but there was the odd splash of colour and signs of spring already too.

Two of the parks had trees blown down in the recent gales, one was still covered in Redwings and Blackbirds when I spotted it!

Yesterday I saw a post on Facebook about Waxwings being in Morley, however I didn't see it till late afternoon and  they were out of my patch boundary. As it would also have been starting to get dark by the time I got down there I decided not to try.

Today I had lunch plans which cancelled at the last minute, already being in the town centre I headed home figuring i'd give the Waxwings a go now I had more time. Luckily I didn't need to go out of my way as I spotted something in a large tree which is usually the resident Starling plot, it wasn't just Starlings - Waxwings!! On my patch, five minutes from home and plenty of them!! Thank goodness for cancelled lunches! Of course they stayed at the top of the tree and it was too dull for decent photos - i'm destined to only see them from afar but did I mention it;s a patch tick?

Yeadon Dam & Waxwings

We tried on Sunday morning for the Waxwings in Guiseley after noting on twitter a report of a few lingering around McDonalds there. No luck with those but we did make use of the McDonalds!

Up to the tarn for a walk hoping it wouldn't be too busy but our breakfast stop put paid to that so there were only a lot of noisy water birds about and nothing in the trees/bushes around apart from a couple of distant Goldfinch. Oh and the ever present House Sparrows by the boats of course.

The usual birds were on the water, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Canada Geese, Mute Swan,Tufted Duck and a lot of Black Headed Gulls. I managed to pick out three Common Gulls amongst them too. The model boat club was running off the jetty and they were selling duck food so we picked up a bag of that so my daughter could feed them before we left.

A visit to my parents and I checked twitter whilst there and noticed a tweet about Waxwings in Crossgates. A detour on the way home, I think so!

It was worth doing we saw the Waxwings at the top of a tree near the roundabout and managed to find somewhere to park to get a few distant shots in the gloom, they stayed at the top of the tree for a while and we counted around 70 before they flew off. A very happy end to the day!