Rodley Nature Reserve

After discovering how easy it is to get to Rodley NR on the bus (I don't always have the car on a weekend when my husband is working and this weekend it was in the garage anyway!) we hopped over there on Saturday morning.

The lagoon was a little quiet, with a few BH Gulls, GC and Little Grebes amongst others with Sand Martins and Swifts overhead.

We found a few toads in the mini beast homes, they were quick to hop off so we didn't disturb them for long.

From the Reedbed hide we were lucky enough to get a brief glimpse of a Kingfisher as it landed for a few seconds on the new landing posts there. Not long after a Water Rail ran across the gully just by it too. I didn't have my camera in my hand for either, typically and they were too quick for photos!

There were a few damselflies around the pond but they didn't settle long, mostly we saw snails and the odd hoverfly! 

Walking down the river walk I could see some guys with a scope on a bird out on the scrubland there, flying in and out of a tree, I watched it through the binoculars and the gentleman very kindly let me look through the scope - a Spotted Flycatcher!

After taking a walk through the hay meadow we sat at a picnic table overlooking the reserve for some lunch. Lovely to sit amongst the butterflies on the surrounding Buddleia (unfortunately my daughter was not impressed, she has issues with butterflies coming within a 10ft radius - slightly challenging!). We saw Peacock, Comma, Small White, Ringlet and Gatekeeper.

Up to the managers garden to watch Bullfinch and Greenfinch at the feeders. Greenfinch are few and far between everywhere I go at the moment. I've seen one in Morley since early spring though that was a juvenile so I suppose that's promising at least. The new hide that's being put up here is looking good, there'll be plenty of viewing spots once it's open. 

A good day out!