Yeadon Dam

Out and about visiting friends and family today we were able to stop off for a walk around the dam this morning. The weather was all over the place, dull, bit of sun then back to very dull but not too cold.

The usual Geese, Swans and Mallards were at the jetty, a few Tufted Ducks among them and a Greylag too. There were Black-headed Gulls all over the dam and I picked out one Common Gull at the far end. We picked up some duck food at the boat club, they sell bags for a £1 when the club is running and by the time we got back to the jetty a Cormorant had joined the throng and was happily fishing as we fed the birds.

Canada Geese (like pair of guards on sentry duty!)

Black-headed Gull

Tufted Duck

Feeding Frenzy

Pale Mallard, quite beautiful I thought

Black-headed Gull

Cormorant

Greylag Goose

Mute Swan

Headless Canada Gees

Cormorant

Robin picking up the leftover duck food

Half way round and a Shoveler was........shoveling! Also three Goosanders - two female and a male were mixing the Mallards.

Shoveler

Goosander

As we went back to the car a Red Kite flew over and a pair of Greenfinch were chasing around the trees. A nice little escape from the Christmas prep!

Black-headed Gull

Farmyard Ducks

Dunnock

Crow

Blackbird

Adel Dam

On Saturday morning we took the bus to Golden Acre for a nice but cold walk around the park and Adel Dam. The Gulls were barely awake (just like my daughter!!) and still huddled up on the grass. The ducks of course were straight up to have a nosey.

Mallard

Black-headed Gull

Mute Swan

Tufted Ducks

We walked straight through to the dam and went the 'wrong' way round, we always start off by going to the hide and then on in a circle via the lake hide, my daughter suggested going the other way for a change, which worked in our favour really as there were some big cameras heading towards the Marsh hide, which is quite small, they were gone by the time we'd worked our way there.

In the woods we saw a couple of flocks of Bullfinch in the trees. It was not a good day for photos, very dull and grey! We also saw a couple Jays and Great Spotted Woodpeckers too.  We had the lake hide to ourselves. As we walked in a Robin was sat on a bench in the hide and a Sparrowhawk had been sat right in front of it (the hide not the Robin), it flew across the lake.

Distant Bullfinch!

Robin

Jay

We watched, Teal, Mallards and a Shoveler on the water and off to the side at the feeders Long-tailed, Great, Blue and Coal Tits, 6 Robins - there were a few ructions there! A charm of Goldfinch flew over the lake.

Blue Tits

Shoveler

Blue Tit

Moving on we stopped at the marsh hide, all the usual birds were at the feeders plus Nuthatch too. Lots of squirrels were around the bottoms of the feeders. We didn't see any Mandarins today, which is unusual.

Walking back through Golden Acre we stopped at the little feeding area for a while, more squirrels, Chaffinch, Tits and up in the trees Jay and Woodpigeon. Eventually everything was scared off by several dogs so we made our way out of the park.

We did see some fungi as we walked around including Dead Mans Fingers, spotted by my daughter, the first time i've seen it.

Old Moor

This is from a visit last Thursday, which I didn't get chance to post till now. It was a gorgeous sunny day despite the icy nip in the air and it made for some lovely views around the reserve.

The garden and Tree Sparrow Farm were both busy with the usual small birds, a couple of Moorhens and a few Squirrels.

We took a walk around the Reedbeds and Bittern hide seeing a GS Woodpecker in a distant tree, from the hides we saw Gadwall, Shoveler, Coots, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Teal and Snipe.

If you look closely you can just see 4 Snipe under the reeds between the Shovelers

Robins followed us around all over the reserve

Walking up towards Wath Ings we stopped in the hides along the way spotting, Teal, Cormorant, Swans, Heron, Shovelers, Wigeon, Goosander, Black-headed and Common Gulls and at one point a Peregrine flew over the mere to the left of the family hide spooking some of the birds up off the water. 

It was good to get out and walk off some of the Christmas excess!