Adel Dam & Golden Acre

Up early on Sunday for a walk around the park before it got too busy. A Goosander was on the main lake at Golden Acre along with Mallard,Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Coot and the stroppy farmyard goose that was pecking shoes last time.

Robin

Tufted Duck

Goosander

We could hear Chiffchaff, Blue Tits, Dunnocks and Robins, there were a few Nuthatch around too.

Nuthatch

Dunnock

This American skunk cabbage grows around the edge of the water and I quite like it, it's managed so it doesn't spread as it's an invasive species.

Onto Adel Dam and we saw more Nuthatches. At the first hide we chatted to a guy already in there, we the first people he'd seen so far this morning. A couple of Mandarin were around with the usual small birds at the feeders. 

Mandarin

From the lake hide we saw quite a few Greylag Geese, Teal,Little Grebe, more Mandarins and overhead a Red Kite and a couple of Buzzards

Greylag Goose

Moorhen

Teal

At the side of the hide where the feeders are a Reed Bunting flew in, i've not seen one here before.

Reed Bunting

Blue Tit

We carried on and walked through the woods stopping for a while to watch a Treecreeper fly around the trees. Further along the path a bird flew up out of the undergrowth - a Woodcock! Then a few minutes later another, again a new bird for me here and a bit of a surprise....although probably more so for the poor birds!

Treecreeper

Bolton Abbey

We headed up to Bolton Abbey early morning on Good Friday to try and avoid the crowds. We walk from the Cavendish car park, up to Barden Bridge and back down the other side. Luckily it tends to be fairly people free the further away we get from the Strid.

As we drove into the place there were a couple of Curlew on the field.

This is one place where you have a good chance of spotting Dippers and we saw one pretty much straight away and several more through the day. It was followed down the river by a Goosander.

We heard and finally saw a Greater Spotted Woodpecker that seemed to follow us up the path for a while. There were plenty of birds in the woods & on the river through the day - Chaffinch, Great, Blue and Coal Tits, Nuthatch, Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Wren, Pied and Grey Wagtails, Pheasant, Mandarin Ducks, Mallards and their chicks.

The Sand Martins were flying about the banks just before Barden Bridge and as we walked through the little wood there I spotted a largish brown bird in the undergrowth, managed to snap a couple of photos before it flew of and when checking realised i'd seen a Woodcock - a new bird for me and not one I'd ever thought about trying to see!

To finish off the day as we were driving home we spotted a Red Grouse perched on a fence post next to a field - very chuffed another new bird!

A few pictures from the day.