Burdon Moor

 16.03.24 Just lately I’ve been full of aches and pains (hopefully it will be sorted soon) and haven’t been able to get out with the camera as much as I would have liked. However, I have been that sick of sitting in the house I persuaded my wife to have a walk around Burdon Moor to look for insects (I certainly know how to show her a good time) the other day. We didn’t see much in the way of insects but there were a few Buzzards flying around and it was nice to see a Lizard again.

Lizard in about the same place as I saw it the last time I was there.

Common Green Shieldbug in its winter colours.

Gorse Shieldbug.

Another Gorse Shieldbug after an attack by the parasitic fungus Beauveria bassiana. It wasn’t until last year that I came across this but I have seen quite a few like this now.

There were a few 7-spot ladybirds around.

But not many flies.

I counted at least six Buzzards while we were there.

I managed to capture three of them.

This lucky shot is the only one I managed to get of a Goldcrest that was flitting about in a tree.

Long-tailed Tit.

Wren.

As I was driving back into the village, I could see a couple of Red Kite flying around.

 They were still flying around as I pulled up onto the drive and I was able to get some images.

Barn Owls

 04.03.24 I got talking, as you do, to a couple of blokes in the hide at Clara Vale and they were saying that the Shorties were showing well up in the Dales and that they had at least four together. After a bite of bait my wife and I decided to have a drive up into the Dales to see if we could spot them. Unfortunately, we only saw one distant Shortie and I didn’t get any shots however we did get a couple of, again, very distant Barn Owl at two different locations and this time I did manage to get shots (which are all heavily cropped).

The light was great but the Owl was too far off.

The light was rubbish and once again the Owl was too far off.

Clara Vale

 04.03.24 A couple of hours at Clara Vale didn’t produce the bird I was hoping for but there is nearly always something to photograph.

A small flock of Yellowhammer showed well now and again.

A couple of Long-tailed Tit were visiting the feeders.

Nice to see the Tree Sparrows back although I only saw two.

Reed Bunting.

Stock Dove.

Far Pastures

 29.02.24 I’ve been out of fettle for a while so I haven’t been out with the camera as much as I would have liked. On one of the few occasions I have been out I was lucky enough to catch Red Kite H5 gathering what, hopefully, turns out to be nesting material. There were three Kites Flying around the horse field so fingers crossed.

H5 with what I hope turns out to be nesting material.

He was constantly passing it from his beak to his talons.

One of the other Red Kites this one has what looks like a satellite tag on its back.

Male Kestrel.

Female Roe Deer.

Male Roe Deer.

There were three in the field however I only managed to get an image of two of them.

Willow Tit

Siskin.

Blue Tit.

Magpie hitching a ride on one of the many Shetland Ponies in the field.