Waxwing and other things at Kirkstall Abbey

Walking along the riverbank by Kirkstall Abbey I heard a familiar trilling in the treetops, and looked up  to see a flock of 20 Waxwing. Up until a couple of months ago I'd never knowingly seen Waxwing but was confident of a sighting having heard reports of flocks appearing in previous years in the urban parks of Leeds to feed on winter berries.

I consider myself lucky to have spotted them in Leeds on 4 separate occasions.  Firstly in January from my bedroom window (15), then half an hour later in the centre of town (50) and then my previous sighting during a coffee run at work (15) in a beech tree beside the Students Union just over a week ago. I'd read that they visit from November to March so I assumed that would be the last opportunity of the year to see them before they head back up to Scandinavia .

Walking on, I spotted them again in the treetops overlooking the rugby pitch, next to a busy Kirstall Road, Kirkstall Abbey is visible in the background.

Looping back down by the River Aire, on the opposite riverbank this Fox strode purposefully throught the grass, stopping to watch us for a few minutes before heading into the scrub. If I happen to see it again it'll be easily identified as it appears to have half a tail.

 

Other wildlife included a couple of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, male and female Goosander, Wren, Mistle Thrush, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Jackdaw, Wood Pigeon, Mallard, Moor Hen and two Treecreeper's going about their business in this riverside willow.

St Chads

A few sightings from today's lunchtime wander to St Chad's Churchyard, Headingley. A handful of Speckled Wood butterflies favour a patch of sun soaked brambles and nettles located at the entrance to the churchyard making for regular sightings.





In the churchyard itself I noticed this little moth, although not the sharpest of shots I was glad to come away with a couple of pics for ID purposes. At first I thought it might be a Small Yellow Underwing (Panemeria tenebrata) but it looks suspiciously like the moth that Dean recently posted on DDD which is a Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata). If anybody can help it'd be most appreciated.

And from the spring/summer range, Buttercup with feather boa, floral chic darling, it'll be all the rage in Primarni before you know it.

I also enjoyed an unexpected lunchtime sighting of an adult fox on the border of the churchyard that backs onto neighbouring gardens. My immediate reaction was that somebody had let their dog loose to wander around a working area of the churchyard, so I tutted and rolled my eyes, only to realise that it wasn't a dog at all and with that realisation came the disappearance of the fox, not something I was expecting to see but all the more reason for a regular visits.

Adel Dam Nature Reserve

We visited Adel Dam for the first time on Saturday, what a lovely woodland reserve & surprisingly peaceful on a busy sunny day when neighbouring Goldenacre Park was full of visitors. You can find a handy map at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust .

Marsh Hide Feeding Station overlooks a small pond brimming with lush vegetation & surrounded by a variety of mature mixed woodland. The close proximity to the pond provides a fine view of the inhabitants. The plentiful feeders attracted a steady procession of small woodland birds Coal Tit, Great Tit, Marsh Tit, Robin and a Nuthatch appeared intermittently. A couple of Magpies arrived prompting expectation that they'd hog the feeder but didn't stay long presumably full from an earlier feed.

A Grey Heron appeared & settled imposingly on the diminutive pond. It skulked round the margins of the pool successfully hunting small fish. We watched as a dragonfly darted foolishly over the Heron. It coolly kept its beady eyes on the insect, suddenly extending its long neck & darting its beak skywards to pluck the dragonfly out of the air & with a crunch made a tidy snack of it.

Gotcha...

A Treecreeper spiralled up a Willow trunk probing for insects.

The Nuthatch didn't stay for long before it was off again, this was the best I could manage.

The second hide overlooks Adel Dam, a much larger body of water. The water level is low at the moment & the birds were scarce, mainly Coots, Mallards, Moorhen. Here's the view.

A Red Kite soared overhead.

At the water's edge a fox crept through the thicket contemplating duck for tea no doubt. It mooched around for a minute dissappearing into the trees.

Ten minutes later we spotted a flash of colour to our right & a fox darted out of the undergrowth & trotted away from us through the waterside vegetation.

It appeared a few minutes later at the opposite bank quickly slipping out of view into the trees. Then we became aware of its reflection in the water as it settled near a flock of waterside birds waiting unnoticed for an unsuspecting bird to stray nearby.