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.

Beckett Park Lunchtime Woodland Wander

Yesterday lunchtime the earlier blue skies and sunshine had become slightly overcast so I opted for a nearby woodland walk. Almost immediately I heard the calls of a Nuthatch, as it scoured the nooks and crannies of a tree stump. Blue Tits and Long Tailed Tit zipped around the treetops above and a Robin perched nearby.

With fleeting glimpses of sunshine I headed towards a clearing, hoping for better light and the vague possibility of some butterfly action. Listening to what might have been a Bullfinch I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. It winded its way in my direction and landed nearby, a familiar woodland friend the Speckled Wood, this one identifiable due to two diagonal scars on its upper left forewing.




A second Speckled Wood strayed into its territory and the two set off on a duel, disappearing into the woodland. Moments afterwards the original butterfly returned to settle in almost the same spot presumably content with its victory.

As it flew away again I looked up to see a Blue Tit watching me from above.

On my return another Speckled Wood flew past me shoulder to settle on the right of the path, a notably different Speckled Wood with a more saturated ground colour and much bolder markings.

As I turned and stood I heard a call to my and caught a glimpse of a Treecreeper in the process of working its way up a trunk, another satisfying lunchtime wander.

Beckett Park Woodland Birds

This week's crisp and clear mornings have filled Beckett Park woodland margins with sparkling dew drops and golden beech leaf colour. Pausing for a moment I spotted this Long Tailed Tit flitting from branch to branch and a Treecreeper feasting from the fissured bark of an established Oak. The splashes of light and colour made for some interesting abstract surroundings.

Beckett Park woodland

We stayed close to home this weekend and went on a wander through Beckett Park woodland. Under the beech & oak canopies wood pigeon and squirrels busied themselves. Stepping into the woodland our first spot was this Treecreeper.

Not such a good pic but its characteristic outline is more apparent here.

Other bird sightings included a pair of Jays on the edges of the woodland, and in the wooded area just behind Queenswood Drive we caught the side profile of the Great Spotted Woodpecker on its favourite tree trunk, no pics of either birds though.

Plenty more fungi at this time of year. On this fallen deciduous trunk was an abundance of what I think is Honey Fungus, Armillaria medea. Growing in clusters & individually.

Here's one found lying on the ground nearby, you can see the fruitbodies are joined together at the base.

Wavy mature caps & well spaced gills.

Another illustration of the joined fruitbodies.

A second cluster growing at the top of the trunk.

A third cluster growing under the trunk.

Elsewhere in the woods, I found these small black fungi. I wonder whether this is Urnula craterium before it opens, it has a black coal-like exterior & was growing at the base of this dead deciduous tree.

Common Earthball, Scleroderma citrinum growing amongst deciduous leaf litter.

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.

What Kitey Did Next

Took a trip to Harewood to observe the Red Kites. They're huge birds, with a wingspan of 1.5m, a distinctive deeply forked tail, and are fascinating to watch. The Yorkshire Red Kite Project started at the Harewood Estate, 1999 - 2003, over which time 68 birds were released resulting in a total of over 400 young raised in Yorkshire.

More info about the Yorkshire Red Kites:

• Yorkshire Red Kites
• Red Kites in Yorkshire
• RSPB - Red Kite
• Eccup Reservoir Map -Yorkshire Water

Between us we managed to get a few good pics, here you go.

Ive included the following 3 blurred pics because they tag is visible on the left wing (it looks reddish to me). Ive seen a list of tag colours somewhere that indicate when & where a bird was released so I'll check & get back with more info.

And just to show that its not all about the big birds, a Treecreeper on a conifer.

I'm especially interested in the Red Kites because a similar programme in the North East has led to everyday sightings around Rowlands Gill, where I grew up. My Auntie Ann & Uncle Lon regularly watch the Red Kites from their front room. And to top that, the local bus is now emblazoned with the Red Kite.