Goose

A small flock of Greylag geese - with a couple of Canada goose interlopers - has established itself on the lawns around Saltaire's United Reformed Church, on the banks of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.  The RSPB bird guide is rather sniffy about 'semi-tame and uninspiring' southern British Greylags, saying they don't have the 'special appeal' of the truly wild birds that overwinter in Scotland.  That may be true, but I doubt I could get as close to the wilder birds as I could to this cutie.  S/he was nibbling the grass and roots on the side of the canal and quite unperturbed that I was crouching down with my camera.  At first glance they appear to be 'brownish-grey birds' but close-up you can see the subtle colourings of the feathers, with their white frilly edges.  I think they're very attractive and they have a lovely little head too.

It's just a pity that all the waterbirds round here get filled up with bread that people bring down to feed them with.  It does them no good, and may even kill them.  A lady on one of the narrowboats further along the canal was trying to improve the situation by selling bags of proper food, but she is fighting a losing battle, I fear.

Moorhen

The birds must be getting a bit desperate as this long cold snap shows little sign of abating.  This Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) on the canal seemed to be trying to chip through the ice to the water below.  The photo shows very clearly the bird's curious feet, with its long toes, well adapted to walking on soft uneven surfaces.  They do swim but they mostly inhabit the vegetated margins of lakes and rivers.  Resident in the UK, they eat water plants, seeds, fruit, grasses, insects, snails and worms - most of which must be in short supply in this weather.

Chilly

Mallard ducks lined up alongside the canal basin in Skipton.  They were fluffed up because of the cold and looked a bit sleepy.  I think we should all be able to hibernate in this weather.

Snow joke ....

This section of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, down by the entrance to Roberts Park in Saltaire, is a popular spot for visitors.  There is usually someone there feeding the ducks and pigeons, so the birds have learned to congregate there.  With snow on the ground and ice floes in the canal, they were probably hungrier than usual - but there were few visitors about.  The ducks were milling around, more in hope than expectation.  Perhaps standing on the snow was warmer than swimming in the water.  Not much trade for the ice-cream boat either! When it's raining we say "Nice weather for ducks" - but this.... it's snow joke!
(The photo was taken before the latest snowfall.  The canal is completely frozen over now.  In fact pretty much the entire UK is covered in snow, as this satellite picture shows.)

Quackers

(Viewing large recommended)
This is my 500th post!  500 - I must be quackers!  But no... it is an unending joy in so many ways.  Going out and taking photos is always fun and sometimes leads me to feeling really blissed out.  (Do you know that feeling?  It's amazement at the beautiful, exciting world we live in; sheer pleasure that I can be out in it and notice its detail - the colours, the shapes, the light and shadow, the history, the humour, the places, the people.)  And then starting to write a post and finding out what I'm going to put - it often takes me by surprise!  And then seeing it all come together (well, at least in my view!) and publishing it.  And then the fun of reading all your wonderful comments - so encouraging, often wise, often witty.  And the equal pleasure of reading all your blogs - the old friends that I know will make me smile, teach me something new,  thrill me with stunning photographs and make me stop and think... and the excitement of discovering new friends too, all with different ways of looking at the world. Quackers?  No, I don't think so.

Harewood Bird Garden

Harewood Bird Garden, in the grounds of Harewood House, is home to over 90 species of exotic and endangered birds, including these colourful Chilean flamingos, busily preening.  It is closely involved in conservation work in the UK and abroad.  One of the success stories has been the re-introduction of Red Kites into lowland Yorkshire.  First released on the Harewood Estate in 1999, there are now more than 300 birds in the area.  They are a wonderful sight soaring around the grounds (see Leeds Daily Photo for a picture of one).

The Bird Garden has a collection of penguins too, and daily feeding time is a sure-fire hit with little children - my daughter used to love going to watch them.  They are such sweet comical little things.

Meanwhile, in Saltaire...

You seemed to enjoy visiting Ilkley - but meanwhile, what's been happening in Saltaire whilst we've been away? Well, proud Mama Mallard has hatched a SECOND brood of ducklings. The first lot are well grown up now - must be, because you can't tell which ducks they are. (They can't all have been eaten, can they? I watched them thrive until they got quite big.) One of my favourite things is to watch ducklings scurrying about. They move so fast, on land or in the water, and look so purposeful - but they aren't! Quite comic. It's also hilarious watching them trying to jump up onto the canal bank. Like most baby things, they're sweet.

Grey Heron

The river Aire, which runs through Saltaire, has two weirs within the space of about half a mile. One is right beside Saltaire's New Mill; the other is upstream at Hirst Wood. Almost always when I have passed, I have seen a grey heron standing or paddling about in the flow of the weir. I'm not sure if each weir has its own heron, or whether the same bird flies between the two. Either way, it/they are not really scared by human company. They will come quite close to the bank even when I'm standing there, and they only get jumpy if I move quickly. One of the largest birds resident in the UK, they are a common but still spectacular sight. I love to see them fly overhead, when they tuck in their necks and fly with a lazy, floppy wingbeat that is very distinctive. They nest in trees, in large and untidy nests, often in a community or heronry alongside others. I'm not sure whether Saltaire's herons are breeding birds, as I haven't noticed a local nest. But that may be me being unobservant...

Denso Marston Nature Reserve

Sunday was a lovely early Spring day...far too nice to stay indoors - and anyway I need to get into training.... Shortly after Easter, I'm planning to walk the Northumberland Coastal path - five days hiking, of 10 to 13 miles a day. I think I can manage that, but I decided it would be wise to limber up a bit in preparation! With that in mind, I took a walk of, I suppose, about 6 miles, wearing my new backpack to make sure I could shoulder that comfortably (it's fine).

My walk took me in a circular route, along the Leeds-Liverpool canal through Shipley and then back to Saltaire through Baildon and along the moor edge. I took a minor detour to visit this small Nature Reserve on the way. Created in 1991 by Denso Marston Ltd, the Reserve forms a buffer between their factory and the River Aire. The land is prone to flooding, which makes it unsuitable for development, but rather than leave it unused, the company's Production Engineering Manager had the idea of turning into a Reserve for the benefit of the local community. The company employs a part-time warden and hosts visits by groups and a programme of wildlife discovery activities throughout the year.

It's a lovely peaceful spot, scattered with seats so that you can relax and enjoy it. It has this small area of pond, which has been carved out deliberately but which now looks quite natural. I think the mallard ducks thought I might have some food for them. They swam over to investigate me.

Spring is in the air..

The song is right when it talks about Spring being 'in the air'...I don't know what it is ...it's not that it's any warmer - because it isn't; it's not that the sun is shining more - because it isn't; it's not even that there are buds beginning to burst out, because they aren't really...but nevertheless yesterday morning there was a definite sense in the air of something new. The birds could feel it - there was a Collared Dove roocoocooing and the ducks on the canal have started to hang around in obvious pairs.

Even more interesting, on my walk to work yesterday I saw nine Greylag Geese and three pairs of Goosander (known as Common Merganser in US). Goosanders don't frequent this stretch of the canal with any regularity, but I see them occasionally at this time of year. They are lovely birds, with a serrated bill to eat fish. The darker female is on the right and the black and white male to the left.

They weren't keen on having their picture taken, refusing to get together and pose. And I didn't have my long lens with me, so this is a poor photo really - though I did like the shimmery colours reflected on the water. Strange that it looks so rich, as the reflected building is in reality a tumbledown brick mill - not at all beautiful. It's been derelict for years and is gradually being taken over by nature.

Anyway, as you can imagine, I arrived at work with - yes - a spring in my step!