River Calder

With the demise of Bretton Lakes NR looking almost inevitable now, I thought I'd better try and find somewhere else to spend my spare time. The River Calder runs through Dewsbury and at it's closest point is only around 400 yards from my home. Close enough to forget that it is there! So I set off yesterday for a walk along it's banks on a bright but cool and breezy morning.

I was more than impressed with what I found. On the river there were the usual suspects, a pair of Mute Swans, Mallards, Grey Heron and I spotted a Grey Wagtail hopping around on the weir. I also heard a Kingfisher calling but didn't catch sight of it.

Black Headed Gull and Lesser Black-Backed Gull

It was on the banks of the river where I came across the more interesting stuff...

I'm afraid that the photos are a bit on the small side as the subjects were a tad shy, not to mention on the small side themselves. I must try to get closer in the future!

 Chiffchaff

Sand Martin

Willow Warbler - first one I've seen in my home town

Female Bullfinch

 Blackcap - he wouldn't come out from behind the branch though!

Long Tailed Tit

Common Whitethroat. I've found these birds to be most infuriating to photograph as they don't let you get close. They pop-up from the undergrowth from time-to-time but as soon as you move they dissapear only to emerge from the undergrowth somewhere else!

Another shy bird and another first for me at this location! This Linnet was with his mate but she was even more difficult to see and I didn't manage to get a shot.

River Calder

I'm still without transport so I was unable to take advantage of the fine weather last weekend. I did have a look through last years photos to see if there was anything worth posting though. This may be of interest to anyone who knows the area where I live.

Anyone from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire who is of the same generation (or older) than myself would probably laugh out loud if you suggested that the River Calder and it's banks had become a bit of a nature reserve.

When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's the stretch of the river that runs through my home town was used as a playground by myself and plenty of other kids, but it was a distinctly unhealthy place to be. For over 100 years the local textile and chemical industries had been discharging their waste into the river. The result being that a river which was once home to large numbers of salmon and many other fish became a lifeless, dirty, smelly mess!

Not any more though. Due to anti-pollution laws and the demise of most of the local mills and factories that used to pour their waste into the river, the fish have returned. Otters have been seen along some stretches and the bird life that lives along it's banks now includes King Fishers, Grey Heron and Grey Wagtails to name but a few.

Last June I managed to get some photos of some of the birdlife. There was little cover so I couldn't get close enough for any really decent shots but here are a few examples of what I saw.

Long-Tailed Tit.

A scruffy looking Common Whitethroat. Too busy feeding the young to bother about appearances?

Grey Wagtail. This was taken on the weir next to Island View. I was so surprised to see this land in front of me that I almost forgot to take a picture!

Black Headed Gull flying above the same weir.

Yellowhammer - a pair were nesting alongside the Calder & and Hebble Navigation, a canal which runs parallel to the Calder for a short distance.

I'll be back at the start of the coming spring to see what the new breeding season brings.