A bit too early for the migrants...

I was hoping that I might get lucky this morning and be greeted with the familiar call of a recently arrived Chiffchaff when I made an early morning visit to Bridge Royd Wood at Bretton Lakes. Unfortunately they haven't arrived just yet but there was still plenty going on in the woods and on the lake. Only the Herons were missing from their spot above the island on the top lake, where their heronry is usually in full-swing by now. I suppose its too early to tell if they have become a victim of the recent vandalism (restoration if you listen to the people that run the place) that has seen substantial parts of the reserve ripped-up, bulldozed or removed.

I still haven't seen or heard a Kingfisher this year either. I hope they make a return soon.

Here is a selection of what I did see.

Top-to-bottom - Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Male/female Goosanders, Tufted Duck, Bit of aggro from the male Goosanders, Female Goosander close-up and one half of a pair of Buzzards that were circling high above Litherop Woods as I returned to my car.

Note the serrated bill. A friend of my wife's once said that these birds have teeth!!! Even I know that the only duck with a set of gnashers is called Donald!

PS - just checked - even Donald doesn't have teeth!

Nesting

This pair of Great Crested Grebes built their nest at least a couple of weeks ago but something seems to have gone wrong. No eggs and it has visibly reduced in size. Maybe they made the mistake of leaving it alone and it was raided? They certainly looked a bit confused.

The Goosanders usually winter on Bretton Lakes and then move on during early spring. However this year there are a few stragglers.

This female had a mate nearby and appeared to be either looking for a nest site or visiting an existing nest in a tree on the island. Hopefully they will breed and we'll see some young in the next few weeks.

I came across a pair of Treecreepers building a nest under this flimsy looking piece of bark on a dead tree. This one eventually worked out how to get this long twig through the narrow opening only for it to fall out several seconds later!

Blackcaps

Prior to today I'd only seen one Blackcap at Bretton so far this year and that was a distance away. Today I was sure some more would have arrived but when I got to Bridge Royd Wood there was no sign at all. Chiffchaffs were everywhere but no sign of the Blackcaps.

It wasn't until I got undercover and sat still for a quite a while that I heard that unmistakable song. He wouldn't come out into the open though and all I got was a few fleeting glimpses through the leaves and branches.

Another hour went by and on his fifth visit to my area I finally got an unrestricted view. There were still a few frustrating moments when I could hear his song but couldn't see him but in the end I managed to get a few shots!

Where did you get that cap!

Whilst I was waiting around for the Blackcap this Chiffchaff appeared and had a bit of a grooming session.

Last Sunday I went looking for the Green Woodpeckers - again without success - but did come across a nesting Treecreeper and pair of Long-Tailed Tits.

The Long-Tailed Tits were happy to pose around but I wasn't quick enough to get any shots with them carrying nest building materials.

Birds of Bretton - Part One

Bretton Lakes nature reserve is my local patch. Formerly managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust it is now under the direct control of the local council. Whether or not this is a good thing remains to be seen but things seem to be working ok at the moment.

Bretton Lakes on Multimap


Here are a selection of the many photographs I have taken at this reserve. They are in no particular date order but most are taken in the spring and summer.

There is a more informed look at this reserve on this blog - Bluebirder

Kingfisher

Bluetit    

Nuthatch

Kingfisher

Grey Squirrel stealing the peanut butter I put out for the birds!

Treecreeper

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Wren

Kingfisher