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!

Bretton Lakes Update

Its been a few weeks since I was at Bretton and I managed to miss a rare visit from a Great White Egret whilst I was away. The views to be had weren't too good apparently so there wouldn't have been any decent photo opportunities.

I could have joined what looked like half the birding population of Yorkshire over at the sighting of a Ring-Billed Gull (Photo on Bluebirder's blog - http://bluebirder.blogspot.com/ ) which was only a mile and a half from home, but I opted for the peace and quiet of Bretton instead.

It was the first time I've visited in over two months that the place wasn't frozen over and covered in snow. The only white stuff around being the Snowdrops growing in the woods, which made it feel a little bit like spring. There was much more bird life around than of late too. However one animal was seriously down in numbers - the Grey Squirrel. Before the prolonged cold snap I counted at least one of these for around every 50 yards I walked. Today I only saw about half a dozen of them throughout my whole trek so nature might have had it's own cull!

Photowise it was a mixed bag but I did see the first Coal Tit I've come across this year. Didn't hear or see any Kingfishers though. Hope they're back soon.

It was nice to meet a fellow blogger at the hide by the lake - The Shat Birder - no he hadn't had an accident in his trousers. He really is called that - http://theshatbirder.blogspot.com/

Coal Tit

Long-Tailed Tit

Great-Spotted Woodpecker

Nuthatch at the improvised feeding station behind the hide.

Lurking high above us in the tree-tops of the island was this Sparrowhawk. If this is the same one that pounced last time I was here then I reckon he's got the feeding station marked down as his own feeding source now. He's looking straight down on the feeding birds.

Tufted Duck

Male and female Goosander