Two days in May

Saturday 9th May

Barry and I set off around lunchtime to try to catch up with dotterel on Danby Beacon. Our initial arrival looked disappointing but after cresting the brow of the hill and dropping down a little we espied a line of cars... Now any seasoned birder [twitcher, maybe] knows what that means! Target birds!

Dotterel Dotterel

Dotterel Dotterel Dotterel Dotterel

We drove on following a tortuous route towards Sutton Bank where I hoped to see the turtle doves again. The timing would be about right when we were likely to arrive. En route I spotted a whinchat and managed a snap from the car.

Dotterel

The doves were spotted whilst Barry was elsewhere so I hoped they'd still be there when he got back. Siskins were in the trees near the cafe feeders.

The doves waited.

Turtle Dove

We edged a little closer.

Turtle Dove

Two turtle doves. Not a pear tree or [grey!] partridge to be seen!

Turtle Dove Turtle Dove

Face on you can't be quite sure...until you hear it purr. Turtle Dove

Sunday 10th May

I was parked up at Barden Bridge before 7am. Garden warblers seen immediately in new plantation on far side of bridge. Grey wagtails near the aqueduct bridge. I'm often told the bridge is a folly and when I say it's an aqueduct people clearly don't believe me. This is from the Bolton abbey estate website:

The large turreted bridge which crosses the River Wharfe north of Strid Wood is the aqueduct. The splendid castellations hide the pipe that carries water from the reservoirs at the top of Nidderdale to the cities of West Yorkshire. The bridge provides the perfect place to cross the river if you wish to shorten the Strid Wood to Barden Bridge circular route.

A pair of dippers nest in the bridge. Dipper

A female goosander was walking on the rocks.

Goosander

Into the woods then. Mandarin ducks were perching in the trees.

Mandarin Mandarin Mandarin

A pair of common sandpipers were on the 'beach' about 200m upstream of the Cavendish Restaurant. 

Common Sandpiper

At the shelter a nuthatch came close.

Nuthatch Nuthatch

Pied flycatchers were plentiful and easier to photograph than the redstarts which I saw but failed to get onto. No sign of spotted flycatchers [a bit early?] or of wood warblers [population crash?]

Pied Flycatcher Pied Flycatcher Pied Flycatcher Pied Flycatcher Pied Flycatcher Pied Flycatcher

On the way back, approaching Barden Bridge again after my 4.6 mile circular walk, sand martins were flying all around me. This one perched on the fence.

Sand martin

215 UK 2015