Barden Moor

Lots of wheatears at least 12. M pipits, Red grouse,willow wbls Buzzard,Kestrel+male Merlin.

Stock dove

Stock dove prospecting for a nest site + Lesser redpoll,which are still using feeders. 5 today.

Pied Flycatchers.

Birds seen this morning in poor light.

Wheatear.

Two long shots of Wheatear at Greensykes lane above Laycock.

Wykeham Today.

Saw this adder at wyekham +2 common lizards & 2 Goshawks.

Dowley gap

Birds seen today lots of swallows & House martins,nice male blackcap+ Nuthatch.

Bowness.

A few pics from our trip to the lakes last week.the crow was turning over stones in the stream to get at the insects beneath.The summer migrants proved too elusive.

Kestrels inspect nest boxes at Stocksbridge

Both male & female Kestrels checked out the nest boxes at Stocksbridge yesterday.Redpoll also active with up to eight visiting feeding station in front of the hide

Grey Heron Stocksbridge

This Grey Heron successfully caught and ate three frogs in one hour at Stockbridge.

Frog Chorus

A walk up to Keighley Reservoir from Slippery Ford on 13th was welcomed with a frog chorus with at least 2-300 frogs spawning in a pond at the bottom of the reservoir banking. I sat and watched for at least an hour whilst more frogs arrived across the snow.

 

 

I noted with interest Fred's pictures of his first frogs of the year since they have not arrived in my pond yet just a couple of hundred yards away, despite my next door neighbour having spawn in his pond 22nd March.

ID shot of Willow  Warbler this morning at Marley.

RSPB Marshside Southport

Good views of Avocet & a scrap between Black Tailed Godwits at Marshside

Saturday 13th.

Had a great couple of hours on the reserve 32 species 1 swallow 6 sand martins ect,Then I went in search of cross bills but did even better Fire Crest what agreat bird +3 Roe Deer.Makes up for all that dismal weather.

Making up for lost time.

Today we have three frogs in our small pond.

First Frog

After the rain the first frog of the year was seen in our pond.Picture taken at 6pm.

Wood Pigeon + others.

This Wood Pigeon was sitting on a nest app;6foot from the ground in full view.[for those looking.The others were seen on the reserve.

Up to a dozen Siskin have been feeding voraciously in my garden for the past week or so, here is one shot, more at  stephenlilleybirdphotography.com    

Todays sightings.

Two Lesser Black backed gulls at redcar tarn.Two of eight Fieldfares+two shots of Brown hare hunkered down out of the bitter wind enjoing the sun at Slippery-Ford.