Twas another wet day.......

River Aire - Bingley 10:50 - 12:30

Another wet start to the day, and with Sue taking Emma to the hairdressers I decided to get off the hill and headed off to Bingley.

The weather was not as bad as yesterday's -  mild with occasional heavy showers.

I parked near All Saints Church at the bottom of the hill from St. Ives estate and crossed Ireland Bridge to turn right at the end for a very slow leisurely stroll upstream for an hour or so.

The rain was keeping things quiet but a Moorhen scuttled across the river in a panic and a Kingfisher flew quickly past me in a turquoise haze.

There were a few Mallard and some domesticated Geese about but not a lot else.

I turned back and retraced my steps and soon spotted a second Kingfisher dipping into the very edge of the fast flowing murky water.

After dropping into the water the bird flew into a tree opposite me.

Although it was only 20 yds across the water I could not locate it. Later the same Kingfisher (I guess) re-appeared , but still no picture.

On my return to Ireland Bridge a Grey Wagtail and 2 Goosander flew over.

Also seen hereabouts were another 3 Moorhen and 2 Nuthatch.

I re-crossed the bridge and turned right at the end to have a mosey along to Myrtle Park.

This is a really nice walk even on a poor day like today.

In one large tree, near the first set of flats, there were:-

Wren, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Robin, Great Tit and Blue Tit all seemed to be waiting for better weather - not bad for just one tree!

2 Cormorant flew over and as I focused the camera on them , a flock of smaller birds entered the view finder.

There were possibly as many as 120 birds in the flock.

I cannot see any colour in the pictures, just the dark / light contrast on the under wings, on some of the larger birds  – not a lot of good for my ID skills I’m afraid.

However this could match favourably with a Goldfinch’s black and yellow wing colour combination? I'm not even sure if this is a mixed flock!!

The birds did a lap, allowing a second picture to be taken - not a lot of use though, but then they disappeared.

On arrival at the open fields of the park, there were plenty of Jackdaw sat together in the trees and a Jay flew high overhead.

Not a bad morning out, on such a wet day.

Drop farm cafe (Oxenhope) for lunch today.

Roast lamb as tender as could be, it's well worth a visit - but you'll have to be quick, it closes at the end of November, it just serves Christmas meals through December. 

The Christmas meals have to be booked in advance. 

It opens again in March I believe.

Did I just mention Christmas?

Sorry .... I hate Christmas.... I guess I'm on my own with that statement.

Disappearing Kingfisher

A 2 min detour up towards Altar Lane

The view from Ireland Bridge

Riverside Path to Myrtle Park

Bridge Makers Crest

Darmart Chimney in the distance - soon be time to get the Darmart on!

A Cool VW Camper with a German Reg - 

I doubt this will have any trouble with it's emissions.