Birding Bradshaw and District: Bingley 5 Rise Locks

Wednesday, 6 January 2016

Bingley 5 Rise Locks – River Aire and Myrtle Park.

After a ropy night, keeping Sue awake ‘till 1:30am with my constant coughing, I decided that fresh air might be the best medicine, so I headed off to Bingley.

The weather improved as the day progressed and there was a bit of brightness for a short time before the customary January gloom re-asserted itself later in the afternoon.

I enjoyed a walk along the canal towards 5 Rise locks and back, then I crossed the pedestrian bridge over the A650 to cross the river on the lower road bridge and turned right by the Brow Cow Inn. After a stroll upstream I returned and crossed the bridge to turn right through housing and followed the path into Myrtle Park and back.

The Brown Cow Inn is closed ‘till further notice because of flood damage.

In fact evidence of the severe flooding was apparent throughout the walk.

5 Rise Locks Area.

This area always has plenty of bird life and today was no exception with Robins singing throughout the walk. I was hoping for Bullfinch but did not manage to get one today.

Long Tailed Tit were in abundance with 12 in one tree by the locks.

I had a good look around the marshy area towards the A650 where there were Mallard, Black Headed Gull, 3 Pheasant, Cormorant, Moorhen and a Grey Heron. In the trees here was 3 Jay together with a good mix of smaller Tits and Finches.

Looking at the photos, a bird that I’d though was a F. Pheasant seems to have the wrong bill and head shape? Possibly a Partridge?

River Aire:

The walk upstream from the Brown Cow Inn was eerily quiet with numerous bits of different coloured plastics left high up in the trees by the flood water.

Ever bit of Blue a possible Kingfisher – but I did not see the real thing today.

A F. Goosander was fishing upstream from me.

On the return journey a flock of c20 birds landed in a tree just in front of me.

I could ID 1 Chaffinch and 2 Siskin for definite, from the bunch, but the other were in shadow.

One Siskin actually landed on some moss on top of an old building.

However the camera refused to focus on the bird even though it was not on auto-focus!

The cropped pic. leaves a lot to be desired

A Sparrowhawk flapped / glided past very high overhead.

Myrtle Park Area.

A Dipper and a Wren were both heard hereabouts but neither seen.

After saying yesterday that Song Thrush was very scarce, today I saw 3 of them in Myrtle Park. One was singing away high in a tree.

A pr. of Mute Swan were on the “island” close to the small pond by the Brown Cow Inn and a Nuthatch was calling from the trees nearby.