Hirst Wood, River Aire and Canal Area.

I’m still not firing on all cylinders, so a short stroll and a visit to a splendid café in the Saltaire village  near the “Don’t tell Titus Inn” was the order of the day today.

The woods were alive with birdsong today with several Song Thrush heard singing loudly.

The Daffodils are beginning to show and the weather was extremely mild but very, very dull today.

Evidence of the recent flood damage was very apparent.

The weir by the boathouse has been swept away and there was a large digger with an aggregate wagon bringing huge stones to renew it, as we passed.

The park café will be closed until May, and some of the cricket club mowing machinery was lost to the floods.

The pub on the waters edge was closed undergoing major repairs with 6 building company transit vans sat outside it.

As if the flood damage was not enough to cope with, the pub had also been broken into over the Christmas period.

A Quick peek at the Raggalds Flood on the way home revealed 7 small gulls and 2 Carrion Crow.

Birds:-

3 Song Thrush, 3 Mistle Thrush, 5 Heron flyover, 5 Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, At least 10 Pied Wagtail seen on the filter beds by the water treatment works (most probably there were lots more about), 3M 2F Goosander, 4 Moorhen, 35 Canada Geese with Mallard and small gulls by the waterside pub, Grey Wagtail, c30 Goldfinch, Wren, Lots of Long Tailed Tit , 2 Mute Swan among others.

3 of at least 5 Heron seen today

Far off Grey Wagtail

  

Raggalds Flood: