Friday, 8 April 2016

Priestley Green / Coach Road – Lightcliffe – Woodpeckers galore

Priestley Green

9:30 – 12-00

I resumed my hunt for the ‘elusive’ Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on a really beautiful sunny spring-like morning.

After a few really good days birding my hopes were high but it was a bit like “After the Lord Mayors show come the …… cart” .

Priestley Green is a lovely area to saunter around and there is Lightcliffe Tearooms to visit as well.

I went down the track (next to the large white house) – the track that leads down towards Hell Fire Crossroads on the A58.

A Buzzard called for a good 5 minutes, from close by, but I (and a passing hiker) failed to locate it.

A Mistle Thrush was singing here also.

The walk to the A58 and back produced lots of the usual species:-
Wrens, Blue & Great Tits, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Dunnock and others.
There were 3 Chiffchaff heard during the stroll but no Willow Warbler.

A lovely surprise awaited me on my return to the road 3 Swallow.
A couple more singing Chiffchaffs, a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming and another GSW calling plus a Nuthatch were along Shutts Lane and up towards Coley Church.

Coach Road

12:30 – 14:00

The lesser pecker hunt along Coach Road turned up 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, all drumming and a Green Woodpecker was seen briefly flying across the rough field North of the golf course.

4 Singing Chiffchaff, 3 Long Tailed Tit, 3 Nuthatch along with the regulars were seen hereabouts. Also a Butterfly and a few bees about.

A cheeky Weasel kept a beady eye on me from the wall top on Coach Road near the school path but the lesser pecker failed to show.

Enjoy your weekend when it gets to you.















Lost of peckers but few photos


Some greenery showing on the school path


A cheeky Weasel









My first butterfly of the year





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