A busy day today and we didn't get free to late afternoon.
With reports of Flycatcher and Redstart at Bolton Abbey, filtering through, I thought I'd give it a go.
A cool breeze in Bradshaw but the sheltered East side of the Wharf at Bolton Abbey was quite warm and very, very pleasant.
We managed to avoid the £10 parking fee by squeezing into a free parking spot by the Abbey Tea Rooms, opposite The Devonshire Arms Inn.
This had advantages and disadvantages - the £10 saved was spent on a snack in the Abbey Park Tea Room (family run) - a lovely place.
The distance from here to Barden Bridge and back was more than Sue was happy with, as it turned out.
It's about an 8 1/2 mile walk - a bit further than I thought!
A great selection of birds here today.
Sand Martin were in large numbers by Bolton Bridge, our start point.
A few Swallow were seen and a good few Swift, but the Swift numbers were difficult to estimate.
I was nearly back to the car before I got a House Martin - this may be more to do with my eyesight than the number of House Martin here.
At least 44 species were clocked up, which is a record number for me, in one outing!
Pick of the crop:
A solitary Pied Flycatcher sporting a leg ring, heard then seen.
Just before Barden Bridge a Redstart was heard and eventually found in a tree top.
The tree at the end of the bridge held a second Redstart.
4 Common Sandpiper.
Buzzard.
Oystercatcher.
Mandarin Duck with chicks.
Blackcap.
Dipper.
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Woodland birds are very hit and miss with me.
Difficult to locate in the very leafy trees but with the birdsong at least I have half a chance of seeing them, and I belive my bird song recognition is getting better (well a little bit anyway).
Definitely one of my best days out, in a long time.
The start from Bolton Bridge
Leg Ring
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