After my local birding efforts have failed to bring me anything new in the last few outings, and with a cunning Baldrick plan to beat the forecast heavy rain and wind, due this afternoon, we had a run out to Saltaire, this morning.
An enjoyable walk through Hirst Wood, along the River Aire and the along the canal to the Cricket Ground Café (open for business as usual now).
Back via the canal to the car park.
Just the odd light shower encountered with some nice birds on offer.
Birds:-
Leaving Hirst Wood A lone Duck was seen on the river Aire - a Tufted Duck.
2 Mute Swan were on the canal and a pretty White Duck was with the many Mallards.
A couple of Nuthatch and Long Tailed Tit seen in the woods from the river bank.
Here also was a very elusive Treecreeper, high in the trees, that I just manged to photograph before it vanished.
The weir by the Rowing Club HQ was very interesting.
An odd looking duck with a blue bill, morphed into a Kingfisher, perched on a rock ,once I got the bins on it.
While viewing the Kingfisher, a Little Grebe swam past behind it.
The Little Grebe and Kingfisher soon left, off downstream.
The Little Grebe was very obliging, stopping to preen perched on a rock for a short while.
Not often I see a Little Grebe out of the water.
A Dipper was enjoying the rough water among the boulders by the weir, also here was a Grey Wagtail.
After a visit to the café, whilst we enjoyed a Fat Rascal and a drink sat on a park bench under the shelter of a tree, 4 "Geese Types" flew fast overhead on a mission, nearly out of range before I noticed them.
Looking at the photo the birds were Cormorants.
Later another 2 Cormorants flew past at a more leisurely pace.
A scan from the bridge by the Pub, revealed a distant Heron and also a Kingfisher perched on a branch in the middle of the river.
2 Mute Swans were by the car park one with a yellow leg ring and the other with a steel type leg ring.
The Black Headed Gulls were checked out, but nothing exceptional came out of the audit.
A really pleasant change, with some decent birds seen today.
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