Spring 29th April 2016
This morning we had the worst spring blizzard in more than fifty years. Several inches of snow fell, with drifting in the hills, and even at noon the temperature was still below 3°C. It will be a disaster for all the wading birds that breed in the Pennine hills with only the Dunlin not yet […]
Garden Spectacular
The cool and sometimes snowy weather of the last few weeks has brought a big influx of birds into the garden. We have had 35 House Sparrows, 36 Goldfinches and new records of 16 Redpolls, 5 Siskins and 6 Reed Buntings. For the first time this winter we have had more than 20 species each […]
The Hidden Gem
The ultimate challenge in springtime is to find a Woodcock incubating eggs. The camouflage when it lays them amongst leaves and bracken is superb as is shown by this weeks sitting female. She laid her eggs on or about the 20th March which is exceptionally early and means she had to sit through two periods […]
Early Breeding Goosanders
During the last fifty years Goosanders have increased in number and are now seen almost daily on our local canal. The female lays up to a dozen eggs in hollow trees and only leaves them to feed twice a day, usually in the company of the male. Her eggs take four weeks to hatch and […]