Sunday 10 Jan
I went over to Horbury Junction yesterday with Veronica and spent three hours walking up and down the bank of the River Calder to get a good look at a smew. Good numbers of birds on the river, unsurprisingly including bird usually seen on lakes, ponds etc.. The following were among the species were seen:-
I went over to Horbury Junction yesterday with Veronica and spent three hours walking up and down the bank of the River Calder to get a good look at a smew. Good numbers of birds on the river, unsurprisingly including bird usually seen on lakes, ponds etc.. The following were among the species were seen:-
smew
goldeneye
teal
widgeon
pochard
red breasted merganser
coot
moorhen
mute swan
grey heron
tufted duck
mallard
canada goose
sparrowhawk
meadow pipit
house sparrow
dunnock
redwing
fieldfare
blackbird
mistle thrush
blue, great, long tailed and coal tit
chaffinch, goldfinch and greenfinch
wren
pied and grey wagtail
agbrigg shxtehawk
wood pigeon
herring gull
black headed gull
magpie
carrion crow
jackdaw
The smew was pretty skittish and it flew up and down the river a few times but we got good views eventually. What a cracking bird.
Photos by Veronica. Keep practising.
That Drake Smew can fly up to Ogden Res anytime it wants, been about 22 years since my last one!
ReplyDeleteYour time will come Nigel.
ReplyDeleteHe's a splendid fellow isn't he. Apparently there was a male smew there last year also.