My new lens seems to be doing OK, I have been out with it a few times now. This post is of photos from Rodley Nature Reserve, High Royds Pond in Menston, Denso Marston Nature Reserve, and our garden.
We have Common Gull, Little Grebe, Gadwall, Canada Geese, Tufted Duck, Grey Heron, Greylag Geese, Cormorant, Swan, Teal, Chaffinch, Kestrel, Dunnock, Great Tit, Pheasant, Reed Bunting, Black Headed Gull, Snipe, Kingfisher, and Wren.
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Rodley Nature Reserve
Saturday was a visit to Rodley Nature Reserve
When I got there the field next to the car park and river had a fair number of Canada Geese grazing in it. Later in the afternoon they took to the air and took over the Lagoon for a while.
The usual suspects were at the Reserve, various Gulls perched on the rafts and floating on the water. A Little Grebe kept diving every time I looked at it. Gadwall pair coming in to land, Teal, Mute Swans. Cormorants in the trees, with their webbed feet wrapped around the branches. The two Grey Heron on the right of the photo are adults and I think the one on the left is a juvenile. The parents (?) are facing away, looking over the water, thinking of the fish they missed earlier and wondering when junior is going to go off by its self so they can think of building a nest for more junior Herons.
Like my last visit, a Kestrel was on the nest box, looking out over the grass for something to eat. While over in the Manager’s Garden Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Reed Buntings and Pheasant were feeding. Chaffinches were feeding on the seeds in Tim’s Field and then gathering in reasonable numbers in the nearby trees.
Quite a few Black Headed Gulls were lining up on the roof of the Yorkshire Water pumping station and objecting when a new one tried to squeeze in.
High Royds Pond, Menston
Sunday was a visit to High Royds Pond, Menston
On this visit to High Royds the light was a bit better. I was able to use a lower ISO so the noise is a bit better. The light also meant that a couple of the Snipe have a “catch light” in their eyes that improves the photo.
Denso Marston Nature Reserve
On Sunday, on the way back from High Royds Pond, I visited Denso Marston Nature Reserve.
The highlight of this visit was being able to watch a male Kingfisher at the pond. I had my tripod with me, with my new Benro gimbal head. Several times, while watching the bird through the viewfinder, it was really noticeable that the bird could keep its head still while its perch was moving around in the breeze. The last photo above is a combination of the two previous photos. Its head is in exactly the same position but its body has moved a lot.
Our Garden
It hardly qualifies as a “visit” but on Tuesday morning I spotted some movement in our garden.
I didn’t expect it to still be there after I had got my camera but there was a Wren, picking up a caterpillar and whacking it on the branch before wrapping it up and swallowing it. I think, but don’t quote me, that it is probably a Speckled Wood caterpillar. Apparently they can over-winter as caterpillars; and they are also green. It didn’t quite manage to keep itself hidden behind the canted over garden obelisk and thick stems of the climbing Rose.
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