On Sunday I took my camera down to the river Aire again at Denso Marston Nature Reserve.
As usual tap on an image to see it better quality in its gallery.
Denso Marston Nature Reserve
On the path down to the river I spent some time looking at the Ivy on the wall and trees between the path and the factory. No Holly Blue butterflies this time.
A bit further down the path I thought it cute that a tree was growing out of the top of a damaged and rotting post, but then I realised it was Himalayan Balsom that had rooted in the Moss.
Butterflies were in short supply. Quite a few Large White but that was about it. A solitary Comma and later on a small Gatekeeper – see next set of images.
I have at last taken notice of the metal benches on the Reserve. They have a rose cast into the ends. At first I thought it was great to have a Yorkshire Rose on benches but for the purists it is upside down and to cap it off the manufacturers are Ollerton Engineering Services, Samlesbury Bottom, Preston, Lancs. PR5 0RN 01254 852127 who also operate as Goose Foot Street Furniture. So I guess it is a Lancashire Rose.
The pond is very weedy now and it looks as though Moorhens are going for another brood with a raft nest in the middle. As I watched the Moorhen a Dragonfly kept flying past, but not at the same distance so it is very fuzzy in the shot.
At the Spider Club feeding station Squirrels and Rats were the only things showing themselves.
Towards Buck Lane footbridge and on the Leeds Liverpool Canal
The “scrapes” to the left of the path from the reserve to the footbridge were full of grasses and plants in flower but again no butterflies.
Up on the banks of the canal a Grey Heron was quietly watching the canal for food. It was so still and quiet that many people passing on bikes and on foot did not notice it. More started to notice it when I knelt down pointing a long lens at it.
One boat passed it quickly, with ignore, but the 2nd boat went slowly and it finally disturbed the Heron which flew off to the top of a nearby tree. Because of the slope down to the river the top of the tree was only just above eye level from the tow-path from where I took some more shots, one of them showing the barbs on its tongue. With things like that on its tongue once a fish is in its beak the only way the fish can go is down its throat. The more distant shot of it is taken from the path down to the river. It shows that the Heron is in the top of the tree and not just perched in a bush on the edge of the canal.
Last week I showed a photo of a pink balloon in the river with its string caught by the branch of a tree. That same balloon is now smaller and stuck at the Buck Mill weir.
The Gatekeeper butterfly was lucky spot when I was walking back to the reserve footpath. Another photographer came up to me and mention how nice the weather was but no butterflies. I was able to point to the Gatekeeper just before it flew off.
Leave a Reply