Burnsall Bridge

A lovely walk by the river in Burnsall in the lovely Yorkshire Dales. The weather was absolutely glorious (For England) so that it was a very pleasant walk up the river, as usual. We started of course at the cafe and playing field, where there were ample sand martins, as well as wonderful views of a large crayfish under the water. There was also a lovely family of ducks sheltering under the bridge.  

-Mallard

As we set off I spotted a grey wagtail heading up to one of the overgrown ditches on the bridge and so assumed that it had a nest up there. 

There rest of the walk went by pretty uneventful, with the exception of a distant spotted flycatcher, until a point much higher than where we usually see wildlife where we had what might be (For us) a river first. I was watching a dipper in the river and while we watched it there was a constant cheeping next to us, and I wasn't really looking for its source as I assumed that it was in the shrubbery near the river but as we made ready to move on I spotted a common sandpiper sat out in the open making all the racket. I was able to get great views and photos of what was a very obliging bird. As we carried on moving up stream it even came and landed near us again further up so that I was able to get great shots of this species

-Common Sandpiper 

The bridge came on up ahead, and after a rest there we set off back downstream. In the open grassy section just below the bridge there are a few trees and it was there that I caught up with a lovely spotted flycatcher. I spotted it as it flew across the river to catch an insect and was caught scrapping with another spotted flycatcher. After it had defended its territory or whatever it came back to land in the tree next to us. Sadly though the high contrast between the shade of the tree and the open field meant that most of my photos were very dark. Unfortunate considering how close the bird was to us.  

-Spotted Flycatcher 

Heading back we caught up again with the sandpiper, easy to find now since we had become so familiar with its call. I then spotted another among the rocks in the middle of the river. This one was nothing like as vocal as the one closest to us. So it was that I got one of many biggest shocks of the day, as a baby suddenly appeared on the near shore along the waters edge. I was surprised, but in a pleasant way, and only adds to the value of the common sandpiper sighting today. It was still quite a young bird, but since the torrential rain that we usually get doesn't seem to have materialised its prospects look reasonably good.

-Juvenile Common Sandpiper

-Common Sandpiper 

At the rapids we than spotted a dipper flying up to a place in the cliff numerous times, and when we were all quiet we were able to hear the young in the nest

As we walked past the rapids to the large open field I spotted a pair of juvenile nuthatches with a parent in one of the large trees. And so we got another great view of some fledgling birds being tended to by the parents. Sadly I was unable top get any photos of the juveniles or the adults feeding them, mainly due to my being content to just watch them. I was however able to get great views of the adult as it came really close to us to gather food. 

-Nuthatch 

And so we returned to the start. I mentioned to my parents about my grey wagtail hunch, even as I said one of the adults headed up to the site, so I suggested we go up and have a look. When we reached a suitable place I had a peek over at where I expected them to be, in the drainpipe, but was unable to see anything. I decided then to wait for the adult to see if one of the adults would come up and explain this riddle to me. Indeed one of the adults did come up with a beak full of food, but it obviously thought me too close to reveal its secrets, so I moved back.

-Grey wagtail

I then watched as it descended to the drain, and then moved up a level to one of the overgrown ridges above the drain, where I was then able to hear babies calling. I waited for the adult to leave and moved back to where I had been before to see how old they were, but mainly to see if I could find it this time. 

I looked over and got quite a shock, as four well grown grey wagtail chicks stared back at me. I'm not one for "cuteness", but even I think that these are cute. They look healthy and ready to fledge at any point. I took a few photos and then left to reduce the stress I might cause the youngsters 

-Grey wagtail Chicks

 After that Baby filled walk we spent the rest of the day fishing in the river for crayfish. We found ample bullheads/millers thumbs and quite a few loaches, some of a fair size. But sadly we only found 3 crayfish, though one was carrying an egg sack. 

I would have to say that it was certainly one of the more wildlife filled walks at this place, and not just because of the ample juvenile birds that seemed to be everywhere.

a week ago on wednesday at burnsal bridge

Okay, so this was quite a long time ago but my brother has been hogging the computer since and seeing as though he is currently out I can catch up with all that i have fallen behind with! so the only thing that actually needs posting is the fact that a week ago on Wednesday we went to Burnsal Bridge again for the second time this summer. And this time I brought a real glass fish tank and not the crummy plastic one!

still, first things first! we went for a walk. The first bird I saw was a collard dove which I took a photo of because it was perched so conveniently on a branch.

Since I had caught up with all the other sites specialities last time I was secretly hoping for a kingfisher today. I spotted another of the locals first with a female mandarin duck.

It was whilst I was photographing this that my brother came and told me that my family had found a kingfisher. I went back to try and get some photos. Surprise, surprise! it was on the wrong side of the river leaving me with small blue specs instead of kingfishers in my pictures.

I chased it all morning, up and down the same stretch of river, but id just didn't look like it was going to come to my side of the river for a photo. Look at the photo below and you would see that not coming to my side of the river was a very silly thing to do if your a kingfisher and to be far there were plenty of conveniently placed perches for it.

Then, whilst taking the above photo, It did! It came to my side of the river, about 5m to my left. Perhaps it was my sudden movement of surprise but either way the bird stayed there less than 1 minuet so I got what I got. luckily, for my camera, that ain't bad!

The photo below shows it belting off up river after that...

I continued to follow it but it decided that it wasn't going to give me a second chance but I followed it anyway, after kingfishers are arguably Britain's most stunning bird. I managed to gather quite a few crowds to view the bird and, as I was following it, Many people left feeling pretty pleased with themselves!

After lunch Me and my brother went fishing in our traditional Burnsal pastime. In order to not crack the fish tank, this time we kept the fish in the plastic fish tank and then brought it over to the glass tank to take the photos. see below the equipment that we used for the photos

We managed to bring in quite a haul of fish and I managed to get some great photos if I do say so myself!

Minnows with a bullhead. This time we managed to catch one of the big minnows that evaded us last time!

The minnows. The bottom photo is my favourite.

The bullheads.

There was a decided lack of large loaches in the river and the one we found seemed to be badly damaged. We caught two small ones but they were happy with their new home and as a result did not come to the front but stayed within the murk of the middle where the camera couldn't reach.

After this my mum and dad said they were going to stick around and as a result me and my brother decided to try and catch a crayfish for the tank as there was also a lack of them and a photo of them in the water is something that Had evaded me!

After about rock twenty we caught a real beauty which obediently allowed himself to be caught. sadly though he was less obedient when it came to photos as he would not stay still. I suppose though that he did have perfect reason and right to be scared but the less he moved, the sooner he would be out. eventually I managed to get a few that we acceptable

As you can see this was quite a day and well worth it!

burnsall

meet tank burnsall. i took this old disused fish tank to burnsall today to put the catches in. unfortunatly to float the tank over the river to take the photos-from fish paradise to the camera the tank crashed into a rock and sadly broke. therfore these photos were a race against time.

a lovely millers thumb or bullhead which were plentiful in the river

a very handsome spined loach which were incredibly fast so we used a net that i found. after lucnch we went back in minus the tank and found lots of baby loaches further upstream

heres a photo from the glass looking insiude the tank

the evil signal crayfish have created a reputation for themselves in britian but are massive around here and this was a prize catch.

a cracking photo of a millers thumb from outside the glass. there were 3 in the tank

but the water was running low from the crack as this photo depicts

a better photo of the loach

they look so adorable in an ugly kind of way but these are a menace

but these werent the highlight of the day. we went for a walk after lunch and found nothing, not even the knigsfisher but on the way back i was way ahead of my family and i saw a gull fly upstream. it looked like a herring gull so i thought, i hope it lands upstream so i can get a better view. it did land but looking at it only one thing was different from a herring gull-its legs, yellow! could it be that i finally had the long awaited yellow legged gull!!!! i had no bins so waited for my mum to catch up with bins and sure enough it wasnt a lesser black backed so yesss!!!! i had it my first. but as i ran back for the camera (a fair way i can tell you) it flew off so no pictures. the reason why it flew off was a bit unclear from what my family said. i got a tale of sheep, black headed and greater black backed gulls so i cant really tell. anyway it was a really great bird to tick.

also there today were, in the way off gulls, common gull in force which also has yellow legs, lesser black backed, which also has yellow legs, which turned up as we ate our fish and chips much later. black headed gulls were there in force and a few flyover greater black backeds were there. overall a good day.

other birds were sparse but there was a female mandarin which is normally there and 3 grey wagtails and a juvenile pied milling about on the beach. oystercatchers flew over in trios occasionally. overall a great day.