Burnsall To Linton Falls,Sunday 5th March 2023.

After a very enjoyable gig the previous evening seeing the superb Slow Reader's Club in leeds,we enjoyed a hearty brekkie before travelling the hours journey into the Yorkshire Dales National Park to complete one of our fave walks along the River Wharfe,between the lovely village of Burnsall and Linton Falls.

After parking along the roadside in Burnsall,(if you get here early enough,there are a few places),we got our boots on and kit together and plenty of warm clothing and set off on our walk.

The first noticeable thing was how low the water level was on the River,a bit worrying considering its only early spring.

Some pleasant sunshine as we walked was most welcome and it wasn't long before we saw our first nice bird,a lovely male Dipper.

He was singing in a favoured nesting spot for the species in past years,at Loupe Scar and we enjoyed some fantastic views of him.

More goodies between Burnsall and Hebden followed in the form of 3 Kingfisher,11 Goosander a pair of Mandarin Ducks,a Little Egret and 5 Grey Wagtail,but it is always the scenery that steals the show here for me.

As we neared Linton a whopping flock of 131 Oystercatchers were encountered,no doubt birds arriving from the coast to breed on their inland territories along this beautiful river,but this is by far the largest number i have seen along here.

More views of the same birds on the return leg from Linton Falls and more excellent views were had of the Dipper again also.

Well what a cracking area this is,certainly one of my favourites in the country and we both look forward to visiting here again before long.

Linton Falls

Some Of The Oystercatcher Flock at Linton.

The River Wharfe At Hebden.

The Old Suspension Bridge At Hebden.

Loupe Scar,Burnsall.

Local Patching Update......January/February 2023.

 Due to several factors,one of which was of being ill with covid and a few trips away,the following will be a summary of visits to the local patch.

January

Sunday January 15th

Highlights on the 15th included 26 Russian White-fronted Geese still being around the Winter's Pond area,with a good count of 3250 Pink-footed Geese between East Halton Skitter and Goxhill Haven.

A decent year tick was found at the Skitter,when i managed to find a Jack snipe on the saltmarsh,with 4 Barn Owls in the area and 2 Water Pipit.

Sunday 29th January

A good visit today with 70 species logged,highlights included 25 Russian White-fronts still,2250 Pinks,a pair of Pintail on the marshes which were new for the year,and a good flock of 6 Pochard at Winter's.

Some decent numbers of waders on the mitigation area included 1600 Lapwing,26 Redshank and 81 Curlew.

2 Bearded Tit,a single Water Pipit and 5 Stonechat were also seen.

February

Saturday February 4th

A jump in numbers of our Russian White-fronted Goose flock to 41,was a welcome sight,along with the 2 Barnacles still,309 Wigeon on the marshes,2 Grey Partridge,40 Avocet,Barn and Little Owls were also seen.

1 NFY species was logged,just as i was about to leave for home,in the form of a Green Sandpiper on the marshes,a welcome sighting.

Sunday February 12th

A surprise addition to the year list regarding the time of year,saw a single Brambling calling as it flew west over the car park at Winter's,a nice sighting and not a species i usually see locally in winter.

Also seen today,were 34 White-fronts still,1450 Pinks,2 Barn Owl and a single Water Pipit.

Sunday 26th February

A drop in the numbers of White-fronts for me today,saw myself only seeing 18,but a good sized flock of Pink-footed Geese were logged and included 3251 birds,the largest count of the winter.

Some decent numbers of Wildfowl were also seen at Winter's/East Halton marshes and included 335 Wigeon,216 Teal,29 Shoveler,71 Mallard and 4 Pochard.

Other bits included a single Barn Owl,Kingfisher,Water Pipit and 2 Ruff.

Reporting will be back to normal now going forward.

Winter's Pond.

Goxhill Marsh.

Sunrise Over The Humber.

Muntjac Prints From Along East Halton Beck.

A Freshly Dead Wood Mouse At East Halton Skitter,Perhaps Dropped By An Owl Or Kestrel.

Sunrise Over The Humber.

Early Morning At Winter's Pond.

Tideswell To Miller's Dale Circular & Lovely Eyam,Sunday 5th February 2023.

 A lovely walk today starting in the village of Tideswell in the heart of the 'White Peak',saw us heading through Tideswell Dale to Litton Mill,then up onto the Monsal Trail to Miller's Dale Station where we stopped for some food and then carried on up the Limestone Way and back to Tideswell,approx. 7 miles.

It was a really enjoyable walk taking in some lovely scenery,particularly Tideswell Dale,which was new to us.

Some nice birds were also seen on today's walk and included a gorgeous pair of Dipper at Miller's Dale,with the male seranading his partner,in exactly the same location i had this pair last year.

Other niceities included my first Raven sighting for the year,with a bird over Monk's Dale,cronking away....i just love these birds,they always instill the thought of wild places.

In all we managed 31 species on the walk.

After our walk,we decided to drive the short distance over to Eyam and visit this fantastic,historic village once again.

The following are my favourite photos from our day.

The Church Of St.John the Baptist,The Start Of Our Walk In Tideswell.

A Frosty Tideswell Dale.

Litton Mill On The River Wye.

Lovely Views Of Miller's Dale,From The Monsal Trail.

Miller's Dale Station.

Looking From The Limestone Way Towards Monk's Dale.

An Old Dew Pond Near Tideswell.

The Doorway To Markygate House,Which Was First Built In 1432.

The Church Of St.John the Baptist,The End Of Our Walk.This Church Is Often Called The Cathedral Of The Peak,Due To It's Substantial Size.

The 17th Century Eyam Hall.

The Church Of St.Lawrence,Eyam.

The 9th Century,Saxon Font,In The Church of St.Lawrence.

The Stunning Stained Glass Window Dedicated To William Mompesson.

The 8th Century Saxon Cross,Located In The Churchyard Of St.Lawrence.

Hardcastle Crags NT To Heptonstall Circular,Saturday,28.01.23.

After attending a fantastic Editors gig in Manchester the previous evening and having a lovely breakfast in the hotel this morning,Tracey and myself headed over to Hardcastle Crags near Hebdon Bridge and decided to carry out a favourite walk of ours taking in the Crags,Gibson Mill and then up to Heptonstall and back down to the car,approx. 5 miles alltogether.

It was a lovely sunny start,but clouded over in the afternoon,but it was still great to be out and about again in this lovely area.

A few nice birds were seen around the woodland at the Crags and included at least 6 Nuthatch,Great-spotted and Green Woodpeckers and a lovely Dipper along the River.

After making it up to the lovely,quirky village of Heptonstall,we had a walk around and even managed to find the famous David Hartley's gravestone.

The walk back down to the car was a bit hairy in places,but we managed to not slip on the steep slopes.

A really enjoyable day and it was just great to get out for a walk in one of our fave areas.

The following are a selection of pics from our day.

Hardcastle Crags NT

Gibson Mill,Hardcastle Crags NT.

St,Thomas Becket Church,Heptonstall.

St.Thomas the Apostle Church Taken From St.Thomas Becket Church.

St.Thomas Becket Church.

'King' David Hartley's Gravestone In Heptonstall Churchyard

More Views Of The Cobbled Streets Of Heptonstall.

Sandstone Rocks Making Up Part Of The Crags.