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Low Moor C.E. Primary School visit Raw Nook nature reserve…

This morning at Raw Nook NR I had just finished photographing a really nice selection of Scarlet Elf Cup mushrooms which I have not seen before at the site when I saw a group of school children and their teachers from Low Moor primary school walking towards me.

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I engaged in conversation with one of the teachers to find out that they had come down to their local nature reserve to learn about water courses and that a second class was attending later in the day…

As I walked away still hearing the children’s happy voices as they enjoyed learning about their local environment and ecology I thought how brilliant it was that now local schools are now taking advantage of this wonderful local nature reserve.

Further down in Toad holes Beck there was a pair of Goosander that had just flown in.

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A bonus from the wet weather !

Caldene Fields thankfully are not flooded but they are very very wet and muddy.  However, certain bird species are taking advantage of these conditions with large quantities of invertebrate now available.

This morning I recorded 21 Pied wagtails feeding in the mud..a record count for the site.  Also a single Lesser Black Backed gull, 4 Common Gull 21 Black Headed Gulls and 18 Jackdaw also took advantage of the easy meals..

There was a Kingfisher and 12 Siskin at Toad Holes Beck and yesterday 5 Linnets fed at Caldene Fields.

A total of 32 species were recorded today.

 

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Raw Nook NR hits the WORLD stage…

I thought it was a joke when a good friend of mine Shaun the chairman of the Bradford Ornithological Group telephone to say Raw Nook Nature reserve is featured in a book that has just come out called Tales From Concrete Jungles (Urban birding around the World )by David Lindo.

Yes OK Shaun ‘Pull the other one’..But it was true.  It appears the author came up and looked around some of the birding sites in Bradford whilst researching his book and must have recognised the importance of our site, my sightings and website and featured Raw Nook NR in his book.

So sure enough Santa Claus brought me the book and it give me and I’m sure the rest of our group a real sense of pride and joy that our little site that is only 4 miles from the town hall clock in the centre of Bradford should be included in a book featuring urban wildlife sites from around the WORLD…

Shaun also added that he has emailed David Lindo to offer, sometime in the future a more in depth visit to Bradford, Raw Nook NR, Toad Holes beck and Caldene Fields…then I could really show him the excellent diverse wildlife that frequents our green oasis which surround our Concrete Jungle!

 

 

 

 

 

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Local Patch survives the floods…

With nearby areas like Elland under flood water following the Boxing day floods as the river Calder burst it’s banks I wondered what effect the deluge of water would have on our local patch?

Elland under water…

Thankfully very little flooding has occurred as the sluice gate and water courses at Raw Nook Nr and Toad Holes Beck held.  Only the ‘ Fisherman’s pond at the latter site has burst it’s banks but the excess water has drained into the beck.

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Water seeping out at Toad Holes Beck

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The Beck at Toad Holes still holding on…

 

 

 

 

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Mild winter bird watch…

I have been thinking has this mild winter period had any effects on the bird species in our recording area.  So today with the weather sunny with a fairly strong S/W wind and a temperature of 10c I decided to conduct a bird species count as well as to look for signs of how plant species were adapting. It wasn’t long before I saw at Caldene Fields a Meadow Buttercup still in flower on the 20th od December!!! when really the species should be dormant by October/November.

Then just inside Raw Nook NR I found a Red Campion in flower which like the Buttercup should have finished by October/November.  Further in the site the Honeysuckle I found to be bursting with new shoots..

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Red Campion still in flower                                New shoots bursting through on Honeysuckle

A total 29 species bird species were recorded of which the Coot was the most interesting in that there are 4 at Toad Holes Beck at the moment but during a normal winter the birds leave the site and I believe over winter at nearby Harold Park lake. No Redwings, Fieldfares, Coal Tits or Greenfinches were noted but because the fields are so wet the site as attracted 9+ Pied wagtails.

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Conservation work …

Our group the Low Moor and Oakenshaw Conservation group had a work day today in the sub zero temperatures of mid winter…well that what the weather should have been but as we know this winter has been VERY mild and the temperature today was actually 15c…..

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Pruning trees on the path to Toad holes Beck.

Whilst I do my share of the hard work I am also on wildlife duty…and I saw a flock of 27 Siskin and 2 Lesser redpoll feeding at Toad Holes Beck.  Also at the site were 2 male Song Thrushes both singing their hearts out in the warm S/W wind believing Spring was just around the corner…

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Visible migration comes to an end…

Visible migration from the watch point at Caldene Fields is over for this year. This morning’s watch with excellent visibility showed very little moving apart from Goldfinches and a few Starlings which came in from the N/E.  However, there was a bonus for the last day…

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A STUNNING PRE-DAWN…..

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The last few Starlings moving S/W over the watch point.

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