A beautiful morning brought out a group of enthusiastic bird watchers for our eighth annual birdsong walk with Steve Joul.
For the benefit of posterity, this morning’s walk came in the middle of a spell of weather worthy of a warm July.
As usual, we started with an introduction from Steve in Old Leo’s carpark – where we enjoyed seeing a mistle thrush – and then made our way down to the cricket pavilion and from there to the Slabbering Baby – where we saw a pair of nuthatches using the FOAW nest box by the bridge, and a great tit using the nest box by the Slabbering Baby.
Inspecting fungi on the way to the cricket pavilion: 6 May 2018
From there we made our way up to Adel Moor which looked breathtakingly beautiful in the morning sun.
We crossed the moor and made our way to the Buck Stone, and then down to the Seven Arches. En route we stopped to watch some Speckled Wood Butterflies do battle in the sun
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Speckled Wood Butterfly: Adel Woods : 6 May 2018
At the Seven Arches, as we stood on the bridge over the stream, we saw a dipper fly from under the bridge and then upstream. Perhaps the highlight of the morning.
From the Seven Arches we made our way up to the Slabbering Baby, and then went to have a look at Adel Pond.
A hole made by a mining bee in the surface of Meanwood Valley Trail: 6 May 2018
By now it was 9.45 am (we were due to finish at 9 am) but the remaining party agreed to go and have a look at Adel Bog. The bog also looked beautiful in the sunshine. It was wetter and squelchier than your correspondent has ever seen it, though the northern border was also more overgrown with brambles and saplings than it has been for some time. While inspecting the bog, we saw our final bird species for this blog – a buzzard and a red kite – bringing the tally up to 25. See below for a full list of the species we saw or heard during the course of the morning.
By now, it was 10 am and your correspondent made his excuses and left for some breakfast. It may well be that the remaining members of the birdwatching group are still in Adel Woods making new discoveries.
Thanks to Steve Joul, as ever, for an excellent birdsong walk.
In the course of the morning we saw or heard the following:
Mistle Thrush; Wood Pigeon; Wren; Great Tit; Carrion Crow;
Great Spotted Woodpecker; Blue Tit; Pheasant; Chiff Chaff; Starling;
Magpie; Treecreeper; Blackbird; Chaffinch; Goldcrest;
Jay; Song Thrush; Black Cap; Heron; Bullfinch;
Feral pigeon; Nuthatch; Dipper; Buzzard; Red Kite
Inspecting Adel Moor: 6 May 2018
Friends of Adel Woods 