OneGuyFromBarlick

Our first swallow arrived yesterday.

Lovely! What brave little birds they are. A good sign that despite the bad weather we are moving towards spring.

Pied Wagtails are nesting behind next door's barge board, clearly visible from my kitchen window. That will make some enjoyable watching. Superb little birds wagtails.

Do they migrate? I ask because we have a small colony in the beck behind Butts Joinery works and I haven't seen them for a while.

I watched a small bird, but like a miniature Thrush, hopping about on the vertical wall of a house as though it was on the ground. Amazing climber. I think it was looking for insects sunning themselves on the wall. One thing is certain, it was working hard for a living!

Just had a quick look on the RSPB website, it doesn't look like pied wagtails migrate.

Sounds like a Treecreeper Stanley. We seem to have Pied Wagtails here all winter, they eat little flies so my muck heap is very attractive to them!

The swallows were flying about in Middleton last week.

We have no swallows yet----they are late----probably held up by the weather down south.

The Butts wagtails must keep close to the fireside in winter!
Tree creeper came to mind but I've never recognised one. Just had a look on the web and they look more marked than mine.

Stanley, could it be a nuthatch??

Looks too brightly coloured again Glo.

Remember the black fox, which was photographed the died in a road accident a few weeks ago? Well DNA tests have revealed that though anatomically it was a fox, though with very thick fur, it had genes of a Russian raccoon dog, and is believed to have been either an exotic pet or an escapee from a fur farm. It seems foxes were farmed for fur UK until 1992. Locals have said that foxes with red bodies and black legs and tails have been seen, indicating that interbreeding with native foxes had occurred.

Could be the male one Stanley in his courting gear, they run up and down trees.

Two days ago on a bright sunny morning the Old Sidings were a sea of daisies and dandelions taking in the sun. Noticeable that yesterday morning the scene was entirely different, they were all tightly closed. What a difference it made!

Very surprised to see a jay on the bird table yesterday. We are at least half a mile from the nearest woodland.

Our first swallow has finally arrived. Last night I watched a large fox sat down our field surveying the scene, when I went for the binoculars it went.

We may not think much about our 'summer' but the wildlife is doing fine thanks. Noticeable how well the birds are doing in Valley Gardens. Lots of worms brought up to the surface by the wet ground and the birds are getting a good breakfast every morning. However, not many midges about, perhaps the insects aren't doing quite as well.

Plenty midges up here, there seem to be more every year.

Sorry, this is a bit off topic but it was prompted by the mention of midges. I read about someone who had a very big pane of laminated glass delivered for fixing into his new house, one of those with large glass areas. As they were setting it up he noticed a blemish and pointed it out to the company's fitters. Fortunately they were concerned, took it away and fixed a new pane. Back at the factory they examined the blemish closely and found it to be....a mosquito that had been trapped when the glass was laminated!

If it had been a piece of amber it would have raised its value......

I saw something unusual in Valley Gardens yesterday. There is a black cat living nearby and I often see it out hunting birds. Yesterday it had twigged that birds were skimming the surface of the water in the concrete lined mill leat that runs through the gardens and was crouched down in the bottom, partially in the water, waiting for a low flying breakfast! It had a crack at one while I was there but missed. It completely ignored me and Jack, it only had one thing in mind! What struck me was that it was actually in the water.

This isn't really wildlife but the images on this aerial photography web site are fascinating:
http://www.lastrefuge.co.uk/photolibrar ... rials.html

The Pied Wagtails are doing well on Butts Beck at the back where they are completely inaccessible to any interference. This is a wonderful mini wild life reserve right in the middle of Barlick and the affects spread into Valley Gardens.

Susan sent me this pic of a duck on Earby Beck gathering her ten ducklings under her for the night. Four yellow ones....