Yarner

Terribly inventive title there, but puns elude me right now.


It was with more hope than usual that I toddled over to Yarner after work on Friday. Increased hope mainly in my knee being better [you may recall I pinged my cruciate descending Yes Tor some time back. {You may also be thinking I'm being somewhat overcautious about what was a minor injury, but you haven't had as much fun with your knees as I have - be thankful. :) }], with some for the new hide, which has opened without any fanfare that I've heard. Not that you really need fanfare, mind.


Anyways, so it was a rather sunny afternoon, with only moderate breeze, and thus more like August than late October [well, minus all the rain!].

I toddled up to said hide and had a look at the previously-hidden reservoir it overlooks, filled with aforementioned hope for a nice site for passage freshwater waders and the like.

This is the view I was given;

Yarner Duck Pond

A very pretty duck pond, but a duck pond nonetheless. I'll refrain from going on about half-sized gappy sight screens and crunchy gravel. [oops.]
Anyways, ducks. There are 16 ducks in shot. What do you mean, you can't see them?!?

Ok, they are a little bashful. Time for a close up?

Mandarins

Most were even shyer;

Mirror mirror, wet and wide,

how many Mandarin there do hide?

The answer is 14! [10 and 4.] Remaining ducks being 2 Mallard, plus a bonus Moorhen. And two Kingfishers! How do I know? Male and female. :)

They didn't perch helpfully close, but it was so quiet you could hear them diving! And they did perch..

Female

Male

Flight shot..!

It is a beautiful spot, and with a few lily pads looks like it'd be amazing for dragonflies.. Speaking of, a late Emperor was buzzing around. [No shot - too fast!]

Elsewhere, Yarner was as gorgeous as ever;

Birch glory

Wrought copper

Looking up

Looking down..

Hoverfly sp.

Harvestman

I also took in the old hide, where the birds were in the mood. I have more shots of Blue Tits, Coal Tits and Nuthatches than you can shake a teleconverter at, but to be nice to you, I'll only put up the two species I haven't photo'd on my feeders [one due to being far too flighty, and the other due to being a Patch mega-rarity!]

Great

Spotted

Nutcrac

Woodpecker!

;)

Very brown remiges, there - 1w?

Right, rarity time!

Marshie!

Recorded exactly once on Patch..!! And no, I still can't get a decent photo of one.



And on that shock note, the sun is setting...

The Oak and the Ivy

Be Seeing You..