In early Spring,during all the good weather, I spent a lot of time in the Ribble Valley. I was there looking for day hunting Barn Owls but during that time I was able to see and find lots of other wildlife. This weeks gallery includes a yawning Little Owl, a hunting Short Eared Owl, a Red Grouse, a white Pheasant, lots of Barn Owls and a newly emerged female Adder. Gallery see www.gordon-yates.com
Every Spring, across the high Pennines, there is a passage of Wheatears that are slightly bigger and better coloured than the normal Wheatears. I recently came across one that gave me some reasonable photos before it headed off north. Every time I see a Greenland Wheatear I wonder whether it was one of those birds that I filmed in the North East Greenland National Park all those years ago? I am always wishing that it would take me with it to that very special place! Gallery photos www.gordon-yates.com
In the years 1955 to 1959, during the Bury July Wakes week, I would find myself on holiday on Anglesey. These were halcyon days when the sun always shined and I don’t remember any rain! It was good, therefore, during our stay at Rivercatcher last week that we should have a day out on Anglesey. Visits were made to Cemlyn Bay and South Stack and the weather was as it always had been – sunny and warm!
This weeks gallery photos show Sandwich Terns at Cemlyn and the Chough at South Stack.It was fabulous to film the Chough digging out food on the sea-cliffs that were covered in the blue flowers of Spring Squill. gallery photos www.gordon-yates.com
We have just returned from a week at Rivercatcher on the river Dee in Wales following one of the driest Aprils ever recorded. Water levels were extremely low so I concentrated on filming the local birds coming to drink. One unusual sighting was of a male Grey Wagtail high in a Sycamore tree eating aphids in the Spring blossom! for gallery photos see www.gordon-yates.com
The sunny weather and frosty mornings of the last few weeks has resulted in a big influx of feeding birds in the garden.Three species have broken records that have stood over the last fifty three years.Those have been at least seven Reed Buntings, a minimum of twelve Redpolls feeding together and on one day five Siskins paid us a visit. Soon all these birds will move away to breed elsewhere in the Pennines but what a finish to the winter season. Gallery photos see link www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
Last Sunday we awoke to find the deepest snowfall that we have had all winter. Our Bullfinches that until then had been eating sunflower hearts decided that the opening buds of our Hawthorne bush were a much better food source.I opened our bedroom window and took a few photos, in poor light, as the snow melted away.It was hard to believe that it was the middle of April! Gallery photos see link www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife