Impromtu Walk

Bank Holiday Monday 1st May:
I will be leading a "Spring-Time Saunter" walk. About 7 miles, (3.5 each way) partly on roads, also footpaths. Meet Mount Tabor cross-roads by the New Inn at 10.30. (Top of Pellon Lane.)

Bring picnics, drinks, emergency warm gear. We will go up to and past Fly Flats Reservoir, to the point we can see down to Oxenhope.
It can be perishing up there even though it's nice lower down. (Or refreshing !)

This is to start planning the full trek to and from Haworth later in the summer, as written about in the famous book by Whiteley Turner, "A Spring-Time Saunter"  who did it with a mate on 4th May 1905. (Actually they made it into a 4 day hike round Bronte country, with two stops at Haworth.)

My interest in the Spring-Time Saunter awakened by the talk we are looking forward to on September 12th organised by Charlotte " Uncovering Bronte Country", when Diane Fare of the Bronte Parsonage Museum is coming to talk for us at the Central Library.

Today's Ramble

Today's ramble at Park Wood Elland was advertised as a birdwatching event. Five of us turned up, four members and a friend of members who often comes. Of course we couldn't ignore the display of bluebells. As usual, our walks are a mix of all our interests, so apart from looking and listening for birds we were treated to a running commentary on the botany (which is very rich in this wood), on butterflies and micromoths, local history, and what we had in our sandwiches.

The bird list was quite varied.  I like to time those I see in the first half hour - this is a recognised way of doing a simple survey, as the commonest birds are usually encountered first, so these half-hour counts will be interesting and comparable in the future.

10.45 to 11.15 Chaffinch, Dunnock, Blackcap, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Buzzard, Goldfinch, Chiff-chaff, Bullfinch, Robin, Blackbird, Magpie.

Then for the rest of the walk which went on till 3.30pm - Great Spotted Woodpecker, Willow Warbler, Wren, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Crow, Blue Tit, Jay, Green Woodpecker.

Charlie got a great picture of the first Buzzard we saw - it had inner primaries re-growing, and a middle tail feather also.

A new plant to me in that wood was a small Field Maple we saw just before getting back to the car park. We failed  (I failed) to find either of the two Soft Shield Fern sites. My excuse is that new paths are appearing everywhere, created by the mountain-bikers. There was at least one motorbiker in there as well. Some of us agreed it must be an exciting and usually harmless sport, but NOT in a wood which is a SSSI. (Site of Special Scientific Interest.)

At Portsmouth Dam. On the hunt for Toad spawn and got lucky!

Trees on the move

Look at this link. Do you think they will survive the move?

http://oc-media.org/ivanishvilis-tree-collecting-hobby/

The Talk at our next full indoor meeting

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After the talk, there will be time to socialise and hear about recent Wildlife sightings in Calderdale, and find out how individual members have been involved in the Natural History world.

Comma at Cromwell Bottom 26.03.17

This beauty was fluttering around the reeds on a gorgeous sunny day at Cromwell Bottom. A week later we were lucky enough to spot a Brimstone as we walked by the river, but weren't lucky enough to snap it with our cameras! A Peacock is usually the first butterfly of the year that I see, but I haven't seen one yet.