RSPB Middleton Lakes 9th December 2019

It's been a while since I was last at Middleton Lakes, probably over two months with the wonderful weather we've been enduring, so it was good to get out.

The morning started with dropping Mrs PR at work, which was nice and early, though the traffic (no thanks to HS2 Ltd) meant I missed what potentially could have been a colourful sunrise.

But, I managed to get a half decent sunrise over the neighbouring farm buildings  alongside the reserve.

It was a cold and windy day, with the wind gusting around 20mph and the wind chill down to around 6ºC

For those wondering I use a portable device to measure the wind and temperature, a Kestrel K2000, a piece of kit I found very useful when out on the hills and moors, and I still carry around when out and about today.

So, what of the days sightings?

The morning sun was doing a good job making the trees look a little orange!

A nuthatch was busy feeding away at one of the feeding points.

Yet more foliage was tinted orange by the morning sun

And someone was standing tall!

While wandering around to the hide, a raven was surveying its surroundings from a fence post...

Once in the hide, the first sighting was a great white egret on North Pool, which generally was very quiet.

However, some teal did make an appearance....

Come on Mrs T, get a move on, that nosey man in that building is spying on us!

On the way back to the car, back at one of the feeding points, the nuttie was sttill busy feeding.....

Along with a cheeky grey squirrel

And a nice pose from a great tit, before that too went to feed.

I had a bit of food left over, so I tipped the food on the feeding point, and without further ado, a nuttie was straight in for the suet pellets!

Though a quiet day, it was still pleasurable, and I still managed to take over a hundred photos, but I've sorted a decent selection for all to view.

  • Great set of photos Mike and looked like a decent day to be out and about; the autumnal colours are gorgeous although I've not been up early enough for dawn breaking lol Love the Nuthatch stocking up its pantry and the Great Tit is stunning with the light shining on him. Nice to see a Great Egret along with the handsome Teal and glossy Raven.
  • Lovely set Mike, and concur about "nice to get out". Properly rubbish weather recently!!
  • I'm not sure if putting up pictures of sunshine counts as cruelty at the moment! A very nice and colourful collection, especially the Teal and GT showing off their brightness.
  • I love the pics and the story line. We birdie people see so much more than the commuters hurrying along, glued to their phones. Stop, look and listen - the world is a beautiful place - let's cherish it!
  • Unknown said:
    Great set of photos Mike and looked like a decent day to be out and about; the autumnal colours are gorgeous although I've not been up early enough for dawn breaking lol Love the Nuthatch stocking up its pantry and the Great Tit is stunning with the light shining on him. Nice to see a Great Egret along with the handsome Teal and glossy Raven.

    Thank you Hazel

    The nutties always seem sensibly brazen, however, the tits generally seem to be more braver than normal this year, so who knows, I may get a blue, a great or even a coal tit feeding from my hand.

  • PimperneBloke said:
    Lovely set Mike, and concur about "nice to get out". Properly rubbish weather recently!!

    Thank you PB.

    Regrettably I seem to get withdrawal symptoms post accident if I don't get out. Pre-accident, I was out more or less any weather, rain, sun, and even snow!

    Well, you don't learn winter mountaineering skills, buy the kit and not use it, it would be like buying a shinny new camera or scope and not using it!

  • Unknown said:
    I'm not sure if putting up pictures of sunshine counts as cruelty at the moment! A very nice and colourful collection, especially the Teal and GT showing off their brightness.

    Nige,  LOL.

    Seriously, I know exactly what you mean. Here, November only had two days without rain, and only one of those had sunshine!

  • Unknown said:
    I love the pics and the story line. We birdie people see so much more than the commuters hurrying along, glued to their phones. Stop, look and listen - the world is a beautiful place - let's cherish it!

    Thank you Karen.  I do try to throw a little cheek in the text.

    Not just birdie people, a lot of country folk, whether its their work or leisure, do see a lot more.

    I was lucky as a teenager, I worked on farms (when farms were farms and not land factories like they are today) the farmers were very observant, and I learned a lot from them.

    If there are families (encouraging parents to liaise with their children) or even individuals trying to engage with nature, I will happily help the see things they'd normally overlook, and the look on their faces makes it rewarding.

    BTW, I always carry a bit of birdie bribery with me, particularly suet pellets at this time of year.

  • Yes, I'm sure country folk do - I wish I had been brought up in that environment, rather than Manchester, near the factories of Trafford Park! It was like heaven when we moved to near the Derbyshire Peak District when I was 10 years old.

    What a good idea re the suet pellets! I will definitely do that in future - they are so popular with all the tits at our feeders (I like seeing the long tailed tits which seem to crowd in there all together - a bit reminiscent of the "how many people will fit in a mini" escapades of my youth!!).
  • Unknown said:
    Yes, I'm sure country folk do - I wish I had been brought up in that environment, rather than Manchester, near the factories of Trafford Park! It was like heaven when we moved to near the Derbyshire Peak District when I was 10 years old.

    What a good idea re the suet pellets! I will definitely do that in future - they are so popular with all the tits at our feeders (I like seeing the long tailed tits which seem to crowd in there all together - a bit reminiscent of the "how many people will fit in a mini" escapades of my youth!!).

    I can thoroughly recommend carrying some bribery. Thumbsup

    Though I currently live just outside Birmingham, my family came from Denton area of Manchester, so I know what you mean.

    As for moving to the Peak District, I'm sooo jealous, it was a favourite walking and camping area for me, having spend a lot of time around the Eastern Moors, Dark Peak as well as the White Peak, often camping near to Monsal Head.

    These days after an incident where a motorist ran a red light while I was on a pelican crossing, and subsequently I had to have my lower right leg rebuilt, so walking and camping for me are now just happy memories.

    I'm long over due a Bakewell Pudding, something I need to rectify!