A walk around Eccup Reservoir

Speckled Wood

A Jackdaw having his Lunch

Having a chin wag

A few greylags sheltering from the rain

I was hoping to see a hare and saw two ears appear out

of the grass.

I waited in the rain hoping it would stand up so i could

get a better photo but it was content where it was and

after about 10 minutes I left it in peace.

I saw lots of red Kites but this one came within reasonable

distance to get some photos of it.

I Finally arrived at the Reservoir and a swan was there to

greet me.

A cormorant did a fly over

As you can see the water level is well down

Help me out with an ID of these please, they look like to me anyway

either Meadow Pipits or Mistle Thrush ?

As the rain is falling a nice view of the Reservoir

It would have been nice to get a glimpse of a deer but it 

was not to be.

On the way back to the car. I hope you enjoyed the the walk

as much as I did, until next time.

  • I hope you offered Jack some mint sauce ILR lol, and you did well to spot the hare, let alone snap it.
    A combination of sun and showers I guess, judging by the blue sky behind the magnificent Red Kite. Looks another lovely walk, thanks for sharing :o)
  • Looks like a lovely reservoir to have a stoat about ILR...well done on spotting the Hare ..I think them Redkites are following you lol
    Re: ID....I think they are Mipits but obviously wait for someone who knows what they're talking about lol
    Thanks for sharing ;-)

    (Pardon the Scottish Accent)

  • Hi PB yes sunshine and showers was the order of the day but it didn’t spoil the walk thankfully. No mint sauce was offered as I had none with me Lol.
    I had two red kites land near the sheep and took some photos of them but they were too far away and they were unusable sadly. This was only the second time I had been to this venue, the first time with a friend and we saw quite a few birds but I didn’t have my camera with me, I will definitely visit again.
  • Hi Linda Yes It’s a lovely venue, you definitely need your walking boots if you walk all the way round.
    I have got to know a few venues where I usually see Red Kites and the only problem is getting them to fly low enough and for long enough to get a decent photo of them. With regards the Hare I could see something in the field without my binoculars but was unsure what it was and when I looked through my binoculars I could see it’s ears and a little bit of it’s face, success
    I had been looking for one all the way round. It wasn’t going to move it seemed content where it was even though it was raining, I waited for around ten minutes
    Then had to leave.
  • I visited Eccup reservoir quite often when working for Y W and sometimes managed a walk round. It has been a hot spot for Red Kites ever since the Yorkshire release scheme which took place very close by

    Pete

    Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can

  • Looked a lovely walk ILR as the last photo showed under the avenue of trees and quite a large reservoir as well; nice variety and must have been special to see the Red Kites.

    _____________________________________

    Regards, Hazel 

  • Nice walk and lovely scenery. Good to see the Hare even if it was only its cute ears.

    i love robins said:

    Help me out with an ID of these please, they look like to me anyway

    either Meadow Pipits or Mistle Thrush ?

    Mistle Thrushes for me. Beak looks too stout for a Mipit and facial pattern and overall greyish look says Mistle.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • Hi Pete it was only my second visit there but the first with my camera, I can see why it’s a hot spot for Red Kites with the surrounding fields and an abundance of wildlife.
    Yesterday was the first time I had seen a Red Kite land, unfortunately too far away in a field to get a reasonable photograph. A lovely venue and one I shall visit again.
  • Hi Hazel It was Special and I have been lucky of late and seen quite a few, I wanted to see a Red Kite and get a reasonable photo of one, having seen them but they were too far away to get a decent photo, but yesterday I had a small window of time to get the photos that were usable. I also was hoping to see a Hare and managed at least to get a photo of its ears and part of its face as it was hidden in the long grass. I saw three herons as well but too far away to photograph.
    A lovely venue and I shall be visiting again.
  • Thanks Tony It’s a lovely venue and it has everything that wildlife could want, Woods, fields, water and plenty of cover and space. Thanks for confirming the Mistle thrush.
    The Hare was great to see, well some of it Lol. When I was a child we had Hills, and fields and woods to play in where we lived and when walking through the long grass down the Hills sometimes a hare would jump out and run like the clappers away from me, this happened quite often over the years and always a joy to see. Not so long ago I returned out of nostalgia to see if I could replicate the experience and sadly it was not to be, In fact the Hills were covered in Trees, where as a child the Hills only had a few trees at the top of the hill the rest of the hill was just grass, how things change over time.