Checking in on Sunday

I managed down to the canal on Friday but I haven't processed the photos yet - will do that soon.
But I also stopped on my way home last night near 10pm and that was interesting.  All the white geese were down at the canal as was Smudge with partner.  I read again how mallards don't keep the same mates year on year but these two are definately bonded.  No sign of babies though.  I don't know if she has abandoned them further up the canal.  I was also reading that isn't unsual with mallards as is adoption.  The same article talked about them laying eggs in other ducks nest too which I hadn't heard of before.

Also spotted for the first time in months - BOTH dark Blue Swedish ducks and the Splodged Swedish Duck together.  I really thought one had gone for good.  No sign of the youngsters at Greenhill last night but I did see them along at the boat yard on Friday and they look to be thriving.  I'm just about to write an article on them over on Hubpages.  (link when it is done)

Photography by AnnMackieMiller: copyright 2011
Aylesbury ducklings, Blue Swedish duckling and hybrid Blue  Swedish /Mallard duckling
about 4 weeks old

Also on Greenhill last night were TweddleDum and TweddleDee in company with the Swedish Brothers. On Friday the injured one was on its own and just sitting at the boat yard, but last night it looked a bit more mobile.  There is hope yet.

Just as I was leaving the three families of Canada Geese came down the canal and out to roost on Greenhill.  If we lose this site - well it will just be heartbreaking.

WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME! WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW!

WE NEED YOUR HELP

STOP DEVELOPERS BUILDING ON 40 ACRES OF GREEN FIELDS AT BINGLEY

I desperately need you to send in objections letters to Bradford Council before the 15th June.  Now, in case you are wondering, YES it does affect you  - no matter where you live.  The constant erosion of valuable breathing spaces affects us all and actually there is no need for this private housing development other than greed.  

You can see my article Trying to Save Greenhill One Photo at a Time over on HubPages with loads of photos of my feathered friends.  At the bottom of that I have included details of a valid objection letter which I will copy here.  No matter where you are in the world you can send in an objection email.  PLEASE - we now have over 100 naturalized geese plus loads more wildlife that is going to be affected by this development even more than we humans are.

It will take you 5 minutes!  Copy and Paste the letter below - put your name and address at the top and your name at the bottom and send it to: planning.consultations@bradford.gov.uk

BEFORE 15TH JUNE - that is next Wednesday - so we are running out of time.

Valid Objection E-mail - you may change the phrasing it you want, just to make it look slightly different but these are the objections the Planning Department accept as valid - it's all in the phrasing!  It's crucial the correct reference number is used and quoted at the top as here.  For those who live in Baildon, Eldwick, Bingley, Bradford, Leeds and district you might emphasise the loss of the amenity provided by this greenfield in a sprawling urban landscape. 

[put your name and address here]

Planning Service, 3^rd Floor,
Jacob’s Well, Bradford BD1 5RW – email: planning.consultations@bradford.gov.uk 


Dear Sirs,
Planning Application No 11/01203/MAO
Construction of some 400 dwellings. Replacement vehicular and pedestrian swing bridge over the Leeds/Liverpool canal, provision of new accesses off Sty Lane and Micklethwaite Lane, emergency and limited access off Oakwood Drive, pedestrian and cycle access to Fairfax Road, off site highway improvements, laying out of public open space and landscaping
I strongly object to this planning application by Redrow and Bellway Homes on the following grounds:
· The development of the site for housing is not necessary to meet current housing requirements. There is in existence, outline planning permission for 1500 houses already in this area that have not been built.
· The traffic generated from up to 400+ dwellings (plus potentially an additional 26 dwellings on adjacent site Ref S/H2.10) cannot satisfactorily be accommodated in the local highway network.
· A two-lane swing bridge of the stated dimensions cannot satisfactorily serve a site of this size – queuing and disruption on both bridge approaches will be the result of:
o Inadequate bridge carriageway width of 4.8m (compared with a standard width of 5.5m) two SMALL cars would only be able to pass each side by side with great care.
o Mechanical breakdowns
o Planned maintenance
o Boat passage (approx 15 openings per day in season)
· There are insufficient design details for the bridge and its associated approach roads to enable a decision to be made.
· The development will cause irreparable harm to the attractive landscape and visual character of the area.
· The development will cause irreparable harm to the archaeology and cultural heritage of the locality.
· The development will remove habitat for a rich diversity of wildlife and many of the current pleasurable amenity aspects of the canal-side environment will be permanently lost.
· The upheaval caused by significant civil engineering works and the lengthy building programme is environmentally unacceptable.
· It has not been satisfactorily determined that there is sufficient capacity in the existing sewerage system to cope with the additional foul drainage discharge.
· The visibility at the junction of Oakwood Drive and lady lane is in adequate and substandard as required by the Manual for Streets recommendations.
· The design of the part-time signals proposed at Oakwood Drive/Lady Lane is inherently flawed from a safety aspect i.e. restricted footway facilities and an increased level of exposure resulting in consequential accidents/collisions involving pedestrians.
· Oakwood Drive is designed for a maximum of 200 dwellings (as demonstrated by the applicant’s additional 22 units). It is NOT suitable for the traffic that will be generated by an additional 400+ dwellings (plus the existing traffic from Airedale Mills and Micklethwaite), even in an emergency situation.
· Access to the site from Oakwood Drive depends on gaining control of privately owned land at the northern end of the development. The applicant has not demonstrated that he has acquired control over this land.

Yours sincerely, [put your name here]



Little Mama the White Goose

Wildlife Photography by AnnMackieMiller
Copyright 2011
'Little Mama covers the eggs before leaving them'

 This white goose laid her eggs around the 14th March on the Greenhill, under an ancient hawthorn tree.  She is actually one of a threesome and the little grey companion laid her eggs in the same nest much later in March.  This one seems to be doing all the sitting and is very dilligent.  However, she doesn't want to miss out on any treats going.  She sees me coming complete with plastic bag of dried pellets but she doesn't have time to wait in queues. 
She very quickly covers the eggs then she flies right to my feet on the tow path for her share.  I love it.  Just look at her underbelly where she has been plucking the feathers out to line the next.  What a mama!

Goose picture by AnnMackieMiller
Copyright 2011
'INCOMING!'

TO SEE MORE GOOSE PICTURES - CLICK!

Going Goofy on Valentine's Day

The facial expression says it all...

love makes goofs or us all

As one would expect, lots of pairing off today at the canal.

brown-headed male mallard and mate

The Greenhill geese were quite spread out: some (with Canada geese) along in the field above the weir (they spooted the plastic bag with food but couldn't figure out how to get to it), more in the field beside the allotments (also with Canada geese), some in the canal near the bramble field and the rest along at Greenhill.

above the weir, below Micklethwaite

I spotted one moorhen at the weir another at the coppice and two along at Micklethwaite Wharf though they didn't come close to each other while I was there.  It is early days I suppose. 
No sign of the swans or of the female goosander - they are very nervous birds so maybe she has flown.
TweddleDum and TweedleDee were out at Micklethwaite Wharf with VERY dirty beaks and the Swedish ducks gave me an excellent display of field running on the Greenhill.

Swedish ducks doing a runner

I'll be off for a few days while my camera gets cleaned, so hope nothing monumental happens meantime.

Introducing you to the Coppice Pond: St Ives Estate Bingley

We had a light dusting of snow overnight but this morning (Friday) the sun came out.  It was a beautiful day: sun shining on snow, so perfect for a visit to St Ives.  St Ives is a huge estate just outside Bingley that is now open to the public.  Needless to say my favourite place is a lake known as Coppice Pond. 

It is home to a resident flock of noisy Canada geese.  The geese are managed by a ranger so any eggs laid are coated with petrolium jelly to prevent them from hatching.  These are the same Canada geese that pay us visits down at Micklethwaite Wharf and last year one pair mated and nested at Greenhill and they produced seven goslings who all survived.  I had great fun watching them getting flight lessons on the Greenhill.  Hopefully we will get more this year.

There is also this interesting little family. 

Two large white domestic ducks make their home there, both males I think and last year one mated with a female mallard and produced this fella.  I'm pretty sure the hybrid is a male because of the green sploches on his head but I could be wrong.  If I don't know something I feel quite justified in making it up :0) I'm no expert after all and will never claim to be.  I am fascinated by bird behaviour and these four stick very closely together.  I think the female will probably mate again this year judging by her behaviour.



It is always a joy to watch and listen to the coots - I just love those huge feet

 

The Coppice pond also has moorhens plus I saw a couple of male gooseanders but not close enough to photograph. 

The feeding station for woodland birds had a delightful colony of grey squirrels.  Unfortunately they were chased away by blooming dogs let loose by careless owners.  I saw loads of robins, some chaffinches and blackbirds and various tits.  I didn't stay there long as Big Bertha, my Sigma 50-500mm lens, was playing up and I was sulking at having to use the little lens.  I have yet to take a decent photo with the big lens but ONE day I will master it!  Watch this space. 



Introducing my stretch of the Leeds to Liverpool canal

My Canal Landmarks

This is my home turf and this is where I do most of my photography.  I chose it because this seems to be the territory of the mating swans and ducks, they tend to move back and forward between the Five Rise Locks and Lingfield Wharf.  To make it easier later on I thought I would point out some significant landmarks for you.  All these refer to landmarks on the north bank, the opposite bank to the tow path.

The canal is the Leeds to Liverpool canal and my bit stretches from the outskirts of Bingley to the swing bridge at Lingfield Wharf.  The stretch I call home is less than two miles long and begins at the top of the Five Rise Locks at Bingley.  Walking away from Bingley, above the locks is the cafe where the wildfowl know they will find a ready supply of food during the summer months.  Indeed the owner of the cafe has been known to supply stale bread and cakes for visitors to feed them.

Next comes some barge moorings and the bottom of house gardens.  There is a small wooden pier, more boat moorings and then the boat yard.   Next door is  the Airedale Boat Club then more boat moorings, some of them permanent homes.  Grumps the mute swan is not averse to waking up the residents with a tap on the window to be fed.  This area is where the three Swedish ducks are most often found.

The end of the moorings is marked by twisted barb wire and opens up to the green field site known as Greenhill.  At the beginning of this stretch is an old hawthorn tree, and down to the canal side, tunnocks provide good cover for young moorhens. Greenhill stretch up away from the canal and is home to a flock of domestic geese, now wild.  They are mainly white Embden geese, brown Toulous geese, a greylag goose and various hybrid offspring.  There are about 40 permanent residents, the origins of whom were escapees from nearby allotments.    

This section goes from the end of the boat moorings to the swing bridge at Micklethwaite Wharf and includes a curve shallow area that at one time was a turning point for canal boats.  There is a lot of discarded rubble and concrete here from the time when there were landings for the mills here. 

On the other side of the swing bridge, the old Airedale Mills have been converted into homes, mainly flats, with small grassed gardens that are favourites of the Canada geese for grazing.  The end of the accommodations is marked by more old concrete landings, the bottom of the bramble field and various bushes and low trees. 

Next to that is what I call the reeds. This is a lush grass and reed area that has beautiful water lilies and wild irises in summer.

Next is the allotments and then a wooded area, a narrow stripe, a small coppice, with a steep bank leading up to a green field where some of the geese like to graze.  This wooded area had a lot of branches over-hanging the canal making it ideal cover for wildlife.

This ends where there is a concrete weir, the edge of the canal has a concrete shelve that drops down into a culvert for runoff. 

After that is a grassy bank, part of a garden for the house at Lingcroft Wharf and then there is the swing bridge over the road to East Morton.

So, for the purposes of my observations and photography along my stretch of the canal these are the landmarks I will refer to along our journey:

Five Rise Locks (includes the top of the locks, the cafe and the first boat moorings.)

The pier

The boat yard

The boat club

The barges

Greenhill and Micklethwaite wharf

Airedale mills

The bramble field

The reed bed

The allotments

The coppice

The weir

Lingcroft garden

Lingcroft wharf

Here is a VERY rough map that isn't even remotely in scale but should give you some idea of the lay of the land.

CORRECTION: Lingfield should read Lingcroft

  

 

Welcome to my new blog: Watching Bingley Birds

As you will gather, I am a keen birdwatching and photographer.  I prefer water birds and am lucky enough to live near the Leeds to Liverpool canal, near Bingley in West Yorkshire, England. 

This year I plan to document in words and photographs the wonderful array of birds in this part of the world.  I am particularly interested in bird behaviour so I hope I can capture the essense of what makes these creatures tick.

To start I need to introduce you to my neighbourhood.  There are three main areas I tend to go to most around here:

The Leeds to Liverpool canal at the bottom of my road - this is a stretch less than two miles long but teeming with life.  For me it starts at the top of the Five Rise Locks at Bingley.  This is a series of locks that raise and lower barges and canal boats.  Yorkshire is hilly - and the canal was a major feat of engineering in tackling how to get these heavy industrial boats up and down the hills.  You can read more about the canal in my lens on Squidoo -  Walking the Towpath
This stretch of canal is the most important for me but I do visit other stretches of the canal so will include sightings along there from time to time.

Coppice Pond on the St Ives Estate, Bingley - this is a large estate near Bingley that is now open to the public.  On part of it is the Coppice Pond, home to a large flock of Canada geese as well as coots, moorhens and so on.  The ranger has set up a feeding station for woodland birds so I often go up to watch them and the squirrels.

Myrtle Park in the centre of Bingley - this public park has the Aire River running through it.  So far I haven't studied the wildlife there much but mean to rectify that this year.

I spend most of my time at the canal.  Last year I was lucky enough to follow several wildfowl families through the breeding season with all the ups and downs that entailed.  I produced several small photobooks of their stories on Blurb.com and make several lenses on Squidoo.  This year, I mean to do even better and this blog is the start.  Part of it will be a diary in words and pictures, and part will be articles on the various birds I come across.  I may even throw in a little history now and then!

You can find the complete list of my storybook photography lenses that cover last year's stories of my favourite wildfowl families CLICK HERE - on Squidoo

A Tale of Two Swans by AnnMackieMiller | Make Your Own Book