π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ Friday 13th January 2023 π€ 5C ~ Wind WNW @ 5MPH ~ I stayed local today with visits to Dalmadilly Ponds and Paradise Wood. The pools at Dalmadilly were only partly frozen today but with the imminent cold snap almost upon us, I suspect the thaw won't last!
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| Not the best photo I've ever taken of a Kingfisher but a first for me at Dalmadilly. |
On the partly frozen areas of the eastern pool, the larger of the two, a count of (21)
Common Gulls, (5)
Herring Gulls and a lone
Black-headed Gull. Checking the perimeter, just a single
Snipe was noted but it was when I reached the burn to the south just before the quarry access road that I was delighted to see my first
Kingfisher here in the 2 1/2 years I've been visiting.
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| Dipper below Dalmadilly on the River Don |
The rest of the visit was parred for the course, one the highlights a flock of circa 50
Siskin, with the odd
Lesser Redpoll mixed in and looking down onto the River Don I spent a half hour watching a
Dipper swimming out and diving for food.
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| Paradise Woods & River Don ~ Library Photo |
A first visit this year to Paradise Wood a lovely circular walk near Monymusk, around a 10-minute drive from home. Owned by the Grant family since the early 18th century the walk takes you through ancient woodland with giant Sequoia trees and alongside the River Don through paths and fields. Due to the lateness of the day, it was a particularly quiet visit with the river running above normal levels but it did throw up (4)
Brambling and at least a dozen
Redwings in the woodland and
Mistle Thrush in the surrounding fields.
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| Lesser Redpoll, Siskin and Greenfinch now regular visitors to the garden. |
Back home my new garden feeding station is now beginning to produce. Having struggled to attract some of the key winter finch species of the area like
Siskin and
Redpoll, with a change of position and produce there now regular visitors.
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| Siskin |
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| Lesser Redpoll |
