Canal Towpath and Cromwell Bottom

Morning all
Met up with Les for our usual Tuesday walk. Set off around 7.30 am and although I could hear plenty of birds around on the woods either side of the towpath I could see bugger all due to it being so gloomy this morning. Got a nice view of three Roe Deer feeding near the Pylon in the field just past Knowles pipe dump. One buck and two does browsing away only feet from the busy Elland road. Lots of happy little commuters in their metal boxes hurtling into work oblivious of the deer nearby, never mind they can watch Titmarsh later and see some on telly instead.

Went up onto Tag Loop before I met Les to top up the feeders. A few tits present on the nuts feeders, a Great Spotted feeding on the lard feeder and 3 Magpies scrounging underneath looking for spilled seed and nuts. A walk round with Les with not much showing really and what was showing was hard to pick out due to the poor lighting. A few Cormorants on the Ski lake ramp, usual B/H gulls, one GC Grebe and several tufted duck was all we spotted on the lake. A small flock of finches was feeding in the alders but we were not sure what they were as all we could see was dark silhouettes ! We did spot a Kestrel moving over Tag meadow, not often seen these days on Tag due to the fact that the meadow is now lank and overgrown rather than mowed each Autumn as it should be. Kingfisher and Heron on the river between North Bank and Tag Loop with the usual assortment of Mallard and one pair of Goosander.

I left Les on the canal bridge with his crumblie mates and set off back up the towpath. I then had a nice sighting of Tree Creeper in a large Sycamore directly opposite the abandoned wood huts in the field near the flats (is this where you spotted it Darrell ?) I had very good clear views of the bird as it worked its way up the trunk and branches. Whilst watching this bird I spotted another creeper also working its way up. They were obviously together as they moved from tree to tree together up the bank. As I followed them up I spotted Green Woodpecker calling and the flying over towards Cromwell Bottom.

As I moved up following the creepers I had a large mixed tit flock appear around me and move between the trees on either bank of the canal. Mainly Long tailed and Blue but I also spotted one Goldcrest amongst them. Is it my imagination or are Great Tits not around in such large numbers this year ? Despite hoping my luck was in this morning I didn't manage either Lesser Spotted or Nuthatch near Rawson's Pool :-((