Tuesday at the Vale, 30.10.2018.

Cold but dry at the Vale today!.

Cormorants and a sleepy Shoveler in the foreground.

A nice looking young Cormorant and he's already been ringed.

Plenty of Goosanders is about, these are all females.

The Male.

Caught you, I knew you were seeing another female!!.

The Shoveler still there.

This handsome poser was very friendly, a few pix's of him, but there again they are our National Bird aren't they!.

Want to know the Collective Noun for different birds?.

Click Here.

That 's all folks!.

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Weekend down the Vale, 27-28.10 2018.

Whilst it was nice and sunny this weekend down the Vale it was quite chilly and it was a quick walk round the Lakes for Pepe and I, 

Did notice though you couldn't miss it was the absence of the bench that Pepe usually sits on whilst I take pictures on the top lake that the bench was missing, not disappeared but burnt out!.

Another act of senseless vandalism, no doubt someone had put it there to commemorate a relative passing on.  

On a lighter note, saw this Moorhen logrolling on this log end, do you remember the log end dart boards we had years ago with only Doubles, we used to call it a Manchester board, needed some skill on one of those with the Doubles that small it took you all your time to see it from the Hockey.

This fellow was having a ball as it kept upending and tipping it off!, think it must have been looking for crustaceans attached to it.

The Bug Hotel from a better angle from the last posted on so you can see the trellis all round that hopefully in the Spring will soften up the surrounding containers.

Plenty of Cormorants around, I think the Terror-pins have gone into hibernation though, not seen any for a week or two!.

Nice little Dunnock.

Quite a few Tufted ducks there on the day.

Then I was lucky enough to see these Goosanders which I'd been missing on the river all Summer

Looking like a bad hair day for this female one.

Family unit Dad at the front on guard Mum at the back and youngster safe in the middle.

Little grebe still on the top lake.

The Shy Shoveler still hiding under the bushes, no doubt how this one got its name is there.

The last time I saw a bill as big as that, it was my Electric bill!

The changing face of Autumn. 

That's all for now folks, call back again.

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Sunday down the Vale, 21.10.2018.

Was a nice sunny day down the Vale on the day. 

Met John the web master with a friend of his on their rounds of the lakes.

Plenty of Cormorants around again, a wonder there are any fish left in the lakes!.

The youngsters

Got any seed mate?.

This is a juvenile Little Grebe. 

Also known in some area's as a Dabchick I was told by the Resident warden Daryll.

Also lucky enough to spot the Male Shoveler again, they seem quite shy and hide under the bushes that overhang the water near to where the Swans nest each year.

Near to him was this nice colourful Cormorant, in the distance they just look all black, but close up they are quite colourful

This Crow seems to have been crossed with a Magpie as its wings had a lot of blue and white in them, in fact as it flew in I thought it was a magpie until it settled down.

A Woodie enjoying the sun.

Hope these apples aren't the same as they use for the Apple Wine they had on The Apple Day, don't need a lot of drunken pigeons rolling about do we!.

Then just near the feeding trough and attached to the new toilets and containers noticed this beautiful Bug Hotel, which I was told had been finished the week before.

There is trellis all round it and the trellis is going to be covered with trailing Ivy's to break up the hard lines of the containers and toilets.

This work is all due to the efforts of  the Warden Daryll and his hard working team of volunteers and monies generated from the info centre drinks and snacks, not forgetting the volunteers who man the counter there on a daily basis.   

Just for a change , here is a little quiz to see if you can recognize the birds that these feet belong to,

if not get down to the Vale and have a good look.

Its surprising how many parents can't tell their children what the birds are let alone those these feet belong too!.

There is a great Apt for your mobile phone called 

"British Birds" 

and its not too dear!.

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