Hi Tom and Gary

I'm an ex-Leeds man, so thought I'd suggest a few places to visit in Leeds.

Meanwood Valley Park was my local patch as a lad - a great spot or maybe just nostalgia - anyhow used to get breeding Dipper on the beck in the actual park and the odd kingfisher, plenty of good woodland birds but if you feel like a longer walk continue up the valley trail to Adel Woods we used to get regular Wood Warbler and occasional Marsh Tit, good spot for Green Wood' - not sure if they still get the warblers mind but worth the wander up there in spring. Grey Partridge on the farmers field's. Siskins on the alders along the beck

Red Kites are spreading far and wide - my sisters both get them daily over their gardens in North Leeds now - I would suggest finding the road with The New Inn on near Eccup - have a pint and a walk along the roads there - at a cross roads going towards the back of Harewood I've had up to 20 Red Kites in the air at once, plus Buzzards - don't be shocked if you see White Stork, Harewood bird garden used to have a few free flying birds!!!

In that area there used to be a good spot called Knotford Knook on the Old Otley Road near Otley - used to get annual Smew there up to three birds at once. It was also once the place for Lesser Pecker not sure now.

Further out towards Harrogate is a small Oak Wood called Folly Hall Woods - great for and still have Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Red Start.

South Leeds has - Fairburn Ings and Swillington Ings, Swillington I think has its own web site. But for quieter areas but with the same birds try Mickletown Ings in Methley this is where I used to live, Allerton Bywater and the lakes and pools along the Aire Valley. My house looked onto the Ings and annually from my windows I had Garganey, Green Shank, Spotted Red Shank but over the 5 years of living there also had the 3 Marsh Sandpipers that travelled across the north of England - through the Aire Valley, Temminck's and Little Stints, Little Tern, Grey Plover, Smew and plenty more. Corn Buntings used to breed in the area (I used to feed a flock of about 20 each winter), and did have breeding Turtle Dove but not in the last 8 or so years.

Other spots to go include Roundhay Park - used to be regular for Marsh Tit, Golden Acre Park, Gledhow Woods, Otley Chevin, Ilkley Moor by the Cow and Calf pub - good early am for Red Grouse, Eccup Res - huge gull roost!

If I think of anymore I'll post them.
Hope this is of use
Cheers Phil

Gary,

If you want Red Kite, they are guaranteed from Eccup Lane south of the A659 Ottley Road. It's near to Eccup res but the road passes through a valley so you can look down on the kites and they come very close to the road.

thanks for the info Tom ive still not bagged a red kite so will definately try eccup

Hi Gary,

I don't live in Leeds so am rarely outside the City Centre, but the one place I would suggest is the area around Eccup Reservoir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eccup_reservoir). There's a good number of red kites up there (I think they were initially released in the grounds of Harewood House). I walked around the reservoir in the summer and the surrounding woods and country were full of activity (little owl, goldcrest, warblers + probably more things that I was unable to identify!).

Another possibility not far from the Uni is walking through the woodland from Meanwood Park north towards Otley. I imagine Ilkley would be worth a look.

The only other thing that comes to mind right now is that I've seen a kingfisher on the River Aire very close to the City Centre as well.

If I think of anywhere else I'll let you know.

Best wishes,
Tom

hi tom or anyone for that matter do you know any good birding sites around leeds area my son is just starting uni so will be visiting that area now and again thanks gary

Seen peregrine last night and again this morning in Leeds city centre, along the Headrow.

Very excited to see a peregrine low over the Headrow, Leeds City Centre yesterday morning. Did a bit of searching online and looks like others have seen a pair around the railway station area for the last year or so.

Goldfinch on teazel (I think) near Uni Sports Centre earlier

Sparrowhark over campus/LGI today

Long-tailed tit and goldfinches on campus today. There's also been a pair of mallards for the last few days on the pond outside the RS lecture theatre. I'm always surprised to see ducks on there - there can't be any food in there for them surely?

Kestrel visible from platform 8 at Huddersfield Station again this morning.

And that pied wagtail roost in the post below - I should have said 6pm, not 5pm.

Several pied wagtails continuing to roost in the trees down the side of Millennium Square (opposite Thai Edge). Passed there yesterday at 5pm and there were 20+ flying about and I expect more in the trees that I couldn't see.

Heard some goldfiches on Leeds Uni campus yesterday too.

Bit more to see just now:

- 4 blackbirds
- 1 magpie
- 1 blue tit
- 2 long-tailed tits

while I think of it, before Christmas there was a pied wagtail roost in the trees around Millennium Square.

Leeds Uni campus fog-bound and very quiet this lunchtime. Only the following to report:
- 1 magpie
- 1 blackbird
- 1 vocal blue tit

I commute from Mossley to Leeds Uni every day and thought I'd start a topic with my sightings, and hopefully others might alert me to interesting things to look out for too. So far this week I've twice seen a kestrel from Huddersfield railway station (in the car park visible from the platform to Leeds). And while in a presentation yesterday at the Uni I was distracted watching a group of 6 blackbirds and 2 magpies. My finest spot on campus was a group of waxwings, but that was several years ago and I've been hoping for more ever since!