Bolton Abbey and Strid Wood

I had a trip out to the very picturesque area of Bolton Abbey and Strid wood today to attempt a few shots of wood warbler and other summer visitors such as redstart, pied flycatcher and spotted flycatcher. The weather was a bit grim and damp to start with but as the day progressed the sun came through – just as well really as it was pretty dark under the canopy of Strid wood for the warbler photography. I began the day with a few shots of Bolton Abbey before working around to Strid Woods. The light wasn’t particularly good for photographing the Strid, an area of fast flowing water through twisting, narrow rocky channels, so I concentrated on attempting to photograph wood warbler. The wood warbler is a species very much in decline in the UK and so it was as much a pleasure to watch this little leaf warbler as to photograph it. It never came low enough really but I managed a few record shots as it sang it’s trilling song through the hornbeams in it’s breeding territory, it’s lemon yellow body quivering with the effort of the song.