| I like to photograph the local wildlife and animals whenever I get the opportunity (nothing like often enough these days), and this collection contains a number of pictures of the local birds and animals that I've seen and photographed whilst out and about.
Though this gallery is called the 'Wildlife & Animal Gallery' that isn't entirely accurate, since some of these animals are anything but wild (though they do get a bit angry on occasions so I hear), but this did seem like the best place to display them since there didn't seem to be a lot of point in creating a 'Domestic Animals' Gallery as well! Many of the original duck images were taken at the village of Haworth in West Yorkshire whilst visiting the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway there (and this was close to the area where the classic 'Railway Children' film was made). I can only assume that ducks in that part of the world are well used to tourists and having cameras pointed at them, as these feathered showoffs posed like supermodels every time I pointed my lens anywhere in their direction. The second batch of pictures were taken at a local nature reserve, and were shot over the Christmas period, and show mainly overwintering birds, such as Goosander, Mallard and various gulls. The third batch, taken on the 18th of January 2009 on the River Irwell at Ramsbottom in Greater Manchester (again whilst visiting another heritage railway, this time the ELR), and features yet another load of ducks, this time a very plump looking bunch, who have obviously been getting well fed by the local population and visitors. Nice to see them out enjoying themselves in the bright winter Sun anyway. More ducks added, this time there was one that I haven't been able to identify in spite of consulting many books and posting the images on many bird sites, though after seeing a feature on a recent 'Countryfile' programme on BBC One, I think this could well be an 'Ornamental Duck', which would very likely explain the lack of specific information from any of the usual sources. A visit to the Preston Dock area in May 2009 (Ribble Steam Railway this time) saw some bird activity there, this time from an entertaining pair of Coots, who had set up home on one of the vacant yachting berths. It was quite amusing to see the male working hard to bring his better half lots of old cardboard coca cola cups and bits of old plastic, and still finding the time to chase off any other males who strayed into his territory! 
It's surprising what you see when you are waiting for a train to appear (something I do a lot of these days), and whilst sitting near the lineside at the picturesque Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in May 2009, a very colourful looking cock pheasant decided to entertain me with his own impression of a loco!
Whilst at another railway event near Barnsley in South Yorkshire (Elsecar Heritage Railway this time, and yes I do visit a lot of them, just check out my 'Railway Gallery and you'll soon see why), I saw a family of Coots in an old disused canal there, and as usual they were being very quarrelsome with their neighbours, and I witnessed yet another squabble, this time with a Moorhen (often equally as quarelsome) who had strayed too close to their chicks. watching these birds is like watching a bunch of rival football fans standing outside a pub on match days!
June 2009 and for once I wasn't at a railway, but instead returning from a visit to the local branch of Tesco in Rawtenstall on a hot and very sticky summer's day, when on my way back to the bus station I had to cross a footbridge over the River Irwell, and whilst taking my usual glance over the side to see how many shopping trolleys were parked in there that day (there were none for a change), but instead there was a family of young ducklings having a good time in the waters below. Thankfully I never go anywhere without my camera, and was able to get a few shots of them playing and splashing around, how cute they look at that age, and how well camouflaged they are by the stones and pebbles, you could easily miss them if they weren't moving about. July 11th, and yet another railway event and another batch of ducklings, but this time they were swimming along the Caldon Canal in North Staffordshire with Mum, and how lovely they looked. It's amazing how often I see far more wildlife when I'm out at a heritage railway somewhere than I do when I'm out in the local wilds searching for it, not surprising though when you consider what a great source of untapped wilderness many railway embankments are, and with trains often just running at the weekends, largely undisturbed for much of the week. Many railways were built close to canals to allow for a ready source water for those early steam engines, but in many cases, the canal was built along the flattest route through an area for obvious reasons, and it made a certain amount of sense to make use of the same geography for the railways when they were built. When both come together though as they do in the Churnet Valley, not only do you get lots of steam locos and canal barges (and in one case a steam powered canal barge), but also lots of interesting local wildlife as well. I think I may have to rename this the Windypics 'Duck' gallery if I add any more of them here, I think I'm starting to turn into a duck spotter or something!
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Howard the Gooseduck and his new mate on the River Irwell 1024x727 IMGP6301.jpg |
Photograph me again and you will be pecked! 1024x753 IMGP6235.jpg |
Heaton Park, Manchester 1024x714 IMGP6234.jpg |
Sparrow 1024x830 IMGP2714.jpg |
Caldon Canal Ducklings 1024x746 IMGP0997.jpg |
Caldon Canal Ducklings 1024x714 IMGP0996.jpg |
Caldon Canal Ducklings 1024x705 IMGP0995.jpg |
Caldon Canal Ducklings 1024x684 IMGP0994.jpg |
Rochdale Canal Ducklings 1024x802 IMGP0891.jpg |
Indian Eagle Owl 1024x909 owl1.jpg |
Indian Eagle Owl 1024x852 owl2.jpg |
Irwell Ducklings 1024x730 IMGP0353.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x794 IMGP9758.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x760 IMGP9756.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x776 IMGP9755.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x785 IMGP9754.jpg |
Coot-Moorhen Smackdown! 1024x790 IMGP9753.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x806 IMGP9752.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x720 IMGP9751.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x757 IMGP9750.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x772 IMGP9749.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x771 IMGP9747.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x719 IMGP9746.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x746 IMGP9744.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x741 IMGP9742.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x738 IMGP9741.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x727 IMGP9740.jpg |
Elsecar Coot Family 1024x716 IMGP9739.jpg |
Ramsbottom Ducks 1024x743 IMGP9738.jpg |
Ramsbottom Ducks 1024x733 IMGP9025.jpg |
Ramsbottom Ducks - please feed us! 1024x729 IMGP9022.jpg |
Ramsbottom Ducks 1024x725 IMGP9021.jpg |
Ramsbottom Ducks 1024x749 IMGP9020.jpg |
Train Spotter Blackbird at Ramsbottom Station 1024x814 IMGP9015.jpg |
Train Spotter Pheasant 1024x770 IMGP8832.jpg |
Train Spotter Pheasant 1024x774 IMGP8831.jpg |
Train Spotter Pheasant 1024x728 IMGP8830.jpg |
We will fly over your head and crap on you if you get too close with that camera! 1024x744 IMGP8795.jpg |
Preston Dock Coots 1024x718 IMGP8794.jpg |
Preston Dock Coots 800x534 IMGP8753.jpg |
Preston Dock Coots 1024x733 IMGP8729.jpg |
Preston Dock Coots 1024x710 IMGP8728.jpg |
Ornamental Duck perhaps? 860x655 IMGP7964.jpg |
Ornamental Duck perhaps? 1250x883 IMGP7963.jpg |
Ornamental Duck perhaps? 1250x955 IMGP7960.jpg |
Lonely GooseDuck on the River Irwell 1250x904 IMGP7060.jpg |
Wot you looking at? 1250x886 IMGP7059.jpg |
Goose or Duck, I don't think even he's quite sure! 1250x877 IMGP7058.jpg |
Irwell Ducks 1250x852 IMGP4226.jpg |
Irwell Ducks 1250x868 IMGP4224.jpg |
Irwell Ducks 1250x834 IMGP4223.jpg |
Irwell Ducks 1250x893 IMGP4222.jpg |
Irwell Ducks 1250x944 IMGP4216.jpg |
Irwell Ducks 1250x876 IMGP4212.jpg |
Irwell Ducks 1250x841 IMGP4206.jpg |
Alpacas 1250x975 IMGP3655.jpg |
Alpacas 1250x868 IMGP3654.jpg |
Alpacas 1250x901 IMGP3652.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x871 IMGP3642.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x834 IMGP3641.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x834 IMGP3638.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x875 IMGP3634.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x867 IMGP3632.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x900 IMGP3630.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x926 IMGP3618.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x903 IMGP3616.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x902 IMGP3612.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x885 IMGP3611.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x890 IMGP3609.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x983 IMGP3606.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x881 IMGP3603.jpg |
Watergrove - December 1250x898 IMGP3602.jpg |
