St Aidan’s Nature Reserve

St Aidans is 877 acres of amazing beauty, adjacent to the River Aire near Leeds, on top of what once was an open cast Coal Mine.

Lapwings

Since its industrial past, it has been carefully rewilded under the stewardship of the RSPB and is now a thriving nature reserve, with (by my reckoning) 5 Lakes, 2 Ings, 2 huge Reedbeds and a balance reservoir, all of which provide a variety of habitats for wildlife.

Peacock

Chiffchaff

Black Coot with ‘Cooties'

Long Tailed Tit

Star of the show, for many, is the Bittern, there are a number of breeding pairs, though not often seen the ‘Booming’ from within the reed beds is heard right across the site. There are breeding Blacked Necked Grebes (25% of the world population) and a host of Marsh Harriers, Skylarks, Warblers, Buntings and Redshank.

Bittern

Black Necked Grebe

Greylag in Flight

Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

The first thing that greets you when you visit St Aidan’s is the mighty ‘Oddball’ a giant walking dragline, preserved in homage to the sites history, even this has now become home to Little Owls and Kestrels.

'Oddball'

Little Owl

Female Bearded Reedling

I am fortunate to have a daughter living in Leeds so I am able to get over there quite frequently….

It never disappoints