Friday 19th: The day started with bright sunshine and the early Spring warmth could be felt in the air. By lunchtime the weather had started to turn. This was readily noticeable at Hatfield Moor as the breeze off the lake became colder. Gradually the clouds started to form. But this didn't distract me too much as I hiked around a small area of the moor. Plenty of fling things such as Oystercatchers, Mallards, Canada Geese, aeroplanes and various Passerines.......oops, did I say aeroplanes? Well, yes, Finningley airport is just three short miles away to the south and the planes fly low over the moor on their approach. 
As you can see in the above photo, two of the five Oystercatchers were caught in flight. These estuary birds are normally quite placid creatures but today there was a great amount of screeching and sqwarkings are the five quarrelled. This resulted in three of them flying away. During my hike around the lake I counted two pairs, both nesting, but the fifth was nowhere to be seen.
Reed Buntings and Chaffinches were seen was a hide overlooking a bird table and a couple of feeders. A Robin and Dunnock along with the proverbial Wren were noticed ti the wooded area. Adders can be found here on the moor and there are a couple of signs that warn visitors. It's too early in the season and still too cold yet to see these wonderful creatures. I have yet to see one in the wild but hope to this year.
I had to pass through a field where there was a Conservation project in progress. A field full of Sheep....more precisely...RAMS! Well they were giving me the evil-eye so I decided to walk away and closer to the lake shore. Unfortunately. I found myself on the wrong side of the fence and had to walk around by the shore back to the car.
On the way I came across a freshwater mussel shell, one of many littering the lake shore. Now this was a surprise to me as I didn't know that mussels frequented freshwater lakes. But yes they do and here in the UK, the Swan Mussel (Anodonta cygnea)is abundant. Apparently one can tell its age by counting the rings on the shell just like on tree trunks. One ring for each year of growth. Swan Mussels can live for between 10 to 40 years. Now what drags it up from the bottom of the lake, opens the hinged shell and removes/eats the mussel then deposits the empty shell on the shore is anyone's guess.
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