Adel Dam
My local nature reserve is Adel Dam, adjacent to Golden Acre Park to the west of Leeds in west Yorkshire. It is owned and maintained by Yorkshire Wildlife trust and is the place my family and I head to for a quick retreat to nature…Here are a few images from various visits…
A woodland and wetland reserve it contains a nice circular walk among the tall trees which are home to many bird species as well as popular with Grey Squirrels. The site has 2 wildlife hides, one that overlooks a large lake which has been a popular location to spot Kingfishers, and a marsh hide that overlooks a smaller pond and some bird feeders which is popular with tits, finches and woodpeckers.
I only started to visit this reserve once covid 19 restrictions were lifted and we became hooked. Golden Acre park next door gets very busy with people and dog walkers whereas Adel Dam (being a wildlife reserve) prohibits dogs and therefore is a lovely quiet place to enjoy nature! You have to walk through Golden Acre park to get here which also affords you views of the spectacular Mandarin ducks, the males especially having wonderful plumage in the spring breeding season.
With covid still an issue when I started visiting, the hides were closed and the bird feeders were taken down, This led to the wildlife here becoming quite tame around humans who could feed them with an outstretched hand. The Squirrels would come up to you for nuts and some of the Great Tits would land on your hand for food! This is simply a magical experience and really grounds you with nature. I can’t describe the lovely feeling it leaves.
Once the hides were open we were visiting most weeks, being local we could visit after my daughter finished school and be back for tea and bed. After a tough few days at work heading up to Adel Dam to hand feed the birds became our favourite thing to do.
In 2022 the marsh hide was knocked down and replaced with a brand new fantastic looking hide with much more space. The feeders were back too which attracts birds non stop. This does however mean the birds seem no longer interested or accustomed to hand feeding anymore.
There are lots of bird boxes on the trees around the reserve including Owl boxes and lots of people have reported sightings of Tawny Owls here although I have yet to be so lucky. There are lots of Blue Tits, Great Tits and I regularly see Nuthatch and Greater Spotted Woodpecker here. The canopy of the trees is large so it also provides decent shelter if it rains.
It is free to visit, the car park at Golden Acre is free although can get quite busy at times, and the whole site is a lovely place to walk around. Golden Acre Park has ornamental gardens and ponds/lakes itself and as already stated is extremely popular. Turning the other way out of the car park will take you through another stretch of woodland to Pauls Pond, another nice area with plenty of wetland wildlife to be seen including baby ducks and swans in the spring. This was the location I took my favourite Cygnet image which became the cover of my 2022 wall calendar!
Despite being told and reading online that Adel Dam was one of the best places to see Kingfishers, it actually took until July 2022 to finally spot one! And just like buses, once I had spotted one I spotted another and then a third! This time of year the juveniles have fledged the nest and are learning to hunt and fend for themselves so it was a great time to see the family of Kingfishers chasing each other around the lake. Before long the parents will decide it is time for the kids to head off and find their own patch however.
Despite the lack of being able to hand feed the birds these days, I still enjoy visiting Adel Dam and now I have finally seen the Kingfishers I feel the urge to revisit just for them. Kingfishers and Woodpeckers are always a thrill to see. I highly recommend the place to visit and Yorkshire Wildlife trust seem to be putting a lot of effort into improving the site for wildlife and visitors. As I type this they are currently building a new site entrance and I look forward to following the evolution of the site!