Black-tailed Godwit at Hellifield Flashes
4th March 2025
It was during the COVID-19 lockdown that I began to take a greater interest in bird photography but it was not until the restrictions were lifted that I was I able to get out with my camera to actually photograph something. At that time we had a static caravan at Hellifield near Settle which gave us easy access into the countryside while just across the main A65 road that runs through the village are Hellifield Flashes, a set of 3 flashes that are a haven for birds and wildlife and only a 2 minute walk from our caravan. It was there, on the 28th April 2021, that I encountered my first Black-tailed Godwit.
Due to my lack of knowledge about birds at that time I wasn't immediately aware of what I was photographing, only that it had long legs and a long pointed beak. It was a lone bird and I thought at first that it may have been injured, left behind, and unable to fly, but thankfully it appeared to be in good health and remained on the flashes for a few more days before eventually moving on.
It wasn't just my knowledge of birds that needed addressing back then, but also my photographic technique as I was shooting in jpeg format which I have since come to learn isn't the best choice when it comes to post-processing images at home. I now shoot entirely in RAW format.
Sadly, the villagers and local campaigners have for a number of years endured a constant fight against proposals to develop the Hellifield Flashes into a holiday park with lodges, an hotel and car parking facilities that, if it were ever allowed to proceed, would ultimately destroy this location as a valuable wildlife habitat.
Common Scoter
If I had been more observant in those early days I wonder just how many other rare species I might have encountered on Hellifield Flashes.