I’ve always wanted to visit RSPB St Aidan’s Nature Park on the outskirts of Leeds in Swillington. This beautiful nature reserve was formally and opencast coal mine that was flooded in 1988 after the collapse of a riverbank. The mine closed in 2002 and in 2013 the RSPB opened the nature park.

For those who don’t know, Oddball is the name of the mining machine depicted in the screen print. The machine was a Walking Dragline Excavator, and acts as a memorial to the area’s coal mining history.

I just love the contrast of this massive metal machine with the soft wild flowers and the sounds of the birds.