Friday, July 17, 2009

Lower Gorple Calderdales birding hotspot

A quick hike over yesterday and only 45mins by the dam wall with a pair of bins and no scope produced:-

9 Red Grouse - close to home on walk over

2 Redshank
1 Oystercatcher
4 Common sandpipers
8 Lapwing
1 Redpoll
1 Siskin - juv
4 Swallows
2 Pied Wagtail (incl 1 juv)
1 Grey Wagtail
min 2 Reed Bunting
1 Peregrine
1 SEO
1 Male Tufted Duck

and in good numbers the following

Blackbird
Mistle Thrush
Meadow Pipit
Curlew
Canada Goose
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
BH Gull
Pheasant

lots of shore line so more time and a scope could well add Jeff's Dunlin and who knows what else,
the other negative (if I being picky) is that I was there between 14:45 and 15:30, definately worth a look in an evening/early morning.

Perhaps not today though unless you take your water wings with you, lets hope the res doesn't fill up completely.

2 comments:

Jeff Cox said...

A good tally here Andy and it sounds as though you're having a good week. The dunlin was with a lapwing and a redshank on the shoreline about 30 yards from the dam wall when I saw it. Gorple is one of my favourite birding spots in Calderdale and I certainly agree that it warrants your tag of a hot-spot.

Andrew Huyton said...

Jeff to add to the list some of the more common birds I've seen in the immediate area this year incl:-
Teal
Common Buzzard
Goldeneye
Goldcrest
Coal tit
Blue tit
Great tit
Skylark
Little Owl
Snipe
Greylag Goose
Pink footed Goose
Sand Martin
Swift
Dipper
Northern Wheatear
Woodcock
Golden Plover
Kestrel
Willow Warbler
Lesser Black Backed Gull

Amongst others....be nice to get something passing through this autumn.