Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Going to roost.

About 240 Jackdaws flying fast over Salterhebble Hill towards West Vale at 15.45 today.

I am curious where the Black Headed Gulls roost. Copley Water Treatment Works regularly attracts about 200 each winter. They start arriving about 09.30, in dribs and drabs. At about 15.30 they move off, more suddenly than they arrive. They seem to fly up the Calder a short way, then turn left over North Dean Woods, continuing in this direction (south).

Ringstone Edge Res. and Scammonden are in that direction. Can anyone say if there is a B.H.Gull roost on either of these? And if so, what time they arrive in the afternoon. I know, I should get off my backside and go and look for myself, but maybe someone knows already.

At Copley, it's hard to scan all the feeding gulls, but it seems breeding was good this spring. In one group of 20 there were four juveniles. In another count of 60 there were 9 juvs. (Dec. 09 counts.)

The Common Gulls are fascinating on Saville Park. Sometimes they try to bring worms up to the surface by running on the spot. Not at the moment, though - it's a land of giant snowmen.

4 comments:

David Tattersley said...

Hi Steve
I think I may be able to sort you out on this one. The BH & Common Gulls will be heading Blackmoorfoot Res which has a very large Gull roost with numbers in the region of 8,000 birds in total, mainly consisting of the aforementioned species.

I have been present at both EGP and Scammonden late afternoon and gulls regularly gather there before heading off in the direction of Blackmoorfoot, I personally have never witnessed a gull roost on either of these bodies of water.

AndyC said...

Yep they go to Blackmoor foot,they leave ringstone/Calderdale and head straight for BF.

David Sutcliffe said...

Steve
I recieved these comments from Darrell which he asked me to post.
'with regard to gulls roosting in calderdale, baitings res has a very large gull roost in winter,my notes from 2007/2008 give numbers of 1000 bhg 150 common gulls 5 lbbg.
the larger gulls tend to just fly over heading towards manchester'

David Sutcliffe said...

Back in the 70 and 80's there was a big roost at Fly Flats but don't think they roost there nowadays - more likely to be Thornton Moor (birds from Ogden and Mixenden res'rs head that way at dusk, possibly from further afield)