Goshawk mytholmroyd

Step out this morning at 07:10 and noticed a large bird flying south 

Despite only watched for a minute I noted the following 

Large buzzard/Raven size 

Very broad wings with bulging secondaries

Long tail 

The appearance of the bird was like a bateluer ! 

Seen a number of goshawks in Calderdale over the years 

Jumble Hole

The first fieldfare of the autumn at Jumble Hole went over today when 5 headed west. The noctule bat is still around. The bird feeders are getting busier, with 6 greenfinches making the biggest dent.

Fly Flats

Just a quick check early afternoon (checking for Whoopers!! ) with the mist rolling in and out and a strong >NW blowing so I just checked from the top road !!! getting soft...
3 Tufted Duck
38 Mallard
2 Lapwings
25 Canada Geese
2 Kestrel
6 Carrion Crows

A quick reminder..........

http://calderbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/northern-england-raptor-conference.html

Fly Flats

Not a bad return for mid to late morning today. 9c and a cold >NW wind on the top didn't seem to put the birds off.
4 Common Snipe and 1 Lapwing on the mud
28 Mallard
3 Tufted Duck
4 Canada Geese
6 B H Gull
2 L B B Gulls >W
5 Kestrel
2 flocks of thrushes through high >NE. 1st flock c30 Redwing and c8 Fieldfare and the second flock c45 Redwing and c25 Fieldfare
Highlight was a female Merlin chasing a small flock of Meadow Pipits that went high and she drew a blank on them!

Lee Mount

First thing this morning over the house
c60 Redwings >E and 6 >W
5 Fieldfare >W
18 Woodpigeon >SW
c35 Chaffinch >W
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker >W
2 Nuthatch on the feeder
6 Blackbirds and a Song Thrush were probably overnight arrivals

Cromwell Bottom

    3 hours late morning early afternoon

    3 Kingfisher
    2 Redpoll
    1 Dipper
    3 Nuthatch
    8 LTT
    1 Sparrowhawk
    2 Cormorant
    4 Dunnock
    6 Chaffinch
    3 Robin
    2 GSW
    Great, Coal and Blue Tits lots
    Gulls lots
    8 Mallard

Fly Flats

This morning
10 Golden Plover >NW
1 Lapwing >E
1 Skylark >W
1 Magpie (rare at this sight) very high >NE
2 Mistle Thrush >NE
c40 Mallard
7 Canada Geese
16 B H Gulls
Distant C Buzzard
c6 Kestrels
Red Grouse
Just a few distant Meadow Pipits
7 Carrion Crows

Ogden

I check 'passerine alley' on the east side of the res'r late morning
50+ Chaffinch feeding on the weedy edges of the res'r taking refuge in the shrubs
1 Blue Tit
c10 Great Tits
1 Goldcrest
11 Siskin
2 Nuthatch
2 Bullfinch
1 Wren
1 Teal and 1 Cormorant on the Res'r along with a few Black-headed and Common Gulls and 1 L B B Gull
38 Redwings >E over Back Lane

Pavement Lane and Field Head Lane
580+ Starlings was a decent count seeing as we don't get many decent flocks nowadays in our area.
The totally white Carrion Crow was still in the field down Lane Head Lane.

Fly Flats

Fly Flats yesterday afternoon
48 Mallard
1 Tufted Duck
2 Canada Geese
Buzzard and 3 Kestrel
Plenty Red Grouse

1 Stonechat at Withens Head Farm opposite the wind farm car park

Confusing Raptor over Gorpley Res last Saturday

It glided around and circled slowly over us in the very calm conditions.

'Scuse the bits in the camera !

Here it is zoomed in on. Little in the way of markings visible - I only saw it had dark carpel patches.

Dr Mark Avery

This is last minute but could you publicise on your blog, please? Thanks. Carole.

Wednesday 14th October
Conflict in the Uplands:-
Mark Avery talks about his new book on the grouse moor industry
A Ban the Burn fundraiser event
Admission by Donation
7.30pm Start. Hebden Bridge Trades Club, Holme St. Hebden Bridge.

Inglorious makes the case for banning driven grouse shooting. The facts and arguments are presented fairly but the author, Mark Avery, states from the start why he has, after many years of soul-searching, come down in favour of an outright ban. There is too much illegal killing of wildlife, such as Buzzards, Golden Eagles, and, most egregiously of all, Hen Harriers; and, as a land use, it wrecks the ecology of the hills. However, grouse shooting is economically important, and it is a great British tradition. All of these, and other points of view, are given fair and detailed treatment and analysis – and the author talks to a range of people on different sides of the debate.

Dr Mark Avery is an author, blogger and environmental campaigner who used to work for the RSPB as Conservation Director. He is campaigning for a ban on driven grouse shooting on the grounds that it is environmentally damaging and economically worthless. His latest book, Inglorious, makes the case for banning driven grouse shooting and mentions Hebden Bridge, its floods and the nearby Walshaw Moor in some detail. You can sign his e-petition on the Westminster parliament website at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104441

Mark Avery Speaking in Hebden Bridge Tomorrow Night

Mark Avery is speaking tomorrow night at the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge on the grouse moor industry, the subject of his latest book.

Admission is free.

7.30pm start.

http://thetradesclub.com/at-the-trades-this-week-3

RSPB...

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/martinharper/archive/2015/10/09/driven-grouse-shooting-status-quo-licensing-or-a-ban.aspx

Fly Flats and Swales Moor

With Nick D this afternoon we called at Fly Flats - pretty cold up there today in the northerly!
5 Wheatears (3 at south end, 1 on the embankment and another along the top road)
Plenty Red Grouse about
Buzzard and Kestrels
2 Meadow Pipits
2 B H Gulls
c20 Mallard and 2 Canada's.

Out of our recording area (Oxenhope area) was another Wheatear at Paul Clough and Red-legged Partridge calling.

Swales Moor
This morning
c40 Meadow Pipits on the top along with c70 Goldfinch and c20 Linnets
7 Redwings >E
4 Chaff's went high >W
18 L B B gulls went >NW high
Planty usual corvids on the top.
Jays seem to be all over the place scattered about just now and this seems to be fairly normal at this time of year as they appear for the acorns. Wonder if the are immigrants or maybe as I suspect from northern parts of the UK (?)

Cock Hill

An afternoon walk between Cock Hill and Fly Flatts

- 9 golden plover
- 1 snipe
- 30+ red grouse
- 3 kestrel
- plus the dogs flushed a grey squirrel, which ran straight at us, and seeing the dogs climbed up my partners leg and onto her back. I suspect most of you heard her scream, wherever you were in Calderdale.

Redwings were passing over Jumble Hole this morning. Hard to tell how many. More piling over tonight.

Ogden

This afternoon I checked the valley leading down from the Res'r towards the golf course looking for any stray warblers!
I guess BS would have been doing 'passerines alley' today (bushes on the edge of the reservoir' ) with the same thing in mind...... Looking for Y B Warblers of course ! So I tried lower down the valley.

In one rowan tree full of berries was..
1 male Blackcap
8 Blackbirds
1 Song Thrush

Not much else other than a Green Woodpecker calling nearby and a Nuthatch.

Pinkies

       V formation of pink footed geese flying over coley towards Halifax
        at about 11.00 very high up.

Pipit

DF took this picture at Ringstone Edge today, potential Rock Pipit.

Ringby Lane and Cold Edge and Swallow etc

Today along Ringby Lane and on the top
1 Snipe
1 Common Buzzard over Wheatley/Ovenden
c80 Meadow Pipits
20 Linnet
c80 Goldfinch
c15 Skylark
1 Redwing >W
c20 Chaffinch high >W

Cold Edge
Not a lot...(butterfly's c10 Red Admirals and c10 Small Tortoiseshells  and 5 Silver Y moths)
1 Little Grebe
c70 Canadas and 3 Greylags
1 Kestrel
c30 B H Gulls and 1 L B B Gull

 Cold Edge top dam

lower dam

Lee Mount this morning c20 Redwings dropped into the trees in Shroggs park first thing

Yesterday from Mike Henshaw - Thursday 8th October 1 Swallow flying S over Brighouse at 13:30  and at least one Little Egret is still around between J25 and also seen late last week on the lagoon at Cromwell Bottom

Fly Flatts

Not a lot doing late morning
1 Stonechat on the rocks at the far end of the road on the right just before the steep down-hill
3 Skylark > W
3 L B B Gulls
c30 B H Gulls moved through > N
Distant C Buzzard
c5 Kestrel
A few Red Grouse on the moor

Jumble Hole

Late post from the weekend.
- 4 chiffchaff in scrub land below the house
- 2 female type blackcap there also

Also, with the help of High Firman lending me a detector I've managed to identify a large bat around the house for the last 2 weeks as a noctule.

Lee Mount

1 Swallow over >SE at 17:30 was nice to see now they have mostly moved off on migration. Still chance for a few more yet though.

Whiteholme

This morning I checked to see if the Curlew Sandpiper was still there from the weekend but it had gone though I didn't have time to check Warland and Lighthazzles.
2 winter plumage Dunlin
3 Ravens high >S
c20 Meadow Pipits
2 Wheatear (looked like Greenlands)

Wheatear

 

Whiteholme Reservoir

Whiteholme Reservoir

 

No sign of any Redwings over Whiteholme today though there were reports, via BS, of a few over the Oxenhope watchpoint this morning including a flock of 21 and another of 85 as well as a few Song Thrushes.

We might hear Redwings tonight or the next few nights, calling as they fly over in the dark !? Always worth listening for at this time of year.

Fly Flatts

Yesterday afternoon with NCD. Rolling mist made viewing difficult
No waders
1 Tufted Duck
1 Wigeon on Dean Head Res'r
1 L B B Gull adult
1 Herring Gull type which eluded careful scrutiny being chased off by the LBBG and tricky in the mist it looked very long winged when flying with the lesser!
Several Red Grouse
2 Canadas and c 20 Mallard
A few Meadow Pipits
c2 Kestrels
And just as we were leaving a SEO put in a brief apppearance

Curlew Sandpiper

 Whiteholme

1 Curlew Sandpiper
7 Wigeon
3 Teal

Ringstone

68 Wigeon
C60 Golden Plover
C350 Lapwings

Green Withens

I called there early afternoon just to check in case the Black Redstart was still about - though I would have been surprised if it was still there. Loads of shoreline but no waders.
1 Dipper on the shoreline
A few Meadow Pipits about
2 Linnets
c4 Kestrels

Fly Flatts

This morning - flat calm conditions 16c hot sunshine - is this really Fly Flatts !!!?
1 Stonechat down the track at the far end (no Wheatears today)
1 Dipper singing in the outflow by the roundhouse
1 juvenile Peregrine chasing about and at on time stopped on the shoreline to drink and rest
1 Wigeon
2 Mallard
2 Lapwing
1 Curlew flyover high and calling >W
40+ Meadow Pipits around the site
1 distant Common Buzzard
c25 Black-headed Gulls
4 Kestrels
1 distant Raven
And how could I forget - a Wren at the far end on the walls with the Stonechat
A Grey Squirrel at the outflow as well was unusual and high up for this species

Cold Edge Road
c12 Swallows

Cold Edge

Ogden

Early September  a male golden pheasant in next doors garden. Sorry forgot to post it in rush to pack

Cromwell Bottom & Ringstone Edge

      Paid a visit to Cromwell Bottom today, which was a good
      move as there was plenty of bird life about and the members
      have done a good job with the viewing area-:

      8 Long Tailed Tit
      2 Nuthatch
      4 Siskin, which I was pleased to see
      4 Canada's
      5 Jay, 1 Kestrel, 1 Raven, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 male Bullfinch
      8 Goosander flyover, 1 GSW
      4 Mallard, 2 Moorhen, 2 Wren
      lots of Blue, Coal & Great Tits and Chaffinch.

     Now on to Ringstone in the bright sunshine but no rarities,
     100+ Lapwing
     20+ Canada's with 1 Greylag with them and lots of Gulls & Crows
     10 Meadow Pipit in fields opposite, also 2 Robin and 2 Dunnock
     1 Little Owl on Bull field wall.

     Garden had 20+ Goldfinch, 2 Coal Tit, 2 Great tit, 6 Green & Chafffinch
     4 Collared Dove, 10+ Starling and a 20+ Jackdaw flyover.

                            Sorry if there's too many pic's, won't do it again.