Waders - Mount Tabor

Not the rarest bird but a pair of Curlew are visiting the field behind the New Inn so are nice to view from the garden.  6 Golden Plovers also flew out yesterday towards Fly.
A Buzzard was circling right over the bottom of Tuel Lane yesterday afternoon.

Green Withens

           One Red Kite and 15 Twite at Green Withens this morning.

Out and about

Just a selection of finds today
Lee Mount - Green Woodpecker, since the middle of last week, singing in the park early mornings then all goes quiet. Not seen it though, just heard it !

Stodfold / Hunter Hill/ Ogden golf course this morning
1 Wheatear
1 Stonechat
1 Reed Bunting
Distant Raven and a Common Buzzard over Soil Hill
Distant Barn Owl
Nothing at all on Mixenden Reservoir except a Mallard !

Fly Flatts
Pretty quiet in the cold wind this afternoon
2 Curlew
3 Lapwings
Distant Buzzard, Raven, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
BS doing the rounds !

1 male Wheatear at Withens Head - on the walls opposite the wind-farm parking area

Also from PJWS - a nice White Wagtail today at Whiteholme Reservoir. Seen photo's on the phone.

Red Kite

Me and Andy C had had this first winter/second calendar year Red Kite at Walshaw this afternoon, very close, fantastic.

Lee Mount

A single Brambling on the feeder this morning feeding on sunflower seeds (through the window)

Showing aggresion towards a Dunnock

Mixenden Reservoir

21 Whooper Swans on there this afternoon from AZ. A very nice find. BS has some distant photos on West Yorkshire Birding. No sign of the birds when I passed, viewing from Whitegate, unless they were out of sight under the embankment.

Plenty of activity in the Hartshead area this morning. Two male Yellowhammers calling and another distant. Very mobile moving in and out of the recording area.
Tree Sparrows, Great Spotted Woodpecker and plenty of Skylarks as well as a soaring Buzzard plus the usual species.

Cold Edge

Checked a couple of traditional Ring Ouzel and Wheatear spots this morning but nothing doing.
6 Tufted Duck
6 Goosander
1 Little Grebe
1 Redshank
2 Snipe 'chipping'
1 Stonechat
1 Raven over >N
No raptors and no Linnets back yet but a definite influx of Meadow Pipits now on territory snd displaying
2 Skylarks
c80 Starlings
4 Pied Wagtails
Usual Lapwings and Curlew
1 Weasel briefly
Nice to have a brief chat with BS on his way home from his morning stint at Fly Flatts.

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Scammonden area

A very good find in the rain with a Male Ring Ouzel late afternoon yesterday near Moselden (a 'lifer' for PD). Unfortunately it has not been relocated this morning. (PD LD). A  male Wheatear there today.

Mixenden and Hunter Hill

1 Cormorant and a Redshank on the Reservoir this morning. Also 4 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls but not a sign of any duck species.

Elsewhere, between the Reservoir and the golf course.
Pair of Stonechat
1 Reed Bunting
1 Redwing
c200 Starlings
A few Curlew and Lapwing flyovers
1 Kestrel
Meadow Pipits on the move mostly high and >W
1 Skylark
1 Sparrowhawk


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Crimsworth Dean

A walk around the upper Dean this afternoon for Jen to find a 'stonking ' male Wheatear. What a beauty, shame I didn't have the means of taking a decent photo.
I gather BS also found a pair of Wheatear at Fly Flatts as well this afternoon. The move is on !
I still think it's amazing that after, or during migration these birds arrive in such fantastic condition.

Plenty of Curlew, Lapwings, Jackdaws, Starlings and a flyover flock of c60 Golden Plover.
1 Fieldfare
2 pairs Mistle Thrush
2+ Kestrels
1 Raven >N

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Chiffchaff

my first local chiffchaff this morning at salterhebble singing around 7am plus gs woodpecker and nuthatch

Soil Hill

Late afternoon for a couple of hours on the top. Quite a stiff westerly wind up there !
6+ Skylarks
c12 Meadow Pipits
1 Kestrel
c8 Curlew - very vocal
15+ Lapwings
1 Herring Gull >SW
38 Common Gulls >N

Barn Owls

I'm not going to give a location but we have a pair of nesting Barn Owls near me. This is fantastic. Been watching them regularly for the last few days and they look to be doing really well. The person who tipped me off said it was the first time he'd seen barn owls in our area and he's in his sixties.

Fly Flatts

This afternoon viewing from along the top road while BS watched from his usual watch-point. Hoping not to miss much between us !
2 Redshank
2 Oystercatchers
2 Kestrels
A good mix of Lapwings and Golden Plovers, (BS got a decent count of 105) with the Curlew back in evidence after seeming to move away from the high ground during the really atrocious weather up there last week
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls looked to be on patrol ready for any early Canada Geese nest raids.
A few Canada geese and Mallard on the edge of the reservoir mostly under the banking so didn't get an accurate count
A few Red Grouse in evidence
1 Short-eared Owl and distant Buzzard

Wainstalls and Castle Carr Road

A mix of sunshine and wintry showers this morning but plenty of interest.
10+ Skylarks back on the moorland fringes with some birds in song when the sun came out.
Pair of Stonechats
20+ Meadow Pipits
Curlews and Lapwings well in evidence and a single flyover Golden Plover heard.
1 Kestrel
Green Woodpecker heard in the dean
No sign of any Wheatears yet - but anytime soon with a bit of luck !
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Hunter Hill and Stodfold

This afternoon. It was good to get out after that torrential rain all day yesterday. A nice mix of birds around the site which included the lower end of the golf course
11 Curlew
18 Fieldfare
60+ Redwings
80+ Starlings
1 Little Owl
1 Kestrel
1 Reed Bunting
Plus other usual species
7 Pied Wagtails in a freshly manured field - and carefully checked for White Wag's
Herring Gulls were moving west all the time I was there. Not in groups but mostly singles on a broad front so no accurate count. Interesting that we do well for moving Herring Gulls over our area as BS also notes at Fly Flatts on a regular basis.

Lee Mount

A walk around Shroggs Park first thing this morning and it's stopped raining, for a while. !!
Green Woodpecker 'yaffleing'
Great Spotted Woodpecker 'drumming'
Nuthatch 'singing'
3 Brambling near the park lodge
Blue, Great and 2 Long-tailed Tits
Blackbirds, Song Thrush and 2 Mistle Thrushes singing.
Plus other usual species


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Fly Flatts

No let-up with the weather up there this week The gales, rain and gusting wind continue with a vengeance !
Difficult to find anything around the reservoir other than a few Mallard and Canada's.
I eventually found some waders, all sheltering on the flat moor including an unknown number of Lapwings, Golden Plover and at least 2 Redshank.
Apart from that 5 Meadow Pipits were getting blown about alongside the top road.
1 Curlew at Withens Head.

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Mixenden and Fly Flatts

Those gale force winds continue especially so at Fly Flatts. A bit of shelter for the birds from the plantation at Mixenden usually pays off.

Mixenden
Pair of Goldeneye
2 pairs Tufted Duck
5 Goosander
1 Cormorant
12 Mallard
4 Canada Geese
20 B H Gulls but only 2 Common Gulls.

Fly Flatts
A few Lapwings and Canada's but I couldn't find any Golden Plover or Curlews, probably hunkered down on the moor somewhere !
1 distant Peregrine
9 Herring Gulls >w
2 Jackdaws (unusual at this site) >N

Also from JJL this morning, a Chiffchaff singing along the canal side between Elland and Brighouse. Nice one John.

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SEO Cock Hill

Monday 8.50 pm.

Just for information.

Short eared owl near Cock Hill. It flew across the A6033 in front of my car.

Mixenden and Fly Flatts

Westerly gales throughput with spells of heavy rain.
Mixenden
1 f Goldeneye
3 Goosander
1 Cormorant
1 Sparrowhawk

Fly Flatts
1 distant Common Buzzard
1 Oystercatcher
3 Herring Gulls >W
c24 Lapwings on the West Bank
4 Stock Doves
1 Red Grouse

Withens Head
1 Redshank with 8 Lapwings

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Puzzling pipit, possible Icelandic Meadow??

Me and DF took these pictures of an odd looking pipit at Walshaw Dean yesterday. It was very orangey buff coloured underneath but appeared to have pink legs and a dark bill which didn't seem to fit any species. I recall seeing a similar bird some 6 years ago at Castle Carr Road Wainstalls also in March and I came to the conclusion it must be the Icelandic Meadow Pipit. Any thoughts welcome.

Grey Herons.

Spent some time earlier this week watching Herons collecting different kinds of nesting material. Quite enlightening! 

Rooks also were doing the same.

                                                                              

Mixenden Reservoir

3 Goldeneye including one drake
3 Tufted Duck
Drake Goosander
1 Cormorant
8 Mallard

Pepper Hill

An hour or so around the hilltop this morning. A very blustery wind but it stayed dry.
3 Skylarks were the best. Pleased there are some back there.
1 Green Woodpecker heard
2 Buzzards distant
2 Sparrowhawks over Shibden
6 Herring Gulls >W
Pair of Goosander high >SW - they don't half fly at speed, aided no doubt by that streamlined appearance in flight.

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Scammonden and Ringstone

Scammonden mid-morning
Flock of 45+ Curlew along with 30+ Lapwings and c160 Starlings in the Nont Sarahs fields

Ringstone
2 Oystercatcher
1 immature drake Goldeneye
1 Great Crested Grebe
1 Curlew >SE
c180 Lapwing
c160 Starling
2 Buzzards over >SE
1 Kestrel

Grey Heron from Luddenden Foot yesterday

Black-bellied Dipper

Don't know if its know about but I've seen on twitter that theres a probable Black-bellied Dipper, the continental race of our regular dipper, at Cromwell Bottom. I've seen the photos and it certainly looks the part. It's a pretty awesome bird, I'm back in Halifax on Thursday and certainly fancy a look if its confirmed. I don't know if this has already been checked out but I hadn't seen anything on the blog so thought I'd put it up in case.
Hope all is good with everyone in Calderdale

Link to the original tweet:
https://twitter.com/birderpete/status/1101237572565651464
 https://twitter.com/birderpete/status/1101237572565651464
 https://twitter.com/birderpete/status/1101237572565651464
https://twitter.com/birderpete/status/1101237572565651464