15th May

Out and about with SC. Tawny Owl at a nest site. No sign of any LEOs at a nearby site though.

GOOSANDER HAVE BRED AGAIN

Located female with 14 young this morning at 0845 , location details left with Nick D, Nick C and Dave S. Photos to follow.

Learn Birdsong

As an aid to "getting your ear in", I've just uploaded three clips of singing warblers.
Blackcap - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLkBVToXR9I
Garden warbler - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF7JTlsc72Q
Whitethroat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B6HNg7qznU

Enjoy.

There's Birds In Them Thar Hills

Now is the time to get looking for those Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers and Wood Warblers. Calderdale has so many wooded valleys tucked away and with loads of old stone walls there are bound to be birds that are getting over-looked. Get out there and get looking. Let's see if we can improve on last year.

Catch of the Day

Last week I managed to film this Heron in the centre of Brighouse making off with a pretty big Perch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_x_FEy2yKs
Anyone care to guess the weight? .....of the fish, not the bird.

Hardcastle Crags - 5:00pm

A walk from the bottom car park past the mill to 'the fork' and back.

- 4 spotted flycatcher (a pair at the first big clearing on the left, another pair at the fork)
- 11 goldcrest
- green and gs woodpecker
- 2 tawny owls calling
- 3 treecreeper
- roe deer
- tons of squirrels

So no redstart, no pied flycatcher, no wood warbler.

In fairness, it wasn't the best time of day to catch them, but all the other birds were singing like mad. A morning visit, including Crimsworth, might be more definitive, but I certainly can't do that until late June, by which time it's obviously too late.

High Royd

A quick visit this morning:

- 2 singing sedge warbler
- 1 garden warbler
- 1 treecreeper
- 1 coot

Eastwood sewage works - yesterday after brief rain shower

270+ swallows
180+ house martins
And a single swift!

Quite a sight.

14th May Cold Edge

Cold Edge PM, male Whinchat refound behind Haighcote Barn, 2 Dunlin, 2 Redshank, 2 Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 8 Curlew, 3 Greylag Geese, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Kestrel, 1 Lapwing, 3 Linnets, 2 Willow Warblers, 1 Lesser Black Back and 2 Black-headed Gulls.

Mandarins

I've just uploaded a new clip this morning -
This is of my third drake Mandarin of the year, this one being paired (allegedly) with the Mallard duck in the video. Interesting to see if the eggs are actually fertile, and if so, what other new bizarre hybrids will be gracing our waterways. Watch this space. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvDbf6vHeJ4

13th May Walshaw Dean

Evening at Walshaw Dean with SC. The highlights were a Cuckoo calling from the plantation but not seen and 2 Woodcocks roding. Not much else.

Fly Flatts - Thu Eve

Curlew x 2, Lapwing x 1, Wheatear x1, Skylark x1, Grouse x2, Comm Sandpipers at least 2, Mipits, Canadas with young, Grelag with young.

Just back from holiday on Mull where I found 2 Bee-eaters for the local birders so don't give up on me yet!

13th May Cold Edge

Brief visit to Cold Edge this PM produced 3 Dunlin, 1 Common Sandpiper, 4 Curlews, 3 Lapwing and 2 Willow Warblers. No sign of Whinchat but it may still be present despite the hillside being on fire !

Chat up lines

Last nights birds, a cracking pair male singing and displaying to the female. Also up there two grey partridge.

Today's birds of note the Little Owl again and a Kingfisher flying upstream past Brighouse.

Grapevine change

After several years of helping run the grapevine for local birders I have decided to stand down with immediate effect therefore from now on please forward both morning and afternoon texts to Dave. Thanks to everyone who has supported what I think is a very succesful system for sharing local bird information.

Fly Flats and Cold Edge

This afternoon;
Fly Flats
8 Curlew
2 Lapwings
2 Common Sandpipers
5 Wheatears
No Twite !
Greylag Goose with 8 young

Cold Edge
1 male Whinchat
1 Wheatear
2 Dunlin
2 Common Sandpipers
4 Curlew
2 Golden Plover

Todmorden

Just popped down to the market, and two Grey Wagtails flew along the Calder past the bus station. When I caught up with where one had landed, I realised it was a juvenile, and shortly after the female flew back in and started feeding it.
Whilst watching this, a Dipper flew upstream and returned a couple of minutes later - I will keep an eye on the spot I think it went.

Birding book hunt

I am taking the kids to the States (Georgia and South Carolina) in a couple of weeks, and though it's certainly not a birding holiday, I might just throw in my binoculars......
Could anyone recommend (or better still lend me!) a decent bird book covering the south eastern United States.

Goosanders in the Snow

These Goosander were filmed earlier this year at Cromwell Bottoms. Sorry for the delay but I only got round to recording the music this evening. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S41i9X8jy5s

White Crowned Robin in Hebden Bridge!!!

Seen near the canal between Hebden town centre and Stubbing Wharf approx 2 weeks ago.

Recent Photo's Round and About

More to follow soon.

Little Owl

Nice surprise on my way to work this morning, my first little owl of the year on Jay House Lane.

Domestic Violence

Following on the heels of Nick's Street Violence posting, here's an interesting little clip.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaldIbis#p/p/28C2E00156683969/20/yHiidQOcf_Y
I waited for 4 hours at the nest site whilst adult Herons were returning to neighbouring nests laden with food for their offspring. Was the wait worth it? Yes indeed. Any illusions of heron chicks being endearing balls of fluff with quirky late-70s punk haircuts will quickly be dispelled after you have seen this. I guess the little critters were rather ravenous and not particularly impressed, nor satiated, by the parents idea of a fish supper. The clip is about half the length of the original. There were times when I thought that one of them was going to end in the river as Pike food.

Fighting in the street

Fighting in the street (sounds like a Thin Lizzy track or is it Gary Moor ?). Got bored watching the news so went another walk, had only gone 2 or 300 yrds up Pellon lane when I heard a Starling alarm calling, within seconds a male Sparrowhawk came wizzing past followed closely by another adult male. The second bird stooped on the first and they both ended up in the middle of the road having a right go at each other. I got my camera out of its case and turned it on but by this time the two birds had seperated and one had fled, the other seemed to cellebrate its victory by soaring above my head with noteable white undertail coverts spread. Unfortunatly my camera settings were all wrong again!!. These are the best I could do in very bad light. I had just been talking to AC earlier in the day about having 3 male Sparrowhawks nearly hit me in 3 days whilst they were hunting, make it 5 now.

Top bird Sparrowhawk, one of my favorites.

Light Hazzles

Went up to Light Hazzles to feed the Twite at lunchtime today but didn't see any while I was there. The moor is recovering from the fire in that grass and other plants are growing back, but unfortunately the wildlife will take much longer to recover.

2 Common Sandpipers and a Northern Wheatear at the res, 3 Skylarks singing and only 2 Meadow Pipits.

10th May

Roils Head pm

At least 3 Willow Warblers still singing, 2 Robins feeding two fledged young, 7 Linnets, Skylark and a Wheatear near the horse fields.

Yesterday had a fledged Mistle Thrush at Cold Edge Road (see above photo)

Wagtails

Two presumable female wagtails. The bottom one taken at Roils Head and the top one at Cold Edge both today. The bottom is a female Pied but what about the other ? is it me but does it look much paler ?

A few more of the Curlew ?

Upland Birds under threat

I have been watching Crow Hill (Sowerby) this spring. It has curlew, lapwing, snipe, golden plover. Just this week, the farmer has started trenching a big area to drain it.
It is the same one whose cattle have grazed out the top of Crow Hill till the heather and bilberry are all but gone. This is supposed to be in the South Pennines SPA (special protection area)!

I have once had a pair of twite in the area (not this year), but linnets, skylark, meadow pipit, wheatear and stock dove are regular.

I have had a couple of partridge (species not determined) and today a greylag goose flew over low, calling, though that would be just passing through.

I have informed the Local Countryside Service today (again), but what other action to take?
Approaching the farmer personally occurs to me, but I thought I'd consult first.

7th May Cold Edge Dams briefly

Bumped into my brother on the way back from Roils Head and he gave me a lift up to Cold Edge. Only had 30 minutes but managed a Little Ringed Plover, Redshank and a rather small curlew with a shortish bill and what appeared to be a pale central crown stripe (beware small male curlews ?)

Roils Head 7th May PM

Best bird was a Wheatear with a rather olive tinge to the mantle (possible greenland). Kestrel, Willow Warbler, Skylark and 2 Linnets (the area where the Linnets usually nest as been burnt again, see photo).

7th May Marsh Harrier

Derrick Wood reports a Marsh Harrier flying west at Cold Edge at about 1PM this afternoon. A rather dark bird being mobbed by 6 Curlews.

Luddenden Dean

2 hours in the Dean this afternoon. Target birds were Redstart and Pied Flycatcher - but no luck there at all but conditions were not ideal for bird song - but there is still time !

A Cuckoo was singing in the area above Spa Wood so that was a real bonus.
2 Dippers near the lower lodge.
2 Wheatears on Castle Carr Road

5th May Yellow Wagtail

Roils Head PM,

Had nothing much all spring at this site but persistence pays off. Walking across one of the playing fields I heard the now unfamilier call, tsrreee- tsrreee, turning round I found a stuperb Yellow Wagtail. I got the camera out and quickly pressed the button. The image on the back of the camera was completely black. All my settings were wrong, I went into the menu and dropped my shutter speed down to 250 and tried again, still the image was too dark so I went back into the menu and put my ISO up from 100 to 400 to compensate for the bad light. The bird had now moved away but I managed 2 shots before it flew off towards Mount Tabor at 3PM.

This is the first spring record since I had 1 at the same site on 15th May 2007. There were no records at all in 2009, what a shame.

Also at Roils Head 9 Linnets, 3 Willow Warblers and 4 Skylarks.

Thanks for Frog Info

A big thank you to all those who gave me the heads-up on frog activity earlier this year. The clip linked below was compiled from material shot at Fly Flatts and Roils Head. I only managed to perfect the underwater technique when I filmed the Toads a month later, so next year I might be able to improve on this. If you have any site info pertaining to Amphibians and Reptiles in the locale, please pass the information on to the Halifax Scientific Society. Your records really are important in protecting vulnerable habitats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2O2HDKJfJc

First Fledglings

Pulled up at work this morning to find a male blackbird feeding two fledglings.

Looks like Dotterel have turned up at Pendle so worth keeping an eye out, went up to Saddleworth again last night, managed to lose my leggings which seem to have fallen out of a side pocket. Birdwise, two wheatear, one a big Greenland.

4th May Cold Edge

Thought Id found this little beauty this PM only to find out DJS had it this morning.

Cold Edge briefly this afternoon.

1 Dunlin, 2 Redshank, 2 Curlew, 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 Snipe drumming, 1 Wheatear and a stunning male Whinchat around the old building (that is still occupied).

BTO - BBS Survey

Cold Edge area;
1 Little Ringed Plover
1 Dunlin
1 drake Goldeneye
1 drake Goosander
1 outstanding male Whinchat singing near Moorlands Farm
plus other usual species including 8 Wheatears

Dipper, Todmorden

I was just walking into Todmorden when I spotted a Dipper in the Calder by the Bus Stn. I've obviously had a few sightings here (and perhaps becoming more frequent) but I can't remember one in the breeding season.
I continued through the town centre, and whilst on Water St, I heard a Grey Wagtail calling in the Walsden Water channel ie before it is culverted under the town hall. I didn't spot the Wag, but found a Dipper, which I can only assume was the same one that had flown though the culvert.
Also seem to have our breeding House Martins back, feels like Spring may finally have arrived.

Jumble Hole

All on the Pennine Way, Underbank
3 garden warbler
2 whitethroat
1 chiffchaff
2 willow warbler
1 goldcrest
Buzzard being mobbed by jackdaws and a kestrel
Green woodpecker

A walk on the tops

Up near the Packhorse, we went for a walk, somehow dodged the showers and saw some birds, Curlew, Wheatear, pheasant, mippits, thrushes (song and mistle) and of course lapwings including this little thing!  Is May 3rd early for these chicks - if so the fire must have done for many nests!

Garganey

The most exciting birding and wildlife sightings in my opinion are mostly unexpected and generally therefore fortuitous in nature and this mornings events just reinforced that as far as I am concerned.

Just before 10:00hrs I flushed a pair of Garganey feeding on vegetation on the River Calder near industrial Brighouse, an unlikely setting to say the least. I contacted DJS immediately as the pair flew west towards Brighouse in the direction of EGP.

I bombed back to my car and drove home to collect my camera and then returned to an area on the river just east of the town centre and decided to leg it along the river bank on the off chance that the pair might have landed further upstream as there were decent numbers of Mallard and the odd Canada Goose on the river at the time.

As it turned out the Garganey had flown about half a mile west along the river just east of Brighouse, so I got on all fours and scrambled along the riverbank and managed to rattle a volley of shots off before the Garganey took flight once again and flew in a westerly direction high over the town centre following the path of the river.

No apologies for the number of photos of these cracking birds

A few minutes later on the same stretch of water 3 Dipper appeared from the direction of Brighouse and 2 males (presumably) started singing and chasing one another before posturing on the riverbank.

Calderdale birding does not get much better than this!

As an afterthought I have enclosed another photo of the Garganey which were feeding close to the riverbank in a not dissimilar manner to Teal.

2nd May Elland GP

Down at EGP again with SC, looking for reported Garganeys. No luck but had cracking views of 2 singing Garden Warblers, also 2 Blackcaps, 2 Reed Warblers, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, 1 male Mandarin on the lagoon near the Canada Goose nest, 2 Cormarants, 1 Goosander, 1 Herring Gull, 4 LBBGs, lots of Swifts, Swallows, Sand Martins, House Martins, 1 Grey Wag etc and a Mink crossing the river.

1st May Elland GP

EGP, PM, 3 Garden Warblers, 1 Blackcap, 1 Reed Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warblers, 1 Whitethroat, 9 Goosander, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Song Thrush, 3 Bullfinch, 3+ Sand Martins, House Martins, Swifts, 7 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, 2 Herring Gulls etc.

Langfield/Gaddings Dam & Gorpley Res

Langfield/Gaddings Dam
Twite - 7
Wheatear - 3
Skylark - 6
Mipit - 6
Swallow - 4
Gorpley Res
Wheatear - 3
Curlew - 4
Skylark - 2
Mipit - 4
Little Ringed Plover - watched it for about 10 minutes before it flew off
Lesser Black backed Gull - 2
Skylark - 2
Swallow - 2
Canada Goose - 11