Whiteholme

 A late Wheatear

This week the track alongside the SE and NE banks of the reservoir was smoothed and resurfaced. It's much better for walking now.

Ringstone

                        Little Egret at Ringstone this Morning.PD,DF

Whiteholme

 14 'Golden' Plovers here. Looking at photos after leaving, I am puzzled by the bird with grey wing coverts and a prominent supercilium. I don't think it has the structure of a rare plover, but am not sure whether it is just a different-looking Golden, or possibly a Grey? I'd be grateful for any comments.

Whooper Swans

61 Whoopers on the move over this morning >E and >SE 11, 36, 5, 9, viewed over Northowran, Wainstalls, Swales Moor and Ringstone plus others over Fly Flatts.

Also 48 Pink-footed Geese >W over Northowram and a Little Egret on the shoreline at Ringstone mid-morning. 

Not a bad start to the day for several local birders !

Another 23 Whoopers  >E late afternoon (AC)

Blackstone Edge

 Female Reed Bunting

Also 12 Redwing west

Swales Moor

Earlier this week there were three Skylarks up there. This one sat up and posed for a moment - they don't often do that.

Saturday 9th October 2021

In dull weather in the late morning at Ringstone a Great White Egret flew West over the reservoir. 

Stonechat Day

 Local Walk today along Hag Lane and Ringby Lane.

 Stonechat were in abundance with 8 being seen, 2 

Meadow Pipits, 6 Linnet, 2 Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel 

being pestered by Crows, Buzzards making lots of noise

but only one seen, House Sparrows, Starlings, Wrens, and

regular stuff seen.

Whiteholme

Still 1 Wheatear here, (and 1 at Blackstone Edge).

Photo taken with Panasonic Lumix FZ82 bridge camera, with 60x optical zoom.

Blackstone Edge

 Wheatear 5

Also 3 at Whiteholme

Pink-footed Geese

A reasonably good movement over Calderdale between 16:40 and 19:30. Thanks for all the reports - taking out possible duplication there were in the region of 780 after a recount (around 11 skeins) birds mostly heading in  a westerly direction in a blustery westerly wind.

Around 130 in this shot , closely followed by c60 others though I couldn't get them all together in one shot.

Part of a bigger movement today with reports of 80 birds over the Aire Valley (HF), 2,000+ over the Highlands (MJB) and hundreds and hundreds heading south over the Humber towards The Wash this afternoon. (PB)

Maybe more overnight - and hopefully - more tomorrow - from first light maybe.??? 

Photo counts, direction of flight, location and times are valuable.

Lee Mount

First skein of the autumn for me this morning at 07:55 - Pink-footed Geese  - heard only as they were not visible through the trees in the park and the low cloud. Sounded like a small flock maybe 20+ heading in an easterly direction by the sound of it.

Hopefully some more soon. !

Ovenden Moor area

Top end of Cold Edge and along the edge of the wind-farm moor this morning.

No migrants other than 2 Wheatears,.

Otherwise 2 Stonechats, one Raven flyover very high >SW, very distant Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and  a few Reed Buntings. 

Around 90 Meadow Pipits were in the fields around the Withens Head area and there was a constant trickle of Meadow Pipits over the moor >NW but I didn't get into counting them . 

Not  a lot else - but I enjoyed it all the same. 

Cromwell Visit

 Trip down to Cromwell to have a nosey but it was 

 very quiet, Heron, Cormorant and the regular birds,

 place is very overgrown and the lagoon is non-existent 

which is a shame, its a pity the council don't clear it of

the reeds because it could be a fantastic lake for wildlife.

Squirrels were decimating the feeders and the bugs were 

biting lumps out of me, ended up with swollen hand and arm.

brothertons.blogspot.com

Wheatear at Soil Hill

 

Shibden Beck

Not a bird, but this foot-long trout is quite impressive. I think it's a Brown Trout, because Rainbow Trout has spots on the tail fin and a purple flank stripe (though my photo hardly shows the flanks).

Marsh/willow tit

Wednesday morning 8/9/21 we had a Marsh/Willow tit on the feeders and bird bath for 10 seconds. Sorry no pics just the record. First for where I live in Bradshaw.

Ringby Lane

 Ringby Lane yesterday was very quiet and very hot,

Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Flocks of Goldfinch & Linnets, at 

the bottom of the lane were 8 House Sparrows and was surprised

to see a Squirrel on the lane. Oh and a Dunnock. JJL was as also up

there having a look around.

Ovenden Moor

 At last I managed to get a half decent shot of a Wheatear near 'The Withens this afternoon.

Also nearby a Whinchat, more Wheatears, 2 Skylarks, 3 Stonechats and a big surprise with a fly- through cream crown Marsh Harrier found low down then it went higher and higher and I lost it in the haze.

Swales Moor ......and last nights singers !!!

Ringby Lane and on the top this morning. Hardly anything moving in the stillness of the morning and haze as well as rising temperatures.

4 Chaffinch >SW and 15 Swallows >NE

On the ground a decent show of migrants, for up there, including a Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler and a Whitethroat

Also plenty of 'blogging' mipits and Goldfinch's.

The 'singers'... last night. It sounded like  a family group of Tawny Owls . They went on for over an hour after 10:30 pm with hoots, ke-wicking and various squeaks and aerie waverings alongside other sounds I have never heard previously - and hard to describe. I got some recordings on the phone but getting them onto this blog is another challenge !!

See if they 'sing' again tonight.........

Yellow-legged Gull ?

Found this probable Yellow-legged Gull at Albert Reservoir Pellon yesterday. Unfortunatly it didnt show its rear end but if you look closley it appears to show some grey feathers on the mantle indicating YLG, only other possiblity it Great Black backed but the bill dosn't look big enough. Any thought welcome.

Beacon Hill

Spotted Flycatcher

Little Owl

Undisclosed site

 Long-eared Owls are always a bit special - especially in the day time.

Beacon Hill

Redstart

(Record shots taken with a Panasonic Lumix TZ80 pocket camera, at 30x zoom)

The other interesting migrant I have had recently on Beacon Hill was a Lesser Whitethroat on 20 August. I had good views of it perched on a Hawthorn bush and in flight, but did not manage a photo.

Wainstalls and Cold Edge - 5th September

 A perfect September day with potential for some decent birds did not disappoint, with a decent show of migrants, though well scattered about in the area as far as The Withens and the edge of Ovenden Moor.

Its always good to come across a Black Redstart with one around the stables, up the lane from Lumb Terrace and later on relocated (PB NK DP) just further up the lane on the field walls on the edge of the moor. Distant for photos. Also in that area was a Whinchat and 3 Wheatears. They might still be around that area today ? Also later on a fly-through Merlin (PB)

Other birds in the area and up to the moor included another Whinchat and several more Wheatears, Whitethroat, female Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Reed Buntings and 2 Stonecats and a good show of Meadow Pipits all round along with Linnets and Goldfinches on the thistle heads. Also a few other species.

Hardly any thrushes around as yet with just one Blackbird and a Mistlle Thrush but that will probably change in another month or so as migrant thrushes arrive from northern Europe.

Ogden

This afternoon ---- not  a lot...it was lovely and quiet, yes really.

1 female Teal

2 Great Crested Grebe

1 Grey Heron

4 juv/immature Cormorants

c80 Mallard

2 adult Herring Gulls

25+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls

60+ Black-headed Gulls

2 Common Gulls 

10+ Long-tailed Tits with one each Goldcrest and a Blue Tit

10+ Swallows and 2 House Martins >S

plus a few of the usual species.

Beacon Hill

 Little Owl