EGP

 20+ Siskin on the feeders this aft

Walshaw Dean 1:00pm

Fairly birdless to be honest, though pretty windy.

The highlight was a whinchat in a field close to the cattle grid by the bottom corner of the plantation.
Otherwise just 5 canada geese and 1 mallard on Lower Walshaw, around a dozen swallows moving through, 2 red grouse heard.

Nuthatches move in

One was calling constantly, in the fretful way they have, in the Albert Promenade area yesterday, and anothere in the wood here at Dudwell today.

Matt Bell noted them moving in to Jumble Hole Clough the other day.

Swales Moor - Ringby Lane

Just managed an hour up there this afternoon. Most of the birds were sheltering on the west side out of the easterly wind. 1 Green Woodpecker, c50 Goldfinch, 2 Mistle Thrush and 6 Linnets.
On the top - 1 Skylark, 3 Meadow Pipits and 9 Swallows with 8 L B B Gulls >SW

Todmorden

From Andy H - 16 Pink-footed Geese low over Todmorden centre at 18.53 heading towards Bacup/Rochdale this evening

Jumble Hole

2 willow warblers and 2 goldcrests were feeding in birch trees with a small tit flock this morning. A blackcap was around the day before. Nuthatch are now here daily, but few green woodpecker this year. 28 swallows of all ages gathered on the wires outside my bedroom window this morning.

Other news today

From Martynbirder - 'a large flock of Alba wagtails near Gorple today (60ish) contained at least seven White's that I could see well'. Well worth a look in the next few days if anyone is up there.

Also in the last few days lots of reports coming in of Pink-footed Geese on the move into the country - the first report from our area was from Andy of 10 over Northowran this morning struggling up the valley in the strong wind.
Also reasonably good moves op Meadow Pipits and Swallows reported today.

Swales Moor

I spent a blustery hour or so on the top late morning. There was a little bit of movement with birds mainly SW including 30 Swallows, 25 Meadow Pipits, 1 House Martin and 7 juv/sub adult L B B Gulls.
1 Wheatear probably Greenland race was feeding around the quarry along with Linnets and Goldfinch.
A Goldcrest in a solitary bush was a surprise at that elevation on such a windy day

Stop The Badger Cull!

I know its not bird related but this is something I feel very strongly about. The government has now issued licenses for the culling of badgers, despite scientific evidence given to them that culling would not stop the spread of TB but would in-fact increase it.

Please sign this petition and share wherever you think you can. We need 100,000 signatures to try get this decision reversed and we are a third of the way there.

http://justdosomething.org.uk/badgersmatter

‘I think the most interesting observation was made to me by a senior politician who said, “fine John we accept your science, but we have to offer the farmers a carrot. And the only carrot we can possibly give them is culling badgers”.’
Professor John Bourne
(Chair of the Independent Scientific Group (ISG) on bTB)http://www.justdosomething.org.uk/badgersmatter

Ringstone (Black-tailed Godwit)

I have just received this information from Sean Gray today on one of the 7 godwits that turned up at Ringstone on the evening of 21st July - one flew on west while the others came in to feed in the fields. Nick D got some shots and realised one of the birds was colour ringed - well done Nick. Sean picked up the information and made investigations, with thanks to his contacts Jose and Vigfus for the info below.

VWO-WRflag (the code by which the bird is known)was ringed as a pullus in N Iceland
on 13th July 2007.

Below are the subsequent sightings of this bird

WO-WRflag 13.07.07 Modruvellir, NW of Akureyri (road 82), N Iceland
WO-WRflag 02.11.07 Inch Island Lake, Speenoge, Co. Donegal, N Ireland
WO-WRflag 24.08.08 Slatty´s Bridge, Glounthaune station, Cork, S Ireland
WO-WRflag 04.11.08 River Shannon Callows, Shannon Harbour, Co. Offaly,
WO-WRflag 16.02.09 Bullock Island, Shannon Harbour, Co. Offaly, C Ireland
WO-WRflag 22.07.09 Lough Beg, Cork harbour, S Ireland
WO-WRflag 30.08.09 Barnawee, Dungarvan Harbour, Co. Waterford, S Ireland
WO-WRflag 12.07.11 Broadmeadow, Swords Estuary, Co. Dublin, E Ireland
WO-WRflag 28.08.11 Dungarvan Harbour, Co. Waterford, S Ireland
WO-WRflag 04.10.11 Dungarvan Harbour, Co. Waterford, S Ireland
WO-WRflag 21.07.12 Ringstone edge reservoir above Halifax, West Yorkshire, E England

Interesting that the first sighting on the mainland was at Ringstone !

Ogden and Mixenden /Stodfold

We had a couple of hours in the valley this afternoon and went to look at the wagtail fields to see if we could re-find NK's White wag from earlier today. No luck but the usual flock was well down to 6 so it had probably moved on.
Elsewhere 2 Dippers were together in the stream by Stodfold Barn with 1 Gt Spotted Woodpecker nearby and 1 Goldcrest.
In the valley a good number of Swallows (c50) and 2 House Martins. Also c50 blogging Meadow Pipits and 2 sightings of a female Sparrowhawk and 1 Kestrel. Also nearby - 2 foxes looking immaculate.

Swales Moor

Along Ringby Lane this morning
7 Skylark
c15 Meadow Pipits
1 Pied Wagtail
c120 Linnet on the long banking on the north side
c40 Goldfinch
2 Sparrowhawks
2 juv L B B Gulls >NW
c 30 Swallows over Shibden Head plus c25 others >SW
Usual corvids

EGP

EGP this morning 09:00-11:30

House Martins C50> w
Cormorant 3 on ski ramp
GoldCrest 3
Siskin 5
Kestrel
Little Grebe & 2 chicks
Chiffchaff 3
Dipper
Grey Wagtail 2
Kingfisher
Goosander, and usual sp.

Booth Wood Res'r

This morning a good move of Meadow Pipits heading up the valley towards Jct22. Also a few alba Wagtails and 6 Siskin as well. I didn't have time to stay and count but there also looked to be a good number of passerines in the valley below the embankment and 40+ Swallows feeding in the sheltered areas.
Nothing on the Res'r though.

Spotted a report of Hobby over J25 today; http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2537703&postcount=18234

Other news today

Mostly reports of hirundines feeding in sheltered places today in the strong blustery wind and much cooler temperatures!
AH - good numbers of Swallows and House Martins moving down the Upper Valley this morning
SL - c150 House Martins at Elland Gravel Pits
TM - 1 late Swift through Elland across lunchtime
MSt - 30+ House Martins over Hove Edge this morning and 25 Mistle Thrushes in fields at Priestley Green (last week)

Hunter Hill - vis mig

Cold Edge/Hunter Hill, 
Friday 14 September 2012
Counting period: 7:30 - 10:00
Weather: wind West5, cloud-cover 4/8, precipitation rain, temperature 12 ℃
Cormorant  2  N
Mallard 1   S
Black-headed Gull 4  S
Common Gull 3  S
Woodpigeon 1  N
Skylark 1 S
Swallow 38 S
Meadow Pipit 49 S
Goldfinch 9 S

Totals: 108 individuals, 9 species, 2:30 hours

Present around the watchpoint: Black-headed Gull 25, Lesser Black-backed Gull 1, Swallow 30, House Martin 40, Wheatear 2, Magpie 2, Jackdaw 2, Rook 1, Carrion Crow 2, Starling 4


Comments: First opportunity to get up to the Hunter Hill watchpoint this back end for Vis Mig. Conditions tricky with a strong gusting wind to F6 and intermittent heavy rain between bright sunshine. Difficult to get out of the wind and hard to pick out any movement though a good numberof local birds in the valley with 2 Wheatears at the watchpoint.

Wheatear

Halifax

We got a surprise this morning at 10.15 as we were about to come off the flyover near Peoples Park - a Common Buzzard was circling low over the houses near the Elsie Whiteley Centre with Pigeons and Starlings everywhere and looking very unsettled with its' presence. An unusual spot for a Common Buzzard but we wondered if it had been passing over high and come down to investigate roof top pigeons?

Also out of our area, a lot of Pink-footed Geese coming into the country the last few days with some reasonably good counts from both east and west coasts and some over Oxenhope recently. A good chance of some for our area in the next few days...

Attention CBCG members

This year's AGM will take place at the volunteer centre in Mytholmroyd on Thursday 4th October beginning at 1930.  Please forward details of anyone who wishes to stand for election to any of the officers positions to me in advance of the meeting.

Hunter Hill watchpoint

Spent over an hour at the watchpoint late afternoon with Nick to see if there was anything moving.
Not much at all other than distant Lesser Black backs and other smaller gulls over the Coll at Ogden.
1 Wheatear
3 Grey Partridge
1 Kestrel
A few Meadow Pipits around the site as well as Swallows in the valley along with a couple of House Martins
The weather turned really cold and getting colder with the NW wind and temperature down to 12c when we left !

I also see that a juv Gannet went over Winter Hill, Lanc's today across lunch time. September seems to be a good month for overland records especially during windy conditions - the one we had over Ogden in 2010 was on 24th Sep in a NE gale.) Always worth keep an eye on the sky when the wind is blowing hard !