halifax

peregrine there yesterday

also heard a herring gull over bradshaw
and saw 5 by the peoples park

Osprey

Not in Calderdale I hasten to add but I had my first ever close up views of an Osprey this morning on our drive back from Nefyn beach. The bird was actually sitting on a fence post !!! At first we thought it was a Buzzard as we drove past in the gloom but the jizz was all wrong. On stopping the car and creeping back there it was sitting as bold as brass on a fence post 20 feet from us. I only managed a quick look through the bins before the bird took off and disappeared over the horizon. To say we were shocked to see an Osprey in such a situation with no water in sight (except for the rain) is an understatement. I can only assume the bird was from the Glaslyn Osprey project, perhaps a young bird moving out on its own ?

Ogden Garden Bird feeders this week

Among the usual visitors this week are included at least four juvenile bullfinches.

Fly Flats

Early evening with Nick D
Millions of winged ants!
7 Wheatears
2 Whinchat
1 Willow Warbler

Ringstone Hide 12.00-1.20

Shelduck 12 + 12 over
Canada Goose 110
Mallard 22
GC Grebe 1
BH Gull 40+
LBB Gull 1 + 1 juv
Carion Crow 5
Peregrine 1 juv - chasing BHGs
Curlew 2
Oystercatcher 2 over
Snipe 6

More tracking info

For any who are interested there is also Highland Foundation for Wildlife site where Roy Dennis posts tracking information for three osprey as well as marsh harrier,honey buzzard and sea eagle. Fascinating stuff!

http://www.roydennis.org/index.htm

Loch Garten Osprey over Calderdale

Satellite tracking the 2 Osprey chicks from the RSPB's Loch Garten site has shown that the juv female (Nethy) has, in the last day or so flown directly over Bailiff Bridge and Brighouse (Armitage Industrial Estate)heading due south. Any Brighouse birders see her going over!!!?)
The latest update position is she is now near Cheltenham and her male sibling (Deshar)is on the south coast. We have not been able to get a time fix (or height of flight)on the web-site.

You can get an update (with a link to google earth)at http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/tracking/lochgartenospreys/index.asp

Fly Flats/Ogden

Wet and windy at Fly Flats this afternoon!
2 Wheatears
1 Mallard
3 Canada Geese

Ogden
2 G C Grebes
c400 B H gulls
c50 Common Gulls
2 Gt Sp Woodpeckers
c60 Swallows

E mail contact

Apologies to anyone who has attempted to contact us via the e mail address given at the top of this Blog, I was under the impression that this address was being checked regularly but it would appear not. Included in the unread mails were two from Nick Wilkinsion who has been working on twite in our area giving details of colour ringed birds that were reported on here, if anyone wants these details please e mail me at midgleybirder@yahoo.co.uk

raggalds

just seen an albino starling flying past with the normal starlings

Castle Carr Road/Cold Edge

Visit yesterday afternoon with Nick D
Castle Carr Road - No Twite
4 Ravens through >NW
1 Common Buzzard
1 Little Owl
3 Kestrels
2 Stonechats

Cold Edge
2 Whinchats
c3 Kestrels
Lots of Swallows about

White Holme Resr

Alan Nuttall reported a Grey Plover and Greenshank present at 12:30 hrs.

Ringstone Edge R & Scammonden today

Ringstone E Res

09.50 - 12.00 WNW2-3-4 sunny 50% cloud

Great Crested Grebe 1 ad

Cormorant 3 imms

Teal 1

Mallard 9 + fem with 7 week old ducklings

Kestrel 1

Lapwing 95

Com Snipe 6

Curlew 1

Bh Gull 130+

Common Gull 4 juvs 2 ads

Swallow 30+

House M 5

Sand Martin 1

Willow Warbler 1

Stonchat 2

Scammonden Valley

12.05 - 15.10

Kestrel 3

Swallow 25+

Tree Pipit 1 high overhead West + 1 probably landed in valley

Whinchat 2

Stonechat 6+

Redstart male + juv

Com Whitethroat 1

Willow Warbler 10+

Fly Flats

No Twite there this afternoon - probably all over Midgley!
6 Wheatear
6 Kestrels
1 Stoat

1 Common Sandpiper on Dean Head Res'r (upper)

Midgley feeding station

36 twite here this afternoon including at least 16 colour ringed birds, combos have been sent to the ringers. Earlier this week Dave and Jennifer Sutcliffe and I attended the feedback meeting for those involved in the Recovery Project's preliminary survey of breeding twite in the South Pennines, best estimate is that there are now only 100 pairs of twite left breeding in the S Pennines. As our area accounted for around 30 of these the importance of Calderdale to this threatened species cannot be over emphasised.

Hardcastle Crags and Walshaw Dean

Saturday am.
Quick (!) walk up through Hardcastle Crags to Walshaw Dean reservoirs.
In the woods - coal tits, great tits, 2 GS woodpecker. Not much else noticed.

Walshaw:
Kestrel

Linnets, meadow pipits, grouse.
2 female crossbills.
2 weasels.
2 tufted duck, 6 canada geese (more flew in), mallard. All 3 reservoirs are full so not much for passing waders.
6 wheatear

2 whinchat


3 pied wagtail
Small numbers of swallows also.

Lee Mount

1 Swift over this morning heading >SE

Another Swift over going >W at 4.20 pm

Bird Report

Copies of the 2006 report were delivered this afternoon to Todmorden Tourist Information Centre. Cost is £5 and well worth the read, full of interesting information on the birds of Calderdale.
The report is still available at Woodlesford Newsagents in Moor End Road, Halifax.
The bird club would be very grateful for your support.

Undisclosed site

With Nick Dawtery this afternoon
Flock of around 50 Hirundines - mostly House Martins
5 Common Buzzards
2 Peregrines
5 Kestrels
Just like Wales!

Warley

Winterburn Lane
c80 Linnets and c30 Goldfinch in the fields near the rugby pitches
Also lots of Swallows about

(1 Swift yesterday evening over Salterhebble)