Clifton Beck to Jay House Lane

Kingfisher by the beck
Kestrel just behind Bradford Road
20 Long Tailed Tits in the wood
30 Redwings going towards Jay House Lane, but only a couple of Fieldfares
6 Mistle Thrush
2 Pied Wagtails by the muck stack
Slightly different ratio of Lapwings to Golden Plover, today Muxy, with approx 200 Lapwings and nearly 250 Golden Plovers. They made a really impressive sight in one large,mixed flock, which became even more dramatic as a female Sparrowhawk put the lot up !

Old Town 1.15

Winter Thrushes(Mainly Fieldfare)-C200 feeding in fields between Old Town & Dodnaze

Upper Crimsworth Dean 12.30

1 Common Buzzard trying to avoid the attentions of a crow
1 F Kestrel
1 M Kestrel
1 F Pheasant
1 M Pheasant

FRIDAY NIGHT

The joint celebration of Nick and Matt's birthdays will now take place in Hebden Bridge. Starting at 8pm in Moyles.

Thanks to all those who responded.

See you there.

Andrew

Red Kite

Red Kite reported by Brian Sumner - 1 seen over Queensbury at 8.30 this morning heading south could have gone down towards Shelf/ Shibden?

THIS FRIDAY

I'm sure you've all seen the posting on the blog re a get together for Nick and Matt's birthdays, due to no positive response from anyone saying that they will be attending I'm posting this as a final request. Can you please let me know if you will be attending, if no response is received then the venue maybe moved to near his home or worse still cancelled altogether.

I am aware some of you have prior arrangements but can the rest please give me some indication of your intention to either attend or not by this time tomorrow evening.

Given the amount of time that both of them give to the group I'm sure we can all either take the time to add a comment, email me andrewhuyton@hotmail.com or text me if you have my number that is.


Many thanks



Andrew

Widdop Rd

A couple of hours walking up the road today produced:-

2 Common Buzzard
1 Male Kestrel
45 Fieldfare
7 Redwing
2 Mistle Thrush
2 min Goldcrest
2 GSW
1 GW (heard only)

+ usual tits,blackbirds,dunnocks

Plovers - Jay House Lane

The Plover flock of c300 this morning contained plenty of Golden Plovers as well as Lapwings, prob ratio of 3:1 in favour of Lapwings. If the Golden were there yesterday I didn't notice them.

Ringstone Edge Res'r

1 hr this afternoon
1 (f) Goldeneye
1 Snipe
10 Golden Plover
12 Lapwings
220+ B H Gulls, 80+ Common Gulls, 2 juv Herring Gull (types)!
1 Stonechat
1 Reed Bunting
2 Meadow Pipits
1 Pied Wagtail

70 Fieldfare >NW over Barkisland and another c60 >E over the Ryburn Valley

Luddenden Dean

Wade Wood this afternoon from Jerusalem Farm.

c40 Pink-footed Geese >E high over the Calder Valley at 11.15 am

c42 Redwing

c120 Fieldfare

24 Blackbirds

1 Song Thrush

7 Mistle Thrushes

8 Jays

1 Little Owl

4 Kestrels

2 Green Woodpeckers

Reasonable numbers of Blue, Great, Coal, L T Tits and Goldcrests

2 Stonechats (on Castle Carr Road)

Green Withens area - am

Female Goosander on the water
27 Pinkfeet going SW about 11.00
A single Fieldfare by the reservoir wall
2 Stonechats further out on the moor
Kestrel
2/3 Meadow Pipits

Otherwise, pretty quiet.

Jay House Lane - This a.m.

2 min stop going to work:-

200+ Lapwings
6 Mistle Thrushes
4 Pied Wagtails
1 Kestrel
12+ Starlings
12 + Mipits (I think, any tips on confirming little brown bird types would be welcomed)

Then just out of our area 3 Cormorants over and 1 Heron.
I didn't think that was bad for a drive to work.

Are the Tree Sparrows there all year and where is the best place to look?

Ogden

4 f Goosander this afternoon
1 Little Grebe
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Red Grouse by 'Giants Tooth'
1 Treecreeper
c12 L T Tits
c12 Goldcrest
2 Kestrels
1 Collared Dove

Website & BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Ok lets get the business end done, many thanks again to those attending the meeting regarding the website last week. Especially to Dishfish and Jane who joined us for the first time great to get your take on things. The outcome from the meeting is that we have settled on the lay out of the site and we will be approaching a firm in Sowerby Bridge to get estimates and timescales before making any final decisions.

NOW as previously mentioned this Friday 31st October we are planning on having a get together to celebrate Nick Carters and Matt Bells recent/upcoming birthdays. This is start at The Works in Sowerby Bridge at 8pm before moving onto The Puzzle to take in some live music.

I'm sure alot of you who have known Matt and Nick for many years would like to join us to help them Celebrate.

I would welcome RSVP's either posted here or if you want your attendance to remain a surprise then please email me at andrewhuyton@hotmail.com

Scammonden

400+ flock of mainly Fieldfare with a few Redwing + Starlings this afternoon, feeding in fields opposite & above Brown Cow.

Ogden

3 f Goosanders still there
1 Reed Bunting on the golf course fringes

Fly Flats

1 Raven over this afternoon
1 Stonechat by the wind farm car park

No Twite - and the area of the feeding station is taken over by contractors vehicles etc at the moment as they carry out some work on the res'r bankings. Seed put down nearby but think we might be very fortunate if we see any Twite there now until the spring(????)

My First Calderdale Buzzards

Despite having seen many before in other areas it still gave me a thrill to see my first ever Buzzards in Calderdale:-

2 over upper Crimsworth Dean

Also 3 Kestrels at various points between Fly Flatts and weather station, I know it has been said before but there seems to be loads about.

Now in the next few months I'm hoping for my first Merlin!

Ryburn and Baitings Res'rs

Ryburn - 1 Cormorant there this afternoon

Baitings - 6 (f) Goosander

Booth Wood Res'r

1 Cormorant there today - likes the stone gate-post sticking up out of the water on the far side!