Luddenden Dean

1 Green Woodpecker
6 Long-tailed tits
1 Little Owl
2 Ravens over high >SW
13 Mistle Thrushes heading up to roost in Castle Carr + 2 Redwings
1 Pheasant had a close encounter with a fox and escaped just in time!

Dancing Gull Update

Hi all
A few weeks back I posted a question about some strange looking Gull behaviour and asked what it was doing. A rain dance for worms was the answer and Andy C very kindly sent me this link today from the Bradford Birders site...well worth a view
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ6vCN5hCRI.

Roils Head

Posting for Nick Dawtrey
4 Crossbills this afternoon (2m 2f) in pines at the NW end of West End golf course - grid ref SE 060 259. The track leads from the top of Paddock Lane towards Rye Lane. They were about half way along the track where it meets another track heading off at right angles towards the playing fields.
3 Stonechats also nearby, and from yesterday 4 Reed Buntings

High Royd, Sowerby Bridge

Midday

40-45 Teal
2 Moorhen
2 Coot
3 Mallard
30 BHG
Grey Heron
Kestrel (f)
Magpies, Jay, C.Crows, Wood Pigeons.

Shroggs Park

A female Sparrowhawk took a male Blackbird from right in front of me this morning!
c12 Long-tailed Tits also around in the park

Sunday 28th - Todmorden

Out for brief walk up by Great Rock - Fields full of Fieldfare and two grouse low over the moor spooked by the crows !

Nothing on Longfield pond though.

Swales Moor

3 Skylarks and 8 Meadow Pipits on the top this afternoon
c70 Fieldfares and c35 Redwings near the ski-slope

ogden

coal tit

not much to see this morning

1 greater spotted woodpecker

usual black headed gulls and mallards

bird table birds:

chaffinch

2 coal tits

2 robins

1 great tit

Ringstone

Called in at Ringstone this morning to replace the log sheets, very little around but did see

Canada Goose 56
Black headed Gull c300
Common Gull c50
Golden Plover 10
Starling 10
Lapwing 4
Carrion Crow 22

Willow Hall Dams

Took a short walk here yesterday.

1 magnificent Kingfisher
4 Mallard (2M 2F)
Plus the usual Tits, Corvids etc

Merry Xmas

Thanks to one and all for your help and encouragement to couple of amateur (very !) birders so far in 2008. We have been so encouraged and enthused by your help that our Xmas day is going to be spent out walking and birding amongst live birds rather than contemplating how we are going to eat a large dead bird sitting on a plate :-))

A very happy and enjoyable Christmas and happy and healthy 2009 to all from Paul & Sue in North Wales.

Seasons Greetings

Best wishes to all local birders for Xmas and 2009 and thanks to everyone who has supported the work of the CBCG during the year.

Ogden

6 Great Black-backed Gulls over >SW at 3pm
1 Tawny Owl singing in Skirden Clough late afternoon + Red Grouse calling nearby
2 Goldcrests

Elland Gravel Pits 23/12/08

37 Tufted Duck plus one duck that was associating itself with them in the main but it appeared to be slightly smaller with whitish/light coloured markings on the flanks. It also had a thin white band near the tip of its bill. It was always distant as most birds invariably are here but I think it could well be worth someone more experienced checking this individual out if they are in the vicinity bearing in mind Andy C's comments on 26/11/08.

In addition also present were:

1 female Shelduck was present which is uncommon here.
1 Goldeneye
1 Goosander
4 Little Grebe
3 Great Crested Grebe
4 Cormorant
15 Coot
120 Black-headed Gull
10 Common Gull
20 Siskin

High Royd Ponds, Sowerby Bridge

3pm

20-25 Teal
1 Little Grebe
2 Grey Heron

Waxwings now in Sowerby Br

30 today just above the Church at the bottom of Tuel Lane. Opp the locks and Lidl car park.

Ringstone hide log

I have called at the hide today and taken the log sheets for this year (to date) to enter the records onto the BOG recorder for Nick, I will get the remainder early in the new year.

Soil Hill 14:00-15:00

25 Lapwings (over > SE)
1 Mistle Thrush
1 Mipit
2 or 3 Herons (May have seen 1 twice)
1 Short Eared Owl - First for my mate I was with

Wear wellies!

"Pied" Thrush

Received from Martyn Hayes today

Hi Nick,

This may be of intrest to you. I had a male Blackbird in the garden this morning that was "Pied" ie at least 75 percent white, it was patchy with one white tertial and then one black one etc and the body plumage was say two white feathers for every black one, most of the primaries were white although it's head was black. A really interesting bird, I don't know where it's come from as I know all the local Blackbirds (9), including one with a white feather above it's left eye, you get to recognise them when you see them nearly everyday, so presumably this pied bird has turned up during the cold spell. I remember the Pied Thrushes in Sri Lanka, perhaps I should put it on Birdline as a "Pied Thrush".............I've seen the comments about the white crow at Mixenden but did you know there was actually five in the early nineties, I had a photo somewhere of them all in one tree.

Regards

Martyn

20 Sites Covered

Great news in that Jane Uttley has kindly forwarded on her records from Ogden on Sunday meaning a superb total of 20 Sites were covered.

Jane saw:-

65 Mallard
c130 BH Gulls
6 Robins
2 Goldcrests
7 Carrion Crows
4 Blue tits
2 Magpies
3 Blackbirds
3 Coal Tits
3 Dunnocks

My thanks to Jane and once more to everyone else who took part.