Soil Hill

Following a call from NK this morning that the Snow Bunting was still there I headed up mid morning. It took an hour and a half to find it, which I eventually did, near the mast. It flushed and flew over towards the north facing slope.
c4 Twite, c11 Linnets and 3 Skylarks on the north slope.
1 Kestrel

Soil Hill

I went up late afternoon on hearing the news from NK about a Snow Bunting there first thing this morning (5 yesterday!)Jane and Celia were there as well but we had no luck with the bunting - but it is a big site to check and the light was not good.
2 Skylarks
1 Reed Bunting

Jaw dropping photos, what a great find

Juvenile - first winter Rough-legged Buzzard found by Karen Mather off Smithy Lane/Withens Lane End 1km west of Ringstone Edge on 13th October, the day after the Great-northern Diver turned up. Unfortunatly Karen did not know who to contact but did manage to get these superb shots of the bird which was present from at least 11AM until dusk. Unfortunatly there was no sign of the bird the next day or thereafter. Wheather or not it is the same bird that was near Bacup also on 13th is unkwown but I could probably check with Rochdale birders to find out the times of both sightings. What a great record.

Mixenden Res'r and Ogden

1 late juvenile Swallow south west over Stodfold and Mixenden plantation was an unexpected surprise (my first November record in Calderdale)
1 Goosander on the res'r plus the usual gulls
2 Stonechats at the lower end of Ogden golf course with 2 Cormorants on Ogden Res'r and Sparrowhawk there as well.

Re:Rough-legged Buzzard

In true Blue Peter fashion, here are some I took earlier. Pictures taken in Suffolk a couple of days after the Calderdale bird. It looks good to me. The tail pattern looks ok but the tail feathers look pretty worn in the close-up. I hope these comparison pictures help.

Cold Edge/Withens Head

2 Moorhen at Spring Dam
1 male Stonechat just above Haighcote Barn
6 Red Grouse
2 Kestrels
Not a sign of the usual Little Owls
and unusually for this time of year - a frog singing in a bog just below Moorlands Farm!

Swales Moor

1 Skylark
1 Meadow Pipit
75 Lapwings flying around over Shelf area and another 40 over Mount Tabor
1 L B B Gull >W
1 Herring Gull >W

Various reports

From Niall.
 
Today pm :- 3 buzzards circling and calling BH Farm. One little owl.
 
Jay House Lane- five tree sparrows and ten model aircraft.
 
Track/hedgerow through Willow Valley golf course :- 3 tree sparrows and c.20 redpoll.
 

Buzzard ID

Any ideas on this one. Photos taken between Ringstone Edge and Boothwood on or abouts 15th October by a member of the public.
Top photo resembles Rough Legged Buzzard although the tail pattern looks a bit odd, bottom pic also resembles Rough Leg or abbarrent Common Buzzard ??. Another question is how do you get so close to a wild bird.

Ringstone Res'r

From TW - 4 Whooper Swan there today at 12.45 (but no update since then.)

Soil Hill

2 Twite creeping about in the weeds and approachable to 5 meters. Took some photos but the light was not good - this is the best I could do.
9 Linnets
1 Meadow Pipit
1 male Reed Bunting
7 Grey Partridge
3 adult Herring Gulls and 2 LBB Gulls west
The habitat looks ideal for Snow Bunting!

Fly Flatts

40+ Red Grouse was about the best we could do this afternoon as they flushed off the moor when a Hercules Transporter went low over the moor at Fill Belly Flat
8 B H Gulls
1 Raven >N
3 Kestrels
1 Meadow Pipit
No sign of any late Wheatears and unfortunately, no Twite either although seed is still being put down. Have you got any Twite over at your site Tim?
1 Red Admiral was heading south as well, so that was a bonus!

Swales Moor

Lee Mount - c150 Pink-footed Geese headed high and due east at 09.45. Another skien of around 100 was reported via BS over Soil Hill/Queensbury around the same time heading south east.

Cold Edge was in the mist again this morning so I headed up to Swales where it was clear to see if there was any movement.
10.30 till 12.00
Woodpigeon 230 >W
Starling 80 >NW
Skylark 4 >NW
Linnet 1 >S
Fieldfare 1 >NW
Sparrowhawk 1 >E
Grey Heron 1 >NW
Goldfinch 10 >SW
Chaffinch 14 >SW
Lesser Black-backed Gull 8 >NW
Greenfinch 3 >W
Lapwing 20 high >W

Also present
8 Grey Partridge
1 Snipe
14 Meadow Pipit
2 Skylark
c50 CarrionCrows
c25 Magpies
2 Jays
1 Green Woodpecker

Twite Recovery Project Video

The Twite video that I made for the Twite Recovery Project is now live on the Pennine Prospects You Tube Channel.

Follow the channel link below.

http://www.youtube.com/user/pennineprospects

The film is also being taken around to farms in DVD format and forms part of a presentation given to encourage landowners to take part in the project.

Thanks to all those who helped me in getting the shots I needed to make this work especially NCD, DJS and TW and Reg & Sue Slater for allowing me to trample all over their fields.

Buzzard Family?

Was treated to spectacular views this afternoon of 3 Buzzards, 2 adults I recognised so I am hoping that the other one is this years young. At one point all 3 were up being mobbed by two ravens. In just half an hour I also saw there were also 4 Kestrels and 2 Sparrowhawks. A Green Woodpecker also was nearby.

Went for a cycle ride yeaterday from Copley Church and round Norland Moor. No bins and thick fog but thought I did OK with Kingfisher, Fieldfarer x 12, Stonechat x 2 and Sparrowhawk sat on the path.

Ploughcroft and Pepper Hill

This afternoon
2 Little Owls at the usual spot and another calling in Shibden Valley
2 Sparrowhawk
c3 Kestrel
1 Redwing
c12 Goldfinch
Rooks flying over west with beak and crops full of acorns

Mixenden Res'r

Late morning, nothing on the res'r other than the usual gulls.
The plantation was more rewarding with 2 Crossbill, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Treecreeper, and several Goldcrests with the tit flock.
130 Woodpigeons S/W

Water Rail

Roy Allinson took this picture on his mobile of Water Rail this evening, nothing unusual about that but the location was outside the town hall in the centre of Halifax.

Various sites

Ringstone Edge Res'r
5 Lapwings S/E
B H and Common Gulls
Peregrine hunting over towards Norland Moor

Mixenden Res'r
Just B H and Common Gulls on the res'r
Great-spotted Woodpecker
c50 Fieldfares >W

Ogden Res'r
Just B H and Common Gulls and 1 LBB Gull
1 Sparrowhawk

And from Andy C - 20 Whooper Swans west over Northowram at about 5.35 pm (maybe heading towards Ringstone)?

Vis Mig - Hunter Hill

Cold Edge, Halifax (W Yorks, England)
Tuesday 25 October 2011
Counting period: 9:15 - 10:45
Weather: wind SE4, cloud-cover 7/8, temperature 11 ℃, Thick hill fog first thing so waited till it started clearing before I started up there.

Mallard 3 S/E
Jackdaw 1 S/E
Sparrowhawk 1 N/W
Starling 2 S 142 N/W
Herring Gull 1 S/E
Chaffinch 5 S/E
Woodpigeon 35 S/W
finch sp. 2 S/E
Collared Dove 3 S/E
Greenfinch 1 S/E
Fieldfare 49 N/W
Crossbill 2 N
Redwing 14 N/W
Bullfinch 2 S/E

Totals: 263 individuals, 14 species, 1:30 hours

Present: Goosander 1, Sparrowhawk 1, Black-headed Gull 130, Common Gull 15, Lesser Black-backed Gull 3, Little Owl 1