Walshaw Plantation

Should I go and see the marsh harrier at walshaw dean or go and find something else I thought when Id finished work today.Well I opted for the harrier,as I approached the plantation at walshaw I picked up the Harrier distantly above the moor,Ill get a better look when I reach the top res i said to myself.

  A falsh of a red tail in the first bit of wood started things off. 2 redstarts a male and a female type,calling Go;ldcrests and cole tits could be herd.As I got to the end of the plantation another 2 female type redstarts were seen ,then Spotted flys every where at least 6 were seen flitting about the trees catching prey.Next a female type Whitethroat came to my pishing calls and then 3 whinchats were seen on the fence below,all the time swallows were overhead with Pied wags and Mipit calls filling the sky .A tree Pipit was herd calling above and the redstarts were now catching flies in full view,flashing there red tails and landing on the ground momentarily.2 Chiff Chaffs could not be turned into anything else.I looked at my watch id been there 1 and a half hours no time for the top res today.Other birds seen were 6 Kestrel, 21 linnets,4 goldfinch , 1 raven and a few grouse.

Juv Hobby

Had a superb juvenile Hobby this afternoon from Tower Hill near Norton Tower. The bird came down Heath Hill Road at speed and stooped on a group of swallows in the lower Luddenden Valley before moving on at speed towards Warley Village.

2nd Marsh Harrier

Out at a different site with SC this evening and we were treated to another cream crown Marsh Harrier over the moors. Also Common Buzzard, 3 Kestrels and 2 Whinchats.

Cold Edge Marsh Harrier

A trip up to Cold Edge Dams proved profitable with my 5th ever local Marsh Harrier, it was quatering the moor just to the west of Cold Edge Dams at 13.15PM. Unfortunatly due to camera problems I couldnt get a photo. A cream crown probably a female due to size against corvids.

Lee Mount

Not much opportunity today to get out and just had an hour in the garden this afternoon - 1 Gt Sp Woodpecker, 3 Sparrowhawk sightings and 16 House Martins >SE

And again this evening between 7 and 8 pm
8 House Martins >SE
4 Grey Wagtails together >E
1 Kestrel

Fantastic looking Moon out there tonight.

Red swallow

A nice pic here of variation of Swallow colour.The pic of the red swallow is exactly the same as the one I saw earlier this year at Crow Hill.


http://www.gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/late-august-2012.html

Shibden Valley

Lee Lane area late afternoon in the drizzle produced a lot of House Martins (100+) feeding in the shelter of the valley - they were all over the place in big groups with just a few Swallows with them.
c60 Swallows were on the tops on Pepper Hill feeding low around 2 fields of cattle - plenty of insects about for them.
Not much else about other than c45 Starlings and 62 Jackdaws in one field.

Swales Moor

Went along Ringby Lane late morning but it was heavy drizzle so nothing on the move.
c20 blogging Swallows
20 Meadow Pipits
2 Skylarks
1 juv Pied Wagtail
Just remembered 1 Green Woodpecker heard nearby
A few Goldfinch and 1 Linnet on the thistles
Usual corvids and just 1 Common Gull

First lap bunt over sheffield

Some great sound recordings on this link for vis miggers.....


http://birdingfrontiers.com/2012/08/25/first-lapland-bunting/

Lee Mount

Not much chance to get out and about today though a call from BS of a Buzzard over Ringby Top just after 5 pm had us dashing out to see if we could pick it up from the house but unfortunately we couldn't find it as part of the ridge is just out of our view. Thanks for the call Bri and for the Whimbrel over just before 6 pm, unfortunately these headed off in Pellon direction rather than Lee Mount so we missed them as well but gather Nick picked the birds up heading over from his Mount Tabor watchpoint.
Good to see some signs of movement today so lets hope it continues over the Bank Holiday !!

A Treecreeper at the back of the house today was good to hear along with a Gt Sp Woodpecker as well - no Swifts !

Rishworth

I came off at Jct 22 tonight and saw a small falcon sitting on a telegraph pole as I passed down the A672 near Derby Delph - I drove down and turned round as I thought there was a possibility of a Hobby sitting it out in the pouring rain - but it was just a sogging wet kestrel looking very sorry for itself. I felt sorry for it too!
I thought 'all that heavy rain, maybe some terns at Ringstone' so I headed up the back route from Booth Wood to find the road blocked by the police at the top - perhaps a landslide - as a digger was there and looked to be clearing up after a flood (?) - so I gave Ringstone up as a bad job!

Lee Mount

Just one Swift through this morning and a few Swallows and House Martins and this afternoon, a Jay, Gt spotted Woodpecker and a group of at least 17 Long-tailed Tits

Floodstock

Just a brief note apologies it's not bird related but I know many of you are music fans and you are all generous. I've organised the above named event to raise money for the Calder Valley Flood Victims we have 6 bands playing on the 1st Sept at Mytholmroyd Community Centre tickets are £9, for more details visit www.facebook.com/floodstock or www.slightlyfoxedbrewery.co.uk/floodstock if you'd like to join us simply get in touch. Thanks.

Ogden

Back Lane area and Foreside Bottom Lane this morning thinking there might be some movement through the Coll. c200 Swallows and a scattering of House Martins through but no Swifts. Just 2 Meadow Pipits as well >W
Grounded migrants included 1 Whinchat with 6 Wheatears by Allotment Farm
Also nearby 1 Little Owl
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
c160 Goldfinch feeding on thistle heads
1 Sparrowhawk over
4 Spotted Flycatchers together on the edge of Ogden plantation along with 2 Willow Warblers
And when the sun came out there were hundreds of Green Viened White butterflies over a large area in juncus and willow herb areas down Foreside Bottom Lane

Cold edge dams

350 swallows n/w
20 House martin n/w
5 Curlew
5 Juv stonechat
1 Common sand
1 whitethroat
1 grasshopper warbler
1 wheatear
3  juv Little Grebe
57  mipits s/w

late Swallows & very early Pinkfeet ?

Bradley Hall Farm area - young Swallows were food calling from a new nest at the usual canal bridge, with adults bringing food in regularly. Maybe the previous nests were abandoned and this is a very late brood in a completely new nest ?
There were also 40+ House Martins over and a single Sand Martin over the river in Brighouse.
Surprisingly, no Yellowhammers seemed to be around at B H Farm
25+ House Martins were over Lightcliffe this evening.
And a reliable report from a Bailiffe Bridge resident of a skein of over 100 high flying geese calling loudly going West towards Halifax around mid-day yesterday. Any other sightings of Pinkfeet around ??

Out of Area

There is a report on Birdguides today, of a Hoopoe at Blackmoorfoot Res Huddersfield yesterday at 15:00. Always a chance it has come our way.

Cold edge dams

5 juv Stonechats, 7 wheatear , 25 blogging mipits, 30 goldfinch , 2 Curlew, 50+  swallows , 6 swifts ,1 LBBGull,10 BHGull and 4 linnets.

Lee Mount

4 Swifts over today >SE - all singletons, with the latest at 8 pm
2 Sparrowhawk sightings as well today

Ploughcroft and Pepper Hill

We had a wander round the top this afternoon but struggled to find much in the blustery wind other than a good number of blogging hirundines and 1 Sparrowhawk over.