Ploughcroft

We had an hour along Hag Lane at the back of Ploughcroft this afternoon - and the sun was still shining.!
1 Kestrel
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Stock Doves
1 Tawny Owl singing
One or two Chaff's and Goldfinch and a good number of the usual corvids.
Starlings doing imitation Curlew calls was a bit misleading as we looked to the sky but no Curlew flying over (though they won't be long now).

 Distant Green Woodpecker

Chaffinch (male)

Soil Hill

This morning I  was after some Skylark shots after I deleted some really good shots by mistake last week.  5 Skylarks there but they remain elusive and hard to capture close to or without grass and walls in the way  !

Skylarks

 

Nothing else on 'The Hill' other than the guys on the mast - wondered if NK and BS had taken a new position for a watchpoint !!!

1 early returning Oystercatcher at Ogden reported this afternoon on the buoy - from C S - thanks Chris

Swales moor

Ringby Lane - just had an hour up there late morning - nice to see the sun shining for a change !!!!!
2 seperate Sparrowhawks went over high >W
5 Skylarks (3 high >NW) and 2 on the top with the male singing
8 Meadow Pipits on the top
1 2nd winter Herring Gull >W
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull >N
3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls >SW (all adults)
8 Stock Doves
11 Starlings
Loads of corvids as is usual up there

Lee Mount

We don't often get Mistle Thrushes in the garden, though they fly over regularly. This one stopped off this morning checking the feeders out even though they normally feed on the ground or in berry bearing trees/shrubs.

Mistle Thrush (taken through the window I cleaned yesterday and with a plastic tie in the way)!

 

Also this morning the 2 usual Nuthatches were on the feeders regularly - until I went out to try get some decent shots of them - then they disappeared though I did get just 2 record shots looking up into the light.!

 

Wheatley

A friend has feeders in his garden and recently had 5 Siskin on mixed Sunflower seed-  and the other surprise was when he saw a Treecreeper going up the pebbledash on his house earlier this week.

Cromwell Bottom Today

           Took a walk down to Cromwell Bottom today with the sun shining
           a few of the members were hard at work near the cabins but I bypassed
           them and went birdwatching.

           Bullfinch, Chaffinch,
           Blue, Coal, Great and Long Tailed Tits,
           Sparrowhawk fly through,
           2 Goldcrest by the ponds
           1 Pied Wagtail between canal and river nr bridge,
           1 Jay in the same place,
           6 Cormorant on ski lake and lots of Gulls,
           1 Goosander on the river below the weir,
           1 what looked like a Raven but not 100%,
           2 Wren, 2 Dunnock, 4 Blackbird,
           Crows & Magpies.

Scammonden

Had a couple of hours again today, one or two sunny spells but the wind was bitter
All the usual small birds about plus......
Saw the Goldcrest again, positively ID'ed this time :)
Treecreeper
Female Siskin
Although I didn't get any photos of the Goldcrest, I managed a couple of  record shots of both the Treecreeper and Siskin
Also added another one of the SEO,taken when it snowed the other weekend and a Buzzard that passed over Ringstone the same day, cheers

Early Morning

Keighley Road/Hebden Bridge Road AM

Before the rain began

1 kestrel
1SEO
1 buzzard
1 red grouse

Around and about

Mixenden Res'r -  drake Goosander and the usual smaller gulls moving through.
Fly Flats -  6 Carrion Crows, 2 Ravens heading down towards Hunter Hill, 4 Canada Geese (early returners), c12 Mallard - why anything wants to be up here in conditions like today I'll never know - oh but I was there !!
Cold Edge (lower pond) pair of Tufted Duck and a drake Goosander
Dean Clough - I couldn't find the usual Dipper or Grey Wagtail in the Hebble Brook - just 4 Mistle Thrush (one singing), 1 Song Thrush singing, 2 Bullfinch near North Bridge and around 12 Long-tailed Tits turned up as I was chatting with Denise - who usually pulls in the rarities !

Ogden Early Hours

This birding lark is hard work at the mo with poor weather
and bird life being quiet-:

Ogden and Back lane early hours
1Goldeneye, 2 Dunnock, 4 Robin, 3 Blackbird,
4 Fieldfare, 1 Hare, 3 Wood Pigeon, 2 Mistle Thrush,
1 Chiffchaff singing.

Roper Lane & Raggalds floods gave a zilch apart from a
few Gulls.

Garden and Claremount Hill had 12+ Goldfinch, 1Blue Tit
and lots of Crows and Gulls flying about.

Soil Hill

Nearly got blown away on the top this morning with DB and JL - but you never know what else might be lurking there ! not much today.
1 Kestrel
2 Skylark
2 Meadow Pipits
4 Fieldfare
Moorhen on the lower pond

Various sites today

Started off at Swales but there was nothing on the top at all so headed up to check Soil Hill - just  Skylarks (got 2 cracking photo's of them and then deleted them by mistake - gutted )!!!

Mixenden Res'r
Pair of Goldeneye and a pair of Goosander plus c120 Black-headed, c60 Common Gulls and 2 L B B Gulls
Ogden golf course -  nice looking Stonechat and a Little Owl nearby.
2 Siskin with a flock of c30 Goldfinch at Lower Brockholes
1 Moorhen and a Grey Heron on the small pond
12 Redwings with 24 Starlings at Stodfold

Stonechat

 

Elsewhere a distant Short-eared Owl hunting in the drizzle

 

Short-eared Owl



Scammonden/Dean Head

Had a couple of hours this afternoon, mild, breezy and a little wet once the low cloud decended.
1 Kestrel
Quite a few GT, BT, CT
4 Bullfinch, both M&F
And a couple of Roe Deer, which was good to see
Was hoping to spot the Green Woodpecker again, but instead we were tret to our first ever sighting of a Firecrest, very pleased but no camera!
Edit- Apologies, it could have been a Goldcrest, but still a first for us. I'll return tomorrow with camera and try get a few record shots.

Interesting reading - but no surprise.

http://www.energyroyd.org.uk/archives/13331

Ogden Lane

Late afternoon. The small finch roost on Ogden Lane near the main road was active with Chaff's Greenfinches and Goldfinches in the top of the sycamores so I checked them carefully in case of a stray Brambling (without success). Worth checking late afternoon if anyone is up there !

Shibden Head

A great morning for a walk around the upper reaches of Shibden Valley and Shibden Head though it was a struggle to find any small birds. Plenty of Jackdaws, Magpies and Carrion Crows and a good few Stock Doves and Woodpigeons as well as Black-headed and Common gulls in the fields.
2 Kestrels were the only raptors
c15 Redwings, 5 Mistle Thrush and just 3 Starlings.
1 Meadow Pipit over Corporal Lane
No sign of any tit flocks other than a few Blue, Great, Coal and LTT's scattered about. Hardly any finches about !
A brief look in Bare Head Tunnel located 4 hibernating Herald Moths.

Castle Carr

Had a walk on Castle Carr Road today then on to Cold Edge. 1 Raven, 1 Little Owl in usual place, 1 Buzzard, 2 Kestrels, 1 Red Grouse, 9 Herring Gulls, 9 Stock Doves and a pair of Stonechats.

Jay House Lane

I had another look for the green sandpiper on the pond at Jay House Lane, but no sign again.

Back at Jumble Hole, a treecreeper was a welcome visitor to the bird feeder area, moving in with a flock of tits and searching for insects whilst they were on the feeders.

Quiet Shelf Moor

      Had a drive around Shelf Moor this afternoon after work
      but it was bereft of bird life apart from Crows, Magpies
      and 100+ Gulls in a field at the side of the Golf course.

      10+ Goldfinch on my garden feeders.

Ogden

Hardly anything this afternoon though the westerly was still blowing strongly.
Woodlands checked.
1 male Sparrowhawk
c15 Goldfinch around the car park trees
Usual Mallard and just a few small gulls and that was it.