Lumbutts

Lee Dam:
c45 Canada Geese in fields to E.
c20 Starling around the chapel.
3 (poss 4) Mistle Thrush, very noisy in keeping the Starlings away from their berries.
No waterfowl visible, although a Moorhen heard from the lower dam.
Usual woodland stuff in small numbers.
Good number of House Sparrows heard calling from the farm just to the W.

Longfield Dam:
3M, 1F Tufted Duck, but unusually no Mallard here either.
1 Lapwing feeding in fields to E.
15+ Meadow Pipit feeding in field just E of dam, most flew off S.
Several Carrion Crows feeding, one of which was seen mobbing a Kestrel as I drove off.

Cold Edge/Ogden

Tried for vis mig again this morning for nearly 2 hrs but light drizzle in among and a strong gusting wind on the tops made it difficult to pick birds up so tried at a lower elevation with a little improvement - all birds >W or SW
85 Meadow Pipit
28 Swallow
18 Goldfinch
5 Chaffinch
1 Lesser Redpoll
5 House Martin
8 unidentified finches

I gather from BS and AH that there was much better signs of movement looking to the east, probably with birds taking a more sheltered route >S (??)

Luddenden Foot to Mytholmroyd

Late morning - 2 Kingfisher sightings along the River Calder - one by the bridge at Luddenden foot and 1 at Brearley.
1 Dipper in full song also on the river
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Chiff-chaff along the canal
c20 House Martins feeding high above the bridge at Luddenden Foot

Swales Moor

Swales and Ringby Lane - tried for some vis mig first thing but the low cloud and intermittent drizzle didn't help !
83 Meadow Pipits, 9 Linnet, 1 Goldfinch and 1 Chaffinch all >SW

Apart from that c30 Linnet and c30 Goldfinch around the site and in the 'wagtail' field were 32 alba Wagtails
Also nearby 2 Red-legged Partridge, the usual corvids and c20 L B B Gulls

Red Kites

A reliable friend of mine saw three flying over Mill Bank last week.

Ovenden area

Vis mig from AH 07:35 to 08:20
213 Meadow Pipits >SW
17 Swallows >SW
2 Goosander >W

Ogden

This morning doing a woodland search....
Plenty Blue, Great and Coal Tits along with..
1 Treecreeper
2 Nuthatch
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Great spotted Woodpecker
5 Siskin
c10 Goldfinch
7+ Goldcrest
1 Chiff-chaff calling then with very brief song
1 Willow Warbler
20+ Chaffinch
1 Jay
27 Canada's over the plantation towards Cold Edge
2 Cormorants
Black-headed, Common and 2 L B B Gulls
1 Swallow >S

Burning at Walshaw

New Durham University study finds ANY burning on Walshaw Moor Estate increases flood risk in Hebden Bridge | Upper Calder Valley Plain Speaker.

http://www.energyroyd.org.uk/archives/15838

Castle Carr Road and Luddenden Dean (upper)

Pretty windy today with a strong >SW increasing in strength - thought maybe an odd raptor might be moving through !
1 Common Buzzard heading down the dean but not a Kestrel anywhere !
1 Sparrowhawk showing an interest in the flocks of Goldfinch and hirundines
c35 House Martins and 30+ Swallows feeding in the sheltered area of the upper dean
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Nuthatch
2 Jays
c100 Goldfinch feeding on thistle heads along Castle Carr Road
2 Little Owls in different locations
2 Common Hawkers over the pond by the 'catty' pub

Listen out for one of these over the weekend..there must be one about....

http://www.xeno-canto.org/335732

Ogden

Gave BS's 'passerine alley' a chance for some 'goodies' early on this morning. Plenty of birds in the bushes around the circuit including a Blue, Great and Coal Tits and 2  Long-tailed Tits, 3 Tree Creeper together, c10 Goldcrest all in one bush, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, 1 female Blackcap, 1 Chiff-chaff, 3+ Nuthatch, 1 Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Green Woodpecker , and 8+ Goldfinch.
Also nearby
1 Grey Wagtail
2 Cormorant
2 Kestrels

From the 'Giant's Tooth' watch-point (09:45 to 11:30) almost everything going >SW including - 329 Meadow Pipits, 75 Swallows, 3 Skylarks, 16 Chaffinch
1 Great-spotted Woodpecker >E
2 House Martins >N
1 Stonechat, 10+ Red Grouse on the moor with a flock of around 60 Goldfinch feeding on thistles
An interesting morning!

Our Garden

Weds. 21st 

09.15-09.40 one male and one female kestrel preening on top of electricity pole.  I'm not very familiar with plumage of young birds so don't know if these were siblings or adults but it was obviously a male and a female.  Eventually a carrion crow saw them off.

19.10 Little owl calling but I didn't see it.

BIRD REPORT 2015

The 2015 bird report has just been dropped off today. It will be available from the usual shop at Woodlesford News, Go Local store at Pellon in the next few days price £5.00. It contains a full species account and 16 photos in the centre plus a few more articles in the back. I also have several back copies available at £1.00 each if anybody needs one.

Ring-necked Parakeets.

Two flying north over Bolton Brow yesterday morning judging by their very vocal calls and long pointed tails.

Fly Flats

4 Common Scoter there this morning and still there around 12:00 - 1 drake and 3 female/immatures types
Also, 1Raven, 3 Wheatear and a few Swallows >N !!
One Golden Plover flyover >NE

 Common Scoter

 Raven

Pen-y-ghent in the distance from Fly Flats

Jumble Hole

A single buzzard was soaring over Erringden this afternoon, being mobbed by a peregrine. A great sight to see from the garden. Another large raptor was in the background at the same time, but very distant and very high.
A chiffchaff was in the garden. Swallows and martins noticeably less apparent this weekend.

Rishworth Moor and Parrock Nook

Unsurprisingly quiet on the tops, but I did encounter:

plenty of meadow pipits,
two wheatears,
plenty of swallows still,
a lone skylark,
a snipe, near Dog Hill and a
chiffchaff in the churchyard sycamores of Parrock Nook Independent Union Chapel.

Regards, Chris

Hunter Hill watchpoint

I went to check for any visible migration for a couple of hours or so this morning though things were pretty quiet. Not had a full count up yet but around 60+ Meadow Pipits, 3 Skylark and a few Swallows - all >SW.

Also around the hill and along Cold Edge Road
Flock of around 120 mixed Goldfinch and Linnet on thistles
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Little Owl
1 Kestrel
1 distant Common Buzzard
1 Wheatear

Green Woodpecker - rather distant shot !

Fly Flats

Late morning with moving birds high and >W including a number of Meadow Pipits and Swallows in small groups. Also 13 Golden Plover, 17 Lapwings again high >W
14 thrushes looking Mistle Thrush types were also heading high >NE
1 Black-headed Gull >S
6 Canadas and a Barnacle Goose left towards Comd Edge.
Best of all - a group of at least 9 Grey Partridge including juveniles at the north end sitting on a wall and very vocal.

Ogden and Mixenden

The Teal, male Gadwall and female Shoveler had moved on from yesterday.
Just 2 Little Grebe, 6 Cormorant and 2 female Goosander along with the usual Mallard this morning. BS's passerine alley was quite productive at the top end with at least 10 Goldcrests and 6 Siskin in and around the pines along with a Nuthatch and Blue, Great and Coal Tits in the bushes.

Mixenden was dead apart from a group of around 35 Swallows high overhead and drifting >SW