Skircoat Green

A report of around 12 Waxwings this morning in the St Anne's area of Skircoat Green (from CS via SB)

Fruitful Day

       

            Mandarins at Ogden today was a nice surprise after a tip off
            from DS and NK who I bumped into near the lake, we then
            hoped we'd seen the Northern Treecreeper, NK seemed to
            think it was as I haven't a clue, to me it was just a Treecreeper
            but It'd be nice if it was the Northern one.
            Had a check and the Northern bird is more grey than brown and has
            a much shorter bill, so I'll just have to keep looking.
       

                                         

                                          Mandarin

                                          Fieldfare

                                          Treecreeper

Walshaw Dean

From Martyn H - 2 female Crossbill's showing this morning at the plantation - with still one bird showing very prominent wing-bar. !

Ogden

I went looking again for BS's 'northern' Treecreeper after we had a possible sighting late yesterday afternoon - though the light was poor in the area above the top end eastern bridge.
I did find 3 Treecreeper's this morning in different parts of the woodland but they certainly weren't the 'northern' form 'familiaris'. All three showed only very pale supercilium and buff flanks unlike the photo of BS's bird.
There were no large 'tit' flocks found as most passerines seemed to be scattered about in various parts of the woodland.
2 Crossbills flew over calling - the male showing brilliant crimson and I had another real bonus bird  taking off right in front of me - a Woodcock flushed in the boggy bracken covered woodland.
A Kingfisher called as it was disturbed from the top pond by the east-end bridge and flew down the reservoir.
Other birds included Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch, Bullfinch, and Goldcrests in good supply. 8 Fieldfare moved across the moor and Blackbirds were feeding on Rowan and Holly berries.

A call from NK as I got home as he'd found a pair of Mandarin Duck on the shoreline.

Recent news

c300 Golden Plover at Ringstone this morning (PG and AT)
Common Scoter female type at Ringstone last Sunday 30th Oct (DF)

7 Wigeon on Withens Clough Reservoir (Cragg Vale) earlier today (PG) and at least 40 Brambling with Chaffinch's in the woodland up the track from the reservoir car park

Cold Edge (PJWS) 4 Teal, 5 Tufted Duck and a Cormorant this morning

Several reports of Crossbills in the Walshaw plantation area during the last week or so (MH et al) and a 1,000 + Starlings in that area yesterday.

Also see Brian's blog fro 19th Oct regarding the possibility of a Northern Treecreeper there last week and photographed by BS. A great record that Bri whether or not accepted by the powers that be !

Claremount Pinkies

               Skein of Pink Footed Geese flew over Claremount today at about
               9.20.
             

Mixenden, Stodfold and Ogden

94 Pink-footed Geese >E over Mixenden Reservoir this morning at 08:45 - estimated at c130 (must try harder)!! but thanks to the photo I got an accurate count.

 94 Pink-footed Geese

Sparrowhawk - adult male Ogden

Hunter Hill watch-point - not a lot moving - just a few Fieldfare, Redwing and Woodpigeons but not a lot else other than the geese.
Mixenden Reservoir
2 f Goldeneye
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Great-spotted Woodpecker
Small mixed tit flock with a few Goldcrests

Ogden golf course
1 Little Owl
1 Kestrel

Ogden Reservoir
1 Dipper in  the pump-house pond but not much else about

Cold Edge

Not a lot doing up there this afternoon though the day was very nice with the sunshine and cooling temperature.
We met a friend on the way up who told us about a massive flock of Starlings he had seen along Cold Edge Road/Withens Road. We soon located them (thinking we were on our way to Leighton Moss) !!From the photos I tried  a count - which is fairly impossible so a guestimate below  !!!
There were probably around 3,800 birds altogether - with 1,400 birds in part of the flock which streamed down towards Wainstalls (lower picture). Then another flock of nearer 2,400 birds below the Hazelhurst Farms.

(click photos to enlarge)

 

I think this is most unusual to get such a large flock in our area at this time of year though we sometimes get flocks of post fledging birds at the end of summer which usually disperse fairly quickly.

Also nearby..

2 Stonechats near Withens Head Farm

2 Barnacle Geese

1 Greylag Goose

3 Wigeon (lower pond)

1 Snipe

1 Kestrel

 

Good to meet Nick and Phil up there doing the rounds as well.

 

Swales Moor

Some massive flocks of Woodpigeons heading >W and >SW this morning between 09:00 and 10:15 with a total in excess of 7,000 birds. All very high heading over in wave after wave with some flocks 300+ strong. Hard to get the scale of it from photos as the flocks are not tightly packed like Starlings and thrushes.

Also a few other moving birds including again mostly >W and >SW
22 Redwings
15 Fieldfare
1 Blackbird
1 Song Thrush
3 Mistle Thrush
27 Chaffinch
3 Greenfinch
2 Sparrowhawks
2 Jays
I probably missed a good few smaller birds whilst concentration on the woodpigs !

If conditions are right in the morning, and maybe the next week or two, there could be another big movement of Woodpigeons early on (?)

Crossbills

Flock of 17+ Common Crossbills at Walshaw Dean Plantation today. Record shots digi scoped in poor conditions, note one of the males is sporting 2 wing bars, first time Ive seen this in Common.

Bradley Hall Farm area

Male Mandarin with a pair of Mallards on the river by the Corn Mill pub.
Male Goosander downstream at Colnebridge.
Redwings 'all over' in the bushes /trees around Bradley Hall.
No sign of Yellowhammers for a while down there.

Cold Edge and Ogden

Cold Edge Dams, 2 Barnacle Geese, 1 Goldeneye, 1 Teal, 1 Tufted Duck, 2 Buzzards and a Raven. Not much doing at Ogden just a Cormorant, Herring Gull and a few Lessers.

Driven Grouse shooting - Calderdale RSG submission to Parliamentary debate.

Please see the link below to read the excellent submission to the parliamentary debate on banning driven grouse shooting submitted by CRSG chair Steve Downing.
http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/petitions-committee/grouse-shooting/written/40051.html

Ogden Garden

This Sparrowhawk was photographed through the window watching
one of our bird feeders.We do not think it caught anything.

Long-tailed Duck

Managed to get a record shot of the Long-tailed Duck this pm. Very difficult to digiscope because the bird was playing at submarines all day only spending a few seconds on the surface. DF also had 2 more Whooper Swans over Whiteholme and a Ringed Plover and Dunlin at Warland. A birder we met also had 2 Golden Eyes on Whiteholme.

Blackstone Edge Res'r...etc

Long-tailed Duck still there at 07:35 as reported on BirdGuides - no updates from then until confirmed still there at 14:10 and showing well. (GS and AH). Still there 17:30 (CJB)

Anyone got any photos of the 'duck' to post - even if they are just record shots ?

Also from Ringstone Res'r earlier today - 2 Whooper Swans at 11:20 (DF)

20th Oct

A few birds noted on the move in the Pellon area today. A Buzzard circled over Rye Lane then moved off east, 2 Goosanders flew north and a Sparrowhawk south at Roils Head and a Herring Gull flew north at Moor End Road. Sadly this Song Thrush had just been killed by a car, I picked it up and it was still warm, shame.

Blackstone Edge Res'r

Long-tailed Duck fem/imma there still at 13:40 from Pete G - a great find !
Near Cragg Road end of reservoir.
Still there, out in the middle at 14:30 but too distant for photo in the 'choppy' conditions.

Birds on the move !

80 Pink-footed Geese yesterday over Manor Heath at around 09:30 >E (WG)

Today
c225 'pinks' over Withens Clough, Cragg Vale >ENE at 10:30 (PG) - later reported over Norwood Green area soon after at about 10:55 (DB)
24 Whooper Swans over Oxenhope watch-point >SW (HC via BS) around 11:00 towards Fly Flats area. No sign of them at Fly Flats or Mixenden early afternoon.
2 Whooper Swans over Ogden >SW at 11:12 (CS)
1 Barnacle Goose with Canada's at Cold Edge (PJWS)

Wildlife welcome in Halifax Town Centre

We were informed at a meeting today that the swift boxes we were promised to accommodate them in Halifax's New Central Library have been built into the top roof-edge.

 Also bat boxes in the refurbished Piece Hall. 

Thanks to CMBC managers Carole Knowles, Andrew Pitts and David Garner for taking up my suggestion for the swifts, an idea that came from Leeds Council via Dave Sutcliffe.