Pepper Hill

 An hour or so on the top above Claremount and Boothtown late morning produced, for me anyway, the first Skylarks of the year. Three of them in the sheltered fields facing east. No song heard here as yet though they do sing early in the year. I got their call several times, it reminds me of.... 'cheerup' .....'cheerup' !!

The Skylarks were with c60 Redwings, 4 Mistle Thrush and a single Song Thrush with 10+ Meadow Pipits in an adjacent field. There could have been more though they were possibly hidden in the longer grass keeping low down in the blustery wind.

Shibden Park

 A Nuthatch was throwing bits of stuff out of a hole in the trunk of a tree, about 4 metres above the ground. I don't think our Nuthatches excavate their nest holes, as a rule. So it's most likely that it was clearing out either remains of a nest from last year or debris that had somehow got into the hole.

Shibden Park

 9 Coots (and 6 Moorhens) here today.

Fly Flats

Poor conditions up there as I met with a hail storm late afternoon and a gusting westerly.

1 Curlew was the best I could do other than 28 Greylag Geese heading >N over the moor.

Withens Head - 10 Fieldfares in the field opposite the wind-farm with c110 Starlings.

A really good find for PD and AT at Ringstone this afternoon with  a drake Gadwall. Such a scarce bird in Calderdale.

Also from late morning - 2 Whooper Swans >W over Ogden towards Cold Edge around 11:30 (NK). 

I thought they might come down at Cold Edge dams given the poor weather conditions but there was no sign of them there, thanks to a check (AR).

Shibden Park

 Little Grebe

Lee Mount etc........

Last night I heard noisy flock of Whooper Swans heading over - maybe >W. It was 22:40 and no chance of seeing them in the dark. Always great to hear though. Maybe more within the next month or so as they head back to Iceland for their breeding season.

Checked Mixenden Reservoir and Fly Flatts this morning in case they had dropped in overnight but no show. Plenty Black-headed and Common Gulls at Mixenden with 5 Herring Gulls (4 adults) and an adult L B B Gull. Just a Cormorant to add to that, it flew off >S

3 Lapwings at Withens Head, opposite the wind farm, and c50 Starlings braving it out in the cold, wet and blustery south westerly. 

Yesterday we found 5 Goldeneye (3 drakes) at Withens Clough reservoir. 1 adult Herring Gull on the water and c20 Reed Buntings in and around the res'r cottage.

Around and about........

4 skeins of Pink-footed Geese reported heading west today, starting with c170 from (WG) at around 09:00. Then 46 heading towards Scammonden (DR) a few minutes later. Next were 40 over Shibden then over Lee Mount at around 15:05 and (AC, DJS) and finally 45 over Slack Top around 15:35. 

3 Brambling at Roils head shelter belt from NCD this afternoon. Several reports of wader passage through our area with small numbers of  Golden Plover, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Curlew, Snipe and a Ringed Plover reported in the last few days.

Goldcrests, Siskin, Long-tailed Tits, Treecreeper, Kingfisher and Dipper from Ogden.

 Ogdenwater

Kingfisher perched on low branch near the Ogden Clough in flow this afternoon.

Mistle Thrushes

 2 singing today: 1 in Shibden Park (photo), and 1 on Beacon Hill. Also 2 west over Beacon Hill.

Fly Flatts etc

Fly Flatts. An early returning bird report from BS this morning with an Oystercatcher. I had  a trip up there late morning. It was still there sheltering on the west bank as the weather closed in and the rain came sideways. Not much else there other than 4 Mallard hunkered down and Red Grouse on the moor. An early lamb with the flock didn't look too happy !

On the way back I checked the fields opposite the wind-farm. Around 180 Starlings and 20 Fieldfare.

Cromwell Bottom for an hour or so this afternoon didn't turn up a lot. Usual species including 3 Goldeneye on the ski-lake and 2 skeins of Pink-footed Geese battling against the blustery westerly wind - 134 at 15:00 and 98 at 15:45.

Pink-footed Geese

Cold Edge

 Barnacle Goose

Shibden Park

 13 Redwings

 A few images from last week's visits to Cromwell Bottom and Jay House Lane. The ringed Tree Sparrows on Jay House are of particular interest to Steve who is logging their sightings after his ringing.

The Siskin were sometimes in with a large flock of Goldfinch. Redpoll were very few and far between.

The Goldeneye could be very elusive and distant at times. Some days I was unable to locate them. Nice to see the males displaying in courtship.

Shibden Park Mute Swans

For much of last year, after the male with a damaged bill was taken away, there was a lone female on the lake. In December it was joined by a second bird (reported to, not seen by, me). Then both birds departed, so that in late December no swans were present. Now, however, there are again 2 swans present. I think they are a pair, from the size difference of the swellings at the bill base. And the distal half of each bird's bill is pink: does this mean they are quite young birds?

Ogden and Luddenden

This morning - really quiet in the woodland and no sign of the recent Iceland Gull since Monday.

1 Green Woodpecker heard

1 Treecreeper

6 Lesser Redpoll

Plus just a few of the usual species.

Luddenden this afternoon

1 Dipper in the stream near the church and Grey Wagtail there also.

2 Long-tailed Tits in the graveyard

1 Great-spotted Woodpecker heard

c70 Jackdaws over Booth

Late afternoon move of Pink-footed Geese heading >W with 4 skeins between 15:50 and 16:30 - 167, 60, 40 and 44.

Ringstone Whoopers

Great find by AT yesterday with 9 Whoopers on Ringstone.

I was undecided  whether to venture out but his whatsapp alert made it an easy choice, cheers Alan

As it turned out, it was a good decision and I was fortunate to be stood in the right place when they took to the air.

The birds left at 15.50, first flying South/West before doubling back and heading North.

 

 

Some recent news...........

The recent 2nd winter Iceland Gull was seen at Ogden on Monday 17th early afternoon (BS) but no reports since then, though it could still be about.

Nine Whooper Swans were on Ringstone Reservoir yesterday (19th) leaving to the north late afternoon (AT and PD). 

I managed a couple of visits to Cold Edge dams recently - 38 Greylag Geese and 6 Canada Geese there today (20th) but on the whole the area was pretty quiet in the icy cold conditions though the dams were still clear of ice. There were 2 Meadow Pipits near the top dam and 2 Moorhens by the bottom pond. Apart from that there was little else other than Black-headed and  Common Gulls loafing around with one adult Herring Gull flyover.

'Winter Watch' on Tuesday got off to a great start with an amazing presentation about Jack Snipe. We don't get many records of them in Calderdale but we know they are here in winter - they are just so difficult to find. Well worth watching on 'catch up''.

Cromwell Bottom 17/01/22

 Good day out at Cromwell Bottom yesterday, was chuffed to see

lots of Siskin & Goldcrest but no Redpoll which I was looking for,

and also good to see 4 Goldeneye and 3 Tufted Duck on the Ski Lake 

though at a distance. 2 Buzzard were overhead, GS Woodpecker and

Green Woodpecker in the woods. sorry for so many pics.

Ogden

 A 2nd winter Iceland Gull has been seen on and off at some point each day in the last 3 days (12th, 13th, 14th January. Some nice shots on BS's 'West Yorkshire Birding' blog.

Elsewhere still a few Trans Pennine flocks of Pink-footed Geese being reported most days recently heading >W or NW.

Pair of Stonechat on Ringby Lane off Swalesmoor Road yesterday as well as a fly-through Great Black-backed Gull.

From NCD - a small flock of Brambling, with Chaffinches, around the shelter belts at Roils Head.

Withens Clough

 Late morning we had a trip up there. very few species but some quality

First off with an adult Great Black-backed Gull fly through >W. It was the only gull seen but that will do !

Peregrine distant and a pair of Goosander on the res'r.

25+ Reed Buntings were around the reservoir cottage - highest count for me here.

As we were about to head home then two skeins of Pink-footed Geese (94 and 41) came over close together at 13:45. Always a bit special as they to and fro across the Pennines in winter.