Around and about - 2nd December

News in today of a Shag near Todmorden. Well done and thanks to AvH for posting a photo on the birding group raising awareness to this rare bird for us. Later news advised us that it has been present since 25th November. Very few records for Calderdale. A fantastic inland find.

I managed a brief look at Cromwell Bottom to check the ski-lake which is never an easy place to view but generally the birds are undisturbed. It is a place where scarce water-fowl, can and do turn up on occasions. Not today, but 2 drake Goldeneye and 11 Tufted Duck (7 drakes) were nice to see along with 7 red-head Goosander, 2 Mute Swans, 4 Grey Herons, 14+ Cormorants.

Also present, with some gulls moving through, were 25+ Common Gulls,  6 adult Herring Gulls,  11 LB-b Gulls and 40+ Black-headed Gulls.

A gem of a Kingfisher along the canal.

Pepper Hill, the  hillside above Claremount  turned up a Buzzard earlier in the day then this afternoon - a Kestrel and a  Little Owl.  Among the berries of hawthorn and  holly were feeding thrushes including 20+ Redwings, 1 Fieldfare and 12 Blackbirds.

Mixenden and Fly Flats

Poor drizzly conditions and a strong wind. This site has been really hard with this year even though in the recent past it has turned up some pretty special birds.! Nothing on Mixenden res'r other than gulls with much coming and going...

50+ Back-headed Gulls, 40+ Common Gulls, 6 Herring Gulls and 3 Lesser Black Black-backed Gulls.

Fly Flats was very choppy water in the strong south westerly and the site was almost devoid of birds other than 1 each Raven and Kestrel.

Ogden

Late afternoon visit was the best I could do today.

A very smart looking drake Goldeneye and a red head Goosander were the best of, not a lot.

I checked some of the woodland in the hope of a Woodcock but failed on that score.

A Woodcock from CS today was flushed on the reclaimed landfill site adjacent Shroggs Road.

Sadly, there have been a couple of reports this month of predated Woodcock - possible  suspected Sparrowhawks. 

Castle Carr Road

A very unexpected flock of 70 + Meadow Pipits arrived to feed in a field towards the end of the road. They looked to be finding plenty of food as the sunshine was melting snow and exposed tufted grass. Nothing unexpected with them though a pair of Stonechats was nearby running the fence line.

1 Kestrel and a flyover Cormorant heading towards the Calder Valley.

Soil Hill

Pretty well devoid of birds on the summit this morning. A few passing gulls and corvids with a lone Kestrel - and that was about it. JJLwas on the same mission so we had a chat !

Looking from the summit towards Ogden, The Withens and the wind-farm

(click to enlarge)

Beacon Hill

2 x 1cy Long-tailed Tit

Swales Moor - 20th November...

I had a 'stab' at Ringby Lane top mid morning. In these conditions its always worth checking for Snow Buntings on the tops. Its been a place in winter where over the years we have recorded occasional Snow and Lapland Buntings, Linnets, Twite, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits as well as a Shore Lark that stayed for 3 winter months (26th December 2006 until last seen on 26th March 2007). The site has gone off in recent years which is unfortunate. Farming methods appear to have changed and several fields are managed in a different way. Even so, feel it's still worth a check.

Very little up there this morning, mainly corvids and a few gulls passing through along with 2 Stock Doves - that was about it - though the views were stunning !

Wednesday 19th November

Braved the conditions at Cold Edge - more than living up to its name in the cold wind, snow and ice. Never know what birds might turn up !!

3 Stonechats - how do they survive in these conditions ? A Pied Wagtail was on a manure pile. Also 72 Canada Geese. 1 each Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Raven, Stock Dove, Kestrel and 3 each Redwings and Fieldfares.

Lower dam area

Haighcote Dam, towards Ovenden wind-farm

Adult Common Gull

Pied Wagtail

Then a check of the ski-lake at Cromwell Bottom this pm.

9 Tufted Duck, 1 Red-head Goosander, 3 Goldeneye (1 drake), 2 Coot and at least 30 Cormorants.

6 adult Herring Gulls and a Lesser Black-back flyover. A few Redwings near the car park shrubberies.

Tuesday 18th November

A Tuesday morning check at Mixenden res'r - more or less drew a blank there other than smaller gulls, 2 adult Lesser Black-backs and a juvenile Herring Gull alongside a Cormorant. I then made a trip up to Fly Flats but as I arrived, the fog came in and it snowed sideways so I made an exit just managing a Red Grouse along the top road.

Ogden yesterday afternoon just avoiding the torrential downpour. Not a lot on or around the res'r but a Little Grebe at the north west corner in the water under the willows was about the best of the afternoon along with 4 Mistle Thrush in the clough.

Shibden Park

Little Grebe (1 of 2), Tufted Duck pair, Mallard

Tufteds

Cold Edge

Some of 18 feeding Pinkfeet

Whiteholme...

 A morning at Whiteholme with MH this morning. Stayed fine with a cool wind after some early fog. 

40 Golden Plover on the island were the highlight especially as the sunshine appeared highlighting their striking plumage. Always a job for the 'scope up there. Just enough to keep us interested but always in the hope of something a bit special turning up there.

Starlings were moving through >W at times, often low and in close proximity to one another across the water. 12 flocks went through with a count of 279. 

Also distant Peregrine, Buzzard and a Kestrel with a Merlin looking to chase down a lone Starling. 

1 Reed Bunting, 5 Red Grouse, 2 Raven and 4 Carrion Crows and a single adult Herring Gull went through >W.

Weather does not look good for tomorrow but something might turn up somewhere, hopefully coming in with a strong north-easterly forecast.

c60 Goldfinch late afternoon from near the lodge at Shroggs Park (SC)

The recent Whooper Swan at Mixenden seems to have moved on now (NK)

89 Common Gulls today on Savile Park. Also along the river at Copley, Kingfisher and a Dipper (WG)

Hardcastle Crags - 7th Nov

Oh so quiet in the woodlands, hardly anything of note, it was even difficult to find the expected commoner species. One small flock of 'tits' along with at least 2 Goldcrests was as exciting as it got for birds. Soup etc in Gibson Mill cafe was a treat.

We returned along the top road, hoping for some thrushes but nothing doing at all. Passing Shackleton Knoll, just in one field were c60 Common Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 5 Herring Gulls as well as c20 Black-headed Gulls.

Today (from NK) - 8th Nov turned up 2 Shelduck on Mixenden Reservoir -they got spooked by a motorbike doing circuits around the reservoir embankment. The juv Whooper is still braving it out there.

From Whiteholme today (MH) 1 Wigeon, 31 and c60 Pink-footed Geeese >W plus others heard in the fog. 7 then 24 Golden Plover went through. Also a suspected move of Starlings was difficult to assess given the banks of fog. Unusual up there to see a Song Thrush and a Blackbird. 

10 Whoopers reported from Green Withens (TW) and another 8 at Gorple (SiB and JS)

At Ryburn dam 70 Fieldfare, a Chiffcaff and 18 Pinks went >W at 11:02 PGr

We managed a single Mandarin drake there mid afternoon.

Cold Edge

1cy Common Gull, with Black-headed Gull and 2 of 20 2+cy Common Gulls