Shibden Park

Coot nestbuilding

Hag Lane

Looking over into Shibden Valley this afternoon we walked the hillside along Hag Lane towards Claremount and return via the hillsides towards Bradford Old Road. Nice bit of sunshine !

2 Green Woodpeckers were 'yaffling' it out from different areas of the valley and a distant Buzzard. Still no sign of winter thrushes up there, or Skylarks but a Little Owl, viewed on a post along Bradford Old Road was nice to see.

Latest news from around the country of Wheatears arriving mostly reported from 'the south'. Though one just marginally outside our recording area by 20m, just north of Portsmouth today from SB.

Mixenden Reservoir

Call from JJL during the morning with 13 Whooper Swans on Mixenden. Thankfully they were still there early afternoon. This was the best I could do with my camera and the bright sunshine. They are always a bit special and we can probably expect a few more in the next few weeks as they head back to Iceland...

Still no Goldeneye at this site. It used to be a good spot for a small number in winter. Nice to see there was a pair reported from BS at Fly Flats this morning.

Byron Edge

Golden Plover 2. I think this is a southern pair, with the male (top 2 photos) having a dark lower face.

Blackstone Edge

Skylark 3 (1 singing)

Lee Mount and Fly Flats area

Blackbird pair in the garden - the female was gathering moss and dead grass ! They'll be lucky with all the magpies about here. Also a surprise was a Stock Dove on the lawn - thats a new one for the garden list though I do see them at times through the scope, towards Swales Moor.

A couple of bonus birds on the way up near Nolstar - 2 Grey Partridge feeding in among the remnants of hay left for the sheep. No luck with either Golden Plover or Skylarks. Just got to Fly Flats mid afternoon and the fog rolled in and sideways rain. I just managed to see 4 Oystercatchers and hear some Canada Geese, Curlews and Red Grouse !

Hebden Bridge

Dipper

Castle Carr Road

A nice walk on there this afternoon cool westerly wind in some sunshine ! 

Highlight was of 9 Stonechats along the length - 1 pair near Wainstalls end, then 1 male with 2 females running a fence line half way along and lastly 2 pairs together in gorse and heather. Same count on return avoided duplication.

Also 18 species in total including 1 Kestrel, 1 Buzzard, 2 Meadow Pipits, 4 Curlew and just 1 Lapwing.

There don't seem to have been many Redwings or Fieldfare about up there all winter !

High Royd STW

I check this site just occasionally. Not quite like it used to be since the sludge lagoons were left to the willows ! We just checked the filter-beds from the canal side towpath today. It's often good for migrant hirundines and Swifts later in the year given the insects emerging  from the site, canal and river though a few Sand Martins have been reported from Fairburn Ings and Swillington St Aidan's the last few days so always worth a check !!

Probably just short of 40 Pied Wagtails on the beds this afternoon and 1 Grey Wagtail with 40+ Carrion Crows. Goldcrest, tit species and a Nuthatch calling in the nearby woodland.

Whiteholme

Stonechat female: the white patch on the inner greater and median coverts is quite prominent. Male stonechat seen nearby.

Whiteholme

Raven: 3SW, 1 on pylon calling

Fly Flats area

A nice surprise with a single Redshank this afternoon with 32 Lapwings in the area at the end of the wooden fence line with another 8+ Lapwings and  2 Curlew around the shore towards the south end. Failed to locate BS's Ringed Plover from earlier in the day. One pair of Tufted Duck on the water with 10+ Mallard. Plenty Canada's scattered about, mostly in pairs with just a single Greylag Goose on show.

The only small bird was a Pied Wagtail briefly on the boat-house roof.

At Withens Head there were 6 Curlew. Two Red Grouse raced across the moor.

Blackstone Edge

The first Meadow Pipit and Canada Geese (3 pairs in all) that I've seen here this year

North Bridge

1 of 4 Greenfinches (1 singing)

Mixenden, Fly Flats, Withens Head

Very little to show from any of the sites early afternoon. Conditions a strong gusty >SW with rain.

Mixenden Res'r - 3 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls along with 9 immature Herring Gulls. Several Black-headed Gulls now in full breeding plumage looking good. Very few Common Gulls at the time I was there.

Fly Flats - 19 Lapwing in one of the top fields looked to be finding plenty worms !

Withens Head - 2 Curlew

Shibden Park

Stock Dove and Mallard

Whiteholme

Most of 87 Pink-footed Geese flying SW at 1145 (thanks MH)

Blackstone Edge

Kestrel female

 

Mixenden Res'r and Fly Flats

Mixenden. An interesting morning with a nice surprise of 4 Shelduck on the reservoir. Also on the embankment a pair of Oystercatchers. 2 Cormorants flew over >SW and an adult Great Black-backed Gull dropped in but didn't stay for more than a few minutes.

Plenty of activity with c200 other gulls, mainly Common and Black-headed and at least 12 Herring Gulls. All tricky to count as so many were to and fro-ing and with plenty of disturbance on the embankment where they like to stay and preen.  Most were arriving from the north and departing >SW.

From the woodland a Nuthatch was making plenty of noise with a Green Woodpecker 'yaffling' from the hillside. Then a call from BS with Pink-footed Geese over Queensbury coming my way. Very distant from my spot. They were over towards The Withens, maybe 60 or so.

I headed up to Fly Flats and  4 birds arrived and landed on the water - Shelduck - they must have been the ones from Mixenden.

Shelduck at Mixenden Res'r