Calderdale Birds

Cons Comm

For those involved please note that the next meeting of the Conservation Committee will be Tuesday 5th July 8pm at the usual location. Please make every effort to attend as there are several issues to discuss.

Telescope wanted

If anybody as a telescope for sale could they please let me know, as I have a friend interested in buying one.

Crimsworth Dean

Hello everyone, I've met some of you already and look forward to meeting the rest of you in due course. Here is my first report from a fly/midge & Rabbit infested Crimsworth Dean.
Very quiet this evening 4 Curlews, Female Kestrel, Tawny Owl possibly young one showing briefly it looked to still have some downy feathers underneath. 2 Swifts passing through, 6 Swallow's incl at least 1 young, Singing Song thrush and 3 Adult Pheasants incl 1 female with 7 young. I think that was all Matt sure you'll add to it if I missed anything.

Badger Lane, above Jumble Hole

2 grey partridge in hay meadow (not seen these here before, but have been around according to locals), 2 woodcock seemingly chasing each other, + usual stuff. No sign of the ever-calling wood warbler.

Nightjar search

Following Nick C's email, is anyone up for a co-ordinated nightjar search this coming Friday evening? We need an idea of numbers (the more the merrier) then we can prioritise and designate sites etc. Judging by the light, I'd say it'd be from 9:00pm-11:00pm or so.

Contact me on mattbell1000@hotmail.com

Cold Edge Dams 26/06/05 a.m. 2Common Sand with 1 young. 1 Moorhen with 1 chick. 3pr Greylag with 6 young. 1 Grey Wag. 38 Lapwing by water. 1 Redshank 2m 1f Tufted . 2 Lbb Gull + Stonechats and usual. BS  

Peregrine Falcons

Hi all
In 1986 we were lucky to have 1 breeding pair of Peregrine Falcons a very rare bird at that time.The pair raised 3 young.In 2005 we have 8 adults 11 juveniles and at least 7 non breeding adults.Truely a great succsess story.I would like to thank all those who over the years have helped protect these superb raptors.
Thanks Andy

Buzzard

23/06/05
Report from reliable source :- 1 Buzzard drifting slowly >N over Queensbury from direction of Shibden valley, constantly being mobbed by corvids. 1030hrs. BS

Co-ordinated Nightjar search

The Nightjar is not known to breed in our area but then again how many possible sites have been checked? With the general increase in this species comes the possibility that it may now occur in Calderdale in some underwatched location. It has been suggested that if enough of us were prepared to put in the effort we could check potential areas in a co-ordinated search one evening perhaps then all meeting together (in a pub?) afterwards to compare findings. Friday 1st July has been put forward as a date, anyone interested contact either myself or Matt Bell, please bear in mind I shall be out of Calderdale from tommorrow until Monday evening so initial contact with Matt might be advisable.

Undisclosed moorland site

hi all
2 Teal with 2chicks
5 pairs displaying Dunlin
5 twite
1 pair golden plover
1 Male Merlin

Green Sandpiper - Ringstone Edge R.

First heard calling at 21.10 (probably arrived then) picked up preening and bathing on North shore after two minutes flew to West Pool. The first passage wader of the autumn, early but almost certainly a returning bird which has failed to breed.
Also 2 com Sands
2 Oystercatchers

Young Common Sand at Cold Edge.19/06/05 

Cold Edge Dams

Sunday 19/06/05 am
1pr Common Sand + 1 young 3 Teal 1 Dunlin 2 W.Warbs
2 Oyks 2 Snipe 1 Cuckoo calling from Lud Dean area 3 Goldies.
Stonechat family + usual. Also 32 BH gull 18 Lapwing 6 LBB gull >W. BS

Ringstone Edge Res.

6 adult Common Terns arrived from west fished over res for 10 mins then flew south south-east mid morning.

Jumble Hole

Great views of wood warbler, down to less than 10 feet. Also, 2 willow warb's, whitethroat on underbank, green and gs woodpecker, + usual stuff.

Roils Head 15th June

Redpolls proven to have bred. 4 birds present including male in song flight and a female with 1 juvenile begging for food with another probable juvenile present. Also Whitethroat still in song flight.

Roils Head 14th June

3 Redpolls calling to each other for a good 5 minutes. 2 females and 1 male present. The planting of Silver Birch some 5 or 6 years ago as probably helped this species move into this area. Also noted juvenile Skylark and 2 Willow Warblers still in song.

Wheatears

Hi Brian et al
Just seen your note. Rather than say my own bit, I cant do any better than to point in the direction of the BTO. Dawn Balmer, the BirdTrack Organiser summed the situation up quite nicely last month, with a graph to back it up see:

http://www.bto.org/birdtrack/news_archive.htm

This takes you to the old BirdTrack notes. Look for the note written on 05-05-2005 about Wheatears and click where it says. This goes straight to the graph.

Dawn confirms everything said so far about the twin peaks of passage, which is what we also have been saying for some while with the Greenlands in the second peak. On 02-05-2005, I too had the largest count I have ever had with 44 spread about and around our watchpoint. With regard to our birds becoming less common, I tend to agree as here where there were usually three pairs in the in-bye c15 years ago, there is now only in some years a single pair. I cant however speak for other sites. Here out of interest are Mick Cunninghams thoughts:

http://vismig.blogspot.com/2005/04/greenlanders.html

Hope these links work ok.
Best wishes, Dave.

In reply to DJS Wheatear,the peak time for Wheatear during Spring vis mig watch is mid to late April when good numbers show but by early May they are mostly gone,where to I dont know but they remain absent until their return journey during autumn vis mig.Early arriving birds are usually Northern and the later May birds can be mainly Greenland. Dave Barker will probably elaborate on this. BS 

Cold Edge Dams & Fly Flatts

12/06/05 a.m.
Cold Edge 2pr Stonechat +5 Young 2 Common Sand + usual
Fly Flatts 1 m Stonechat 2 Redshank + usual
North of area Leeshaw reservoir 1040hrs 4 Common Tern >N from Calderdale area. BS

Roils Head 11th June

Redpoll in song flight, 20+ Linnets, juvenile Skylark and 1st summer Herring Gull north west at Mount Tabor.

Wheatears

I agree totally .i have never seen as many wheatears as i did this year in April/early May.Now they are very thin on the ground.I hope they will be breeding at Upper gorple,Walshaw where i saw a male carrying food last monday.Langfield common and Withens clough but they are very hard to find.I think when the wind turnred to a Northerly in April it grounded many of the northern type birds and this is why we seemed to have so many this year.A survey from the peak District last year shows a 50% decline in this species (if the data is correct from previous surveys some passage migrants could have ).this species is not considered to be in decline and affords no conservation listing?(Carr and Middleton 2004)

Wheatears

Calderdale Birds
Any thoughts on this one too? In the last year or two (especially this year) there seems to have been a trend for a glut of arrivals in mid/late March then another wave in mid April. THEN they nearly all seem to disappear! I have checked several regular sites this last week - not a wheatear in sight - most unusual!! Is it just me missing them or are other local birders experiencing the same thing?

Redpolls

Calderdale Birds
Last week or so I have had Redpolls at several locations - probably breeding birds too ie in conifer plantations at Ogden, Walshaw Dean, Nr Stoodley Pike/Withens Clough and also in the Rhododendrons at top Walshaw! Also Nick Dawtrey has had ones at Roils Head. This trend is much different from 20 or so!! years ago when Redpoll locally was much more common in winter throughout my usual haunts - any thoughts?

Elland GP

Calderdale Birds
Visit this morning produced two separate Kingfishers on the river. Also plenty of warbler activity including one Garden Warbler feeding young and similarly Whitethroats. Plenty Blackcaps and Willow Warblers and Chiff-chaffs but no sign of Sedge Warbler today. No Reed Warbler - has anyone had one there this year?. One Common Tern on the main lake.

Roils Head 9th June

Redpoll in song flight and Whitethroat singing. Juvenile Linnet seen previous day. Little Owl at Heath Hill Road.

Of note; Brian Leecy has reported a Humming Bird Hawk Moth today at Stanfield Hall Road Todmorden.

Cold Edge Dams

08/06/05 evening
2 Redshank 2 Common Sand 1 Whinchat 2 Greylag with 2 young
plenty Linnets with young on nyjer seed + usual. BS

Upper Valley upland pasture site.

5 Redshank, all apparently adult birds. No Lapwing at all now - I wonder if their absence has harmed the breeding efforts of the Redshank (as per Simon King at the London Wetlands Centre on last night's Springwatch)?
No Canada Geese - the first year since I've been birding that a pair hasn't bred here! I did see some deliberate disturbance taking place just before the breeding season - I suspect they've been "encouraged" to go elsewhere.
On a brighter note, Cuckoo heard calling to the N of the site - I think it's the first one I've heard near here.

Roils Head 7th June

2 Redpoll in song flight, 1 Whitethroat singing, Lesser black-Backed Gull flew west

Peering under the fog at Cold Edge Dams, and this is in June. BS 

Cold Edge Dams

05/06/05 early am
3m Tufted 2pr Reed Bunting 16 Canadas 2pr Stonechat +2 young
2 Snipe drumming 1 Common Sandpiper 1 Redshank + usual BS

5/6/05 Cold Edge Dams Mipit. 

one of two m.stonechats at CED. also Whinchat still present and singing 01/06/05 BS. 

Jumble Hole - 15 min walk...

...or as Adie might say, a quick one up the Clough.

Wood warbler singing, 2 blackcap, treecreeper, cuckoo, GS woodpecker, 3-4 willow warblers, 1 chiffchaff.