Cold & Windy Ringstone 18:20 - 19:00

6 female Goosander this evening, 1 GC Grebe, Curlew and 8 Lapwings + approx 50 BH Gulls. AND THATS ALL FOLKS !!!!!!

Peering >S under the low cloud at C.E.D. this a.m. BS 

COLD EDGE DAMS

25/09/05 0730-1045hrs Vis Mig

487 MIPIT >S
1 TREE PIPIT >SE
36 GOLDFINCH >W
4 JAY >W
5 SNIPE >W
3 ALBA WAGS >W
11 REED BUNT >W
3 SKYLARK >W
2 FIELDFARE in plantation then >NE

Other 1pr Stonechat 38 Mallard 4 Teal 2 Heron 1f Goosander
BS

Roils Head 24th September

Chiffchaff
Stonechat
Great Spotted Woodpecker

Roils Head 23rd September

1 Chiffchaff
1 Sand Martin west
5 Swallows West
20+Long-tailed Tit
20+Blue Tit
2 Coal Tit
5 Skylarks
2 Kestrels
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Goldfinch
1 Stonechat

Gorple - 9:30am

Wheatear nr. the Pack Horse pub. Not a lot else, as it was p*ssing down! However, there's a hell of a shoreline on Lower Gorple, so might be worth a look during suitable conditions.

Ogden/Fly Flats

20/09/05
Redpoll (2) and several Siskin at Ogden over the plantations. Lots of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks on Ovenden Moor and large groups of Swallows going through and feeding over the moor and high over the plantations.
Wheatear at The Withens and 14 Tufted Duck on Fly Flats - also 2 Stoats together there and one Red Grouse.

22/09/05
Fly Flats - 6 Tufted Duck, 2 Stonechats at the small bridge near the road to the sailing club, 4 Wheatears, lots of Meadow Pipits. Also small groups of Swallows going through at the far end of Res'r heading down into Luddenden Dean and a few P/Wags. One Red Grouse and one Golden Plover and one Twite over.

Dipper

Had an adult Dipper in the Calder in Todmorden whilst walking to Netto just now. It was visible at 11:55 from the bridge at Wellington Road (just up Burnley Road from the town centre), and appeared to have caught something on a dive, but had gone a few minutes later when I walked back. I presume it had flown downstream into the centre, as this bridge is the start of a long culvert heading upstream.
Ashamed to say it's my first one this year!

A murky start to Sundays vis mig at Cold Edge Dams. BS 

Luddenden Dean

18/09/05 2 - 4 pm
c160 Goldfinch on thistles/telephone wires in fields below Castle Carr Road - also 2 Redpoll over and 1 Wheatear.
Lots of Swallows/House Martins (300 approx) going through the Dean in groups coming down the valley from Castle Carr.
2 Sparrowhawks also passing through.
Lots of rabbits in the area towards the lower lodge including several with Myxamatosis and one albino.

COLD EDGE DAMS

18/09/05 0715-1045hrs Vis Mig

156 MIPIT >W
17 SWALLOW >SW
18 CHAFFINCH >W
3 ALBA WAG >W
4 SKYLARK >W
22 SNIPE >W
5 WIGEON >SE
Other :- 1f Stonechat 5 Teal 1 Common Sand 1 Pere 2 Heron
BS.

Cold Edge Dams

11/09/05 Vis Mig 0715-1100hrs.

1 Common Sand
1 Wheatear
24 Snipe >W
450 Swallow >SE
32 House Martin >SE
352 Mipit >E & SE
12 Siskin >W
15 Coal Tit >W
8 Pied Wag >W
36 Goldfinch >SE
146 Starling >S
9 Wigeon >S
1 Buzzard >W
15 Linnet on seed
Approx 50 bloggers in nearby field, Goldfinch,Linnet and Mipits. BS

Birding Journals

As many of you will know Alastair Forsyth recently left our area after over 10 years living close to Withens Clough, he now resides in the Whitby area and has taken on Kettleness as his local patch (already showing excellent results with Cory's and Balearic Shearwater amongst others!). As part of his "clear out" prior to the move he has passed on quite a large number of birding journals and magazines (BB, Birding World, Yorkshire Birding etc), he has asked that these be made available to any interested bird club member on a loan basis. At the moment these magazines are in my possesion so if anyone is interested please contact me for further details. As I have limited storage space does anyone want to take on the role of "librarian" and find a permanent home for this genorous donation?

Ovenden Moor/Fly Flats

Hobby directly over me today when I was crossing Ovenden Moor at the back of the windfarm above Ogden at 1.15 pm. Stunning view so close and chasing mipit but away at speed! Probably an immature as quite brown underneath especially on the chest with heavy dark streaking and barred tail. The moustachial face pattern was clear but no red seen on the thighs.

24 Siskin fly-over Fly Flats but not a sign of a wader though some mud. RL Partridges in field on Haworth side below the Res'r.

More Siskin over the plantation at Ogden along with hundreds (600+?)of Hirundines approx half Swallows/House Martins.

Ringstone 18:30 - 19:35

43 BH Gulls, 2 LBB, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Mallard, 2 Meadow Pipits, 1 Female Kestrel, 1 Juv Peregrine chasing Gulls and Crows, 21 Canada Geese. All in all fairly quiet and very windy.

Cold Edge Dams

07/09/05 1815-1915hrs

Mipit 22 High and >W
Swallow 15 >W
Snipe 5 >W + 6 on deck
1m Stonechat
1f Tufted + usual
BS.

ringstone 6th

4 golden plover
1 wheatear
1 Tree pipit
1 goldcrest
1 willow warbler
1 skylark
50 + meadow pipit
2 house martin
50 Swallows

1 speckled wood(first for Ringstone?)

Ringstone 5th

108 Meadow pipit s/w
35 pied Wagtail moving south
18 Snipe s/w
155 swallow s/w
210 House martin (at least s/w)
1 Peregrine
42 goldfinch
1 sand martin south

6 Wigeon at Cold Edge Dams this a.m. BS 

COLD EDGE DAMS

04/09/05 0720-1100hrs Vis Mig
Thick fog till 0900 then misty in valley.
Swallow 61 >SE
House Martin 5 >SE
Mipit 19 >SE
Snipe 25 >SW
Wigeon 6 on water then >E
Tufted 6 on water then >N
BS.

2nd hand report - 3 Sept

Buzzard over Slack Top (Widdop Road) reported from very reliable source. Also short eared owl injured by hay making machine and taken into care at same site.

Additionally, juv. cormorant on the canal at Mytholmroyd, and flew up towards Hebden Bridge.

3rd September update

Walshaw Dean, Pete Grice reports female/juv Hen Harrier.
NCD has Swift at Mount Tabor.

Text grapevine funds

The text grapevine funds have run out. Please send your five pounds to either Nick C or Nick D for further messages, as soon as possible.For the while I will post the texts on the blogg site.
3rd Sept, Pete Grba reports 13 Wigeon, 3 Pintail, 5 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover at Whiteholme.

Ringstone 1st sept(second update

All afternoon birds seemed to be moving through,small parties of hirrundines skimmed the water and the newly made pools were full of meadow pipits and Pied Wagtails.The first taste of autumn.All birds seemed to be moving in a westerly direction.
30 + Pied wagtail
200 Mipits
200 swallows
50+ house martin
4 sand martin
1 Artic tern(sat in a ploughed field ?)
1 yellow wag

A couple more shots

Blown up using Adobe photoshop.

A Lesson well learnt.

Once again driving down Crag Rd produces photo opportunity from the car and this time with my camera by my side I was able to take advantage. Perfect late evening light also helped show this Short Eared Owl at it's very best.

Underbank 1:00pm

6 blackcap (3m, 3f) together in one small hawthorn. Also, chiffchaff calling, willow warbler, c.50 swallows gathering with c.20 house martins. 2 raven high over Erringden, plus juv. peregrine buzzing the jackdaws and woodpig's.

Ringstone 1st sept

29 Dunlin(4 North then 25 North )
20 + Snipe
3 wheatear
3 bullfinch
150 + Mipits
6 lapwing.