Cromwell Bottom & Towpath 11/12/07

Usual walk again this morning to meet up with Les. It was still too dark at 7.30 am to see any birds on the early part of the walk, but I did get cracking views of two Roe deer through my resurrected scope down below the abandoned "wood huts". I spotted both deer yesterday morning in roughly the same place, near the edge of the canal just past the "wood huts" in the field. Yesterday they had been spooked by two workers in bright yellow coats checking the Electric pylon. They were both in the same spot this morning and I got some smashing views through the scope, both were does.

I then went up Tag loop to top up the feeders and got some nice views of a small flock (7 birds)of Goldfinch feeding on the pinhead oats and nyger seed scattered on the path by the top viewing stone. The feeders were well down again, I think I will have to add some more feeders to them to save topping them up daily in bad weather.

Walked down Brookfoot loop to meet Les and spotted a big old dog Fox slinking off into the wet willow scrub, several Jays, Magpies and Blackbirds were giving him a hard time from a safe distance. Only one Cormorant on the ski ramp this morning but a large number of Canada geese have now returned to the ski/angling lake, Les & I counted about 40+ this morning. Usual Tufted duck, Coot, GC Grebe and B/H gulls around.

As Les and I walked back over Tag Loop we had good views of Green woodpecker but it was impossible to get the scope on it. Nothing much on the river this morning which is still flowing fast, a few mallard and one pair of Goosander. No Heron this morning which is very unusual.

Left Les with the crumblie club and set off back home around 9am. The deer had gone but I got good views of a Tree Creeper in almost the same spot I saw a pair of them before. Nice to see this through the scope for a good 5 mins before it moved off. I was watching some Bullfinch in the bramble scrub below Knowles pipe dump when I am sure I heard a Chiff-Chaf calling a couple of times for that area, is this likely ? I have never heard them here in winter before, though it is a good spot in Spring. I do know that some have been reported in the press in other areas but do we get overwintering Chiff-Chaf in Calderdale ? I am quite prepared to be shot down as mistaken with this one but it certainly sounded like Chiff-Chaf Nothing much else seen on the last leg home, Wren, Chaffinch and some small mixed tit flocks.