Friday Jay house Lane

80 Lapwing
43 Fieldfare
c50 Starling
All feeding together in the field
1 Dunnock
1 Kestrel

BTO Atlas Survey

Tetrad covering Wheatley Valley this morning - 31sp.. including
1 Dipper in the stream at the bottom of Brackenbed
1 Grey Heron over
2 Redpoll feeding on sorrell seed heads by the former Websters brewery site
53+ Goldfinch and 24+ Greenfinch at Jackroyd/Wheatley Road
123+ Starling at Page Hill/Four Fields

Good to be back!

For those that wondered where I'd disappeared to, I have had a bit of a break from birding over the last year or so, for various reasons, but I had kept touch with the Blog with great interest until June, when my new computer seemed to leave me unable to log on. I've finally changed email address and regained contact - I'm now on philwoodtod@taltalk.net if anyone wants to know.
The omens are good for this year - Ive had Dippers in Todmorden and Sowerby Bridge town centres, and a brief walk around Centre Vale Park did bring a Treecreeper amongst other common stuff.
Here's hoping for a more productive year!

CBCG/Rishworth school Bird of Prey evening

As part of Rishworth and Heathfield schools' continuing support of the CBCGs efforts to protect raptors locally they are hosting a Raptor Evening at Rishworth school on Friday 6th February beginning at 7-30pm. The event will be the culmination of a full days fund raising effort by the schools and will include a presentation on raptors by Steve Downing, musical entertainment provided by both the school and a barber shop quartet, a quiz, finger buffet and bar. Tickets are priced at £2.50 for adults with children free and can be obtained from myself. In addition to the attractions listed there will also be a raffle so if anyone wishes to donate prizes these will be gratefully received, the main prize will be a framed photo of a Short-eared owl generously provided by Sean Gray.

As many will know the Schools and their PTA's have already funded the production of the raptor calendar which is selling well, those local birders who have still not got theirs can obtain them from me or from the Bridge Inn at Ripponden.

Treecreepers

Anybody else seen an increase in Treecreepers this winter ? I've seen them at four different locations in January so far, but only had about a dozen sightings in 2008. Another good sighting today, along with two Nuthatches, 40 Redwings and GS Woodpecker at Coach Road, Brighouse.

Work Sightings

Not managed to get out much lately but saw on my travels today

Centre Vale Park, Tod - Nuthatch

Calder Holmes Park, H/B - 5 Goldcrest

Geese this morning

Passage of Pink Feet between 10.45to 11.05 by the Raggaldsa total of 1125 birds in 7 skeins enclose shots of 2

Swales Moor/Ringby

4 Skylarks and 8 Meadow Pipits and 2 Stock Doves on the top this morning
Little Owl and 1 Blackbird nearby. 48 Carrion Crows and 18 Magpies.

2008 Records

Nick passes on thanks to all those who have so sent in their records, about c9,000 so far!
If there are any outstanding ones to send in please let Nick have them by the end of January.
Many thanks

SEO

Short eared owl on the moors above Tod yesterday 4.30pm.

Sunday bl~~~y Sunday

Ive been watching a pair of Sparrowhawks displaying over a local wood since the beginning of the year,this morning the very large female was in full swing it was absolutely fantastic , wing flapping and stooping again and again,the much smaller male was continually circling above with occasional swoops.As it was the big garden birdwatch the kids were ticking off ,Rooks,Collared Dove and Blackbirds,and then noticed that the local pair of Magpies had started nest building.Seems the birds have started spring allready.
A common Buzzard flew low over Barkisland towards Branch Road,its allways nice to see large raptors in the void of Calderdale.

Sunday bl~~ Sunday

Hove Edge circular - pm

Coach Road:
Close views of a Nuthatch in trees next to the Golf Club
Mixed flocks of Great Tits and Blue Tits
Wren
Robins
7/8 L T Tits
Pied Wagtail
8/9 Goldfinches
60+ Redwings moving through trees behind St Matthews church, Lightcliffe
Feeders outside Flowerlands, Lightcliffe:
6 Great Tits amongst Blue Tits and Coal Tits
6 Chaffinch (4 males)
Priestley Green:
11 Jackdaws and 10 C
rows feeding in fields
5 Common Gulls feeding with 12 B H Gulls
Another group of c25 Redwings

Back home - 7 L T Tits on feeders in the garden; they must have known I did the Big Garden Birdwatch yesterday !

Bird Recording

Below is an extract from an E mail I have received from Craig Thomas (Chairman Ornithological Section YNU) regarding a proposed new system for recording the bird life of Yorkshire. Initially the Bird Club recorder Nick Dawtrey had reservations about this new system but having spoken with Craig he now informs me that he is in favour and would like representatives of the Halifax Birdwatchers Club to attend the meeting on 8th February (he cannot attend himself). I am prepared to attend but would prefer other Bird Club "members" to attend also, I would not feel comfortable being the sole representative especially after the resistance expressed by some to the merging together of the Conservation Group and the Bird Club. If you would like to attend please get in touch.

Thanks

Nick Carter


Hi Nick

Whilst I realise that this is short notice, I am trying to flag up an exciting initiative that will hopefully transform bird recording/conservation in Yorkshire. A letter was sent out by John Wint to the local societies back in December, but I am unsure who it went to in your group.

Natural England, the Yorkshire & Humber Environmental Data Network and the YNU are jointly holding a meeting to discuss the exciting potential of a partnership project that will:

Help transform the ability of local societies to produce an annual report;

Help societies financial viability; most importantly, aid the conservation of threatened birds across the county.

This is a follow-up to a conference held on 10 Feb 2008 and will answer several queries that were raised then. In particular, the meeting will focus on:

harness technologies to interpret data held by the Local Records Centres (inc. BTO and RSPB data) to produce a bird report;

increase societies' potential income streams arising from requests for bird data from consultants;
demonstrating support for the project by the RSPB and the BTO.

Contrary to previous correspondence, there will be no charge for this event, lunch will be provided and the meeting will be held on 8 Feb 2009 at St George Hotel, Harrogate. It will start at 10AM and finish by 4.30PM latest.

By determining the distribution of threatened species, organisations like Natural England will be able to target monies in the best places to optimise the future for these declining birds.

Should you require further information, please get in touch. I hope you can intend.

Elliots to Brookfoot 10.30/12.30

All the usual except now 3 male Goldeneye on the ski lake ,6Cormorants and a flock of approx 30 Siskins on the canal bank. 2 Little Grebe on the River Calder at the rear of Avocet Factory .Pictures of the 4 Goosanders on the canal and the ski lake Grey Heron.

Hebden Bridge

Sunday 9:30 - 11:30

A walk along the canal from Mytholmroyd:

15 mallard
70 canada geese
2 ravens soaring along the ridge north of the canal (Midgley-Pecket Well road area)
1 treecreeper
4 blackbirds
1 blue tit and 6 great tit
10 robins
Plus jackdaws, crows, magpies, BH and common gulls (generally heading E)

Sat 24/01/2009

JAY HOUSE LANE 9.30. 7 Tree Sparrows,6 Chaffinch,8 Greenfinch,1 Goldcrest,14 C/Gull,22B/H/Gull,200+Fieldfare,25Rooks. SKI LAKE. 4 Pochard, 2 Goldeneye(M),14 Can Geese, 17 Tufted, 3 Cormorant, 150+ B/H/Gull, 18 C/Gull, 1 Grey Heron. CANAL.4 Goosander(3M 1F) Kingfisher. FISHING POND. 4 Tufted, 2 Can Geese, 8 Mallard, 10 Coot, 1 Little Grebe

RE ..ROOKS

VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE HALIFAX PARISH
Rook Census 1964 (H.S.S.)
Taken during March, April and May 1964.
Nests, Location.
49 Sowerby Bridge to Triangle
7 Millbank
357 Denton Bridge area
128 Ripponden area
88 Rishworth
5 Warley (Stack Lane)
21 Warley Town
4 Burnley Road (Whitty Lane)
54 Burnley Road (The Sycamores)
18 Luddendenfoot Congregational Chapel
88 Luddenden Church area
7 Brearley
109 Calder High School
16 Hawksclough
10 Hebden Bridge (Albert Street)
27 Mytholm Church Nr. Hebden Bridge
49 Luddendenfoot to Boulderclough
10 Northowram (Langfield Drive)
269 Northowram Hall
23 Skircoat Green (Dudwell)
21 Skircoat Road (Heath Road)
38 Huddersfield Road (Stafford Arms)
17 Exlev Bank
4 Exley (Chevinedge)
2 Elland (Elsinore Ave.)
31 Greedand
44 Hollywell Green
45 Oven den Road area
7 Hoimfield Station
14 Heathy Lane
45 Holdsworth Road
2 Bradshaw Church
3 Whitehill Road
134 Beachwood Road
12 BaiIiffe Bridge (Rook View)
25 Rastrick (Delph Hill)
130 Field Lane and Estate
1913 Total number of Nests.
A small survey done by one member only in 2004 found 1083 nest.The main areas seem to be Triangle to Rishworth and Sowerby Bridge to Hebden.If any body lives near one of the above sites it will be well worth chequing in the next 2 months.

Rookery Survey 2009

CBCG intend to undertake a survey this spring. The last full rookery survey was undertaken 45 years ago by members of Halifax Scientific Society - well done to them!

In 1964 (between March and May) they located 37 rookeries and 1,913 nests - this was in the area covering Halifax, and lower and mid Calderdale as far as Hebden Bridge area. It would be great to see how the rookery locations and numbers have changed from the 1964 list. Also to find new sites and cover the whole of Calderdale including Todmorden area too.

Please let me know if you would like to take part, and perhaps which area you can cover. The more we get on board then the more comprehensive our results will be. Further details will follow as soon as we know how many of you can help.

It will be good experience too, to learn a little bit more about this fantastic and very interesting bird which can often be overlooked and taken for granted in our local area.
Many thank's Dave

Swales Moor and Shibden Valley

Swales Moor
1 Skylark and 2 Meadow Pipits this afternoon on the top

Shibden Valley (upper end)
4 Stock Doves
2 Bullfinch
and in Lee Lane - 1 Green and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

Halifax Town Centre

30 Waxwings this morning at 09.20 in the trees just below the Royal Mail depot. There are no berries nearby other than lower down Wade Street by Wickes. By 9.45 they had moved on but were not down Wade Street.

Pink-footed Goose Spectacular

Between 10.45 and 12.00 this morning from a garden with a wide view of the sky at Saville Park, Pink-feet went over skein after skein.
My count was seven between those times, numbering in total 870 birds.
Two groups were very high and hardly audible, others were quite low. All were heading west.
These were the most I have seen over Halifax in one fly past event.

Last monday a flock of 11 finches in a field at Barkisland turned out to be 10 Goldfinches and 1 Greenfinch.

Raptor calendars

We have a large feature in the Halifax Courier tonight, which should, fingers crossed, boost the sales of the raptor calendars. Click here to read it.

If you haven't bought yours yet, they are still available!

Pink Footed Geese

Pink Footed Geese on the move west this morning with aprox 200 and a 150 between 11 and 11.15.,heading along the Shibden Valley and then over Halifax town centre.

Shibden Park

Late morning.
In addiiton to the obvious Mallards, Canada Geese and BH gulls -
1 Treecreeper
1 Jay
1 Redwing (turning over leaf litter among 7 Blackbirds)
4 Goldfinches
+ Blue, Great and Coal Tits; Chaffinch (2), Robin (2), Moorhen (1) and Corvids.

We have also had small groups of Redwing (up to 4) in Warley Road Park on several occasions in the last fortnight.

Elland to Brighouse

A walk in the snow, Monday afternoon.

Cromwell Bottom
canal - 3m, 1f goosander, 1 kingfisher
river - pair of goosander, 2m bullfinch
bird feeders- blue tits, great tits, coal tit, chaffinch
waterski lake - 4 cormorant, another pair of goosander, 2 pairs tufted duck, 2 coot, 50+ BHG

River Calder, Brookfoot
2 Little Grebe

Canal, Brighouse town centre
2 moorhen, 2 Canada Goose

also saw - mallard, longtailed tit, magpie, jay, c.crow, blackbird, robin, wren

Roils Head area

18 Waxwings this afternoon from Nick Dawtrey at Ashville Gardens (Rye Lane). They flew off towards West End golf course at around 4 pm.

Shibden Park & Halifax

Monday 19th January.

A walk through the park on the way to work turned up:

70 mallard
26 canada geese
2 moorhen
2 pied wagtail
2 black headed gull
plus crows, jackdaws and magpies

Halifax 10:30 am

Flock of c.20 siskins feeding on a tree outside the office window.

Longfield Dam, Todmorden

ie the one with no name by Lumbutts Road

Sunday 3pm, very windy

Goldeneye, m
Mallard, pair
17 Canada geese

Also 2 female goosander on Lee Dam, Lumbutts.

Mytholmroyd - Sunday am

Quick walk along the canal and cycle trail to Luddenden Foot turned up:

50+ canada geese
1 sparrowhawk
40 black-headed gull and a couple of common gull on the flooded school playing fields
6 mallard
1 goldcrest
5 robins
3 mistle thrush
assorted tits and corvids
1 female goosander that landed on the canal before spotting I was there and taking off again heading W.

manor heath

3 redwings there this morning

You may have seen the recently circulated details for Springwatch Camp in Malta from 11th April to 26th April, to stop illegal hunting of migrating birds there. See http://www.birdlifemalta.org/conservation/springwatch09/

By coincidence the next talk at Hx Scientific Soc is "Maltese Moments - Exploring Malta by Bus, by Marilyn Willwhol, a speaker we have heard regularly. She generally rips through a couple or three casettes of excellent slides. Seems like she's been just about everywhere in the world! (Not a birder though.)

That's on Tues. 10th Feb. at 7.15 Halifax Central Library,
Northgate, in the downstairs room. Non-members very welcome.
A small donation is invited.

Waxwings - Skircoat Green

10 Waxwings on Wood End Close - 15.00

Fly Flats/Castle Carr/Cold Edge

Fly Flats
12 Red Grouse
2 B H gulls

Castle Carr
1 Dipper
4 Redwings
c45 Woodpigeons
1 Raven >w over High Brown Knoll

Cold Edge
4 Greylag Geese and 8 Canadas

Ogden

1 Dipper in Ogden Clough top right hand valley (White Wall End on the OS maps)

Halifax Town Centre

We were waiting outside M & S this morning at 8.55. A Peregrine flew directly over our heads from the direction of Square Church carrying a pigeon. It flew off in the direction of Dean Clough.
I love shopping!

Geese over

Judging by the calls they sounded like Pinkies, unknown number over Midgley tonight around 8 o clock (ish)

redwings

30ish redwings in bradshaw this afternoon
strictly speaking not in bradshaw but below the school in a feild
good views

Mytholmroyd

2 or 3 'loose' skeins of geese passing Mytholmroyd station from Halifax direction towards Hebden Bridge 1.15pm - probably c300 in total

Ogden and Mixenden Res'rs

Mixenden;
1 pair Goosander
1 Reed Bunting
205 B H Gulls
7 Common Gulls

Ogden;
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
No Goldcrests!
13.55 c40 P F Geese >W over Illingworth direction

Bird food

Final reminder, order will be going in at the end of this week.

Ogden

1 drake Goldeneye left towards Thornton Moor at 15.10
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
10 Great Black-backed Gulls and 7 Herring Gulls W> this afternoon

Hove Edge - Jay House Lane

At Hoyle House Beck-just off Bradford Road:

Flock of Long Tailed Tits
A mixed flock of finches -about 12 Greenfinch and15 Goldfinch
2 male Bullfinches
Wren
2 Jays
6 Blackbirds
Heron overhead
Kestrel hunting
11 Magpies
Treecreeper down to about 6 feet - lovely views

Jay House Lane

Pretty quiet, apart from 23 Common Gulls
5 Lapwings
40 Starlings

Posting for Denise Shields

Saturday 11th January: Out of interest, 150+ Pink-footed Geese, just above the rooftops, >N over Scarlet Heights, Queensbury (Bradford area) at about 12:30pm. May be same flock seen over Cleckheaton at 11.30 a.m. by Jim Welford.

Todmorden - Longfield Pond

Still frozen over - 10 Gulls on ice - but in the fields over the road - 50+ Canada Geese, 10+ Lapwings, 40+ Pink Foot, a few fieldfare and a Mippit!

Roils Head

Posting for Nick Dawtrey
1 Stonechat and 1 Snipe by Roils Head this afternoon

Also many thanks to everyone who has sent in their records for 2008 so far. Any outstanding ones please let Nick have them by the end of this month.

Ryburn Valley

Barn Owl tonight at 6.20 flew across the main road and landed in a dead tree. If anyone re-locates then check for jesses or any signs that this might be an escaped bird !

1 Golden Plover this afternoon at 12.45 (near Jct 22) flew by the A627 towards Green Withens.

Skein of Geese

Was in Cleckheaton about 11:30 this morning and saw a big skein flying west towards Halifax. They were too distant to id and I didn't have my bins so did anyone pick them up?

Yellowhammers?

Sean Johnston who is looking after the supplementary feeding of our fragile Yellowhammer population at Bradley Hall Farm has asked me to post a request for any sightings of yellowhammers from that area over the past few months, despite putting seed out at both ends of the long hedge he hasn't seen any birds for 2 or 3 months.

Waxwings.

Around 20 calling from a tree near Savile Park chippy then flew off north at midday.

Lapwings - Jumble Hole

I was pleasantly surprised to open my bedroom curtains this morning and see a flock of 10 lapwings in the field in front of my house. Not a common sight at Jumble Hole. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing any from the house.
Still loafing around at 1:00pm, stood amongst the chickens and sheep.

Barkisland/Ringstone/ Norland Moor

Barkisland; c40 Lapwings with c60 corvids and 6+ Pied Wagtails in fields 300m up Saddleworth Road from the Branch Inn feeding after 'muck spreading' this afternoon

Ringstone; c180 B H gulls and 30+ Common Gulls

Norland Moor (area west of Turbery Lane/Norland Road junction)
1 Lapwing over >N
18 Reed Buntings together near the road junction
1 Grey Partridge calling
5 Snipe disturbed by a dog in a ditch
38 Fieldfares and 2 Redwings >N at dusk

New Year Sale !

A non-birding friend has an almost new, unused scope for sale:
Bresser 25-75 by 90 zoom spotting scope; and a (lightweight) tripod; most of 5 year warranty left. Offers around £ 75.00
Also a brand new copy of 'Birds Brittanica' by Mark Cocker (I've already got one copy !)
- "a glorious hybrid of field guide, behavioural study....biological study and personal anecdote"
just one of those bird books that you'll want to keep going back to again and again.
RRP £35.00 - any reasonable offers ?
If anyone's interested, let me know, or phone on 01484 717670
Cheers
Mike

Birdfood order

I am planning to place an order for some bird food with CJ Wildbird Foods in the fairly near future, this will include seed for the Tree Sparrow project etc. If we can put together a big enough order we will be eligible for a significant discount so anyone wanting to take advantage of this please check out www.birdfood.co.uk/ and let me know what they would like to order.

Mytholmroyd

There were 9 redwing on and near a red berry bush at the side of the platform on Mytholmroyd station 1.30 today. Also mistle thrush flew over and also a jay. Redwing very flighty and didn't stay long. Flew towards Orchard estate.

Elland GP

Early afternoon on the main lake (as far as I could see from the canal side!)
4 Cormorants
2 Goosander
1 drake Goldeneye
3 Grey Heron
c20 Tufted Duck
1 female Pochard
3 Little Grebe
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 male Sparrowhawk over

Also along the river; 1 Little Grebe, 24 Goosanders, 6 Teal and 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

Crags nestbox display

I went to the Crags over Christmas, and though virtually birdless was delighted to see they had finally put the nestbox display we created up in the Nature Room, explaining what we'd done and why.

Mute Swans anyone?

Nick Dawtrey is busy putting together the next report and has commented that he has only one record of Mute Swan for Calderdale from 2007, he has asked that I put out an appeal for any Mute Swan records for 2007 or 2008, is this one record a true reflection of the status of this species in our area?

Cromwell Bottom

Canal, fields & boat club, yesterday 1pm

8 Goosander (4m 4f)
20 Canada goose
13 Tufted Duck
2 Common Gull
1 Grey Wagtail
+ numerous c.crows, magpies, BHG, blue tits

Also, on Ashday Lane, Southowram

4 Bullfinch (2m2f together)
2 goldfinch
2 greenfinch (pair)
2 Mistle thrush

Castle Carr Road

This afternoon;
2 Stonechats
2 Little Owls
2 Kestrels
2 Red Grouse
1 Green Woodpecker feeding in thick gorze scrub
c40 Fieldfares, c25 Redwings and 1 Song Thrush

Muck spreading bonanza - c96 Rooks and c115 Jackdaws feeding in a field freshly 'spread' - on the left just past Bridge Terrace. Just the sort of situation Red Kites like in winter! Lots of 'muck' spreading going on now that the farmers can get tractors on the land with the heavy frost.

Luddenden to Midgeley Moor

An afternoon walk today produced:
Apart from the common corvids,
15 Collared Doves in one tree
5 House Sparrows
7 Bullfinches together on edge of moor
Several single Grouse plus 3 together
2 Meadow Pipits a bit of a surprise
Starling
Robin
Wren
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Huge icicles - a fantastic display all round the edges of the quarry on the way up to the standing stone (Churn Milk Joan.)

Halifax Town Centre

2 Waxwings reported by Iain G this afternoon in Wickes car park flew off over M & S. Still a few berries there.

Do I need to report it ?

Hi all

Sue and I had our first wild Little Egret today on a cycle ride. Spotted fishing in a small stream along side a Heron. Do we need to report this to anyone here in North Wales or are they common enough not to bother ?

Crappy shot but best we could get with the phone camera.

Hardcastle Crags - Walshaw Dean, Friday

Dipper x 2
Treecreeper
Heron
Goldcrest
Goldeneye
Kestrel x 3
Stonechat
Little Owl
Redwings c70
Fieldfare c30
Red Grouse c20

Plus Great Tits, Mistle Thrushes, Blackbirds, Robins, Dunnock, Pheasants, Corvids, Pied Wags.

Norland Moor

and adjacent fields to south, yesterday 2pm.

1 Reed Bunting (male, still with much black on face)
120 Fieldfare/Redwing, mixed flock
80 Golden Plover
150 Lapwing
400 Black Headed Gull.
Starlings & Carrion Crows

Fly Flats/Cold Edge

Cold Edge Dams - all frozen over - 2 Greylag Geese

Fly Flats - frozen over today except for one small area of open water by the overflow
2 Carrion Crows, 1 B H Gull and c12 Red Grouse and that was it!

Garden Birding +

Continued with the garden list today before a couple of hours up Gorple with Matt Bell more for fresh air than anything else. The Garden is still turning in some good birds during this cold spell with today producing:

Reed Bunting 1 female
Long tailed tit 4
Bullfinch 2 male
Blackbird 3 male 1 female
Greenfinch 7 male 2 female
Dunnock 4
Robin 1
Great tit 1
Blue tit 3
Jackdaw 7
Rook 2
Pheasant 1 male
House Sparrow several.

Lower Gorple

1 BH Gull stood on the ice
1 Stonechat
2 Meadow Pipit
1 Goldfinch
7 Chaffinch

Walshaw Plantation

Peregrine probable female flew over heading SW
Goldcrest calling
Wren again calling

Sunny Vale

12 Mallard
9 Teal
1 Grey Heron
2 Moorhen
Treecreeper, 2 Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker and c5 Jays

c45 Lapwings over in the fields to the rear of Southowram church

Swales Moor

This morning;
13 Great Black-backed Gull >W
23 Herring Gulls >W
15 Fieldfares >W
13 Meadow Pipits on the top
1 Little Owl, 12 Greenfinch and 15 House Sparrows at Ploughcroft

Yesterday

Snow Bunting reported from Langfield Edge flew off west (on the tops between Todmorden and Blackstone Edge I think)
Also Waxwings reported from Langdale Street, Elland.

Bird Report

Posting for Nick Dawtrey
The next report will combine 2007 and 2008 records and enable Nick to 'catch up'!

The 2007 report is almost complete but please will you forward all 2008 records to Nick as soon as possible and at the latest by the end of January.
If you use the BOG system this is the most helpful if it's on a disk. This than can then be easily incorporated into the system. Failing that then please send your paper records in as as soon as you can.
Anyone who still needs a copy of the 'BOG' system please let us know
Thank you and all the best for some good birding in 2008 (oops!!! thanks Nick 2009)

Jumble Hole area - 1:00pm

Jumble Hole Clough - not much around. The highlight was a very busy and abiding mixed flock of 20 long tailed tits, 2 goldcrests and a treecreeper.

Callis Sewage Works - c.140 BH gulls, 9 pied wagtails, 2 grey wagtails, 2 meadow pipits and a grey heron.

Happy New Year

Having been under the weather the last 2 days I only ventured out today to fill up the bird feeders then watched from an upstairs window for about an hour. Unfortunately that hour was between 12:30 and 13:30 which as we all know is verging on bird siesta time still some visitors were grateful for the new food.
Dunnock 3 (1 of which was my first bird of 2009 - apt because they are a favourite of mine).
Robin
Blackbird 2 males 1 female
Collard Dove 2
Blue tit 2
Magpie 1
Greenfinch 3 (several more flying over).
Pheasant 3 (2 male, 1 hybrid)
Jackdaw 1
and in near by tree a single male Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Hoping to venture further a field in the coming days.

Walshaw Dean

Very cold with poor vis ---
3 Kestrel
1 Goldeneye
1 Stonechat
1 Pied wagtail
1 Wren
2 Cole Tit
2 Blackbird
7 Pheasant
10 Red Grouse
2 Robin
2 Mistle Thrush
8 Carrion Crow
4+ halifax birders and wagtails
happy new year

First Bird of 2009 !

Got up to another freezing but gloriously clear sunny day here in North Wales this morning and discovered a Cock Pheasant who obviously over indulged on New Years Eve and ended up in my washing line. The lesson is obvious do not drink and fly :-)

Sue and I wish you continued health, happiness and plenty of new birds in 2009.

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Happy New Year