Sparrowhawk

Goldcrests

My neighbour has been getting two goldcrests throughout the winter frequently visiting the two conifers located in planters at the edge their patio.

Pink Footed Goose yesterday

Posted on behalf of Gus Robin:
A pink foot with the Canada's on elland ski lake and a goldcrest fly catching under the bridge next to the Cromwell bottom car park.

Killer Sparrowhawk

Hen Harrier programme

The issue of Hen Harrier persecution was addressed by the BBC on their Inside Out program yesterday following the death of Bowland Betty in the Dales. It was only broadcast in the north, even more north than Yorkshire, so you may have missed it. There are some very interesting comments, especially from the Moorland Association, which you may find informative. The article is at the start of the program. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01qzftc/Inside_Out_North_East_and_Cumbria_25_02_2013/

Owl pellets wanted

                                                               Field Vole lower jaw

Common/Pygmy  Shrew lower Jaw bone

 

 

A selection of Tawny Owl pellets at a roost site in Queensbury top photo(thanks BS).If anyone knows of any other sites for Owl pellets or finds any this year.I would be more than grateful to take them off there hands.

Lower Gorple

 5 Crossbills at Lower Gorple plantation this aft plus 4 Curlew >E.
Upper Gorple and Lower Walshaw reservoirs nearly empty of water.
C200 Waxwings still in Brighouse this morning.

Redpolls & Siskins

The first Siskins of the winter turned up on the feeders a couple of weeks ago, followed by the Redpolls this weekend.

Ogden

Not much doing up there this afternoon
1 Moorhen
c80 Mallard
2 Canada Geese
1 drake Goldeneye
1 Kestrel
2 Redwing calls
8 Greenfinch
6 Goldfinch
Nothing found in the woodland other than an odd Coal Tit and Great Tit
c50 B H Gulls
2 Common Gulls

Jayhouse lane

Jayhouse lane this dinnertime.
Curlew 1,Golden Plover 67,Lapwing c50,Common Gull 58,Starling c 200,Fieldfare 4,Redwing 33.

Colour ringed Waxwing

Tracy C photographed a flock of Waxwings at Brighouse on 9th Feb, which included a colour ringed bird. We have recieved this information back from the ringers.

Many thanks for the details and photos of the colour-ringed Waxwing Orange/Red right, BTO left which was ringed as an adult female on 6th December 2012 in the grounds of Newtown College, Powys. She has previously been photographed on 16th December near Seaforth Station Sefton/Merseyside by Steve Young.

This was one of exactly 100 birds we caught in Mid Wales in the run-up to Christmas (99 unringed and 1 Fair Isle bird!). Thanks to Raymond we managed to colour-ring most of them and the results have been amazing - birds have dispersed in all directions, mostly S and E but we have also just had one killed by a cat in Co. Wicklow! :-(

With thanks to Sean Grey, Raymond Duncan and Tony Cross for all the information and to others. Well done Tracy and the ringers.
Keep those digi shots coming!!

Waxwings

     Waxwings Brighouse town center early morning about 120

Whooper 'tastic'

See Andy's Northowram Wildlife blog for the fantastic Whooper flock this morning - I owe you another one. ! Yes 2 minutes I clocked them too from Northowram to Lee Mount. Went right over the house at 11.53 going like the clappers. They were on a mission. Just a few calls heard and perfect V formation and no deviation.
Amazing a few weeks ago the pinkies took 8 minutes between the same points!
Thanks Andy - I got the message out as fast as I could but they would be off over Fly Flatts or Oxenhope by then. Jen tried to get some shots but camera couldn't focus on them being white in the sky!

Other news today

A varying number of Waxwings (from 5 to 20 then up to 60 reported were on Birdguides) being reported today from the Brighouse area - mainly town centre and near the post office site.
Also this afternoon c200 Pink-footed Geese heading west over Ossett and heading our way around 13.30(JW) but they were not reported from any of the local birders so we probably all missed them !!

Local site

Headed out with Nick this afternoon to a local site but not a lot happening. Only had 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel and 1 Peregrine, also 1 Jay, 2 Nuthatch, a few Pheasants and heard a few Siskin flyovers which were probably local birds. Also a Great Spotted Woodpecker 'drumming' briefly.
Grey Herons are also on the nest sites at local colonies

Swales Moor

Late morning I went up there in the hope of catching a Skylark movement but only managed one call overhead, bird out of sight, probably heading east. Three other Skylarks were on the top feeding.
2 Grey Partridge was a first for me this year.
1 distant Peregrine over >N
Not many corvids up there today - unusual!
1 Little Owl on the wall by Ploghcroft

Lesser Redpoll ring

Hi all

Barry has posted on the CBWG blog a bird with a ring. The ring is partly readable. Can any info be gleaned from this?  LINK to post

Kirklees Hall & Coach Road

2 Yellowhammers near Kirklees Hall this am too ! Same birds ? The first I've seen all winter at this site.
Also a Buzzard in the area, a Kestrel and a Little Owl.

This pm at Coach Road- 3 Nuthatches; one looked to be clearing out a hole on tree trunk -maybe for a future nest hole ? 2 G S Peckers, a Treecreeper and a Kestrel as well.

Bradley Hall & Soil Hill

                            Two Yellowhammers at Bradley Hall this am.

                             18 Golden Plover Soil Hill this aft.

RINGSTONE

a 2hr. stnt in the hide today produced the following> c.160 b.h.gulls-75 common gulls- 71 canada's-     84 crow- 1 rook-22 starling- 1 heron- 1pr. mallard- 54 lapwing- 11 golden plover- 1 oystercatcher-  12 snipe..best for the year up there! farmer is muck spreading in north and west fields so that is attracting the birds!     

Mistle thrush in the Snow.......

 

Had this mistle thrush in the garden all week,its well on the look out for other thrushes and chases them off as soon as any turn up.1 song thrush ,8 Redwings,2 fieldfare and 7 different blackbirds have all been seen off,,,,

Ringstone and Barkisland

This afternoon at Ringstone
9 Common Snipe on the res'r edge - (scope job)
2 Goosander
1 Canada Goose
c80 B H Gulls
20 Common Gulls
37 Carrion Crows

Barkisland - Nr Bowers Mill
Kingfisher reported from yesterday on the mill pond
1 male Grey Wagtail
2 Great-spotted Woodpeckers making a racket! - probably pair bonding (or 2 males disputing terrritory?) but didn't get a clear view of them.
Rooks already nest building at the local colonies
1 Song Thrush

Scammonden Dam
I didn't get chance to get down there to check the res'r. We have had no reports of the Slavonian Grebe since Monday 4th February and was wondering if it could still be there? Has anyone had chance to check ?

Mixenden Res'r

Late morning
4 Goldeneye
3 Goosander
6 Canada Geese
120+ B H Gulls
20 Common Gulls
1 L B B Gull (adult)
c40 Jackdaws

Mankinholes and Lee Dam today

Mankinholes
Little Owl - 2 on wall by Pennine Bridleway
Mistle Thrush - 7
Starling - about 70 in same field as the thrushes

Lee Dam
Goosander - 8 (3 drakes)
Teal - 3 (1 drake)
Grey Heron - 1

7 of the 8 Goosander

More Waxwings

A flock of Waxwings dropped on to the cotoeaster bush in the garden this morning; initially there appeared to be 20, but when they quickly flew up to a neighbour's tv aerial, there were 28.
Possibly the same flock seen near Kershaw's garden centre, Brighouse -less than a mile away ?

Other news today

100+ Pink-footed Geese west over Cromwell Bottom at around 11.50 (BH)

30 Waxwings in a garden down the road from Kershaw's Garden Centre at Brighouse around 12 ish (Tracy C via BS) but no further reports from the ones at Copley Grove which were last reported on Thursday.

Also a very interesting record from Martyn H - a female Grey Wagtail feeding on the ground under his garden fat ball feeder on several occasions this week. Now that is a nice garden bird!

Withens Clough, 2pm

2 male goldeneye were displaying to 2 females very close to the shore - would have made a great photo, if I'd taken a camera.

Other birds were 1 goosander, 2 dipper and 1 raven.

Pink Feet

Approx 100 pinkies went South at 11.35am today over Mount Tabor.
Last week the female Sparrowhawk, which we see almost daily, took one of the two Mistle Thrushes that have been visiting regularly.  She hit it as it was feeding on the ground.  When mobbed by Crows she impressively carried it off over the fields towards Wainstalls.

Cromwell Botttom area

12 Herons were on the lakeside today (I can't remember a higher count), 10 Cormorants were on the ski ramp, and 4 male Tufties in the water.
The river held 5 Goosanders, and a Little Grebe was trilling (pretty early ?) from the reeds on the lagoon.
2 mink were also on the path near the lagoon - not an optimistic sighting.
As usual, the feeding station was full of Tits, Siskins, Redpolls and Bullfinches.

Copley

Thanks to Gordon - 25 Waxwings at Copley this afternoon about 1.30 pm around the Land-Rover garage along the main road. Might be worth a check tomorrow!

Mixenden Res'r

I found this large gull late morning at Mixenden and it conveniently landed on the buoy displacing an adult L B B Gull which was appreciably smaller. No scope!!! so dashed back for it and luckily the gull was still on the bouy when I got back. I managed to get a few digishots but it moved off, went high and drifted off >SE around 12.15.

First thing that struck me was its poise (very upright stance) and the shape of the bill leading straight to the sloping forehead, and particularly the long legs suggesting the possibility of Caspian Gull? It looks like a 1st winter bird? BUT I have not seen Caspian Gull before and would welcome comments. The other possibility is Gt B B Gull but I thought it looked too pale?

Mixenden Res'r

Just a quick look there early afternoon in a hail storm!
6 Goosander including 3 drakes displaying
4 Goldneye (2 drakes)
85 B H Gulls
14 Common Gulls
1 adult L B B Gull
1 male Sparrowhawk through the plantation
c40 Jackdaws feeding on the res'r embankment

Brearley Fields, Mytholmroyd

I went on to check out the gulls on the flooded fields this morning after Darrel's 'small gull' yesterday. Lots of B H Gulls on the flood, c300. All very mobile with dogs chasing about! Lots of gulls moving through both west and east. No big gulls just a few Common's.
3 Goosander on the river.

Scammonden Dam

Slavonian Grebe - Only negative reports from the site today so looks like its moved on, unfortunately. Unless its moved nearby and decides to re-appear? Well worth checking again this week!

Mytholmroyd

firstly whilst walking the dog this morning (09:10) i noticed a gull on the floods at Brearley Fields despite having no bins with me i noted the following in order.........

hovering and dipping feeding action very tern like
pale and clean looking under primaries
smaller than black headed gulls,very noticable size difference in flight
markings on the upperwing suggest it was a 1st winter

i saw it for about 5 minutes in flight never on the ground
unfortunatley on my return with my bins i was unable to find the gull, i checked out the sewage works but so far i have been unable to relocate what i think was a Bonapartes Gull

Pied Fly records

Made a start on the 2011 - 2012 bird report and Ive noted that I dont have any Pied Flycatcher records for 2012. If anyone had Pied Fly last year and hasnt subbmitted it could you please let me know.

Eyes peeled - Waxwings about

Got a call from my mate at 9am that he had 12 Waxwings in his garden and he got this shot. He lives on Wood End Close, Skircoat Green.They'd gone by time I'd got there but they probably not too far!

Kiklees Hall & Bailiffe

A Buzzard was mobbed by Crows over Hartshead,
a Kestrel hunted over the fields,
and 120+ Redwings were constantly on the move through the trees.
In the fields off Birkby Lane near Bailiffe Bridge there were 200+ BH Gulls,
100+ Lapwings and 60+ Golden Plovers