First of 7 fledglings from one of my nest box's ,

the other box has 13 blue tits

Mixenden Res'r and Fly Flatts ....

Poor conditions today with continuing rain and hill fog after a full day of rain yesterday, only 7c today with an east blustery wind especially on the tops.
Mixenden Res'r was providing a bit of shelter early evening and birds were feeding low over the water with c30 Swifts, c50 Swallows and c10 House Martins.
I also disturbed a female Goldcrest sheltering in a hole in a wall then  it flew up to feed in a pine
4 L B B gulls went high >W

Fly Flatts
2 Redshank
1 Lapwing
2 Curlew
1 Swift >SE
Meadow Pipits feeding young
50+ Canadas + a few chicks

Withens Head
2 Curlew
c10 Lapwing
2 Pied Wagtail
2 Swallows
A few Meadow Pipits

Roy Taylor

Please take a look at the following and help support this amazing man in this daunting challenge.  Roy was involved with the work we did on Twite in Calderdale right from the start and forged the links between ourselves and the RSPB which have now led to the twite becoming an RSPB Priority Species.  I had the pleasure of meeting him again recently and helping him enjoy Badgers in our garden.  Although he may be diminished physically he is still the powerhouse of a man I first knew back in the early Twite days.  Respect Sir.
http://beadnell-birding.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/truly-inspirational.html

Gorple

A walk from the Widdop Road car park to Upper Gorple yesterday evening, in warm still conditions.

- a total of 15 common sandpiper, including 6 in the Lower Gorple run-off
- ringed plover, also in the run off
- 3 cuckoo, including one getting scolded by a meadow pipit
- 2 grey wagtail
- 10+ willow warbler
- 2 goldcrest
- snipe difficult to count, but 11 would be a minimum, many of which were drumming
- likewise lapwing, 25-30? probably many more, but mobile so hard to accurately count on a walk
- 3+ woodcock roding
- siskin heard flying over
- 6 mallard
- 7 mistle thrush
- 3 blackbird
- a single kestrel was the only raptor

Nest puzzle

Sent in by Dave Hill, this golden plover nest was found on Rishworth Moor. Any ideas what's going on here?

Bridestones Moor/Eastwood Road Area

Early pm between rain showers

9 curlews
4 lapwing
1 kestrel
1 ring ouzel
1 pied wagtail
4 linnets
lots of meadow pipits

Cuckoo

Cuckoo reported by JW calling early am from the trees above Fallingroyd near Hebden Bridge.

Can these eggs be Identified? Curlew, Lapwing ? Picture taken on Pen- y - Ghent. Thanks Diane

Mytholmroyd

A juvenile grey wagtail and adult on the Calder from the bridge on New Road.  And on the other side two Canada geese with c5 fluffy young.

Swifts

Hebden Bridge AM

Six swifts flying and calling above the town. These are the first ones I've seen this year in the Calder Valley.

Mixenden Res'r etc...

A poor day today though I gave Mixenden a chance to turn something up in the blustery, wet, North Easterly!
1 Great Crested Grebe
2 drake Tufted Duck
As expected in these conditions a good number of hirundines were feeding over the water with c80 Swallows, c40 House Martins and 1 Sand Martin but no Swifts

Fly Flatts (very poor visibility)
1 Oystercatcher
2 Curlew
c40 Canada Geese

Withens Head
1 Blackbird feeding young
3 Redshank
2 Curlew
6+ Lapwings and 1 large chick seen
Plenty Meadow Pipits carrying food

Ogden

This afternoon
Spotted Flycatchers back with 2 seen in the plantation
5 Willow Warblers
1 Chiff-chaff
2 Blackcap
Chaffinch feeding young
1 singing Goldcrest
5 Raven over >E making a right racket after they looked to be having a go at a Carrion Crow's nest but outcome unknown!
c10 Swift >N
A few Swallows
1 Meadow Pipit but no sign of any Tree Pipits
1 Skylark over the golf course
1 Grey Wagtail
2 Pied Wagtails
+ other usual sp ...

Lots of Green-viened White butterflies and Orange Tips. A few Small Tortoiseshells, 1Peacock and 1 Green Hairstreak on the edge of the moor.

Broadhead Clough

Cragg Vale area - Some call this site Bell Hole I think. We had a lovely walk through to the top this afternoon but the lack of previous summering birds was evident with no Redstart, Tree Pipit or Spotted Flycatcher, though I guess there is still time for the latter.
Pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers feeding juvs in the nest
2 Blackcap
1 Chiff-chaff
1 Cuckoo singing nearby and possibly another one further away
Not even a Kestrel, no Swifts and just 2 Swallows

Plenty of Green-viened Whites and Orange Tip butterflies along with 1 Speckled Wood and a Green Hairstreak on the edge of the moor at the top.

Recent bits

Jumble Hole - cuckoo, whitethroat, and garden warbler all still in full song. Woodcock roding most evenings. An oystercatcher flew over this morning.

Colden - a little owl was at Jack Bridge this afternoon.

Pied Fly

Record shot of the Pied Flycatcher in the Luddenden Valley today thanks to KL for the info. Also Redstart nearby 122.

Baby owl.........

Steve Blacksmith and myself had a lunchtime wander through a mid-valley woodland today and came across this bundle of fluff on the side of one of the pathways. It remained motionless throughout apart from occasionally re-orientating itself to us as we moved through the wood. 

A quick search for one of it's guardians was soon rewarded with this Tawny Owl way up high in the canopy of a mature Sycamore tree. It was heard calling to it's offspring on one occasion and thankfully didn't have cause to use those razor sharp talons on either of us!

This last week !!

Hardly any time this last week for posting on the blog - (mainly due to lovely weather and long daylight hours to be outside)
Lee Mount - Swifts are definately down again this year with a max of 6 being the best we could manage all week. House Martins look to be struggling as well again with only 1 sighting over the house this week. In comparison Swallows seem to be ok with several groups through, mainly late evening. 3 Sand Martins went >W last Monday.
1 Grey Wagtail feeding in the road outside Lee Mount School one morning

Ogden area
1 Dipper
1 Whinchat
Still just a few Wheatears about
Sparrowhawk
Tawny Owl
Cuckoo being reported regularly from the area

Wheatley Valley former landfill site earlier today
2+ Whitethroat
3+ Garden Warblers
1 Blackcap
2 Chiff-chaffs
2 Willow Warblers
1 Bullfinch
Song Thrush's still singing
1 Mistle Thrush
2 adults and 3 fledged juvenile Jays

Lee Dam

From Gordon Gent - a cuckoo in full voice at Lee Dam at 5 last night.

out of area

I'm trying to identify this bird taken today at Marshside any help?  i have other photos

Jumble Hole

A cuckoo was calling at 11 today, then again just now at 7pm. Whitethroat, garden warbler, blackcap, chiffchaff and willow warbler all very much in evidence, as are green woodpeckers. Unusually, I had a female siskin on the feeders yesterday, which is the first for years. Elsewhere, swifts were screaming in Hebden yesterday evening.

More White Wag pics

White Wagtail at Cold Edge by DF.

Mixenden Res'r and Cold Edge

Mixenden Res'r
1 Great Crested Grebe
c90 Hirundines this afternoon so it looked like a good number from yesterday had moved off in the slightly better weather conditions today - 60 Swallows, 20 House Martins, 10 Sand Martins
8 Swifts moving through >SW

Cold Edge
1 Little Grebe
1 Tufted Duck
64 Canada Geese
2 Common Sandpipers
1 Redshank
2 Curlew
10+ Lapwings
1 L B B Gull
12+ Pied Wagtails and a very  nice to find White Wagtail - my photo's were rubbish but Nick has posted some decent ones below. Thanks Nick.

White Wagtail

Wood Warbler still in Hardcastle Crags near Gibson Mill, Cuckoo at Luddenden Dean but no Redstart then dashed to Cold Edge to find DJSs female White Wagtail feeding with pieds in awfull conditions, managed a few digi scope shots.

Yesterday

Ryburn Dam
1 Cormorant
1 Blackcap
1 Jay
1 Chiff-chaff

Weystone Edge
Nothing up there except a good soaking!

Booth Wood Res'r
2 Common Sandpipers

Ringstone
1 Ringed Plover (121!)
1 Little Ringed Plover
3 Oystercatchers
1 Curlew

Mixenden Res'r - early evening in heavy rain showers
c180 hirundines (150 Swallows, 20+ House martins, c10 Sand Martins)
3 Swifts >SW
1 G C Grebe
1 female Goosander

Fly Flatts (top road only - pouring down sideways)!
Canadas!
2 Curlew
1Kestrel

Ringstone

5 hours + spent in the Ringstone hide today with DF, produced 2 Ringed and 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 5 Oystercatchers, 2 Common Sands, 1 curlew, 4 Tufted Duck, 1 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, 5 Sand Martins and a Merlin flying north.

Mixenden Res'r and Fly Flatts

I gave it a try  in the strong blustery winds and torrential rain this morning in case of any terns passing through. Nothing doing and completely dead at Fly Flatts other than Canada's braving it out. Some already have chicks!
Just 1 Common Sandpiper feeding in puddles along the top road and 1 very hardy Wheatear.

Mixenden, offering shelter from the plantation, was a little better but there was nothing moving other than 5 Swifts > SW though c100 hirundines were feeding low over the water.
c70 Swallows
c20 House Martins
c10 Sand Martins

Jumble Hole

5 garden warblers yesterday, including 4 singing males. 2 whitethroat, 2 blackcap, and several chiffchaffs and willow warblers.
Woodcock roding tonight at 9:15pm

Recents !

 Song Thrush - Hardcastle Crags

 Sparrowhawk - Sowerby Bridge

 Long-tailed Tit nest in Berberis darwinii near Mixenden

Tawny Owl near nest  - undisclosed site

Carrion Crow

This individual white crow has been in the Ogden locality I don't know how many years ? - a long time

Todmorden

An adult Dipper was feeding in the Calder in the town centre this lunchtime.

6th May

Wood Warbler singing 200 yards before Gibson Mill in the crags this evening, nothing much else except for Tawny Owl, Jays, Great Spot and lots of Song Thrushes. 3 Swifts earlier over Heath Hill Road (118).

Jumble Hole

A wood warbler was singing very weakly at Jumble Hole yesterday afternoon, in the area known as the Beehives on the East side of the valley. I have previously known this when they have paired up and nested, but I would have thought it was too early for that? I will go back again today and see if it is still singing, and any stronger.

Withens Clough and Turley Holes and Higher House Moor, Cragg Vale

On a circuit from the Hinchcliffe, up to the res' embankment, along Turley Holes Edge, to Higher House Barn and back along Cragg Brook were the following:

plenty of linnets and meadow pipits
willow warbler
blackcap
common sandpiper
a few swallows
a couple of curlew
stonechat
whitethroat (right on the mooredge, near Higher House Barn)
kestrel.

I've been doing this walk, each May-time, for a long time and lately it seems to get quieter and quieter each year.  Not that long back there was always a good chance of tree pipit, whinchat, cuckoo and ring ouzel.  Today was very quiet on the bird front.
Other things included, butterwort leaves out, glorious swathes of mayflowers on the res' embankment, two bilberry bumblebees (like 12 months ago I failed to photograph them) and lots of green tiger beetle holes near Cove Hill.  I also photographed two unidentified small bees if someone would like a look.

Regards, C. Jepson-Brown

Ogden

Ogden golf course this afternoon
2 Whitethroat
1 male Wheatear
Willow Warblers
1 Blackcap
A few Swallows

Mixenden Res'r
1 Great Crested Grebe

Upper Brockholes
The long living white Carrion Crow still about
1 female Sparrowhawk
1 Black-headed Gull >W

1 Orange Tip
1 Peacock
2 Green-Viened White
Several Small Tortoiseshell

Lee Mount

A surprise flyover across lunch time with a Dipper over the garden probably heading down towards the Hebble Brook in Wheatley
Also 2 Swifts as well shortly after >W

1 Speckled Wood butterfly and 2 Orange Tip males

Fledglings out

Blackbird at Saville Park on Frday 2nd May and two young Dippers with an adult in the Hebble where it comes out of the culvert under Dean Clough on Saturday 3rd May.

Luddenden Dean

Yesterday afternoon
1 Cuckoo still in full voice
1 Redstart singing in an area near the Lower Lodge
Not a lot else but enjoyed a long walk around the Dean.

Jumble Hole

2 whitethroat again today, with 2/3 garden warbler, tons of chiffchaff and even more willow warbler. This is the best I could do with the whitethroat photo! I will persevere....

Wheatley Valley

Shroggs Road/Brackenbed former landfill site first thing this morning.
A nice mix of Warblers
2 Whitethroat
2 Garden Warblers
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
1 Chiff-chaff
2 Bullfinch
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2+ Song Thrush in full song
10 L B B Gulls over making a lot of noise and surprisingly an adult Herring Gull with them all over >W

3rd May

Out and about this evening with DF, 2 Ring Ouzels, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 4 Shorties, 1 Leo, 1 Peregrine, Spar, Kes, 4 Snipe, 2 Woodcock, 1 Goldie, lots of LBBGs etc.

Various sites

High Royd
Not a lot there this morning though 2 Garden Warblers were singing along the canal along with a Blackcap and 2 Whitethroat, 1 Chiff-chaff, 4 Willow Warblers
A pair of Treecreeper and a Nuthatch
1 large female Sparrowhawk

Booth Wood Res'r
4 Sand Martins
1 Oystercatcher
1 Wheatear
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk

Weystone Edge
Just a few Meadow Pipits and Skylarks along with 2 distant Ravens, 1 Kestrel and 2 Curlew