Ogden, Fly Flatts, Mixenden Reservoirs

Did the rounds this morning with the weather conditions as they were - very wet but always a chance of something turning up !

Fly Flatts - fogged off.

Mixenden Res'r - 5 Canada's and that was it.

Ogden fared better with an adult Yellow-legged Gull arriving at 11:05 to fly round and bathe, giving good views but leaving towards Thornton Moor area around 11:15
5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
5 Black-headed Gulls
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Green Woodpecker around the res'r lodge
2 Blackcaps, 3 Willow Warblers and a Song Thrush still singing.

Fly Flatts etc

Heavy rain as I called late morning with usual waders present and feeding in the wet fields as well as the Res'r edge which will quickly disappear if the forecast for more rain this week is to continue.
Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Lapwing, Curlew, Dunlin, Snipe, Oystercatchers all present but no accurate counts in the conditions !
1 Swallow
2 Swifts
c350 Canadas and still the 2 Barnacle Geese
1 Reed Bunting and a few Meadow Pipits

Withens Head
Pair of Swallows feeding 2 juvs just out of the nest

Nolstar
10 Golden Plover and 22 Lapwings in the usual field

Luddenden Dean

Had a good scout around the upper end of the dean this afternoon in the hope of Redstart, but nothing doing on that score. 

2 Blackcaps, a few Willow Warblers , a Common Buzzard distant and not a lot else. No sign of the Cuckoo, though many of the satellite tracked adults are already well on their way back to Africa. 

LEO's

Undisclosed site - with juveniles now flying around.

 Adults

Juvenile

Mixenden and Fly Flatts

Common Scoter drake on Mixenden Reservoir this morning along with 6 Canada Geese, a L B B Gull and a few Swifts, Swallows and House Martins in the rain

Common Scoter - distant shot was the best I could do !
Probably a first summer male as there is only a small bulge at the base of the bill and the wing panel still shows brownish rather than black feathers.

 

Fogged off at Fly Flatts along with rain, wind and the Fire Brigade on exercises but the Swifts were still there undeterred.

Fly Flatts and Withens Head

Female Common Scoter on the water this morning though it was tricky to find in the waves from the strong wind and mist drifting through added to the fact that it was diving for quite a lot of the time and seemed to stay under for quite a while at a time.
Still there mid afternoon (BS)

Also from this morning 2 Barnacle Geese still with the Canada flock which now, with the juveniles, amounts to well over 200 birds plus a few Greylag Geese.
I couldn't get a decent count of the waders in the conditions but they included Common Sandpipers, Dunlin, Snipe, Redshank, Lapwing and Curlew.
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull present with 50+  Swifts feeding at a frenzy over the water - fantastic to watch at the speed they were moving !

Caspian Gull ...some very good advice

https://www.facebook.com/Punkbirder/videos/568885576615051/?fref=nf

Red Kite over Claremount & Boothtown

       Red Kite seen over Claremount coming from over town
       toward Shibden valley harrassed by a single crow all the
       way, great to see one over this way even though it was
       very high up, this was about 1.30 in the afternoon.

     

Long-eared Owls

Staying with the owl theme, here's a few shots and a short video from a pair of LEO's and one of the Owlets, I've been following since the end of March, unfortunately outside our recording area. The pair have 3 Owlets branching, all seem to be doing well.

 Last couple of weeks I've visited 4 breeding sites, all have young hunger calling.

3 sites within a few miles of our recording area and one being in South-west Calderdale, making at least 2 breeding pairs in our area, great news!

Year before last, I was visiting a Calderdale site where a pair were still feeding Owlets up to the end of August, fingers crossed there's still more to come.

All shots and video were taken from the roadside, they've been an absolute pleasure to watch hunting and its been superb to see the Owlets so close. 

Spotted on twitter

Short-eared Owl

A fledgling 'Shortie' at one of our local moorland sites this week. A little different from Barn Owl chicks but a very nice find all the same.

Barn Owl chicks !

No not in Calderdale unfortunately (we don't get sights like this locally) wish we did..!
Thought blog watchers might be interested in this. It sounds like a good year for them down there with 2 other broods of 5 and 5 near this one.

Friday Mytholmroyd

Yesterday evening a hobby flew over the garden heading towards the water works
Also 2 oystercatchers and nuthatch seen from the garden as well

Yesterdays Scoters

Yesterdays Scoters at Lower Walshaw.

Canal & River

Saw something I'd not seen before yesterday. A Mallard duckling catching & playing with a fish.

Kingfisher then did a flypast on the river close to Hollas Bridge, Copley.

Common Scoters

A pair of Common Scoters Tonight on Lower Walshaw Reservoir.

Re: post below

This is a female redstart, taken recently by a friend at Bolton Abbey. I think it looks a lot like the bird below?

ID please

Been sent this picture of a bird in hebden bridge in 2014, but I just can't figure out what it is. Any ideas?

Colour ringed Great Tit

Had a Great Tit with a BTO ring over a red plastic ring on its right leg at Roils Head today, is anybody colour ringing Great Tits in Calderdale or as it come from further afield ?????????????

Fly Flatts etc.

Rough weather up there this morning, raining sideways, though one hardy birder was doing the rounds while I viewed with the scope from the car !
Nothing new in but with the usual waders, Canadas, Greylags and L B B Gulls.
2 Jackdaws flew past - don't often see them up there
2 Reed Buntings
1 Goldfinch

Withens Head
2 Redshank
2 Pied Wagtails

Nolstar
6 Golden Plover in the usual fields

Lee Mount

A few Blue Tits about with juveniles along with juv Coal Tits but only one juv Great Tit seen on the feeders so far. Great spotted Woodpeckers still taking food away for youngsters somewhere.

 Juvenile Blue Tit

 

Adult Blue Tit looking a bit worn out and quite small alongside a male House Sparrow

Recent bits from Jumble Hole

A tawny owl in a regular area of the woods. It has at least one newly fledged chick

Goldfinches are nesting in the ivy on the side of the house. Same place as last year.

A blackcap singing in the garden

Having been nearly completely absent for weeks, the whitethroat is constantly singing in the same place as the last 2 years

Hardcastle Crags

A nice report received today from a visit yesterday (ZB)

Singing Wood warbler half way from car park to Gibson mill

2x Great spotted woodpecker nests
2x Chiffchaffs singing
4 x Blackcaps singing
Treecreeper singing
2x families of Grey wagtails
Numerous dipper sightings
1x female Goosander
Family of jackdaws
Family of Nuthatches
Goldcrest carrying food
Robin carrying food
Green woodpecker heard
Cuckoo heard

Lee Mount

Not a lot to report  today but we have a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers visiting the fat-filled coconuts - male below showing the red on the nape.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Just 6 Swifts, 2 Swallows and 2 House Martins about late afternoon as well as a few L B B Gulls over high.

SEO

came across my first SEO of the summer whilst out for a drive,seems to be a lot less about than last year??