Peregrine Attack

 
     Peregrine Falcon  flew above the garden yesterday catching
     a Starling that was flying away from my feeders, wow fast or
     what? then flew off towards Claremount Church it was great
     to witness as is the Sparrowhawk that flies through daily.
     A Tawny Owl as also been active around my garden and back
     fields with plenty of screeching, it just missed my head one night,
     that'll teach me to stop making Owl calls it was beautiful to see
     in flight though. The feeders have had Bullfinch, Greenfinch,
     Goldfinch and Chaffinch turning up regular along with a couple
     Linnet which I find quite unusual to have them on my feeders.

   

BOOTHWOOD

Boothwood this morning.

Five Drake Common Scoter
One adult and two juvenile Little Owls

Sunny Vale & Red Beck Valley

A Tawny Owl calling near the lake mid-afternoon was a surprise, but one was heard here a few months ago, at the same time of day.
Little Grebes are nesting in the middle of the lake - no sign of young yet.
An adult and a juv Heron were about.
Kingfisher - as usual.
Juv Coots & Moorhens on the lake.
A small bat was flying through the trees too, possibly a Pipistrelle.

Cold Edge and Ovenden Moor

We did the rounds on the WCBS - Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey this afternoon - definitely a Ringlet afternoon.
Little Grebe on the lower pond
1 Stonechat near the top pond
Lots of Linnets and Goldfinches in the thistle areas and plenty Meadow Pipits and Swallows about including juveniles.
2 Kestrels over Ovenden Moor and the odd Curlew still.
8 Greylag Geese with c70 Canada's in the fields near the dams.

Fly Flats etc

I spent a good half-hour or more with Gordon D up there this morning. Good to catch up a bit !
Not a lot doing from our viewpoint
1 Black-headed Gull
2 L B B Gulls
Swallows feeding low over the fields and  a smattering of Swifts
2 juvenile Grey Partridge were nice to see feeding on seed heads in the rough grass
Plenty of Meadow Pipits about

Elsewhere a Black Redstart was at Lower Gorple today just below the reservoir embankment. A very nice find for Pete G.

Swales Moor etc.

Spent an hour or more up there this afternoon hard to find anything out of the ordinary ( Carrion Crows and L B B Gulls )
Possible Yellow Legged Gull adult flew >W on its own. Everything looked right on the plumage but just unable to clinch it with leg colour looking into the light.
A few Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Swallows, House Martins and Swifts >W.

I had a call from Steve C in lower Ovenden while I was up there, following a Ring-necked Parakeet flyover. Probably heading >NW towards Mixenden (?)

Earlier today from DF with a juvenile Redstart at Willow Valley golf course Clifton this a.m.

Last Seabird Summer ?

A really interesting and informative TV programme on BBC4 tonight at 8pm as per the heading above. If anyone gets chance to watch it on 'catch up' or a repeat then do so as it highlighted comparisons, past and present, between some of our British seabird colonies and Icelandic ones. Well worth a watch !

Hartshead circular

Good to see 14/15 Tree Sparrows at the same spot as last year, near the church. And just about a mile from the Jay House Lane site.
Also 2 calling Yellowhammers, 4 Mistle Thrushes, juv Pied Wagtail, a Pheasant, 30+ Swallows and 100+ Woodpigeons.
A couple of Buzzards not too far away as well.

Fly Flats

A late morning check produced a good number of Wheatears on the walls and fences from along the top road (around 15 +) but no Stonechats or Whinchats.
2 Barnacle Geese were on the water with the Canada flock but not a lot else in the drizzly and windy conditions other than a solitary Red-legged Partridge and a few Swifts and Swallows >SW

Brambling in July in Hebden Bridge

I've posted a photo sent to me on Calderdale-wildlife.blogspot

Return to Crow Hill and Flints

Had a walk up there yesterday after a two month break.

Apart from Mipits & Corvids the sum of birds was 2 Willow Warblers, 1 Curlew & c30 Swallows.

Lots of Ringlet butterflies as well as Meadow Browns & Whites.

Soil Hill

Had a scout around 'The Hill' at dusk on a really nice and settled evening.
Enjoyed the peace up there compared with the usual gusting windchill !
200+ Swallows feeding on the north slope were really good to watch, sometimes feeding low down over the vegetation then all heading high as they obviously spotted clouds of insects.
Grey Partridge heard calling as well as an Oystercatcher and 2 Curlew flyovers.
A few Meadow Pipits
40+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls >N
1 Kestrel

 Curlew -

by the short length of the bill they look like 2 juveniles heading over 

 

 

 Ingleborough

 

Pen-y ghent

Cromwell Bottom

I did manage eventually late afternoon to catch up with the Little Egret. It came into the lagoon briefly but it didn't stay long and headed off towards Brighouse. On my leaving it was flying fairly high over the pylons >W heading up river.
Not much else other than 2 Moorhen, a Grey Heron, 3 Blackcap and 2 Chiffchaff still singing as well as a few House Martins and Swifts >W.

Ogden and Mixenden area

Between Mixenden and Ogden reservoirs late morning.
Lots of House Martins and Swallows about in that area but unfortunately this young Swallow, recently out of the nest, looked like a roadside casualty outside Mount Zion chapel. It's a  tough life for all our birds but especially hazardous for young ones !

1 juvenile Green Woodpecker
1 Little Owl
A few Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails, Linnets and Goldfinch's about.
We ended up collecting a few bilberries - but don't tell BS. He's been waiting around 5 years for a pie we promised him !

Crimsworth Dean

We had a go at the upper reaches of the valley today, always on the look out for the possibility of the recent Red- footed Falcon seen nearby at Walshaw Dean over last weekend. No sign of it but a few Kestrels about is encouraging after a poor year for them so far.
Distant Common Buzzard
1 juvenile Wheatear was a nice surprise - probably a bird on the return from a more northern area.
Still a few Curlew about and a nice flock of around 120 Lapwings
A few Swallows, Goldfinch, Linnet and Blackbirds about as well as a single Mistle Thrush but not a lot else.
A nice show of Butterfly's including plenty Ringlets and Meadow Browns as well as 3 Red Admirals.

Cromwell Bottom

                 Little Egret on the reedbed lagoon this afternoon.

Red - footed Falcon

Male Red-footed Falcon reported today at Walshaw Dean mid afternoon. Me and DF zipped up there and spent 3 hours 30 minutes but no show. Its a big area so well worth checking again in next few days.

Owls

Checked out a LEO site last night and had 3 well grown young hunger calling with adult bringing in food. Then moved on to a reported Barny site and found the bird strait away. There's still probably a few weeks left for finding Leos before the young disperse.

Look out for Med Gulls

The post breeding movements of Black-headed Gulls has started with a few seen this week around Calderdale  . The next few weeks is a good time to find Med Gulls in with these groups of Black heads especially in recently cropped fields.........