Wainstalls

Mistle Thrush

 

Cold Edge

Barnacle Goose

Great Crested Grebe

Also, a Water Vole

Cold Edge

2 of 9 Greylag Geese

Fieldfare

Around and about

Fly Flatts. Drake Common Scoter yesterday afternoon on the reservoir - distant from the top road  but decent views with the scope. Still there today (BS).

Swales Moor - Ringby Lane this morning. Small but noisy skein of 32 Pink-footed Geese went through high heading >E at 09:45. Always great to see - and hear. Another skein reported >E over Moselden about the same time (LD).

Little else moving over Swales other than a few Woodpigeons, 1 adult Herring Gull and 5 Skylarks (2 and 3) heading >NW were about the best.

Otherwise 4 Stonechats,on the top along with c17 Meadow Pipits,1 Goldcrest and a Jay. Two Buzzards distant and a dozen or so Redwings feeding in hawthorn bushes.

Castle Carr Road - pretty quiet on there this pm apart from an adult Green Woodpecker heading over the moor. Also 2 Stonechats. 1 Meadow Pipit, 3 Red Grouse, 2 Mistle Thrush and a pair of Kestrels.

Cold Edge

14 of 40 Goldfinches

Cold Edge

Tufted Duck 1,  Reed Bunting 1

Whiteholme

Late Wheatear,  Pinkfooted Goose 39 SW,  Herring Gull 1 SW

Blackstone Edge

Stonechat 1,  Magpie 2 (!),  Common Gull 5 SW

4 October:  Lapland Bunting - called after being flushed

Redwings blitz....

Following reports yesterday from the east coast of Redwings coming in off the North Sea it wasn't unexpected that they came through Calderdale this morning. Hit and miss at many sites due to the fog banks rolling through but where it was clear they came through in masses. Eighteen thousand were noted over Northowram by mid-morning (AC). Others, to name a few, were reported in smaller numbers from Ripponden, Rishworth, Jay House Lane, Lee Mount, Cromwell Bottom, Hipperholme, Walshaw, Shibden, Illingworth and Copley......

We also had big numbers reported from from Oxenhope / Haworth area heading in our direction - thanks to the updates (HC).

I've not had chance to check if they are still moving over tonight - being able to hear their calls is an advantage. !! Maybe more in the morning ?

Soil Hill

 Tough morning with strong winds and rain meaning very little in the way of moving birds. I even took an hour away from the Hill to Ogden to wait for the weather to pass. However, there were a few standouts worth reporting.

• Highlight was a nice cream-crowned Marsh Harrier that flew SE over Ovenden Moor/Ogden, gaining height, before soaring over the Soil Hill North Slope and then headed SSE towards Queensbury.

• My second Merlin in as many days blasted past south. Yesterdays bird did linger a little longer as it persued migrating Meadow Pipits.

• The only notable finches of the morning were a flock of five Crossbill that came south very low down directly over the Hill, but in the early morning gloom. 

-Marsh Harrier

Merlin

In total managed 42 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S151317920

Trektellen count here; https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/767/20231003

Yesterday was a phenomenal morning, with a steady movement of birds passing south from first light until around 10:30 when it began to slow down. 

• The main species moving was Meadow Pipit, with a autumn high count of 2383 flying south. These were accompanied by Pied Wagtails, which produced a personal site record of 46

• The last few bursts of Hirundines went through in small flocks, with 22 House Martin and 84 Swallows on their way back to Africa. 

• Decent finch totals in among the flocks of Meadow Pipits; 40 Lesser Redpoll, 54 Siskin and 6 Crossbill being the most notable counts. 
• 
  

In total managed 57 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S151248462

Trektellen count here; https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/767/20231002

Hebden Bridge canal

Cormorant, p. c. sinensis. This bird is quite slender. The rear edge of the yellow gular patch drops almost vertically from the gape: the angle between it and the mouth line is about 80 degrees. In p. c. carbo this angle is more acute (range 38-72 degrees). In sinensis the range is 65-110 degrees.

Soil Hill

 Nothing much moving today in very wet conditions, but seems to have been a last push of summer migrants, with my latest ever Soil Hill Blackcap, Wheatear and Whitethroat. 

 The Whitethroat was on Taylor Lane, in the Himalayan Balsam just behind the first manure pile. This seems really quite late to me, and is later than the latest departure date in 'The Birds of Halifax'. Could this individual potentially be a new record for Calderdale?

-Whitethroat (with Stonechat)

In total managed 50 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S151156875