Cold Edge

Scaup (right) and Tufted Duck

Scaup (left) and Tufted Duck

Scaup (left) and Tufted Duck

Scaup

Scaup

Also:  Grey Partridge 1

Soil Hill

   A very pleasant few hours on Soil Hill this morning. Not masses of movement, but a few skeins of Pink-footed Geese kept things entertaining with five flocks heading SE between 07:50 and 08:30, and then two more flocks going back NW for some reason between 09:30 and 10:00. In total counted from photos 413 birds SE and 185 birds NW. In tandem with one of these flocks was a group of three Wigeon which is a full patch tick for me, putting me now on 126 for the Hill. 

  Limited other movement, with 195 Meadow Pipits and 55 Swallows making up the bulk of species. It was a Soil Hill record morning for me way Jays today, with eight heading NE, two heading SW and three heading SE, this latter group also dropping into the North Slope Tree-Line for a short while. 

  Pretty steady with grounded birds. A Wheatear was the only migrant of note, with four Chiffchaff and a Whitethroat also present. Two Bullfinch were only my second here this year. 

-Wigeon

-Wigeon & Pink-footed Geese

-Pink-footed Geese

-Jay

In total managed 46 species today, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S195440894

Trektellen sount here; https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/767/20240917

Cold Edge

This slightly out of focus front view of the Scaup shows how broad its bill is.

Cold Edge

Juvenile Scaup

1 of 3 Wheatears

Shroggs recalimed landfill

I managed to find a female Blackcap this morning in the tree belt area - eating elderberries and in and out of blackberry bushes. Also at least 2 Chiffchaff, Nuthatch, Buzzard and a Swallow.

Afternoon in Lee Mt - 2 Swallows passed through as well as a Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk with at least one Tawny Owl singing in Shroggs Park at 8 pm.

Ogden golf course (am) - and Withens Clough Res'r (pm)

Ogden. 

One Common Redstart showed briefly then didn't show for another 20 mins. Not a lot else other than a Great Spotted Woodpecker high >NE and 3 Buzzards at a distance.

Withens Clough Res'r circuit

84 Lapwings along the shore and a Dipper  were the only birds on or near the water, though there is plenty of shore-line. Elsewhere, nearby 2 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 6 House Martins, 1 Kestrel, 6 Meadow Pipits, 2 alba Wagtails, 1 Grey Wagtail.

The only sign of any passage birds were c20 Swallows high >W.

Cold Edge

Some of 16 Greylags, including 2 partial albinos

More 'pinks'

40 Pink-footed Geese over >SE around 08:00 this morning (WG).

Also a skein heard over Todmorden at 22:30 last night (Bob S) and possibly the same flock over Queensbury at 22:50 (HC).

Ogden

 Didn't find a lot this afternoon in the blustery conditions.

1 adult Little Grebe in the middle of the water, 2 Cormorants and a single Common Sandpiper along the embankment shore-line.

Mixenden Res'r

With a strong westerly gale blowing I thought the res'r might turn something up - but nothing doing other than 12 Canada Geese along the west shore-line that was sheltered from the wind.

In the shelter of the wind I walked the tree belt adjacent to the shore. No disappointment there, coming across a lot of bird activity in the birch,alder and willow. Same situation down the north end with it's well overgrown hawthorn hedge. Plenty birds flitting about and a good number of Swallows and House Martins over the trees. Plenty juveniles with both species was good to see.

Some of these counts estimated, it was so busy ! 1 male Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Treecreeeper, Goldcrests, Goldfinch and 4 species of 'tit' dominated by Coal Tits all over the place. 

2 alba Wagtails, 1 LBBG and 1 B H Gull flyovers and 1 Grey Heron very high >S

All made for a pleasant hour or so out of the wind.

NCD messaged a Spotted Flycatcher at Roils Head but elusive in the wind.

Also 2 more skeins of Pink-footed geese reported today (PD)- again in a >W direction over Norland.

Autumn approach !!!

Two reports yesterday of  winter visitors to to the UK passing through Calderdale. Two skeins of Pink-footed Geese (25 and 40 heading >W during the afternoon from SiB and PB). More to come in the coming weeks and months.

I was on Hunter Hill at the time of the reports but failed to pick them out. 

Had a good afternoon anyway with an adult Hobby over Carrs Beck though it failed in a brief attempt at 2 Swallows and headed off high towards Illingworth. Also in that area, thanks to an earlier prompt from NK, were 2 Common Redstarts, 1 Whinchat with 2 Stonechats, 2 Ravens high and a Sparrow Hawk.

Further along the valley to check Hunter Hill for any more migrants I found 2 Chiffchaff,  Green Woodpecker nearby, 1 Jay, 1 Meadow Pipit and c30 Linnets.

Not a bad afternoon after a recent time when it had been hard to find much of interest.

Cold Edge

Juvenile Scaup.  On the bus to Wainstalls this morning I realised that the bird I identified 3 days ago as Tufted Duck could be a Scaup.  I had forgotten that the plumages of young juvenile Tufteds and Scaups are identical, and that they can be told apart only by behaviour and structure. 3 days ago I had decided on my ID and seen what I wanted to see - in particular a something or nothing 'bump' at the rear crown: and I had ignored the obvious steep forehead and hefty bill.  Thankfully the bird is still present, and was not diving while I watched it.

It was diving constantly 3 days ago, staying underwater far longer than I have ever seen Tufted do (I estimate 1-2 minutes), and surfacing for only a few seconds. It took me nearly 30 minutes to get the single photo that I put on the blog.

Its bill is heftier (photo 1) and body broader (photo 2) than those of Tufted Duck.

There are small white patches at the sides of the bill (eg photo 3). And photo 5 shows a black leg.

Then there is the fraught question of the rear crown. Photo 1 shows spiky feathers where the crown meets the nape, and also down the whole nape. Photo 4 shows a rounded rear crown with slightly raised feathers from the front of the crown to the base of the nape. Because wind can cause head feathers to stand up, I think these can only be said to exclude Scaup if one of two things is present: a tuft, or a definite 'bump' that is consistently present in all photos.

All good fun, and better than spending hours looking at tarmac.

Cold Edge

3 Goosander

Sowerby Bridge

Cormorant perched on high chimney

Cold Edge

Goldfinch juvenile

(Tufted Duck juvenile: dark eye, dark grey bill, dark brown back, 'bump' at rear crown.) This was misidentified: it is a Scaup - see above.

Soil Hill

  A delightful day up on Soil Hill. Although I had a few hours bush-bashing this morning, the highlight of the day came during an afternoon visit when at 14:35 an Osprey flew over high southwest, my second here this year, always a brilliant bird to see.

  During the morning there was very little in the way of VizMig but a Yellow Wagtail flew south calling which is my second of the autumn here, and a Tree Pipit went south, which given the forecast could be my last of the autumn after a fantastic August for this species. Two Snipe also flew west, a species I always enjoy seeing on VizMig and is a highlight of early to mid-September when their migration picks up.

  The bushes this morning were quite productive with a few grounded migrants. The highlight were two Sedge Warblers, which were also joined by a Grasshopper Warbler, three Chiffchaff and three Whitethroat. In the reservoir field there were two Wheatears this morning, and during the afternoon three Wheatears flew high southwest, which may have been the same birds. 

  Finally, two days ago after a day of thick fog, a Hobby flew north, which is first here this year.

-Osprey

-Sedge Warbler

-Hobby

In total managed 48 species today, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S193914451

Shibden Park

Mandarin. I think it is an eclipse male because the bill is pink.

Soil Hill

  It has been a sluggish start to the Soil Hill autumn, with low migrants and shocking weather. Still, that was all forgotten about this morning when I added species number 125 to my Soil Hill life list with a cracking Reed Warbler at the bottom of the North Slope.

  The bird was typically elusive, but would occasionally show quite well, but only briefly meaning it was almost always too quick for my camera, with just a single reel of blurred photographs to show for it. It called occasionally too, but it was still difficult to keep track of where exactly the bird was at any specific time. 

  Otherwise just a low number of other migrants. Tree Pipit continues to be the saving grace of this autumn with four flying south or dropping in this morning. The first Snipe movement of the autumn was noticed this morning, with three flying southwest. 

-Reed Warbler

-Tree Pipit

In total managed 38 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S193035051

Ringstone Edge Scaup

My photos of this bird, which surfaced only briefly between dives, were taken with a pocket camera (x30) in fairly poor - though dry - conditions.  I need to say more to justify my ID, and to exclude Tufted Duck.

Photos 1 and 2 show the typical Scaup head shape: steep forehead and rounded rear crown with no tuft or 'bump'.

Photo 2 shows well that the black on the bill is confined to the nail. All Tufteds I have seen have more black on the bill than this.

The photos - especially 3 - show grey on the bird's back. In Tufted the pale(r) flank is sharply demarcated from the dark back.

The belly, visible as it dived, was 'dirty' white. I have only seen pristine white bellies on Tufteds.

That's it! Comments welcome. (I am disappointed that no-one has been willing to give an opinion on Nick's gull: the worst that can happen is that someone disagrees with what one has said).

Ringstone Edge

Scaup. Grey bill with black nail. Grey body - suggests male. Dived repeatedly, showing greyish white belly. The dives were long - perhaps a minute at a time - and between them the bird was mostly on the surface for only a few seconds. No other ducks were seen.

Lesser black-backed gull: adult with juvenile.

Cold Edge

Stonechat: 2m 2f

Soil Hill

  Yesterday morning I stumbled across at least two but possibly three Sedge Warblers in the same area, a location I normally don’t check intensively due to its proximity to the quarry works. The birds being together like this could suggest a successful breeding season on the Hill, but it's hard to be sure. Earlier in the spring a Sedge Warbler was singing on the 3^rd May, but sadly I had to leave the following day and have only been able to commit a few days to the Hill during the summer when I would have been able to check. On the 8^th May NK reported the bird still being present, so certainly held territory for a week. If the bird did move to the area where I found the birds today, then it could explain how they managed to evade all detection. 

  In addition, there were a few other nice birds to give it a classic Soil Hill autumn feel. Three Tree Pipits flew south during the two hours I was there. Other migrant totals were eight Willow Warblers, one Chiffchaff and eight Whitethroats. Whitethroat numbers were boosted by family groups rather than migrants and peaked at 14 individuals earlier in the week.  

-Sedge Warbler

In total managed 36 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S191388720

Gulls from Nick....

Any thoughts on these quite distant shots from Nick taken in mid/late July on the roof of the water board building at Pellon res'r. Adult Herring Gull on the first picture then possible Adult Yellow-legged Gull on the other shots - comments welcome.

Whiteholme

Another juvenile Wheatear. Orange margins to wing feathers.

A solitary Greylag Goose

Whiteholme

 Juvenile Wheatear almost moulted into 1st winter, but still with a scaly head

Younger juvenile Wheatear: margins of flight feathers still quite orange

Hebden Bridge

 Dipper

Whiteholme

 Wheatear juvenile

Lee Mount - 23rd July

Heard a commotion from Lesser Black-backed Gulls this afternoon. Looked up, high a Red Kite also being mobbed by a Sparrowhawk was a very nice surprise. It headed off towards Dean Clough / Halifax.

Ringstone Edge

Coot 1

Great Crested Grebe 2