Whiteholme

 

Whiteholme

                                             Record shot of distant Osprey sat on fence post in the middle of the moor

  1 x Osprey sat on the fence post for 10 minutes before  heading off south west

31 x Ringed Plover

2 x Curlew Sandpiper 

1 x Little Stint

3 x Dunlin

1 x Snipe 

2 x  Kestrel

4 x Swallow

1 x Wheatear

2 x Teal 

2 x Raven

60 + Meadow Pipit , small groups heading south throughout morning 

Andy Huyton and Cockroft

Ogden

1cy Continental Cormorant, P c sinensis

Tufted Duck 2

Whiteholme continues..............to 11th Sep

Late news from AC

9 Bar-tailed Godwit and  2 Turnstone -didn't stay long yesterday.

2 Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stint still today (MH)

Whiteholme Reservoir

   Headed up to Whiteholme Reservoir late morning to try to see the juvenile Curlew Sandpiper found earlier by MH. The bird was still present when I arrived, but feeding distantly with a large flock of Ringed Plovers in the northeast corner of the reservoir. Fortunately, the whole group decided to come closer not long after, but it was a shock that when the flock landed, there were not one but two juvenile Curlew Sandpipers standing next to each other!

  Sadly they did not stay long before returning to the far shoreline, with all the waders being quite mobile throughout the morning. It was not until another hour had passed that the birds came close again, this time close enough to allow for some photos to be taken. Curlew Sandpiper was a new species for me in Calderdale.

  In addition to the two Curlew Sandpiper, the juvenile Little Stint remained present but it never came close. A solitary Dunlin was also present, alongside my best count of 18 Ringed Plover. A Wheatear was also running on the exposed shoreline. Great to see AC, PD, LD, MH & SH all present as well. 

-Curlew Sandpiper

-Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin & Ringed Plover

In total managed 15 species today, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S272544834

Whiteholme

Early start for MH this morning was well worth the effort with the Little Stint still present along with a newly arrived juvenile Curlew Sandpiper. Brilliant birding.

Also from yesterday 5 Crossbill flew over (BL)

Canada Goose IAD

This bird with the orange neckband, seen at Ringstone Edge on 6 September, was banded as an adult male on 9/7/22 at Scorton, near Catterick, North Yorks.

I mentioned the Euring website on 6 Sept as the place to track down a colour ringed bird. This was not exact enough. One needs to go to: cr-birding.org - and click 'Find a colour-ring project': then enter the details and click 'Apply'.

Whiteholme res'r

A good day today for MH in finding a Little Stint - a scarce wader for Calderdale - always a good find and in this case persistence payed off !

Shortly afterwards joined by AC they manage an Osprey passing over late morning. 

More waders on the shoreline included 23 Ringed Plover and a Dunlin along with a Shelduck and 13 Teal.

We headed up there in the afternoon in the wake of PD, LD then later with DJB. Stint still showing well near the NE island, always with the Ringed Plover flock and single Dunlin though they were very wary and ended up on the distant shoreline leaving them impossible without the scope. Also present 1 Golden Plover and 2 Snipe with a Wheatear on the rocks and Shelduck and 13 Teal still present.

A good afternoon all round.

Earlier in the day a cream crowned Marsh Harrier was reported moving through Rishworth Moor and shortly after one was over Scammonden (AC) - possibly the same bird on it's travels.

Ringstone Edge

Continental Cormorant, P c sinensis.

'European Birds' by Hume et al (Princeton University Press) explains how the shape of the yellow gular skin usually tells which subspecies a bird belongs to. This skin is pointed on P c carbo, and squarer on most P c sinensis.

This is because of the angle between the gape and the rear edge of the gular skin. For this angle the ranges given are: carbo 30-72 degrees, sinensis 66-111 degrees. (A few birds in and around the overlap zone cannot be assigned to subspecies.)

PS: I've had a response from the BTO about the Canada Goose with a neckband seen two days ago. It is not one of the Norfolk birds. I've now been asked to send my photos to someone at WWT Slimbridge.

Soil Hill

  First day back and first morning on Soil Hill of the autumn produced a very nice patch tick in the form of this Mediterranean Gull, which flew south with the steady stream of Black-headed Gulls, my 131st species for Soil Hill. From the photos, it appears to have small dark edges to the wingtips, so I suspect this bird is a 2cy. The white plumage stood out a mile from the other gulls moving. Sadly I lost it behind the hill, but it did not appear to go down on Ogden.

  Steady trickle of Swallows going south, with 76 counted in several small bursts. At least nine Chiffchaffs in the bushes, and a Lesser Redpoll flew south calling. 

-Mediterranean Gull

 In total managed 43 species today, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S271942912

Trektellen count here; https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/767/20250907

Ringstone Edge

This Canada Goose with black letters IAD on an orange neckband was here today. I've sent details to an email address at the BTO, that I found on the Euring (European colour-ring birding) website. The website says that birds with these colours, and letters, were banded in Norfolk. If I get to hear when the bird was banded, I'll put this on the blog.

Ringstone

No sign of the recent Caspian Gulls at Ringstone this afternoon despite an extensive search, in good light, checking through the mass of gulls on there again, with AC. Mostly Black-headed and Lesser Black-backs with a very small number of Common Gulls in-among.

Also 6 Ringed Plover, 2 Golden Plover on the shore (+ 55 in the field), 6 Teal, 4 Shelduck, 2 Great Crested Grebe and a Cormorant along with several Mallard and Tufted Duck and a mobile number of Lapwings.

Ringstone

 Ringstone has had very few waders this autumn so far but is getting a lot of gulls..There has been an Adult summer , 3 x   2 Cy Caspian Gulls on the shoreline. Mid -afternoon seems to be the best time , 2 Little Egrets dropped in for about 10 minutes yesterday. 1 Swift on the 1st .

Lee Mount etc - 2nd September

Started off well this morning with a decent flock of  25+ House Martins over the trees in Shroggs Park. Time to watch out for Swifts - then 4 appeared, generally feeding higher than the martins. Always good to get Swifts in September as they are certainly 'early leavers'. Also 3 Swallows.

Best I could do with a Swift  (the sunshine on its underparts)

Most frustratingly, a distant falcon was hawking insects high up towards Boothtown. I watched it for a good few moments but failed to get firm identification so will have to let that one go.

Later, I tried Swales Moor, on the top. No visible migration other than 33 Lesser Black-backed Gulls with 2 adult Herring Gulls drifting >S along the ridge and 15 Meadow Pipits and 3 Swallows in the same direction.

Cold Edge

Little Grebe

Scaup juvenile. Observed in Force 3 breeze, (which has lifted some nape feathers). Dives mostly were for 25 - 30 seconds.

Luddenden Foot etc

8 Swifts and c30 House Martins high over the woodland just beyond the railway. Then 6 Grey Wagtails alongside the river and canal. Also a Chiffchaff singing.

Whiteholme from MH - 8 Ringed Plover and 2 Common Sandpipers.

Whiteholme - 26th August

Quite a breezy afternoon but warm and bright sunshine.

Started off well with a Whinchat on the fence near the small parking spot on Turvin Road.

Whinchat

The prospect for finding the recent waders looked disappointing with disturbance on the shoreline. Let's try the NE corner, still no waders though 5 Wheatear and a few Meadow Pipits were feeding off the big rocks and the shoreline foam.

A single Greenshank flushed from one of the ponds but dropped in again well out of sight behind the vegetation. Three Ravens went high and a few Swallows headed into the wind and over the moor.

Whiteholme

Grey Wagtail

Greenshank (Thanks MH)

Snipe

Peregrine and Kestrel (I'd wondered why all the waders suddenly vanished)

Also: Common Sandpiper 1, Dunlin 2, Ringed Plover 2, Wheatear 4

Todays news - 23rd August

Common Redstart on the fence line along Back Lane, Ogden this afternoon. Also Swallows in abundance around Ogden's Giants Tooth/ Ovenden Moor with juveniles crowding the fence lines and feeding frency with Black-headed Gulls above them on the emerging insects.

Little Grebe at Lower Gorple (JS)

2 Yellow Wagtails briefly at Ringstone (PD LD)

Latest news - Whiteholme Res'r

From yesterday BL and MH. 

Persistence pays off !

1 Wood Sandpiper, 30 Ringed Plover, 8 Dunlin and a juv Greenshank

Todays update from Whiteholme - 23rd August

32 Ringed Plover, 11 Dunlin and 5 Greenshank (MH)

Withens Clough

We did a reservoir circuit this afternoon. A little breezy, cooler than of late and very pleasant to be out and about. Always checking last years Black Redstart spots, but no luck on that score and no Stonechats today.

Swallows still busy around the barn and Goldfinches nearby on the thistles with a Wheatear working the stone walls.

Masses of shoreline, never seen it so low, not a sign of any waders that we were hoping for. 

1 Tufted Duck, c15 Mallard, c130 Canada Geese and a real surprise in the small silt trap pond at the top of the res'r was an adult Little Grebe. 4 Black-headed Gulls and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on the shore and 2 Kestrels working the ridge.

Just one butterfly, a Wall Brown was a surprise on a dandelion flower.

Carr's Beck and Hunter Hill

This morning there were 2 Common Redstarts showing, very briefly, in the hedge. Adult male and the other looked like a juvenile male. I waited a good while but they did not re-appear though there is lots of suitable habitat on the edge of the golf course.

Along Hunter Hill there were c100 hirundines in the shelter of the valley. Mostly Swallows with lots of juveniles on the fence lines. Also maybe 20 or so House Martins. Difficult, well impossible, to get an accurate count.

Also a single Curlew arrived and landed briefly on the hill then headed off high >E calling.

Todmorden area - 20th August

Welcome information and sightings from MC yesterday

A Whinchat with Stonechats near Lower Hawk Stones Farm and a Yellow Wagtail in field just above Greenhurst  Hay Farm. Both places in a circular Bridestones walk. 

Scarce records for Mick this year and for Calderdale and very much appreciated for the records. Habitats up there looking promising for a number of scarce Calderdale species.

Thanks Mick - greatly appreciated the records came to us thanks to BS.

Beacon Hill

Whitethroat 1.  Also:--

Fly Flats

Just got there in  time to view BS's Turnstone which appears to have arrived in the mist up there this morning along with Ringed Plover and a Redshank. Managed to scope the bird from the top road. It was associating with a single Ringed Plover far out on the mud - then I lost it just as AC arrived. Tried hard to re-find it but there are masses of shoreline and had to give it up after another hours search. 

In the meantime another wader turned up - so distant that AC legged it down to the north track and managed to get a photo clear enough to confirm a Golden Plover - a scarce bird up here nowadays.

Turnstone only my third record for Calderdale in the last 10 years, all singles at Fly Flats  7/5/15 and 12/8/19.

This afternoon at Ogden the best bird was a Kingfisher down in the sluice looking for fish in the pond.

Ogden Water and golf course.

Found very little this morning around the res'r  -  went to check for waders given the very low water levels and exposed shoreline. No waders but the gathering of gulls continues with c100 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 8 adult Herring Gulls, 4 adult Common Gulls and 20+ Black-headed Gulls. Woodland very quiet. 

A Spotted Flycatcher was good to see in one of the golf course gully's catching fly's from the tops of rowans. Another Spotted Flycatcher was in Carrs Beck along with a striking male Common Redstart. A family group of 5 Whitethroat were enjoying the feast in blackberry bushes. Willow Warblers and Blackcap were flitting about in the hawthorn bushes with a few Linnets and Goldfinch nearby. Plenty Swallows about but no sign of any Swifts today.

A drake Common Scoter was at Fly Flats - thanks to BS.

Scammonden area

 

A few hours this morning with JB  produced , 2 Spot Fly , 1 Redstart , 9 Stonechat , Blackcap 7 , Whitethroat 9 , Willow Warbler 11 , Chiffchaff 17 + , Whimbrel calling heading s/w , + Green + GS Woodpecker , Nuthatch , Bullfinch 5 , Sprwk etc..

Blackstone Edge

Ringed Plover 1 juvenile. Head and breast markings brown

Dunlin 1 juvenile. The plain head is striking

Ringed Plover 6 adults

Wheatear 1

Kestrel female

Withens Head - 7th August.

 Just a check for Black Redstart but drew a blank there at this occasional, yet traditional migrant stop !

2 each of Wheatear, Stonechats, Kestrels, Swallows and Pied Wagtails late afternoon.

Shibden Valley

50 House Martins, (plus 5 Swallows - 3 ad, 2 juv). The outstretched wing in the close-up is brown, ageing the bird as juvenile.

Blackstone Edge

Little Egret 2. Flew west at 1045

Shibden Park

2 adult Little Grebes

Ogden Water - 5th Aug.

  This afternoon - not a lot that I wouldn't expect.

1 Great Crested Grebe - looked from a distance like an adult in winter plumage

c110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 85% adults with lots to and fro to bathe, rest and preen.

3 adult Herring Gulls, 2 adult Common Gulls and around 30+ Black-headed Gulls.

2 Cormorants, pair Bullfinch, 3 Willow Warblers and 1 Sparrowhawk hunting low along the perimeter footpaths.

Beacon Hill

Little Owl: 2 juveniles

Blackstone Edge

Stonechat juvenile

Hebden Water

2 Dippers, 200m apart