6th November

 A different Grey Plover from yesterday turned up today at Whiteholme. Always a special find - from AC and MH.

A drake Gadwall reported from Withens Clough, another good find in Calderdale (DJP)

Ogden Water produced 3 Mandarin Ducks, maybe arrived overnight and held there till the mist cleared this morning. Drake and 2 females (BS). I called there later in the morning but looked like they had gone. I also checked Soil Hill, as did NK who managed one more species than I did, a Kestrel. The fog came down as soon as I got up there and didn't clear ! 

Juvenile Whooper still on Mixenden Res'r.

News for 5th November

Grey Plover this morning at Whiteholme  but it left late morning. Also a decent move of Pink-footed Geese and Starlings and 3 flyover Great Black-backed Gulls and a 1st winter Caspian Gull. (AC and MH) Also later, a small flock of c20 Golden Plover this afternoon (JJL).

Cromwell Bottom - 3 Goldeneye earlier today (M Sh)

I tried Soil Hill late morning but generally drew a blank all round ! No sign of the Black Redstarts but who knows, they could still be in the vicinity.

Cold Edge

1cy Continental Cormorant, P c sinensis. Rear edge of yellow gular patch drops vertically from the gape

Mixenden and Ogden reservoirs

Mixenden - Whooper Swan - juvenile still present this afternoon and a single Cormorant.

Ogden - At least 16 Teal present late morning, 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Wigeon alongside the numerous Mallard. Also a Dipper down in the sluice.

Ryburn

4 Mandarin

Soil Hill

Been trying hard all year for Black Redstart but this mornings visit to Soil Hill paid off with two. Both first spotted at a distance catching insects on the walls along Ned Hill Road. Very mobile throughout though BS and NK turned up there at the right time ! BS got a few decent shots off with one on a roof to confirm identification. 

Both birds were very mobile ending up on walls near the turbines, then on the muddy summit and I left them around the mast around 11:45. I tried hard for some decent shots with the small camera and a 'dud' screen ! These are the best I could do of the juv? male. the other female type was more elusive though  more photos to check later.

Nothing else up there - but no matter as these were good enough. 

As far as I can recall only one (?) previous record in Calderdale this year at the end of July, from AC at Blackstone Edge/ Turvin Road.

Whiteholme res'r etc...

Pair of Pintail reported this morning from Whiteholme - dropped in mid-morning (MH)

Also earlier today a Little Egret flew up Colden Clough (SiB)

Cromwell Bottom etc

Checked the ski-lake as best we could this afternoon despite the limited viewing. A drake Goldeneye was a nice surprise towards the east end of the ski-lake. Also 3 drake Tufted Duck, 2 adult Herring Gulls, 20+ Black-headed Gulls,7 Common Gulls, 16+ Cormorants, Grey Heron, a Moorhen as well as usual Mallard. Failed to locate yesterdays Great-crested Grebe or Wigeon.

A Kingfisher was showing well catching fish and flying to and fro along the canal. Also a few Siskin high up in the Alders

Elsewhere JJL reported the Whooper Swan still present at Mixenden res'r this morning. Also 7 Whoopers arrived at Whiteholme mid morning consisting of the pair with 5 juveniles (MH). 2 more Whoopers present at Ringstone (LD, PD).

Mixenden res'r etc and Ogden

A small group of Whooper Swans were reported yesterday morning flying over Cold Edge (AR) around 10:30. Later in the day what appear as the same Whooper Swans had arrived at Mixenden res'r and photographed by NK. I called up at Mixenden this morning on the off chance they might have stayed overnight. Still there, 2 adults and 3 juveniles. Probably fresh in from their breeding grounds in Iceland. I felt encouraged that juveniles had survived the journey and made it safely to the UK.

Little else at Mixenden other than a few Black-headed Gulls and 2 Common Gulls.

I also checked Fly Flats - fantastic views in good light from the top road but very few birds - singles of Pied Wagtail, Kestrel, Red Grouse and a passing immature Common Gull.

Ogden this afternoon - managed to locate 1 Brambling in flight in a small Chaffinch flock though a larger Chaffinch flock, maybe 40+ birds got flushed by a male Sparrowhawk with the Chaffs disappearing over the trees so no chance to check for Bramblings. Plenty Mallard, a few Teal, 2 Tufted Duck, 1 female Wigeon, 1 female Goosander and 3 Canada Geese. All seemed to be feeding in the weedy shoreline.

Whiteholme

Whooper Swan 10. Flew off ESE

8 of 15 Golden Plover

Shibden Valley

Grey Wagtail

Whiteholme

Redshank 2

10 of 25 Golden Plover

Walshaw Dean

 A pleasant afternoon, overcast with no breeze, and the sunshine was limited to about half-a-minute.

A flock of 20+ Long-tailed Tits moved apace through the conifer plantation. Also a couple of Blackbirds in there as well as a Robin. 

Our main aim was to check out the spot,photo below, where the recent Siberian Stonechat had been seen, Plenty of Stonechats about along with a few Reed Buntings in one area of rock, stone walls and grass/heather on the east side of the lower reservoir. At one point 8 Stonechats were on a fence line with others in and out of the vegetation, all obviously feeding well. Difficult to get an accurate count though 15+ (maybe nearing 20 !). No sign of the Siberian bird. Could it still be nearby ?

Little else other than at least 3 Kestrels and 2 Buzzards en-route and a flock of around 40 Redwings passed >W. Also from Steve B were 15 noisy Fieldfares in the Sycamore trees.

Whiteholme

Raven 1. Flew off south

Also: 2 Ravens north at Blackstone Edge

Whiteholme Sunday morning

 A great morning to be out with fog in the valley's and swirling fog on the tops.

Pink-footed geese 525 all WSW in 6 skeins

Jackdaw 217 in one large noisy flock WSW

Whooper Swans 5 WSW

Also about Hen Harrier , Merlin, Buzzard , Kes , Mipits 86, Reed Bunting 16 , Widgeon 4 , Teal 1 and 1 Golden Plover on the shoreline

,

Siberian Stonechat (Maurus) Lower Walshaw Dean

 

Ryburn

 Mandarin 2 females (grey bills)

Whiteholme and Soil Hill

Whiteholme today from MH - in a strong blustery wind but good visibility.   A cracking start with 17 Stonechats along the long drain,. 2 Reed Buntings, female Merlin, 16 Golden Plover  and 41 Pink-footed Geese >W

Soil Hill for me - just on the summit. No sign of any moving birds in the drifting mist and light drizzle. Similar count from my previous visit with 9 Skylarks, c 30 Meadow Pipits, 1 Stonechat , 2 Grey Partridge and plenty Pheasants.

Beacon Hill

1 of a flock of 15 Mistle Thrush

Also: parties of 12 Greenfinch and 9 Goldfinch, and 1 female Chaffinch

North Halifax

 A struggle to find much today on Hunter Hill and Carr's Beck and nothing at all on Mixenden res'r other than a few 'loafing' Black-headed Gulls.

2 Pied Wagtails, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Stonechat, 1 Raven (heard) along with the usual corvids in abundance. c160 Woodpigeons flushed from the beech trees as the farmer was rounding up his flock of sheep.

Whiteholme Res'r

 Today's news from MH. Well done braving it out in the strong blustery wind ! 

41 Golden Plover, 47 Pink-footed Geese >W, 11 Meadow Pipits, 1 Raven, 1 Red Grouse and Whooper Swans heard but unseen in the mist.

Cold Edge

Tufted Duck male

Soil Hill - 1st October

It was grim up there early afternoon - compared with the lower ground. I made a mistake of wearing boots and not wellies. What a muddy mess - but did I enjoy it...YES !

It was very similar to the top as it was many years ago, it turned up some very good birds then. The site still does !!

After being scraped off this year in late summer it leaves bare earth more or less all over the top.

Despite the look of desolation I came across a few interesting birds that I hadn't expected in the conditions.

1 Stonechat, 9 Skylarks, 40+ maybe up to 50 Meadow Pipits consistently wary of the 2 Kestrels showing interest.

Also a Snipe flushed and 2 Buzzards drifted south.

Cold Edge

1 of 6 Teal

Reed Bunting, Stonechat, and Meadow Pipits

Stonechat and Magpie

North of England Raptor Forum

 **NERF Raptor Conference 15 November 25, £20 delegate fee for under 25s*

The status of the Red Kite in NE England John Barrett

A life with raptors Brian Etheridge

The North Pennines National Landscape Chris Woodley-Stewart

Raptors and the work of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel Mark Eaton

The life of Short-eared Owls John Calladine

Nomad; the world of the Pallid Harrier Mike Henry

The Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme Connor Tomlinson

The full programme and booking arrangements for delegates will be available via the NERF website (*www.raptorforum.co.uk)*

Cromwell Bottom

1cy Goosander, (white line below eye and through lores to bill)

Also, 1 Kingfisher

Whiteholme

Midday: Meadow Pipit 15, Wheatear 2, Carrion Crow 2, Goldfinch 2 (1 ad, 1 juv)

Soil Hill

   A pleasant morning on Soil Hill with very little activity overall but a few standouts. The highlight of these, for me at least, were two Ring-necked Parakeets that flew south early morning. These were a patch tick for me, my 132nd species for Soil Hill. 

  Perhaps of more rarity interest was a Great Egret circling over Ogden at 09:10, before heading northwards, my second record here. There was not the movement of Pink-footed Geese that there has been on previous mornings, probably due to the fog across the tops, but a large skein of 241 birds did fly over Halifax at 09:20.

-Ring-necked Parakeet

-Great Egret

-Pink-footed Geese

In total managed 46 species today, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S275511164

Trektellen count here; https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/767/20250926

Ringstone Edge

Teal 10

Arctic Skua

 

Seen today on the path to Whiteholme Reservoir at 17.10 ....Amazing

Soil Hill & Ringstone Edge Reservoir

  A steady morning on Soil Hill with little moving until 08:50 when all of a sudden the skies above Halifax were filled with Pink-footed Geese. In the following 20 minutes I saw five large skeins all heading southeast and picked up by various observers across the area. But after 09:10 I only had one more flock, a small group of 15, which brought the morning total up to 931 individual birds as counted from the, albeit distant, photos I took of the flocks. No skeins noted in the Aire Valley today, all the birds I saw were heading down the Calder Valley.

  

  After this I went to Ringstone to look at the excellent assortment of wildfowl there, found by AC. For me the highlights were the three drake Pochard, my first in Calderdale since 2008, but the 13 Wigeon, 12 Teal and a Shoveler made for quite a spectacle, at least locally. Nice to see AC, AT and PD up there as well. 

-Pink-footed Geese

-Pochard

In total managed 42 species today, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S275198635

Trektellen count here; https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/767/20250924

Cold Edge

(Autumn) female Stonechat with weak supercilium and pale throat

A quiet day.....!

Started off the day with 58 Pink-footed Geese over  Lee Mount as I was checking the moth trap. Not very clear photos, they were so high up heading east, but good enough for a count.

I tried the top road watch-points at Fly Flats this afternoon but it was hard work in the brightness reflecting off the water which has massively increased after Saturdays rainfall.

2 Kestrels, 2 Wheatear, 4+ Stonechats, c60 Goldfinch on the thistles and 14 Lapwings on the shoreline with LBBG's and Black-headed Gulls to and fro - and that was about it !

Pepper Hill, Claremount

An hour or so on the hill top there this afternoon.

Many of the fields had been freshly cut and long grass left in rows though I suspect after the very wet day on Sunday that the farmer had not had the right conditions to bale it up. The Meadow Pipits (100+), Skylark and  corvids were making the most of the abundance of food in among the rows in the warm sunshine.

3 Stonechats nearby, 40+ Goldfinch, and 30+Linnets were also making the most from the fence lines.

1 Sparrowhawk buzzed through as well as just the one Swallow and a Buzzard was calling from Shibden Valley.

Also along the nearby lanes 3 Small Copper butterflies and a Red Admiral.

Soil Hill

   Despite the cold conditions and northwesterly winds, it was a very enjoyable morning on Soil Hill. Not too many birds moving, with the exception of Pink-footed Geese. In total, I counted 1016 going southeast in 19 skeins between 07:30 and 09:30. Most of the birds were passing down the Aire Valley rather than the Calder Valley, but a few still entered Calderdale airspace. 

  A single Red Kite heading southwest was the best of the rest, with a light scattering of 33 Swallows and 6 House Martins heading south. Along Taylor Lane I picked out a late Whinchat on the dry-stone walls.

-Pink-footed Geese

-Red Kite

-Whinchat

In total managed 52 species today, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S274611304

Trektellen count here; https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/767/20250921

Soil Hill

  After yesterday's brilliant morning with 1022 Meadow Pipits, 249 Swallows and 78 House Martins going south, today was something of a crash back to earth. Minimal movement this morning, presumably as a result of the thick low cloud base, since otherwise wind conditions seemed similar to yesterday. 

  

  A few birds around this morning, notably the first Song Thrushes of the autumn, with two south and a third in the North Slope Tree-Line. The Grey Partridges remain off Perseverance Road, and two Ravens flew over. A scattering of finches, hirundines and pipits flew south during the morning, but no notable counts. 

  The morning was salvaged by a surprise Grasshopper Warbler at the bottom of the North Slope. It flushed from an area of thick grass, but being such a late record, I followed the bird, hoping to get some photos. Fortunately, with a little encouragement, the bird came out of the bush it had descended into and showed reasonably nicely, tacking loudly the whole time. 

  My previous latest Grasshopper Warbler at this site was on 5th September 2022, so today marks my latest by exactly two weeks. Thanks to feedback from AC and DJS, it seems this is the latest Halifax record, but I'm happy to be corrected on that front. Certainly not what I expected this morning. 

-Grasshopper Warbler

In total managed 43 species today, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S274171232

Trektellen count here; https://www.trektellen.org/count/view/767/20250919