After only arriving at Leeds/Bradford Airport late last night, it was a bit of a struggle to motivate myself to get up early and out to Soil Hill this morning, but it was well worth the effort. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning in superb birding conditions.
The highlight of the
morning was a distant Osprey that flew north at 07:55 up the Ogden valley,
before continuing over Thornton Moor Reservoir. This is my 7th Osprey
on Soil Hill, and my 5th in the Spring. With the additional two
birds reported across Calderdale later today, as well as the numerous birds last
week, this must already rank as one of the best springs ever for the species
locally?
There was not a huge
number of migrants around, with the last few Fieldfares still lingering
in the fields on Taylor Lane representing the winter species still hanging on.
Another winter species still present is Jack Snipe, with two individuals
seen today. This included a rather conspicuous individual that I was able to
spot before it got away, without using the thermal! Common Snipes were
also present, with a scan from the bottom of the North Slope revealing at least
four displaying birds. A Jay on Taylor Lane is always a good species to record for Soil Hill.
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