Shibden Park

 2 Common Sandpipers

Ringstone Pochard

 Not a rare bird but a single Pochard at Ringstone Edge res this aft was a Calderdale tick for me 

Ogden

 Grey Wagtail

Hebden Bridge

 Singing Nuthatch and nest hole

Ogden

 This is my first Willow Warbler this year

Ogden

 Tufted Duck pair

Ogden

 Chiffchaff

Fly Flats

A stormy, blustery afternoon with heavy showers forecast tempted a look for any terns moving through this upland site. Nothing moving at all though from the top road I did manage to scope a Ringed Plover and my first for the year with two male Wheatears trying to hide behind a wall from an oncoming downpour.

Similar forecast for tomorrow might be worth checking local reservoirs for passing terns / gulls (?)

Cromwell Bottom

I paid an early visit to the east end of the site this morning. Mainly to check the ski-lake and lagoon for signs of migrants.

Lots of hirundines feeding both low down over the ski-lake and at times going high en-mass, obviously after a movement of insects. Really difficult to get anywhere near an accurate count with such mobile movements. I estimated 80+ probably with ratio somewhere around 30+ Sand Martins, 30+ Swallows and 20+ House Martins. The only other sign of movement were 2 B H Gulls and a single L B b Gull all >W.

One Willow Warbler singing as well as two Blackcaps and another pair together near the lagoon. Chiffchaff seemed to be all over the place.

Withens Clough Res'r - 6th April

Still pretty cool breeze up there this morning. Not a lot about.

2 drake Goldeneye and 6 Goosander (all red-heads) 

A few Reed Buntings, Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits, 2 Skylarks along with a passing Oystercatcher and 2 Curlew.

High Royd - 5th April

Dismal drizzly weather today. I tried High Royd S T W. It's about a mile west along the canal from Sowerby Bridge though viewing is restricted. Thought the weather might have been favourable for a few hirundines above the filter beds. Lots of construction work going on at the site so it was a bit disappointing. Not a sign of any Swallows or Martins. Carrion Crows - got to 72 they all spooked. 4 Grey Wagtails and 20+ Pied Wagtails along with a single Moorhen was the best I could do.

Several Chiffchaff singing out, was the only warbler.

Flyovers heading west 1 Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant and an adult Herring Gull

That was about it along with some of the usual species..

Lee Mount - 3rd April

Swan species

Three flew high over the house >NW at  15:50 in bright sunlight, they looked fantastic. No call heard though I suspect they were Whoopers, but could not be sure. They were moving pretty quickly and I just managed to get the bins on them but still unsure of 100% identification. Someone else might have picked them out further north or north west. They were heading generally in the direction of Mixenden or Ogden maybe or they may have just gone straight through given the favourable conditions.

Earlier in a day a Red Kite passed over, even giving a call, which drew my attention to it around 10:50. It disappeared very quickly behind the houses looking as if heading maybe towards Beacon Hill ?

Soil Hill & Whiteholme Reservoir

 Nice to be out on such a beautiful morning, feels like the first real day of spring. First called up at Soil Hill during the morning, before checking in Whiteholme Reservoir around lunchtime.

• The Soil Hill highlight came during the mid-afternoon when driving back over the Hill. Nice White Wagtail on the Perseverance Road manure pile. The strong light did not help, but the contrast between the nape and back was still striking. The rump also good, although I only got one proper look at it. The pattern on the face is certainly odd, with the apparent black line running along the lores.

• Just two Teal on the NK Pond. Wonder if birds have started to move off to their breeding grounds.

• Steady gull passage this morning, with 19 Herring Gull, 8 Lesser Black-backed and a single Common Gull heading northeast. A single Black-headed Gull flew south. 

In total managed 43 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S132454561

-White Wagtail

Whiteholme was enjoyable, with a few different species on offer, although mostly common species for the site. 

• A drake Common Scoter was dozing in the centre of the reservoir. It did not wake up for the entire time I was there.

-Common Scoter

In total managed 16 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S132461008

Halifax 1st April

Another Osprey sighting for Calderdale . One flew over Well Head mid -morning soon after 10 am heading in the direction of King Cross. Well done and many thanks to PL - right place right time !

Cromwell Bottom

This morning in the mist and drizzle.

c40 Sand Martins and c12 Swallows over the eastern end of the ski-lake and around the riverside Avocet buildings. Generally feeding high up rather than low down over the water. This was around 10;30 though most of them had disappeared for me by 11:30. Perhaps they had moved on as the mist lifted or they were somewhere else around the site depending on the rising insects !

Always nice to get Swallows in March as we seem to do nowadays.

10 Teal on the lagoon and lots of Chiffchaff singing.

 we are holding a meeting with the intention of forming a calderdale birdwatchers club on thursday april 20th starting at 7-30,in the new cabin at cromwell bottom nature reserve.this meeting is open to anyone with an interest in birdwatching,and we would welcome ideas going forward. 

Whiteholme

 The first Greylag Goose I've seen here this year

Also there are 4 pairs of Canada Geese here, and 7 pairs of Canadas at Blackstone Edge

Soil Hill

 An excellent morning on Soil Hill, in very pleasant birding conditions. Good to see the swan migration continuing into today as well. 

• In total from my vantage point on the Hill I had five flocks of Whooper Swans. Thanks to everyone who put out messages, I only missed BSs flock over Stoodley Pike. All counts I got from photos, but for most I was quite distant so could have got it wrong. In total, from my counts, I got 321 Whoopers, a phenomenal count, albeit two flocks did not enter Calderdale!

08:35	Got up from roost on Ogden, initially heading south before turning back north	59
08:40	Got up from Mixenden, just after the Ogden birds & headed north	38
08:55	PGs flock went north up the Calder Valley as it appeared from where I was, my count is from photos but happy to be corrected	134
09:10	A distant flock went north up the Aire Valley. Very distant, so if anyone closer got a better count that would be great.	42
09:20	The final flock also went up the Aire Valley. Again distant, so if anyone closer got a better count that would be great.	48

• Still seven Teal on the NK Pond, with four drakes

• Small group of three Goldcrest in the Entrance Copse

In total managed 43 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S131944946

-Whooper Swans

-Goldcrest

Whiteholme

 My third Oystercatcher here this year

Mixenden Reservoir

After a morning on Soil Hill, I had just got home to ACs message about incoming Whooper Swans. I failed to pick them up flying over Soil Hill, once I had driven back up, but from the vantage point, could see some Swans on Mixenden Reservoir, so headed down.

• From the photos I took of the flock, I click-counted 112 Whooper Swans on the reservoir itself, with an additional flock of 56 that continue north and dropped onto Ogden. These are presumably all the birds that AC had north over Shibden. A brilliant spectacle! 

• A single drake Common Scoter was also on the reservoir when I arrived 

• A Red Kite flew south high up at 12:30. Sounds like there has been a few Kite sightings around Halifax today

In total I managed 25 species in an hour at the reservoir, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S131838914

Also on Soil Hill during the morning, a single Jack Snipe, 7 Teal and 2 Wheatear

-Whooper Swans

-Red Kite

-Common Scoter