2009 Report

Nick Dawtery has received several reports of Hobby in 2009. If you can send in a description to Nick for these birds seen that would be a big help. Thank you.

Just a reminder too if you have any Calderdale bird photos taken in 2009 then please send in to Nick to consider which ones to include in the report.

Cyprus campaign

As a few folk are looking at heading to Cyprus for some Mediterranean birding this spring, I thought the article below was somewhat pertinent. All such campaigns need our help, please support them. http://migration.wordpress.com/about/against-ambelopoulia/ I've also just embedded a CABS video on thebaldibis chanel, showing their activities on Cyprus last spring. http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaldIbis#p/c/BBBC987E413B4A5C/13/Y_zdDBAp6cI

Ringby Lane (Swales Moor) and Ogden

Still 17 Skylark at Swales this morning along with 1 Sparrowhawk high >W and 2 Grey Partridge.

Another single Skylark high >N over Ploughcroft

Couldn't find much at Ogden - 60%+ of the res'r frozen again.
The feral type Barnacle Goose and and it's frendly Canada Goose are at Mixenden Res'r.

Mankinholes and Lumbutts

104 Fieldfares in field at Middle Stoodley
Great Spotted Woodpecker at Strait Hey
Pheasant by the Pennine Way at London Road
c. 65 Starlings at Broad Carr
Greylag Goose at Lee Dam (first I've seen here), also 5 Goosander and a Moorhen
18 Wood Pigeons at Mankinholes Tops
There seemed to be Great Tits singing everywhere this morning.

Bradley Hall Farm

Does anyone know the address of the landowner at BHF? Dave Tattersley has offered to take over the Yellowhammer feeding "duties" from Sean J but has requested we obtain written permission first.

Busy feeders, Jumble Hole

The feeders are busy at the moment. Long tailed tits are in the foreground here, with GS woodpecker in the background. Haven't had any siskins at all this year though.

Ringby Lane (Swales Moor)

18 Skylarks there this morning
100+ Carrion Crows

Excel recording spreadsheet

Now available from me at midgleybirder@yahoo.co.uk

Ringby Lane (Swales Moor)

14 Skylarks on the manure field at Swales Moor this morning
Also 1 Skylark over Ploughcroft high >NE
4 Herring Gull >W
2 Sparrowhawks and 1 Kestrel over

Ringby Lane (Swales Moor) and Ogden

Ringby Lane
Nothing moving, although it was quite misty up there this morning
5 Skylark and 1 male Reed Bunting on the top.

2 Little Owls and 3 Stock Dove at Ploughcroft

Ogden
Syke Lane;
c230 Pink-footed Geese >NW (c110 at 11.50 and c120 at 12.00)
12 Lapwings >S at 11.45
c80 Fieldfare
c120 Starling

Stodfold;
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Stock Dove
White Carrion Crow near the top of Field Head Lane (1st sighting for around 2 years)!
c90 Starling
Herring Gull 1 >W

BTO Atlas

Withens Clough (West) SD92R
I always set off with high hopes when visiting Withens Clough Res, only to have them cruelly dashed when not much turns up - so no change this morning. A couple of Chaffinches, a Robin, a Crow and a Pheasant were all I had until I flushed a Red Grouse while walking over Red Dykes Flat. Nice sunny day though.

More exciting stuff in the afternoon when I was working in the garden - first a male Sparrowhawk landed on the garden wall and seemed to be eyeing up the feeders in next door's garden and took off in that direction about 10 seconds later. Then a Raven flew over the field going NE, and I heard one about an hour later in the direction of Stoodley Pike - probably the same bird.

A single Brambling, 3 Redpolls, 11 Goldfinches, 5 Greenfinches and 3 Chaffinches gave the garden a bit of life before the Sparrowhawk arrived and only Goldfinches came back after that.

A brief glimpse of a badger in the back garden this evening rounded off a good day.

Ogden

4 Crossbills reported there this morning (BS) flew in the direction of 'Giants Tooth'

Soyland

5 Herring Gulls and 2 L B B Gulls >W mid afternoon heading over towards Blackstone Edge
Red Grouse calling on the moor and 1 Brown Hare
2 Stock Doves at Flints plantation

Ringstone Edge Res'r

1 Shelduck still there late afternoon along with 6 Goosander.
c50 lapwings and 35 Golden Plover in the field

Heads Up fo Waxwings

Waxwings are moving outside the area, so keep an eye out for them at the usual hot spots.......Hopefully, the fieldfares and redwings haven't scoffed all the berries.

Descriptions Wanted

Nick D. has asked me to put a request out for descriptions needed for 2009. They are for Honey Buzzard seen in Northowram in September, Marsh Tit at Ogden in September and for Med Gull at Soil Hill in January. Would the parties concerned please pass them on to Nick at halifaxbirders(at)connectfree(dot)co(dot)uk.
Also, Nick currently has no records at all for Yellow Wagtail in 2009. If anyone has Yellow Wag sitings for 2009 could they pass them on.

Warley Road Park, Wainstalls, Cold Edge

A brief soiree around Warley Road park this afternoon failed to unearth any Brambling. Several chaffinches kicking about, (mainly males), blue tits, collared doves, robin, wren, carrion crows...usual suspects. Plenty of snowdrops for the botanists amongst you.
Next met up with ND and headed to Cold Edge via Wainststalls. 6 chaffinch and a Greenfinch at Wainstalls (no Bramblings at this historic site).
Cold Edge turned up a Greylag, a Grey Heron, 2 Common Gulls, a Goosander and 30 Fieldfares.

S.......No Bunting

Following the text message of an earlier sighting by IG of a Snow Bunting on Bradford Old Road, south of the ski slope, I got tooled up and headed on up there. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to relocate the bird, but did get some nice footage of a Green Woodpecker foraging on waste ground just round the corner on Claremont Road. A Little Owl was also present near the ski slope. Other than that, just the odd House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Woodpidgeon, Magpie and Starling......and a Kestrel.

BTO Atlas

Town Centre tetrad (SE02X)
2 hour count - highlights!
1 Dipper, 3 Grey Wagtails, 2 Grey Herons all in Dean Clough/North Bridge area around the Hebble Brook
250 Feral Pigeons
89 Mallard in Peoples Park
10 House Sparrows and 13 Starlings (and that was a struggle)!

Ringby Lane (Swales Moor)

6 Skylark
1 male Reed Bunting
7 Stock Doves
80 Carrion Crows

2009 Report

Final call for any outstanding Calderdale records for 2009 to Nick Dawtrey as urgent please. Please send them in to Nick by post (rather than email, which is not working) on paper or disk.

Also if anyone has photos taken in 2009 - to include in the next report please also send them on a disk for consideration for inclusion.

Your records are important!

Thank you too to everyone who has already submitted their records for the report which is now in the process of collating.

Bird food

The recently set up Tree Sparrow project based at Jay House Lane will be purchasing some seed in the near future, we intend to use our negotiated discount with CJ Wildbird foods, now would be a good time for anyone wanting seed to add their requirements to the order. I will be checking the stocks of Yellowhammer feeding station seed with Sean J this weekend and will probably also purchase Nyger for the spring twite feeding stations. Please let me know if you have any orders. The relevant section of the CJ website is at http://www.birdfood.co.uk/products.php?area_id=2&nav_id=22&CJWSESSID=6e8f5956816bbcefe057b6d02fc80352

Hybrid Tufted Duck x ?

This individual has been on the canal at EGP for a week at least, I would think it is probably an escape or either a descendant of one, as it is associating with Mallard and doesn't seem all that concerned with passers-by.



One half of its genetic make-up has obviously been provided by a Tufted Duck and the other half is open to conjecture, green iridescent head and fine vermiculations on the body are obvious even on this digiscoped image, Scaup maybe?

Very little else of note around for the past week really, so I have attached a few record shots (as they say) of a few species which very rarely appear on this blog.

8 Stock Dove which I think are underrated and most likely under recorded were present today nearby late afternoon.



Little Owl trying its best to merge into its surroundings also close by.



Adult Herring Gull which I have seen on and off at EGP since 21 January. In addition at least 4 different LBB Gull have been spending a fair bit of time around here



And finally a photo of a male Yellowhammer looking a little lonely, taken this morning at Bradley Hall Farm (my first sighting of this species this year here) just before a snow shower came through.

Hopefully regular distribution of seed (if it can be arranged) might encourage a build up in numbers at this site.

RSPB Petition

The RSPB are currently petitioning Dr Lawrence Gonzi, Prime Minister of Malta to resist pressure coming from the hunting lobby to defy EU legislation and open a Spring hunting season in Malta. Spring hunting is illegal throughout the EU and Malta should abide by EU legislation. Please follow to the link below and sign the petition.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/illegalkilling/index.asp

Westborough Drive

A Brambling on our garden fence this morning - the first we have seen here. It flew off into Warley Road park - which we adjoin. There were some Chaffinches around so may have been in a mixed party.
There was also a small (10-15) party of Redwings (which we get often) in the park. As we watched a large flock of geese flew over (c.100 perhaps - not much good at estimating numbers), going roughly westwards in more or less a V formation. I presume they were Pink-footed geese.

Elland GP

Redpoll - 1 of 8 birds near the canalside car park this afternoon along with 18 Siskin and 2 Goldfinch.
20+ Siskin also near Brookfoot end along with 1 Nuthatch singing

Ski Lake;
20 Goosander
3 Goldeneye (1 drake)
2 drake Pochard
2 pairs of Tufted Duck
1 G C Grebe
11 Cormorant
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Mute Swans on the fishing pond

Copley

An excellent garden tick for Gordon today with a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker trying to open oak apples.

Luddenden Dean

Wade Wood

This afternoon;

2 Grey Heron

1 Nuthatch - Jerusalem Farm feeders

1 Little Owl calling in the dean

103 Fieldfare heading towards Cold Edge

Halifax Town Centre

c40 big Gulls >NNW in front of Beacon Hill at 9.0 am heading over towards Swales Moor
1 Sparrowhawk hunting over Sainsbury's

Ogden

Drake Pintail found today by NK. A very good find as the last record at Ogden was 30/08/01.

Ringstone wind turbine plans blow up again

Following the original (rejected) planning application to build a 15m wind turbine in a field adjacent to Ringstone (appl ref. 09/00786/FUL) the applicant has now amended his plans and resubmitted (appl ref. 09/01765/FUL). If anyone wishes to view and comment on these please do so via the Council's website at http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/environment/planning/search-applications/planapps.jsp?app=09%2F01765%2FFUL&Search=Search

Cormorant id (Not that easy!)

Not wishing to dispute anything that has already been said regarding this subject on the blog but to try and clarify a number of points I have copied the following article by Julian Hughes which I feel is probably as good as it gets when trying to id which Cormorant species you are looking at in the local area:

Reliable characteristics

Accurately differentiating the subspecies is extremely difficult, and there is some confusion about reliable characteristics. Several of the criteria that we have employed in recent years are no longer as dependable as they were.


Size

P.c.sinensis is, on average, smaller than P.c.carbo, but there is much overlap and significant differences between male and female in each subspecies. In the field, dimensions are usually irrelevant.


Plumage colour

Some older field guides suggest that the plumage of P.c.sinensis has a green gloss and P.c.carbo is blue/purple, but this has now been largely discounted. The colour appears to be dependent on the stage of the reproductive cycle: the green on P.c.sinensis becomes bluish once birds start to incubate.


White head

White feathering (filoplumes) on the head has been suggested as an identification criteria, but this too is unreliable. Both subspecies acquire white heads prior to breeding, with some evidence that older birds have whiter heads. As an illustration, in a colony in coastal France comprised entirely of P.c.carbo, 92% of early breeders had white head feathers, while none of the later breeders showed this feature. The white head fades from egg-laying onwards, so while P.c.sinensis may average more white filoplumes at its peak than P.c.carbo, this is not a reliable character since it is dependent on the stage of breeding. Perhaps one reason why it has been tempting to record white-headed birds at inland sites as P.c.sinensis is because only a proportion of birds in any breeding colony show the characteristic. However, we now know that in the UK, inland colonies have a longer breeding season than coastal colonies, with the first eggs laid in February. Thus, breeding inland is much less synchronous than on the coast, so proportionally fewer birds have white heads at any point in the season. Inland, birds that start the breeding season with white feathering have either lost it or left the area by early April.


Gular pouch

The yellow-orange area of skin at the base of the lower mandible (the gular pouch) dissipates heat from the cormorant’s body. More than a decade ago, Per Alström suggested that the gular pouch is a different shape on the two subspecies, but only recently has this has been critically assessed. Using skins of known subspecies, Stuart Newson has shown that the angle of the gular pouch is a reliable character for assigning the majority of birds to subspecies.






Measured as per the illustration, reproduced from Newson (2000), Great Cormorants with a gular pouch angle of less than 65 degrees are P.c.carbo (A), while those greater than 76 degrees are P.c.sinensis (B). Individuals with a gular pouch angle of 66-75 degrees (which account for around 10% of birds studied in the hand) cannot be reliably identified, perhaps because they are hybrids. It appears that the gular pouch angle is smallest (c.45 degrees) in P.c.carbo birds at the northern edge of the range, in Greenland, and greatest (c.110 degrees) in P.c.sinensis at the eastern end of the range, in China. British birders, at the southern end of P.c.carbo and the western end of P.c.sinensis, thus have a unique identification challenge!

Field identification
Of course, field conditions are very different to measuring the gular pouch in the laboratory (on dead birds!), so even observers with considerable experience of this feature find it difficult to determine the subspecies of every individual. Great Cormorants spend a great deal of time perched, so there are plenty of opportunities to assess the gular pouch, but it usually takes a while before an individual bird holds its head at 90 degrees to its body and in good profile to the observer. Having spent many hours watching Great Cormorants through a telescope inland in the UK, where both subspecies are known to occur regularly, I would suggest that, unless supported by colour-ring data, records of P.c.sinensis in Britain are unreliable on the basis of field sighting alone unless the gular pouch is at the ‘extreme’ end of the range (i.e. 90 degrees or greater).



In my opinion even the photo I took a few days ago just shows how difficult it is to state with any certainty which species you are observing in the field, I would say there is a good argument for two P.c.sinensis amongst the four shown, one definite P. c.carbo and one that I am unsure of.

I think the likelihood is that P.c.sinensis are much more common around here than most people realise.




Finally another adult Cormorant (not the same bird as before) in fantastic breeding plumage and just for the record an unbelievable count of 19 were present on 31 January!

Lee Mount

1 Cormorant >SE late morning
1 L B B Gull over and calling loudly

Luddenden Dean

This afternoon
8 Herring Gull (3 adults) >SE
c80 Chaffinch heading to roost at Castle Carr (no Brambling)
c60 Fieldfare
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Treecreeper
2 Raven over high >SW
2 Kestrel
3 Stock Dove

Brookfoot/Ski Lake

Thans all for ID on duck and today at 1400 no problem as she was alongside a male, also on the lake were 10 Tufted, 1 Pochard, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Goosander, 3 Grey Herons,c120 B/H/Gulls. 8 Common Gulls, 8 Mallard, 4 Coot and 11 Cormorant of which 2 were of the sinensis race thanks to martynbirder but too many people around now that the towpath has been tarmacadamed.photo of garden visitor last thursday morning.

High Royd

3.30pm, partly frozen

2 coot
Pair mallard
Grey Heron
30+ mixed blue tit/great tit
180 carrion crows
No teal

Ludd Foot/ Brearley

Grey Wagtail
7 Grey Heron in tree roost
13 Canada Geese

Wonderful Wild World of Widdop

Following the style of the Calderdale Spring Segue and Winter Thrushes, here's a meddley of material gathered over the last year in the Widdop, Walshaw area. http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaldIbis#p/c/28C2E00156683969/0/pZYgb_M6fS0 Music is "Lark in the Morning" but sadly, no Larks in the video.
Enjoy

Elland GP

Any ideas on ID this duck on Ski Lake at 1200 today. Very dark and misty and this is the best I could do.Very white front,dark head and pronouced white feathers on wing,it was too dark to pick out any more colours with bins.

Common Buzzard

Took this pic in very bad light on 3rd Feb, the bird came up from the warley area and headed up the Luddenden Valley persued by crows.

Testing Testing

After some 6 months of lap top problems I seems to be back on line (fingers crossed). May I just say to every one I will never by anything by HP again and would steer them away from the HP Pavillion dv 6000.

BIRD REPORT 2007 - 2008.

Todmorden Tourist Info have 4 copies left.
Woodlesford News Agents at Pellon have 1 copy left.
I have 3 copies left.

Extension of the hunting season in Italy

Plans are afoot to extend the Italian hunting season, and increase the number of huntable species. If these proposals become law, it becomes easier to make similar changes to French and Spannish hunting legislation, and of course, Maltese legislation.
Please visit the CABS website and say NO to extension of the hunting season in Italy.
http://www.komitee.de/en/index.php?italyprotest2010. One day, you might even get to see a Turtle Dove or a Quail in Calderdale.......

Hudds BWC website

Our friends in the Huddersfield Birdwatchers Club have recently relaunched their website, the new version (highly recommended) can be accessed via the link on this webpage.

HSS Film Show

Live and Direct - The Bald Ibis will be giving a presentation of the documentary "Birds, Bins and Bullets" to the Halifax Scientific Society at Halifax Central Library on Tuesday 9th February 2010. Doors open 7.00 p.m. Intro, Film and Q & A session. Come and find out how you can help bird conservation in Malta. And please.....visit Birdlife Malta website to sign the Stop Spring Hunting Petition.

Sowerby Bridge & Norland

A 2 hour walk in the snow this afternoon

Stirk Bridge - wren, magpie (Dipper there on Monday)

Town Centre & Wharf (mostly frozen) - 30 ish mallard, 26 BHGull, chaffinch, 3 Goldfinch,, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Great Tit, Blackbird, moorhen, 2m 1f goosander

Milner Royd - another 2m 1f goosander, 3 mallard, 2 Blue Tit, 4 Gt Tit, Grey Heron, 2 Carrion Crow, 4 magpie, wren, blackbird, 3 wood pigeon

Pickwood Scar - 2 Gt tit, 10 Blue Tit, 30 LT tit, robin, 2 redwing, 3 c.crow, 30-40 jackdaw

Norland Moor - not much; 1 mipit or reed bunting, 1 ? dove >N, BHGs heading to Ringstone/Scammonden

BOG recorder program

If anyone has been having problems with the BOG recorder program we have now received a template for an Excel spreadsheet that can be used for record submission instead, this template has been provided by BOG and will enable records submitted on it to be merged into the "master" database held by Nick D. I have e mailed a copy out to most local birders but if I have missed anyone and you would like a copy please get in touch. Thanks are once again expressed to the Bradford Ornithological Group (who developed this program and spreadsheet) for their willingness to share it with our area.

Birdlife Malta Petition

Please check out the new video Birdlife Malta have posted on their website - its on the home page - then you wiill see why it is SO important that everyone signs the petiton against illegal hunting. Please add your name to the cause! http://www.birdlifemalta.org/

Upper Calder Valley Reservoirs and Dams

A good bright, dry and sunny (but chilly) day for a walk so...

Lee Dam
14 Goosanders - the most I've seen here. 6 male and 8 female.
Grey Heron
2 Mallards
Moorhen
2 Canada Geese
I bet none of these are here on Sunday when the postponed New Year Swim takes place!
Flock of about 60 Starlings with 9 Fieldfares keeping them company in the field above the Dam.
Gaddings Dam
Now 90% free of ice and a pair of Goldeneye there this morning, 1 male and 1 female
Warland Res
About 90% iced over and no birds visible
Light Hazzles Res
100% ice and no birds about
White Holme Res
80-90% ice and no birds to be seen
Blackstone Edge Res
Looked to be almost fully iced over still but didn't walk over to the NE corner to check - too cold.
Not even a Mipit to get excited about.
Higher Chelburn Res
4 Goosanders (1 male and 3 female) but outside our recording area.

47 mallards, a Grey Heron and 31 Canada Geese on the Rochdale Canal
Longfield Dam
2 Goldeneye, 1 male and 1 female. Probably the same pair I saw 5 hours earlier at Gaddings.
3 Lapwings
2 Mallards
16 Canada Geese in the field

Blake Dean/Walshaw Dean/Lower Gorple

10 Bullfinch together feeding in the tops of birch and oak at Blake Dean this afternoon
1 Treecreeper and 1 Coal Tit also present

Lower Gorple
1 adult Herring Gull >W
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker on the lodge feeders

Savile Park

Wainhouse Tower
1 adult male Peregrine near the top of the tower this morning

Scarr Bottom (from Albert Promenade)
1 Nuthatch
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

New Mill Dam, Tod

2M & 3F Gooseander

2007/80 Bird Report

Nick Dawtrey has asked me to post that he has taken a further (very) small supply of reports to Woodlesford Newsagents at Pellon. There are very few copies of this report left so if anyone wants one please act fast. There may still be copies avaliable at the Tourist Info Centre at Todmorden

Ogden

Tawny Owl, male singing at Stodfold (just below the golf course) mid afternoon.
70 Rooks feeding in the fields near Cold Edge Road along with a few Jackdaws and Carrion Crows
Golf Course and Ogden res'r very quiet birdwise today with just 1 flyover Siskin

c300 mixed B H Gulls and Common Gulls at mid-afternoon roost at Mixenden Res'r

Ringby Lane (Swales Moor) and Ogden

WOW it was cold up there this afternoon!!
On the top at Ringby Lane (manure field)
4 Skylark
1 male Reed Bunting
1 Meadow Pipit
2 Pied wagtails
4 Herring Gull >S
usual corvids

Ploughcroft
7 Fieldfares
12 Greenfinch
1 Stock Dove

Ogden (res'r now about 40% open water)
1 Little Owl on the edge of Back Lane plantation
c40 Fieldfares and c20 Starlings on Syke Lane

Winter Thrushes

I've just uploaded a litle winter video piece that can be found here-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgRmat6glLw
A few local winter landscapes, and fieldfares and redwings gorging the last of the cotoneaster berries. Enjoy.
If you check out the "favorites" section of my channel, there is some Fieldfare footage shot by Birding Rob that is absolutely stunning. It puts my stuff to shame.
Amazing what difference a £6000 lens makes. Me, jealous?? Too right!

Ovenden

50 Pink Footed Geese reported this morning heading south at 11.30 am

Castle Carr Road

2 Moorhens were unexpected at this site this afternoon!
1 Kestrel
c50 Jackdaws
35 Rooks
18 Starlings

No Little Owls in the usual haunts - wonder if they are one of the casualties in this recent cold weather spell ? - anyone else had any?

Lesser Pecker

Came in tonight to find an answerphone message from Geoff Smith asking me to post a recent sighting of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on here. The bird has been seen twice over the weekend, on both occasions around a pylon behind the last house on Elland Park Road before you get to the wood. If anyone needs further details please contact me by e mail and I'll pass your request to Geoff.

Dipper

Another Dipper sighting in Todmorden town centre today, feeding busily on the concrete channel of the Calder by Stansfield Road. My wife also disturbed a Grey Wagtail virtually on our front doorstep this afternoon. When I go on my occasional foreign trips with birders largely from the south of England, I'm sure they think I'm making up these urban sightings of these species!

Scammonden and Ringstone Res'rs

Had a quick check this morning.
Scammonden - from the dam wall end - nothing other than a few BH and Common Gulls on the water and 1 Goldcrest and 1 Coal Tit on the walk down to the embankment

Ringstone - 29 Lapwings on the ice and a few Black-headed and Common Gulls on the open water

activity

lots of bird activity along canal today - of the courtship kind
gs woodpecker drumming, mistle thrush singing, blue tit wing quivering, jackdaw 'bat' flights

looks like theyre starting early....

Elland GP and Sunny Vale

Ski-lake and canal and river. Struggled to find much this morning in the heavy rain (fishing ponds still frozen over but the ski-lake mostly ice free)
5 Tufted Duck
1 G C Grebe
2 Little Grebe
c25 Goosander (river and ski-lake)
7 Cormorants on the pylon behind the Avocet building
1 Kingfisher
1 Dipper
1 male Sparrowhawk

Sunny Vale - open water
2 Goosander

Ogden

99.9% of the res'r still frozen over!
c20 Siskin - all feeding in the top of larch trees on the west side of the res'r
c4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Canada Goose, 1 Barnacle Goose and c60 Mallard on the ice
2 Goldcrest

Back Lane
c70 Fieldfares
1 female Sparrowhawk hunting at dusk
30+ Magpies and c12 Stock Doves roosting
c60 Rooks heading towards roost site, Bradford area
4 large gulls heading south over Soil Hill
c300 mixed B H Gulls and Common Gulls heading south at dusk (wonder if Thornton Moor is also frozen over)

Halifax

11 Siskin this morning feeding in a large Silver Birch in Clarence Street near the bottom of Gibbet Street
Also 1 Lapwing over >W

ID comments please.

Down at EGP when at 1415 I glanced left to see a large bird of prey being harassed by a Crow above Park Wood/West Lane Southowram area. Managed to get this one shot before it dropped below my tree line,it could have dropped into the wood,any ideas as my first thought was Buzzard but it looked very heavy and thick set. Ski Lake had 1 Pochard, 6 Tufted, 12 Goosanmder(9M 3F) and 1 juv Gt Crested Grebe.

Brighouse Garden/Brookfoot/EGP

Decided to spend the morning in my shack and suprised that the first to appear was a male Blackcap, the light was shocking so managed some poor shots,and it was still feeding at dusk. Ski Lake this afternoon held 4 Pochard(2M2F), 9Goosanders(6M3F), 4 Tufted, 1 Goldeneye(M), 1 Grey Heron. The pylon at the back of Avocet Works had 11 Cormorant.

EGP this morning

Visited Cromwell Bottom this morning for a site visit with Hugh Firman and Tim Edge to get up to speed so it wasn't a birding visit as such, however:
2 Cormorants over
On the river-
3 Teal (2m 1f) - why doesn't "Teals" sound right as a plural?
7 Mallards
Moorhen
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
8 Goosanders (5m 3f)

3 Coal Tits on the numerous feeders by the fisherman's car park

Gull fest

http://punkbirder.webs.com/nastygulls.htm

Unusual garden tick - Jumble Hole Clough

I went to let the hens out this morning, and flushed a woodcock from inside their run. Quite a surprise.

Round and about today

A long walk /pub crawl plus some gazing out the kitchen window resulted in the following,

1 Fieldfare - Garden, seems to have driven off all the Blackbirds
9 Bullfinch - 4 males 5 females on Slack Common, most I have ever seen together anywhere.
10 Reed Buntings - By the House at Withens Clough
3 Goosander - 1 male 2 females on the Canal near Eastwood
1 Kingfisher - same spot
1 Kestrel - hunting below Stoodley pike

Pubs in order Stubbing Wharf, Hinchcliffe Arms, Fox and Goose, Cross Inn (for those who were wondering).

Brookfoot/EGP

River very high but at the back of Avocet Works were 3 Pochard (M), 26 Tufted, 21 Coot, 18 Moorhen, 5 Teal, 14 Goosander(8M 6F),16 Mallard,17 Cormorant all on the pylon and 42 Canada Geese in the field opposite. The Ski Lake produced the staggering total of 1 Tufted(M)and 1 Grey Heron. Also in the last week my garden had 23 Fieldfare, 5 Redwing, 20 House Sparrows,22 Blackbirds, 2 Jays and 1 male Reed Bunting and the usual Blue,Great and Long tailed Tits, 2 Mistle Thrush and 2 Song Thrush most eating Lidl apples,so had to go and buy more this morning and they are still 79p per kilo.

Comment moderation

Apologies to anyone who is not subscribed to this blog and has tried to post comments recently, as one of the moderators I should have been checking more frequently for these but have let this lapse a little, I recently checked and found four comments waiting to be checked and published. Currently there are two moderators, perhaps we need a third!

The Garden

Had to stay in today so used the time productively and watched the birds on and below the feeders. Maximum numbers seen at any one time:
17 Lesser Redpolls (the most I've seen in the garden)
3 Bullfinches (all males)
15 Chaffinches and 2 Bramblings
The Bullfinches were never present when the Bramblings were here. Coincidence?
9 Greenfinches
8 Goldfinches
Fieldfare eating the apples
Reed Bunting (female)
Wren
Robin
2 Blue Tits
7 Blackbirds
The Blackbirds and the Bullfinches were the last birds to leave before darkness fell.

Peregrine at EGP

At 1350 today a female Peregrine flew towards the Ski Lake from Rastrick side setting up all the Gulls. It did one circuit then headed off towards Cromwell Wood,and this tallies with Jimtoms sighting on Mon. 2 Mute Swans on river at Bridge End,Brighouse and further up river are 11 Tufted, 7 Goosander and 4 Little Grebe. I have seen the Water Rail on last Fri and Sat by the weir near Cromwell House.

Ringstone/Barkisland/West Vale

Ringstone still completly frozen over.
Conditions were such that I didn't give a second thought to having a look at Scammonden!

Barkisland - 1 Lapwing in a field just below the village

Clay House Park, West Vale.
2 Sparrowhawks over
1 Kestrel
1 Grey Heron
c30 Redwings
c12 Fieldfares
20+ Blackbirds

Lee Mount

c230 Pink-footed Geese over >north/west this morning at 10.25 towards Mixenden/Mount Tabor and making a lot of noise. I say c230 - pure guestimate as they were low and fast and gone by the time I got my camera out of my pocket - always a good way of counting later if photos are there to look at! Never mind, still a fantastic sight.

little owl

i caught up with the little owl whilst rolling a snowball this evening. it flew straight up and landed on the roof of my house (bradshaw) this bird has been around for years but i have only seen it twice ever. this time and 2 days ago whilst sledging. all my little owls have been this year. becuase it was dark icould not see it but the sky was slightly red and when it sttod there it sttod out really bold.

Rastrick

A large female peregrine fly over and towards Brighouse about 1pm this afternoon. A few more thrushes about than last week.

Greenfinches

Last year from late spring onwards we had a few ill looking young greenfinches at the feeders here in North Wales.I found several dead around the garden from summer right through to autumn,probably around 10 or so birds in all. I just assumed these were weakling youngsters who came to the feeders as they could not manage out in the wild. But in late Autumn my mother who moved to Essex in late summer said she had several Greenfinches found dead in her garden has had my sister who lives a few miles away from her. This winter here on the Llyn Peninsula has been noticable in that Greenfinch (and Goldfinch) have been very scarce at the feeders whilst House Sparrows and Chaffinches are as common as ever. Has anyone else noticed either dead greenfinches or a scarcity of them since last summer in Calderdale ?

I'm Back online

I'm sure we are all feeding the birds something at the moment and it can be an expensive if very rewarding job. Well save some pounds as Co-op in Hebden bridge are doing bags of value apples for only £1 each, the bags contain approx 7/8 apples in each.

Already since putting them out (though had put apples out before today) had a Fieldfare giving it's seal of approval.

My walk down to Hebden produced

A Dipper on Hebden water near Hardcastle Crags car park
2 Nuthatches and all our local tit species feeding over the bridge towards the blue pig wmc.
Grey Heron flew over near Hebden bowling club.
At least 1 Kestrel
And some Goldcrests along with another Nuthatch and a GSW were all heard on the walk from Gibson Mill.

If I can work out how to get pictures from my phone onto the pc then I'll put some photo's of the garden birds on next time.

So far this year in the Garden

Upto 4 Reed Bunting
Pair Bullfinch
Upto 7 Fieldfare
Upto 9 Blackbirds
Pair Pheasant
Greenfinch (only 1!!)
House Sparrow
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
2 Collard Dove
Jackdaw
Rook
Chaffinch
Dunnock
Robin
Starling (Rare garden visitor to these parts)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (female)

Ovenden

Walking on Cousin Lane at 11.35 - 46 Lapwings flew over high in V formation >W

Redwings (and a few Fieldfares) seem to be raiding all the few remaining berrying shrubs in the Wheatley area and several were feeding in large clumps of wall growing Ivy (Ramsden Street)

Mystery photo

Came across these tracks with DS in the valley. Any ideas.....stoat? weasel? I don't think they are Roe Deer, but other tracks in the area did look like deer.

Wheatley Valley

About 3 hrs today in the valley with Steve C

1 m Peregrine over >N towards Mixenden at 11.30
110 large gulls drifting through >SE at 11.25 (guestimate of 70 Herring, 30 GtBBG and 10 LBBG)
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
5 Great Spotted Woodpeckers (including 1 pair together near Ramsden Wood and 1 male drumming near Doctor Hill)
1 Pied Wagtail
4 Jays
1 Moorhen on Ramsden Wood Res'r
c70 Fieldfare and c15 Redwings in hawthorns on Wheatley Road

Thrushes

For the last three days I've almost willed my on-time train to be late. From the Mytholmroyd Tod platform I can look down onto a tree that started off laden with berries. I pass the tree as I walk up to the platform but the birds are so skittish there's no chance of seeing them well. There's over a dozen fieldfare, half a dozen redwing, 5 blackbirds and a couple of mistle thrushes there daily. Took some photos but I can't get my system to save them when zoomed so the birds aren't really clear. They frequently fly off away from the station but soon return. I think by Monday all the berries will have been eaten so I must take my fill of the birds tomorrow. They also feed off a tree on the opp platform just behind the 'Mytholmroyd' sign near the shelter. Lovely sight and sounds!

Ogden and Mixenden Res'r

Both res'rs frozen over except one very small pool of open water at Ogden where there were c90 Mallard, 1 Canada and 1 Barnacle Goose
6 Goldcrests in the plantation - they must be struggling now in this weather!
1 Coal Tit singing!
3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
1 large female Sparrowhawk

Wheatley Valley

11 Snipe flew overhead this morning on the old landfill site and dropped into the Hebble culvert area 200 m downstream from the bottom of Brackenbed. They were a real surprise!
10 Great Black-backed Gulls also went over >E
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Jay
1 m Sparrowhawk

I also went on to check the sorbus trees on Raglan Street and Stansfield Close near the lower end of Pellon Lane - all the berries have been scoffed by thrushes so no chance of any Waxwings there now.

EGP this morning

Myself and Andy H visited this morning in the hope of seeing the Scaup, but no luck. The Ski Lake was about 98% frozen with only a small patch of open water over by the waterfall.

Posting for Andy - female GS Woodpecker drumming in his garden early this morning, and it was back again this afternoon.

At EGP:
Cormorant -3 overhead
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel (and another at Elland Bridge)
Lapwing - 53 on the frozen lake
Little Grebe - 4
Coot - 5
Teal - 5
Goldeneye
Grey Heron
Redwing - 11
Song Thrush - 2
Reed Bunting - 2
GS Woodpecker
Jay
Tufted Duck - 5
Moorhen - 3
Bullfinch (female)
About 30 Common Gulls, about 60 BH Gulls and 40-ish Canada Geese also present but obscurred views prevented accurate counts.

Rochdale Canal to Eastwood/Callis

Very crisp and picturesque this afternoon.
3 Redwings, 6 Fieldfare and 2 Mistle Thrushes feeding on berries at Callis Lock
1 Song Thrush
24 BH Gulls, 10 Jackdaws, 3 Pied Wagtails and 7 Meadow Pipits on the settling beds at Eastwood Sewage Works (could have been more mipits but I only saw them as they fluttered up to avoid the circulating arms then disappeared again). Andy Huyton sent me a text saying he'd seen "lots" there earlier, and also he saw a Meadow Pipit in the middle of Hebden Bridge.
23 Mallards and 1 drake Goosander on the River Calder

oh, and 1 Land Rover Discovery in the Rochdale Canal by Stoodley Bridge. Looks like a prime nesting spot for Canada Geese if it stays there until Spring.

Wheatley Valley

Ovenden Wood (Ramsden Wood Res'r) and the old brewery area
1 Snipe
1 Grey Wagtail
4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
12 Redpoll feeding in the alders by the new development
c20 Redwing
1 Great Black-backed Gull >NW
c200 Jackdaws heading >NE late afternoon to roost
c100 B H Gulls and c80 Common Gulls >SW late afternoon to roost

River Calder, Hollas Bridge

3pm today, very cold

6 Canada Geese
2m 2f Mallard
7m 8f Goosander

Also at 4pm, 100 LBB/Herring Gull circling over Norland

Halifax Birdwathchers Club - 2009 Report

Our recorder Nick Dawtery is asking for your records for 2009 as soon as possible please.

If you use the B.O.G. computer programme then please send your records on a disk direct to Nick. Alternatively written records will be gratefully accepted, although use of the B.O.G. computer programme make editing so much easier!

If you can send your records in soon then it will help Nick to formulate the report for 2009 without delay.

Putting together the report is a very time consuming task and a lot of care is taken to ensure the records are correct and presented in a readable and informative fashion.

Photographs have also become are an important feature of the report so if you have any shots of Calderdale birds taken in 2009 please could you also submit these to Nick as soon as you can for consideration.
Well done Nick for continuing this important task of recording our Calderdale birds in a report.

Report 2007/2008

There are still a few copies left of the 2 year combined report for 2007/2008 by Halifax Birdwatchers Club.
5 are at Todmorden Tourist Information Centre and 1 remains at Woodlesford Newsagents in Moor End Road, Halifax, the rest are with our recorder - Nick Dawtrey.
If you havn't got a copy then now is the time to do so by either contacting the outlets, post a message on the blog or contacting Nick direct.

Ogden

This afternoon (about 30% open water, the rest is frozen)
1 drake Tufted Duck along with the usual Mallard, 1 Canada and 1 Barnacle Goose
1 Green Woodpecker down on the golf course
2 Sparrowhawks - both males together over the golf course and displaying as one headed off towards Mixenden plantation and the other back towards Ogden
16 Fieldfares and 1 Redwing over Syke Lane

Halifax

15 Fieldfares and 1 Redwing over Halifax Town Hall this morning >W

Brookfoot/EGP>

Very little open water on the Ski Lake. This morning c250 B/H and Common gulls, 28 Tufted, 26 Coot, 38 Canadas, 3 Pochard and 1 Scaup. The Mute Swans departed towards Brighouse at 11 am. River produced 6 Teal, 4 Little Grebe and 16 Mallard.The pair of Nuthatches were inspecting last years nest site so it looks good.

Cromwell Wood

Had a little walk up Cromwell wood this afternoon , there being approx 90 Lapwing in the farm field , a couple of Redwing , Sparrowhawk and quite a few Wren active. Best of all were a pair of Tawny Owl. Would like to have got down onto the lakes but light was fading fast.

Brookfoot/EGP.

DJSutcliffe was unlucky as at 1000 this morning the Ski Lake had 1 Scaup, 48 Tufted, 4 G/C/Grebe, 2 Pochard, 1 Goldeneye, c175 B/H/Gulls, 21 Common Gulls. River by Avocet Works had 14 Cormorant and 4 Teal. Flying around were 29 Lapwing. My garden at the moment is being bossed by 4 Fieldfare that see off all comers that go near the apples I put out. Also wish everyone a very Happy New Year.

Dipper 30.12.09

A bit late in posting, but my wife spotted a Dipper in the Calder by Todmorden Bus Stn on Wednesday 30th.
Happy New Year and Good Birding to you all.

Elland GP

This afternoon;
Ski Lake now frozen (mostly clear yesterday) so the G C G's, Scaup and Tufted Ducks have probably moved on, unless they are on the river, but think this is unlikely!
South loop on the river was the most productive area
6 Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
15+ Goosander
6 Teal
12+ Mallard
4 Little Grebe
Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker and 1 m Sparrowhawk over

Various sites

Above - Tree Sparrow at Clifton

Scammonden;

2 juv Great Northern Divers still there at around 9 am - one in the middle of the lake and the other close by the M62 end till it flew off in a snow storm heading towards the south western end. I did not see it come down and wasn't sure if it flew off?

Elland GP;

Scaup still there with Tufted Ducks

2 Cormorant

Bradley Hall Farm;

1 Little Owl

1 drake Mandarin Duck on the river with 35 Mallard

20 Goosander

2 Little Grebe

1 Cormorant

1 L B B Gull >W

2 Siskin

2 Redpoll

1 Bullfinch

1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

Clifton;

(Jay House Lane fields are looking really good and well worth keeping an eye on!)

12+ Tree Sparrows

335 Golden Plover

8 Lapwings

c120 Fieldfare

c20 Redwings

1 Sparrowhawk

1 Kestrel

Happy 2010 + Question

Hi all
A quick question. I have a female Blackcap feeding at the feeding station this morning here in North Wales, is it unusual for Blackcaps to over-winter in the UK ?

A glorious sunny, still morning here on the Llyn Peninsula this morning so we went for a walk down the coast at 8.30 am. Not too much around on the sea shore but thousands of lapwing, plover and assorted waders feeding in the fields near the sea which were being thawed by the sun after a heavy frost overnight. Hope the weather is sunny back in Calderdale and you all get some good bird sightings on your afternoon walks.

A very happy, healthy and good birding year to all on the blog, from Sue and Paul