Lee Mount

Out in the garden this afternoon watching the skies for any movement - nothing that is till 2.15 when a Swift drifted over >W , always good to pick up September birds.
Surprisingly no sign of any Swallows or House Martins today.
Just a Great Spotted Woodpecker through with a good number of Coal Tits about on the feeders

Swales Moor

This afternoon, still in the drizzle!
1 Skylark on the top with 8 Meadow Pipits
20+ Linnets
20+ Goldfinch
c30 Swallows feeding high over the ridge by the ski slope
8 passing L B B Gulls >S
Usual corvids
c40 Lapwings at a distance over towards Brighouse and Denholmegate Road

Mixenden and Stodfold

Drizzle up there this morning but lots of birds about, especially Swallows, probably 150+ with a lot of juveniles. Only 2 House Martins though.
2 Common Snipe >SW
c40 Lesser Black backs >SW
32 Pied Wagtails (no whites) and c60 Meadow Pipits in the fields at Stodfold
1 female Stonechat lower end of golf course
1 Spotted Flycatcher in the big hedge along Hays Lane by the reservoir.
1 each Green and Gt Spotted Woodpeckers
1 Tree Pipit flyover at Stodfold
c20 Linnets and 30 + Goldfinch on thistles
1 Wheatear
No raptors but conditions were poor.

Juvenile Swallows

Hunter Hill

I spent a while at the watchpoint this afternoon but there was nothing moving at al other than a few Swallows >SW
1 Common Buzzard was seen at a distance over Soil Hill constantly mobbed by Carrion Crows till it headed off round the north side. BS also picked it up in the same area later in the afternoon.
I also tried Slaughter Gap which is often good for migrant passerines but that was dead!
Lovely afternoon all the same!

Ringstone

Ringstone this morning 4 Snipe,4 pied wagtails,Heron ,Great Crested Grebe, 200+ Gulls and hundreds of Swallows and House Martins.

Another Marsh Harrier

Just over 2 hours spent at my local watch point today was rewarded with a cream crown Marsh Harrier which came off the moor to the west of Castle Carr and circled high above the Luddenden Valley for over 20 minutes before flying over Midgley then up Cragg Vale towards Whiteholme. First picked up at 13.50 and last seen at 14.20PM. Wheaher or not its the same bird that was hanging around the Walshaw area a week ago who knows. Also 4 Ravens together.

Mixenden and Ogden

1 Raven over Stodfold high >NW
Lots of House Martins and a smaller number of Swallows in the valley between Mixenden and Ogden - included lots of young birds of both species especially in the Hays Lane area
2 Sand Martins at Mixenden Res'r
1 Spotted Flycatcher at Stodfold and another at Mixenden plantation
2 Cormorants at Mixenden Res'r along with 1 f Tufted Duck
Ogden golf course - one Short-eared Owl was probably flushed by golfers 'in the rough' then it headed off over the top end of Ogden plantation and out of sight.
No sign of NK's Yellow-legged Gull at Ogden with only 2 L B B Gull's present by the time we got there an hour or so after the sighting. Thanks for the call Nigel.

Lee Mount

1 Swift over >NW at 12.20
1 Sparrowhawk >SW mid morning
3 Cormorants >NW at 7.45
Not much else this morning other than Coal Tits on the garden feeders

This aftenoon a Nuthatch was heard calling in the park and seen to land in one of the Sycamores

Duke St

Whilst working up at Duke st today had 1 Raven over towards Stoodley Pike, 30+ swallows heading south and a Chiffchaff on site which sang occasionally. Also of note Small Cooper, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Green Veined White Butterflies all on the wing, by far the biggest number of butterflies all summer.

Stonechats on the up.

Had 5 stonechats((2 adult and 3 juvs) today near Mankinholes , 5( 1 ad 4 juvs) at Cold edge,and 4(2 ad 2 juvs) at withens Clough car park yesterday,looks like they have survived the hostile weather.Also a singing Chiff chaff today at mankinholes in full voice.any one else seen stonchats recently,??

Other news

Several reports in the last few days of good numbers of House Martins including 30+ around The Alma pub near Cottonstones yesterday from Bruce. Also 40+ over Ripponden woodland opposite Brig Royd late evenings and more near Kebroyd and around 30 SW side of Ripponden along the A672. Good numbers also in the upper Shibden Valley in the last few days.
If anyone sees more concentrations of House Martins and Swallows please post them on the blog or text me so I can log the records and locations. Thanks. Dave

Blackshaw Head

Nick asked me to include this belated posting from 31st August from Brian L of a Sandwich Tern flyover at Hawkstones near Blackshaw Head picked up first on call. A very good record so well done Brian.

Birdwatching Survey

Hugh Firman has sent me the following link

http://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/939261/Birdwatching-in-Britain

A short questionnaire from a Cambridge university student on attitudes to birdwatching and conservation in GB to be used in comparison with China, the link gives a full explanation.

Ringstone

I called up there this afternoon to find Geoff S busy doing some repairs to the hide to prevent water ingress and ease the viewing flaps. Well done Geoff and many thanks for your efforts.
Also still on the water were a pair of Common Scoter found earlier by DF.
Also passing through were 2 Sand Martins
2 G C Grebes
2 Cormorant
c 40 Meadow Pipits on the embankment and a few Swallows around.

Lee Mount

Not had much chance to get out the last few days other than doing the Tree Sparrow survey on Sunday afternoon, which was very rewarding.
This lunch time I sat out in the garden scanning the skies for anything that might come over like a possible raptor! No raptors YET but I was rewarded at 12.15 with  a Swift >SE. It was really high and only chanced on it because I was scanning the sky with binoculars. I took the bins away and lost it in the blue .
2 House Martins >NW

LITTLE EGRET

Trip over to Walshaw to see Andy Cs Little Egret this tea time.Still showing  well at 19:30

Little Egret

A little Egret today at lower walshaw , from at least 12.00 - 15.30,bad photos but may be a little better if someone could crop them.Still only 7/8 caldedale records so well worth a look.It has P1 missing on both sides so distinctive in flight.1 Redstart.1 Whinchat, 8 Wheatear,5 grey wags ) usual stuff no raptors about.

Booth Wood Res'r

Drake Common Scoter from this morning still present at 7 pm this evening.

Lower Gorple & Lower Walshaw

Lower Gorple

20 Scoter this afternoon


Lower Walshaw

Two long distance Raptor shots hoping for Marsh Harrier.

Ringstone and Booth Wood res'rs

I checked out both sites first thing to find 3 Cormorants on Ringstone and a Spotted Flycatcher in the thorns around the horse paddock just past the res'r keepers cottage. Possibly other migrants in the hedges but ran out of time!
At Booth Wood there were another 3 Cormorants roosting and a drake Common Scoter on the reservoir so that was a bonus. The last Common Scoter was the one Andy found dead at Baitings a few weeks ago. I got the impression this bird would be away before too long as it looked very uneasy on its own.