Hunter Hill and Ogden golf course

Nothing out of the ordinary this afternoon - and not a sign of any 'chats' but a nice mix of birds all the same
1 male Sparrowhawk seen off by a Curlew
1 Kestrel
4 Curlew
2 Lapwings
2 Golden Plover
Only 4 golfers on the golf course - it was really pleasant down there in the sunshine!
4+ Reed Buntings
1 Blackbird
1 Willow Warbler
A few Meadow Pipits
1 Skylark feeding young
11 L B B Gulls heading >NE

Just remembered  - a Little Grebe at Cold Edge dams last Friday when I did the Breeding Bird Survey for the BTO

Booth Wood Res'r and Ringstone

Evening visit found 2 Cormorants at Booth Wood Res'r

Ringstone
c90 L B B Gulls (mostly adults) in the sileage fields behind the embankment before they moved on to the res'r to bathe before drifting off east around 8 pm.
Last year the sileage was taken off  much later, around 21st July when a 1,000 or more B H Gulls turned up with the 7 Black T Godwits to feast on the leftovers from the farming activities. This also drew in a Greenshank and on 24th a Med Gull. I think the work has occured a bit too early this year to pull in the large concentrations of B H and Common Gulls but it was nice to see a good number of lessers.

Get Your Ear In

I've just posted a short audio teaser on the Cromwell Bottom blog and will follow up with one or two more. The first one is fairly easy for the experienced birder but is really aimed at challenging newcomers to get their ear in. Have a listen and give it a go. Don't forget to leave comments, the more descriptive the better.

http://cromwellbottom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/nane-that-tune.html

Evening Walk

Nick Carter and myself visited the site between 7:30pm and 10:00pm

Site withheld due to sensitive nature

2 SEO
2 Peregrine
1 Buzzard
1 Grasshopper Warbler - reeling
2 Snipe
1 Little Owl - Hovering
5 Common Sandpiper - 1 sat on nest close to path

1 Grey Wagtail
1 Siskin

 and several

Oystercatcher
Lapwing - with young
Song Thrush
Pied wagtail
Meadow pipit

Ogden

Late evening
1 Cuckoo still singing at 9.45 pm
1 Reed Bunting
c40 Woodpigeons
c4 Curlew
1 Lapwing
1 Skylark
Fox

Fly Flatts

This morning - a lovely morning with wall to wall sunshine and an easterly breeze!
2 Dunlin
6 Redshank
3 Common Sandpipers
2 Oystercatchers
c10 Curlew
2 Lapwings
1 Golden Plover
1 drake Teal
Lots of Canada's with chicks
A couple of Mallard with chicks
2 Kestrels
1 House Martin >SW
1 Swallow >NE
6 LBBG's
1 Skylark
Red Grouse with chicks
usual Meadow Pips
AND 1 Twite (just a flyover) still none at the feeding station!

Withens Head
1 Golden Plover
1 Curlew

Jumble Hole

A cuckoo has been calling the past few days, with the neighbours telling me it has been around since Monday. A buzzard with a missing tail feather has been around the past couple of days.

Withens Clough and Turley Holes and Higher House Moor, 1st June 2013

I did a circuit this morning, starting from the Hinchcliffe Arms, up to the res' and back via Turley Holes Edge, Cove Hill and Higher House.  It was rather quiet on the bird front really, with no luck on the whinchat front (again) despite hanging about for a while near the top car-park and the new building by the turbine.  There were quite a few linnets up here though.  Best bird was a redstart singing, somewhere near the top of Hove Yard Wood. 
I did see some good insects today and would like to put them on the Calderdale Wildlife blog, but I don't know how!  I thought if I could do it on here I could do it on there.  Can anyone help?

Many thanks, Chris

Birdguides Report!

There was a report on Birdguides of a female Montagu's Harrier in the Hebden Bridge area around noon yesterday. Unfortunately we do not have the finders name or contact details! If the finder is able to email details of the bird that would be greatly appreciated - please use the email on the heading above. Many thanks on behalf of the local birders. Dave

Fly Flatts

We went up there to check on the possibility of any Twite and to  put Nyger seed down in the usual locations. Not a sign of any Twite - this is bad news! As far as I know there has only been a couple of sightings (from BS) this year with a maximum of two birds. Definately not looking good which is great shame after all the support from the RSPB, volunteers and landowners etc over the last few years.
2 Redshank
2 Oystercatchers
2 Lapwings
Curlew heard
No Common Sandpipers today - which is unusual
Pair of Kestrels
Red Grouse with chicks
usual Canadas some with chicks
1 L B B Gull over and one dead adult on the side of the res'r
3 Swifts
2 Swallows
1 Pied Wagtail and a few mipits feeding young
And along the top road 2 seperate Wheatears on the wall tops

Lee Mount

1 Common Buzzard over today at 12.40 as we sat out having a sandwich! Alerted as is often the case
by a corvid alarm, the buzzard was high and circled on the thermals before heading off in a northerly direction towards Soil Hill.
Not a lot else over today other than 3 L B B Gulls >N and a few Swifts and 2 Swallows

Elland

I tried Park Wood crematorium early on in the hope off Lesser Whitethroat which has been recorded there in the last couple of years at least, unfortunately nothing doing other than Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiff-chaff. it was worth a try all the same.

I also checked out Cromwell Bottom - Brookfoot end and was fortunate enough to find a few warblers including Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Willow Warblers and Chiff-chaff.
1 Great-spotted Woodpecker
2 Tufted Duck
1 G C grebe
2 Little Grebe
Several Reed Buntings as well as other usual species

Well done to all the gang doing such valuable conservation work down there as well as this is not an area I usually watch!

Withens Clough via Langfield this morning

Walked over to Withens Clough again this morning to try and catch up with the Whinchat and saw it OK between the keeper's house and the new house.

Also there and on the route:
Stonechat - male below Langfield Edge
Linnet - 1 at Withens Clough; 2 below Langfield Edge
Reed Bunting - 4 at Langfield; 3 at Withens Clough
Willow Warbler - 3 at Withens Clough; 1 in small plantation by reservoir; 2 at Lee Dam
Swallow - 2 over reservoir
Skylark - 3 singing
Mipit - reasonable numbers all along the route
Curlew - 1 singing over towards Buck Stones
Mallards and Canada Geese on the reservoir and at Lee Dam

Didn't see anything on the shore line today other than Mipits.

Withens Clough Res'r

We sat to scan from the car for a while hoping for the rain to ease this afternoon - which it did thankfully - for a while!!
1 male Stonechat, but despite an intensive search we could not locate the Whinchat seen there recently
6+ Linnets
6+ Goldfinch
2 singing Willow Warblers
1 Hobby - a first summer bird, attempting to take Swallows around their nest site at the res'r keepers cottage soon after the rain stopped. It headed off and circled the res'r before heading towards the plantation but continued west over the moors towards Lancashire!
1 Kestrel
1 LRP
4 Common Sandpipers
2 Reed Buntings
c20 Swallows
1 Swift
1 L B B Gull
Plenty Meadow Pipits feeding young

Photos in the Rain

Mixenden Res'r and Hunter Hill

This morning - in the drizzle again!
Mixenden Res'r
c20 Swifts along the embankment and around the pine trees by Clough Lane
c20 Swallows
2 House Martins
2 Willow Warblers in the plantation but otherwise it was 'dead'

Hunter Hill
I thought I might pick up an od Grasshopper Warbler in the juncus but nothing doing
1 female Wheatear near the quarry and another near Stodfold
an od Swift passing over
1 Kestrel carrying a small vole type
Not much else other than a few mipits feeding young but plenty Jackdaws and Carrion Crows

Location withheld due to sensitive nature

An evening walk in the drizzle results in sightings of Cuckoo, Buzzard and female Redstart.

mytholmroyd sunday

a woodcock over the house on saturday morning with a oystercatcher on sunday morning.
midday we took a walk up daisy bank heading towards hebden highlights were redpoll and stonechat. a raptor sp was over old town but unfortunatley too far to get anything on it

Mytholmroyd today

Peregrine over  at 12.05pm.
5  ravens over c3.45pm.

Garden warblers

Having not been up in couple of weeks, I went to check and see if the garden warblers were here yet. And I was amazed to count 8 separately distinguishable individuals in one relatively small area of the Pennine way / eastern side of Jumble Hole. They were almost certainly 4 pairs, with 4 singing males seemingly accompanied by 4 'chacking' birds close by.
No whitethroat as yet, but I haven't ventured far in truth.