Langfield and Withens Clough

Walked over Langfield and to Withens Clough this morning. A fantastic morning to be out early with no rain and a gentle breeze. There were plenty of Mipits everywhere with adults carrying food and juvs flitting about as well. Only a handful of Skylarks though.

Langfield
Reed Bunting - 3 males singing
Linnet - 1 male
Stonechat - 1 juv but no sign of adults?

Withens Clough
Common Sandpiper - 3
Little Ringed Plover - 2
Reed Bunting - 2
Jay - 1 flying towards Sunderland Pasture
Willow Warbler - 2

Common Sandpiper

Soil Hill

Had a walk around soil hill top this morning:
1 Reed bunting fly by
1 Male linnet flushed
Small groups of Meadow pipits
Quite a few skylarks, including a few still singing

Ringstone

I called up there late afternoon to see if the pair of Common Scoter, found by David F earlier, were still there. Thankfully they were still there in the area towards the hide. It was a very blustery afternoon so not very easy to get good views, but still nice to see.
8 B H Gulls went west as did a single L B B Gull
That was it apart from a Cormorant earlier as I passed Booth Wood Res'r and a Kestrel

Also from Martyn H - a White Stork over Hebden Bridge yesterday mid-day heading west. Possibly one if the Harewood birds(?). Still nice to see.

NWCU update

Dear Steve,

I would like to update you on the Government's action with regards to the National Wildlife Crime Unit's funding.

As you will be aware I signed the EDM as requested and I still wish to continue my support for the unit and the work it does in helping law enforcement agencies stop crimes against animals such as illegal taxidermy, auction sales and general animal protection. It is our duty to protect these vulnerable animals who have no method of protecting themselves.

The funding for this unit has been guaranteed for 2013-2014 but it is still uncertain in the long run.

The Government has rejected requests from MPs to give funding certainty for the critically important unit, and will not be banning possession of the main poison used to kill birds of prey. More than 600 cases of poisoning have been reported in the past decade, of which half involved a pesticide whose approval for use was withdrawn in 2001. These animals deserve our protection and the NWCU provides this protection which is why I believe funding should be continued.

I hope the update has been helpful. If you require any further information on want me to try and help in any other way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

With best wishes

Yours sincerely

Linda Riordan

Member of Parliament for Halifax

Jumble Hole / Underbank, 8:30am

2 garden warbler feeding young. Another calling further away. 2 blackcap, and willow warbler and chiffchaff calling.

Jumble Hole area

A quick walk this evening:

- cuckoo calling from the western side of Jumble Hole
- whitethroat, and 3 garden warbler calling from scrub next to the railway line
- Dipper on the stream in Jumble Hole
- LBB gull over
- 10 swifts over the sewage works

More Tree Sparrows near Brighouse

An early walk up to Woolrow Farm, above Bailiffe Bridge produced good views of Tree Sparrows on the barn by the farm. Two adults were taking food into the barn wall and other birds were perched nearby. It's likely that other birds have already nested and fledged there as well. It seems like this is another established colony (they nested last year) that came from Jay House Lane - about a mile away.
Swallows appear to have nested in the barn as well, and nearby were adult and juv Willow Warblers and a pair of Linnets.

Dippers-Mytholmroyd

Elphin Brook, Mytholmroyd. c8.30am.

An adult with at least two juveniles this am feeding.

Ringstone

Yesterday afternoon
 1 Green Woodpecker on the Res'r edge probably came in for a drink but didn't stay long before heading off towards Stainland
Not much else about other than a few L B B Gulls moving west
4 Reed Buntings
2 juv Pied Wagtails
4 Lapwings

Binoculars wanted

My friend Roy needs some bins pronto, if anyone as a pair for sale could you please let me know cheers.

Cuckoo

Cuckoo calling last night back edge of Norland Moor

Also of interest but not a bird - Male Broad-Bodied Chaser seen this afternoon at Mythomroyd.

Ploughcroft - Hagg Lane and Pepper Hill

This afternoon
1 Sparrowhawk over Shibden Head
Pair of Kestrels obviously feeding young with the male catching a juv Blue Tit and carrying it off to return a few moments later without it.
1 Skylark
c50 juv Starlings
1 Blackcap
c30 Swifts passing over
Possible ?? Redstart calling but we could not locate it so will have to let that one go unless we get chance to check the area again before too long.

Spotted Flycatchers !! (Information courtesy of the BTO web site)

Spotted Flycatchers on the move

 

12 Jun 2013

If you want a strong contender for THE migration spectacle of spring 2013, look no further than the events that unfolded at Portland Bill, Dorset on 1 June. Only the previous day, the BTO Migration blog drew on BirdTrack data to show that Spotted Flycatchers were running late. Fast forward to the next day at Portland, where an astonishing arrival took place. Birds poured in all morning; more than 800 were counted at Portland Bird Observatory and it's likely that well in excess of 1,000 birds had passed through the wider Portland Bill area by mid morning! Spotted Flycatcher numbers have declined by 50% since the start of the Breeding Bird Survey in 1995, and is too scarce in Ireland for a trend to be produced through the Countryside Bird Survey; it would be great if this unprecedented arrival was the precursor for more positive news for the species.

 I thought this article from The BTO might be of interest - lets hope we get a few of them !

Rishworth Moor and Blackstone Edge

On a circular walk from the White House, as far as Dog Hill, on Rishworth Moor today, birdwise it was pretty quiet, save for, plenty of meadow pipits, quite a few skylarks singing, several curlews and best of all, a really splendidly plumaged golden plover by the Roman Road and just about in the West Riding by a few yards.  In the past I've normally seen golden plover on the Flint Hill and Dog Hill section of the moor, but none here today.
The great swathes of cotton grass looked very impressive too.

Regards, Chris

Ogden

I managed to find a male Whinchat this afternoon above Ogden - they have been very difficult to locate this year as this seems to be another species struggling to return from Africa in good numbers so it was a welcome 'first for the year' for Calderdale for me. (Thanks to NK)
1 Common Snipe 'chipping' near 'The Withens'
c6 Linnets
Lots of Meadow Pipits feeding young in good numbers in the right places
4 Reed Buntings
2 Skylarks
4 Curlew
4 Lapwings
1 male Kestrel
9 L B B gulls >NW
c 20 Swifts moving >SW
c350, mostly juv Starlings in the fields along Cold Edge Road

Luddenden Dean

This morning
1 Cuckoo still singing
2+ singing Garden Warblers
1 pair Whitethroats nest building
Pair of Kestrels
c12 Willow Warblers singing
1 Tawny Owl singing
2 Redstarts
Blue Tits feeding young in the nest
A few Swifts
Curlew and Lapwing
9 Canada's heading high west closely followed by a single Cormorant

Keep an ear out for this as well...........................

A couple seen and herd in Bradford area this week....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b020tpmn

Fly Flatts

This morning it was trying to rain up there but it didn't come to much, thankfully.

 I was surprised with this recent dry spell that the water level has hardly dropped at all so unfortunately, no waders other than Redshank, Curlew, Common Sandpiper, Lapwing, Dunlin, Oystercatchers and Golden Plover
No gulls other than c12 L B B G's loafing around over the moor looking for a meal!

I did a count of Canada Geese,  there are still just over 200 up there along with a good number of rapidly growing chicks.

In the fields at Withens Head Farm there was at least 1 Redshank chick, fairly well grown as well as Golden Plover and Curlew nearby.

The juvenile Starling flock which congregates usually in large numbers along Cold Edge Road at this time of year wss only around 30 strong so hope some turn up in the next week or so. On a positive note there are 70+ Rooks feeding in the area including a good proportion of juveniles so it looks as if they have had a better breeding season.

Are There Any Goatsuckers Out There?

Do we have any Nightjars in Calderdale? Is there any suitable habitat out there? And is anybody looking? I always thought Norland Moor might have provided one or two but never seem to get round to giving it a try. Maybe there is some suitable habitat around Crag Vale with the right blend of bracken, heather, young birch or conifers. Well now is the time to listen out for them just before dusk, so give it a go, and don't forget the midge protection.

Cuckoo

A cuckoo was calling opposite Jumble Hole tonight, I think from the area known as Burnt Acres. Probably the same bird Jeff had at the weekend around Mankinholes. Also, had a tree pipit calling at the Crags yesterday afternoon.