White Holme Res'r

No sign of the Purple Sandpiper in poor weather late this morning but there were 2 Pintail, 2 Wigeon and 16 Teal along with 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin and a Merlin.

There were 5 Ringed Plover and a Merlin at nearby Warland reservoir ( not sure if this is part of your recording area)

Whiteholme

Out with NCD tonight in the fog and rain.
1 Purple Sandpiper on the west shoreline
3 Ringed Plover
2 Dunlin

Fly Flatts etc.

Fly Flatts
2 Red Grouse
6 Canada Geese
1 B H Gull
4 Swallows >NW
2 Kestrels

Withens Head
1 Wheatear

Castle Carr Road
1 Little Owl

The increasing NW wind strength seemed to put paid to most things this afternoon!

Hunter Hill

Vis Mig from 8.20 until 9.45 - started off promising but tailed off as the wind increased from NNW
Moving birds
Cormorant 4 >N
Meadow Pipit 51 >SW
1 alba Wagtail >SW
Swallow 39 >SW
House Martin 1 >SW
L B B Gull 1 > and 1 W
Raven 2 >NW

Other birds nearby included
2 Kestrel
1 Wheatear
25 Goldfinch
2 Linnet
1 Skylark
5 Stock Dove
c40 Woodpigeons
c40 Meadow Pipits in the quarry area
60+ Swallows feeding over Mixenden Res'r

Marsh harrier - garden tick

After Nick D's grapevine report of a marsh harrier in the general area, I thought I'd have a look outside as I was working from home. Nothing to see at 12:15, but kept peeking out every 5 minutes or so, and at 12:45 a cream crown marsh harrier appeared from the direction of Stoodley Pike (indicating it had come from Withens Clough, or possibly Whiteholme area??) and flew east along the ridge of Errinden. Every corvid in the district seemed to have joined it by this point. It carried on regardless straight towards Hebden Bridge and out of sight, but heading for Pecket Well. There has been one loafing about in the Bradford recording area in that direction (Leeshaw) for some days now, so could be the same bird?

Nick's harrier was last seen speeding the other direction towards Sowerby Bridge at 12:15, so he feels it was probably a different bird.

Pepper Hill - Claremount

A good number of Swallows 80+ and a few House Martins 25+ feeding over the fields this afternoon but not a lot else, though we had hoped an od raptor might fly through !!
c27 Starlings
15 Rooks
2 Meadow Pipits
2 Stock Doves

Swales Moor

Tried a bit of Vis Mig late morning (11.45 till 12.55) and was quite surprised to find mipits on the move - 143 with most coming down onto the ridge then with some reluctance headed off high in small groups >W
1 Grey Wagtail >N
1 Sparrowhawk >SW
53 Swallows >SW
11 House Martin >SW
2 L B B gulls >SW

Other birds present
1 Grey Wagtail
c50 Linnet
c40 Goldfinch
2 Stock Dove
+ the usual mixed flock of corvids


Juvenile Grey Wagtail at Ploughcroft this morning with, unusually, a white tail feather!

Jumble Hole

A buzzard was over again yesterday being mobbed.
Spotted flycatcher and chiff chaff in scrub in front of the house this lunchtime.

Ringstone Res'r

I got a call from Geoff S across lunchtime about a probable Curlew Sandpiper (showing a white rump in flight and some reddish colour still around the breast) along with a Dunlin on the shoreline.
I got up there later to meet DF but we could only find the Dunlin although there was a lot of activity with gulls, Lapwings and corvids along with model planes flying over the fields so think the bird probably got flushed off?
I did check the back pools as well but they were well overgrown and not really all that good for waders other than perhaps Snipe so no luck there unfortunately!
1 Cormorant
1 Tufted Duck (fem)
c80 Lapwing but mobile with the disturbance
1 Golden Plover (flyover)
Several waves of (mainly) House Martins (totalling c60) went >SW feeding over the res'r as they quickly moved on. Also around 40 Swallows did the same thing later in the afternoon
1 Green Woodpecker in the drain behind the embankment headed off down the valley
c25 Linnet
A stack of 150+ corvids in the fields - Rooks, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows

7th Sept

Whiteholme area this evening, 8 Greenshank flew south west. Present 6 Dunlin, 1 Ringed Plover, 16 Teal, 8 Wigeon, 2 Wheatears and a female Merlin. Mount Tabor early PM, Ringtail harrier south over Midgley Moor almost certain a hen but distant.

Fly Flatts/Withens Head/Cold Edge

In the drizzle this morning but visibility was reasonably good
Fly Flatts - plenty of shoreline but not a wader in sight !
2 Wheatears
1 Kestrel
1 Peregrine >S
6 Canada Geese
6+ Red Grouse
20 Meadow Pipits >N
6 Swallows >N

Withens Head
2 Wheatears
c40 Meadow Pipits
6 Red Grouse

Cold Edge
4 Teal
2 Tufted Duck
20+ Mallard
1 Little Owl

Erringden moor

nice walk this morning very few birds about

mistle thrush 13
meadow pipit 37 in a group
willow warbler 1
swallow 56 feeding below stoodly pike
kestrel 1

Jumble Hole

These are some of the 46 swallows that we're gathering on the wires earlier. As you can see, many of them are juvs. Other post breeding flocks include 25+ goldfinch, and 100+ starlings.

2 ravens were over the house again yesterday.

Hunter Hill and Swales Moor

Early start for Vis Mig but that was a waste of time. Thick mist above Wainstalls so I went up Swales (Ringby Lane) which was not a lot better but only very few movers SW.
3 Common Gulls
3 Greenfinch
7 Chaffinch
1 Meadow Pipit
2 Linnets
2 Swallows

Birds around the site were a bit better with 2 juv Sparrowhawks together, sparring with Carrion Crows
1 Skylark
c40 Swallows
6 House Martins
1 Stock Dove
20 Woodpigeons
c50 Linnets feeding on banking s along the edge of the quarry.  Home soon after 9 with the sun coming out and the cloud breaking up so might try again later.

Mixenden Res'r and Stodfold

Great Crested Grebe still on Mixenden Res'r  but no sign of yesterday's flush of House Martins other than a few around Stodfold.
1 Sparrowhawk at Upper Brockholes and the White Carrion Crow is still by Lane Head Lane
2 (looked like juvs) Whinchat on the fence line near the lower end of the golf-course as well as 1 Willow Warbler
1 Kestrel nearby and that was about it in the blustery westerly again!

Hunter Hill and Mixenden Res'r

This afternoon on Hunter Hill very blustery conditions so everything was keeping down out of the wind!
4 Grey Partridge
1 Sparrowhawk carrying prey

Mixenden Res'r
1 Common Sandpiper
1 G C Grebe
1 Grey Wagtail
c50 House Martins feeding low over the water and just a few Swallows
6 Pied Wagtails
1 Redstart in the big hedge
1 Common Gull and 6 B H Gulls
c 70 Jackdaws at Stodfold

Jumble Hole

A common buzzard drifted south at Jumble Hole at 2pm. Sparrowhawk and kestrel have both been taking an interest in the growing number of swallows.

Hunter Hill watchpoint

7.10 until 9.30 this morning but pretty quiet for genuine movers.
2 Curlew SW
25 Meadow Pipits SW
1 Common Gull N
9 B H Gulls S
4 Lapwing N
1 L B B Gull SW

Other birds around the site
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Wheatears
2 Sparrowhawks
1 Kestrel
150+ Swallows
30+ House Martins
c60 Meadow Pipits
c30 Linnet
c20 Goldfinch
2 Stock Doves
c30 Woodpigeons
2 Jays plus a few other corvids
1 G C Grebe on Mixenden Res'r (adult)

Nothing on Fly Flatt though still plenty shoreline.

Red Kite

Red Kite flew east at Mount Tabor today, also a Greenshank flew south west. Recent sightings at Roils Head have included 5 Spotted Flycatchers, 1 Redstart, 2 Whinchats and a Whitethroat.

Hunter Hill

I tried earlyVis Mig for the first time (as we reach autumn!!) this morning from the watchpoint.

I was rewarded with an Osprey, which approached from the Ogden / Soil Hill direction, at eye level heading SW at 7.35am - through the bins and the scope though it was unfortunate I couldn't get on to it for a digi-scope photo as it disappeared through the gap between Mount Tabor and Wainstalls heading towards the Calder Valley.

Other migrants included
4 Lapwing W
1 Curlew SW
1 Snipe N
2 Reed Bunting N
31 Swallows and 2 House Martins SW
12 Meadow Pipits SW

Other birds nearby
3 Wheatear
1 Redstart
1 Spotted Flycatcher
1 Little Owl

Mixenden Res'r
1 G C Grebe - adult
1 Grey Heron
c160 Swallows
c20 House Martins

Withens Gap
1 Wheatear
c60 Linnet
c30 Goldfinch
c60 Starlings