Cromwell Bottom Open day

Very well done to all the volunteers from Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group on the occasion of their open day today. I dropped in there this afternoon to a warm welcome along with a good cuppa and some Lemon Drizzle !!!.
Lots of hard work and organisation went into the event with plenty of activities and information for the visitors. It was good to meet up with some 'old' friends and meet new ones.
Well done everyone for your hard work on the day and for all your practical work and organisation which has gone in to developing this wonderful reserve for nature - keep up the good work.
Dave

Soil Hill

Just a quick trip up to Soil Hill this early evening to see what was about. After one Spotted Flycatcher on 17th, I was pretty thrilled to see 2 today. They are down the track to the left of the Koi Farm up on Soil Hill and were showing very well, fly-catching right above me. 

On the way down I got a pleasant surprise in the form of a Juvenile Cuckoo perched up on one of the walls along Taylor Lane, opposite New Fold Farm. I managed to rattle off a few photos but it must have flown off whilst I was texting it out, as it was not there when I looked again. Despite checking all the walls I was unable to pick it up again.

Just a quick note from the 17th when in addition to the Spotted Flycatcher there were also 2 Twite, which flew over Taylor Lane. I had only stopped at that point as my attention was held up by two Weasel kits which had start play fighting in the road in front of me.

Spotted Redshank

                       One Spotted Redshank at Green Withens today.

Hunter Hill

A nice surprise was a pair of Redstarts this afternoon with at least one juvenile.

Poor photo's I know - record shots only as they were very flighty and kept hiding away for long periods.

 

Juvenile

 

Adults

 

Also nearby was a juvenile Green Woodpecker, a couple of Meadow Pipits and 2 Willow Warblers

The big hedge at Mixenden Res'r is often good at this time of year for migrant warblers but I could only find 3 Willow Warblers in there.

4 Kestrels nearby

30+ Swallows and 20+ House Martins over Stodfold (+35 Canadas)! but not a sign of any Swifts today.

Widdop

In rather gloomy and drizzly conditions, had a potter around the Widdop area.  It was very quiet, save for several kestrels, a lone meadow pipit and a few goldfinches over. 
For any botanists, I also saw Grass of Parnassus growing near Coldwell Reservoir, on the Lancs side.

Regards, Chris

North America !

Geoff Smith picked this book up in a charity shop. It looks new. Should anyone want to borrow it Geoff is prepared to loan it out to local birder if anyone is perhaps visiting North America !!
Geof can't put it on the blog so it's a post for him.

Swifts

3 Swifts over Brighouse at 16:00 and 7 over at 17:30 yesterday (20th) all >S - MH
Just 1 over Lee Mount as well yeaterday

Fly Flatts

Late morning visit after the rain
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Snipe
30+ Wheatears
Barnacle Goose still with 4 Canadas
12+ Kestrels
30+ Swallows and 2 House Martins >SW

Walshaw Dean

A blood pressure check might be in order before reading this.... http://www.animalaid.org.uk/images/shooting/wallshawOutrage2015.pdf

Nice Visitor

          Quiet in the garden today with the damp weather but had
          a visitor who had all the birds panicking even the corvids,
          a female Sparrowhawk on the hunt for one of my finches.

Swifts

Hardly any Swifts about this week with just 2 over Lee Mount on Monday and another 2 this morning.

Fly Flats

Quick drive up to Fly Flatts this afternoon.  Not much doing but then we never actually got out of the car
Kestrel
Couple of Wheatears
Flock of about 20 Linnets over Withens Gap Farm
A lovely red car on its side in the ditch by the entrance to Warley Wood Reservoir

Claremount Buzzards back again

       Two Buzzards soaring over Claremount then moving on towards
       Shibden, large raptor flying from over the city centre towards Ogden
       but too distant to confirm what bird it was but deffo not a Buzzard,
       3 Swift and Swallows also seen over Claremount.

Other news today

Another nice garden tick for Mike H this afternoon with a Spotted Flycatcher in his Brighouse garden briefly before he could grab his camera as it was soon chased of by House Sparrows.
Nice one Mike

There must be some more grounded migrants in this rain today !

Ogden etc

After easterlies yesterday and heavy overnight rain continuing I chanced Ogden first thing in the hope of something brought in by the weather !
Ogden
Nothing doing other than a light fall of up to c20 Willow Warblers but couldn't find anything with them.
2 G C Grebes
1 Herring Gull
6 L B B Gulls
2 Common  Gulls
20 B H Gulls

Mixenden Res'r - nothing

Fly Flatts - not much - still pouring down
Barnacle Goose still with 20 Canadas
1 L B B Gull
1 Wheatear

Maybe something to find when the weather picks up (?)

Little Egret

Some more photo's from Mike Henshaw

Little Egret

Swales Moor

Late afternoon on the top along Ringby Lane
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
13 Mistle Thrush
2 Stck Dove
c35 Linnet
10+ Goldfinch
2 Swifts
c30 Swallows
15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
3 very distant Common Buzzards
Weather systems coming in tomorrow might fetch something in overnight after easterlies today ?!

Fly Flatts

Late morning visit around the northern end. Still no sign of any waders.
1 juvenile Whinchat with at least 6 Wheatears on wall and fences on the track down on the left.
Lots of Kestrels on the moor
Female Merlin through >SW
No Swifts but 30+ Swallows through > S
16 Canada's but no sign of the Barnacle Goose
6 B H Gulls and 6 L B B Gulls
Well done Geoff for a 'marshy' through earlier this morning.

Birding Frontiers - the second challenge book

Apologies for this not being specifically Calderdale related but the second of Martin Garner's ID books (Winter) is coming out on pre publication offer tomorrow, see http://birdingfrontiers.com/2015/08/12/pre-launch-offer-on-new-book/.
If anyone is interested in a copy I can collect for you and deliver when we are next in Halifax and save the postage. Please e mail if you want a copy.

Swifts

They are well on the move now with plenty of them around until late last week and the weekend but they have thinned out over the last few days now the breeding pairs have moved off. All on their way back to Africa !
4 over Brighouse yesterday and 3 today (MH)
3 over Lee Mount this morning >SW and 1 over Pepper Hill this afternoon

There will still be a few about and 'movers' from further north will be coming through in the next week or two and we occasionally get a September record.