Withens Clough

 Another visit to this site this afternoon to check to see if the two Black Redstarts were still there. Both showing well on the boulders at the top of the concrete overflow on the edge of the reservoir. Always moving around. They would not stay still for more than a moment or two and after a short while they disappeared and we failed to re-find them. Plenty good habitat for them in that area so suspect they were not far away. These are the best shots I could manage...........and pretty sure they are both juveniles.

Also around the site 1 Dunlin, 1 Raven distant, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Tufted Duck, 2 Greylag Geese with Canadas, c20 Lapwings, 1 Wheatear and a good mix of  Pied/alba Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Swallows,  Goldfinch and Linnets with 1 juvenile Willow Warbler near the car park. 

Soil Hill

A few bits and pieces on Soil Hill from the last couple of days

• A skein of 177 Pink-footed Geese flew SE this morning, distantly. My first of the autumn on the Hill.
• Also on the wildfowl front this morning; seven Goosander flew south and three Teal were on the NK Pond.
• Yesterday a cream-crown Marsh Harrier flew NW extremely high up at around 13:15 in the afternoon. Picked up whilst walking down Bradshaw Lane, but slowly cruised over Soil Hill itself.
• A Whinchat was on Taylor Lane yesterday as well as Stonechat at the bottom of the North Slope. The day before four Stonechat had been present.
• Quite a few Chiffchaff recently, with just two Willow Warbler hanging on yesterday, probably the last of the year for me. A single Whitethroat was still present this morning.
• Reasonable VizMig over the last couple of days as well, with a few House Martin and Swallow heading south, as well as good numbers of Meadow Pipits (79 btw 08:00 – 09:00 this morning).

In total managed 50 species this morning, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S118774582

-Pink-footed Geese

-Marsh Harrier

 Ringstone Saturday 10th September 2022

13 Wigeon in eclipse plumage found by DF in the morning. They certainly aren't as beautiful as when in full plumage but they were whistling which was nice. Then a 1st winter Lesser Blacked Back Gull (?) began to attack one

of the flock and chased it around putting the rest of the flock into the air. Fortunately it gave up and they all returned.

Withens Clough

We went to check out the recent Black Redstart spot this afternoon. Nothing doing in the concrete overflow where there were two on 2nd Sept so checked the west side of the old barn. What looked like the same individual that was there on 1st Sept showed briefly on the barn roof soon after we got there - then the breeze strengthened and we waited 40 minutes or so but it failed to show again.

Lots of alba wagtails about though failed to be sure of 'whites'. Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Buzzard and lots of Swallows (many juveniles) but only 2 House Martins with them. Also 2 juv Stonechats. Around 40 Lapwings along the shoreline.

Ringstone Edge

 Teal 2

Whiteholme Reservoir

 A morning of drizzle with SE winds took us to Whiteholme, which was pleasantly lively with a few birds around.

• Two juvenile Ruff were present at the north end of the reservoir. Mobile but showed well throughout the morning
• A nice feeding flock of four Ringed Plover & two Dunlin were present when we arrived. These two Dunlin were then supplemented by five more, bringing the total to seven.
• Six Common Snipe were feeding together at the north end of the reservoir
• On the damn wall were four Stonechat & at least 10 Wheatear
• Six Teal were dotted around the reservoir
• Two Sand Martin flew high to the east

In total managed 17 species, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S118057466

-Ruff

-Common Snipe

Ringstone Ruff

                Four Ruff at Ringstone this morning.JM,AT,GS,DF

Ringstone Edge

 1 of 2 'intermedius' Lesser Black-backed Gulls: on R in upper photo, and L in lower. Also seen by DF.

Fly Flats and Withens Clough

Fly Flats this morning

3 Ringed Plover and 2 Dunlin far out on the mud with 2 Teal and a single Tufted Duck on the water. 

3 Swallows went >N, 2 Stonechats along the top road and plenty Meadow Pipits 'blogging'.

That was about it apart from a Wheatear near Slade and a pair of Swallows nearby still feeding young.

Withens Clough did not disappoint this afternoon starting off with a juvenile Black Redstart feeding with Pied Wagtails and a few Meadow Pipits in the sunshine on the west facing roof of the old barn.

3 Teal and 4 Tufted Duck on the water. 

3 Linnets with c 60 Goldfinch feeding on the multitude of marsh thistle heads. 4 Stonechats along the track and a cream crown Marsh Harrier flew through briefly, mobbed by a multitude of Swallows

Ringstone Edge

Common Scoter male

British Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo carbo

 

Cromwell Bottom

I uploaded some of my photos of the Cromwell Bottom Tit to social media and a researcher named Richard Broughton (https://www.ceh.ac.uk/staff/richard-broughton) who wrote his PhD thesis on the identification and separation of Marsh and Willow Tit, responded identifying the bird as a juvenile Willow Tit. 

Given the dramatic decline of Willow Tit nationally, I guess it’s good they can still make the occasional appearance in our area. Not ideal when an individual of the species pair remains as silent as possible. 

Castle Carr Road

This afternoon - pretty hot and muggy with a few birds of interest, including a large flock of hirundines. They came off the moor as a  feeding flock and headed straight down the dean. Estimates only, impossible to count, suspect around 130 Swallows, 30 House Martins and 1 Swift

Also a big flock of c 180 Goldfinch and a few Linnets feeding on the seed heads of  a large patch of creeping thistle just below Upper Green Edge Farm.

Blackstone Edge Reservoir

Wood Sandpiper showing well today up until across lunchtime (SB, AvH, PW, DJS, JS, AT)et al? but no sign mid afternoon (GS).

Also Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail and 2 Wheatears present along with a Lesser Black-backed Gull flyover and a Merlin briefly for GS.

Hunter Hill and Cold Edge

A couple of outings today turned out quite well after heavy drizzle to start the day. 

4 Spotted Flycatchers together sticking with a Common Redstart nearby Ogden golf course. Also pleased to get a decent show of Swallows (80+) and House Martins (40+) in the valley as well as  a Blackcap and juvenile Willow Warblers.

Cold Edge didn't disappoint either this afternoon though it was so hot and humid - certainly not living up to it's name today !!

A single Greenshank was roosting on the lower dam with 2 Little Grebes on the small reed-fringed pond and a Whinchat with 8 Stonechats nearby. A flock of maybe up to 100 Goldfinches were feasting on a big bank of creeping thistles.

At Moorlands Farm we checked the traditional Black Redstart spot, drew a blank on that score but a Spotted Flycatcher in the shrubbery and overhead wires was a treat.

Blackstone Edge Reservoir

 Brilliant find by JJL this afternoon of Wood Sandpiper on Blackstone Edge. Showed well at times, and was still present when we left at 18:30

-Wood Sandpiper

Beacon Hill

Redstart

 

Soil Hill

 An overcast and then foggy morning on Soil Hill today. Absolutely brilliant birding, however, with a few species of note.

• A YELLOW WAGTAIL flew west towards Ogden at c.07:35, seen from the bottom of the North Slope. Managed a couple of appalling record shots. Sadly LNK was elsewhere recording a reeling Grasshopper Warbler, which was a shame as she would have got a brilliant audio recording. 
• A juvenile Sedge Warbler and male Blackcap were present, plus a reeling Grasshopper Warbler.
• The Spotted Flycatcher which was in the garden of Rabbit Dell off Taylor Lane yesterday afternoon was still present this morning.
• No less than four Tree Pipit flew south during the morning.
• Still 10 Grey Partridge distributed in the fields along Taylor Lane and Perseverance Road.

In total managed 47 species, the full list here; https://ebird.org/checklist/S117425904

-Yellow Wagtail

-Sedge Warbler

Swifts ....... etc.

One Swift  >W over Lee Mount for me this morning was a treat and another this morning from Northowram (AC). Hope for one or two more if we're lucky but they are well on their way back to Africa now. 

Marsh Tit still showing well at Cromwell Bottom again today - such a great find. 

Cuckoo Oxenhope Moor

Saw a juvenile Cuckoo this morning on the Calderdale side of Long Dike, which runs westwards from the northern end of Fly Flatts.

Cromwell Bottom

  After a morning on Soil Hill, LNK and I headed down to Cromwell Bottom to check for the Marsh Tit that had been reported on Facebook the previous day. We spent an hour at the feeding station and the bird made three visits, using the feeders and often showing well. Nice to see JM, DF and DJS there as well.

  The bird did not call at all during the time we spent watching it, although others may have heard it after we left. However, the consensus by those present was that the small bib and pale spot on the base of the bill rule out Willow Tit, even without the voice confirmation. 

-Marsh Tit

Complete species list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S117251115