Bird report 2006 update

I am now in the final stages of putting the Halifax Birdwatchers Club bird report for 2006 together. It is just about to go to the proof reading stage. I am however short of pictures and would be grateful if people could send me on a CD their best shots taken in Calderdale in 2006. I know whos out there, Sean Gray, Darrel Prest, Nick Dawson, Ian Scott, Dave Sutcliffe and many more. Please send them as soon as possible it will make the report so much better to have some quality pics or even record shots.

The 2005 REPORT is still available at Woodlesford News Agents Pellon.

Pecker under Attack

Sue & I went for a walk at Cromwell Bottom this morning to top up the feeders. Whilst we were walking back on Brookfoot loop we heard a real commotion coming from the wet-willow scrub. We at first thought a mammal had been caught by a predator but as we stood and watched a Green Woodpecker shot out of the willows with a female Sparrowhawk close on its tail. The pecker made a clean getaway as I think the hawk spotted Sue and I and veered away. I had no idea Sparrowhawks would attack Green Woodpeckers, but the pecker obviously knew what it was happening and didn't hang about to become breakfast ! We heard the pecker calling nearby as we walked back past the spot with Les Midgley 20 mins later, so it obviously got clean away.

Not much around this morning but views we had of various Bullfinch groups we spotted made up for the lack of much else. Feeders are now getting a lot more activity as the birds have got used to them.

Fly Flats

Just a Raven there this morning, 2 Kestrels and lots of Red Grouse. 1 Goldeneye, no Twite.

Walshaw Dean & Widdop Res 8 till 10, photos to follow.

Walshaw Plantation this morning 3 Crossbills, 1 male and a female - the other only seen in flight. Also at least 3 Brambling, 1 Lesser Redpoll, approx 10 Siskin, Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker heard, Coal tit and min 2 Goldcrests, Female Sparrowhawk over. To the right of the plantation 2 Redwing and all morning flocks of Starlings totaling approx 250 passing over. 2 Kestrels and numerous Red Grouse in good voice. Also usual Pheasants, Robin, Wren, Blackbird, Great tit, Blue tit.

Quick check of Widdop Res produced 2 Ravens and a Peregrine (unhappy at the Ravens) swooping around and calling whilst the Ravens voiced their displeasure at the disturbance. Also a lone Meadow Pipit.

Fly Flats this afternoon - cold and sunny and good views over the moor. No Twite at the feeding area but I put some niger seed down just in case. Are you still putting some down Brian?

1 Peregrine, 1 Raven and 2 Carrion Crows over the moor along with lots of Red Grouse being very vocal.

Res'r - 1 f Goldeneye, 1 sickly looking Lapwing!, 1 Fieldfare feeding at the top of the overflow channel, 2 Kestrels and 18 B H Gulls.

Thanks to (Yorkshire Water, I presume) for fixing three new bridge walk-ways over the bog at the far end of the res'r on the path that leads up to the road. The old railway sleepers were getting very fragile and crossing them was getting a bit iffy! Many thanks.

Soil Hill/Ogden

Good to see John and Bruce and Christina at Soil Hill late morning - along with 1 Snow Bunting giving excellent views. (I wish I could bet clearer pictures!) 1 Golden Plover there earlier and a Raven went over >S at 11.15. Also c100 Lapwings in the fields below Soil Hill on the Bradford side.

Ogden (08.30 - 10.30) not a lot about other than Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 2 Treecreepers in the woodland. 2 Stonechats were feeding on Ovenden Moor seen from the 'Giants Tooth'. Also a movement of c80 Starlings and c90 Fieldfares all going >N. Red Grouse were getting noisy on the moor so there seemed to be quite a few birds about.

common gull or was there something more........

unfortunetly not it was just a common gull above my school. as it flew over i thought it must be a ring billed gull but after serious anlysis i have decided against it. how very heartbreaking :-(

Scope..which to buy ?

Having been enthused about birds again by meeting members of this forum whilst moffing, I have now decided to go the whole hog and buy a scope again after many years without one. I wonder if I could ask advice from members of this forum before looking through the plethora of scopes advertised. At the moment I cannot afford a top of the range scope, but don't want a cheapo one either. Is there a consensus on a decent scope that wont break the bank ? I can manage for the time being with my bug watching bins which though small have decent optics, but I remember from my past bird watching days a scope makes a big difference to the range at which one can safely ID birds.

Soil Hill
Two Snow Buntings there this afternoon - male and female - 3-4 p.m. They were among the stones in the area on the top beyond the long 'pool' which is straight ahead from the path in.

Whiteholme area - 12-30pm - 3pm

Whiteholme - 1 peregrine over, > E. 2 goldeneye on res'. 1 fieldfare over. 2 twite on beach, (1 un-ringed, 1 with pink on left leg)

Warland - No twite at all. 3 mallard on res'. 1 wren alarm calling.

Ryburne - 8+ goldcrests in woods, 1 dead canada goose that had been dragged from the moor to the res' edge by a fox / Gordon Dennison / both in partnership. 11 bh gulls. 3 mallard, and LBB / GBB gull at a distance (see photo, click on it to enlarge - any thoughts?)

Another walk on the Wildside 6.50 am to 7.45 am

I set off early this morning as I was not meeting up with Les Midgely, so still well dark at 6.50am when I set off down the towpath. Nothing much seen or heard until I emerged below the trees at Rawson's Pool. I then heard various Robins in full song staking out their territory. I stopped off at each tree and left a small handful of Pin Head Oats in a clear spot for each bird. I used to count Robins on my way home in the dark after a nightshift at Firths Carpets at Bailiff Bridge(bloody hell that's nearly 30 years ago now!). I think the maximum I ever bagged on the route home back to Rastrick was 36 different Robins.

The sky had lightened up by there time I arrived at Brookfoot loop but still not much bird sound at all, very quiet. I dropped some seed & pinhead oats off at the pontoon bridge between Brookfoot and Tag Loop and by the time I climbed over the barrier a Robin had nipped down for breakfast. I took the centre track up to the top of Tag and topped up feeders and threw out some more Carrots for the Roe Deer. I then scattered seed, nuts and oats by the large seating stone on the top of Tag, the usual crow dropped down to feed as soon as I moved away.

I then made my way across the top of Tag Loop towards the Alders running around above the disabled path. I heard, then spotted a nice flock of Siskins here, probably 20 or so. It was still quiet gloomy and hard to pick them up in the dark background. Not sure if any other species were mixed in with them as I only managed to see Siskin. The dog and I then made our way around the disabled path towards the Calder, nothing much about apart from a few Woodies and Jays. Just after the settling pond on near the path I heard something in the bracken under the trees and picked out the shape of a Roe Deer no more than 20 feet away across tag cut browsing amongst the bracken. Gradually I picked out three deer in total all totally oblivious of me and the dog. I watched them for around 5 minutes but then as I have a bad case of bronchitis at the moment I coughed and they were up and away within seconds. This is a good area to get close to Roe at the moment as they seem to be looking for fallen acorns amongst the bracken.

I then walked out onto the river bank and immediately noticed that the Mallard were back in the this section. This area has be totally devoid of waterfowl since I spotted the mustelid a couple of weeks back. It has now perhaps moved out the area ? Walking back up towards the metal footbridge I had Dipper, Heron and heard a Kingfisher. Also had Chaffinch and Greenfinch in the hawthorn hedge.

Walking back up the canal towpath home I had Fox and Roe deer (one) in the field below Knowles pipe works dump. I spotted two flocks of Bullfinch with around 5/6 in each flock. Nearing home I was watching a flock of Great, Blue and Great Tits in the woodland between the Calder and canal when I rather luckily spotted a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker under a Sycamore branch of all places. Sheer chance played a great part in it had I not been looking through the bins at the tit flock I would never have noticed the pecker.

Nothing seen that would get on the grapevine and have people hurrying down to view, but nevertheless a very satisfying 55 minute walk. I bet not many people in Calderdale are even aware if the deer in their midst and I got to watch them so close I could almost touch them. Its amazing how little most people see when out walking in the countryside. I suspect most naturalists are always on the lookout even when in supermarket car parks but even walkers seem to blunder past without seeing even large mammals. I often see deer and fox in an afternoon when taking the dog down the canal towpath but watch groups of walkers coming towards me who have obviously no idea what they are missing on the opposite bank. Why is it that despite the plethora of "wildlife" programs on telly most people never use their eyes when out, do they think nature only occurs on TV !

Soil Hill

1 Snow Bunting still there this afternoon at 15.30. In the NE corner on the most exposed area - c10 meters and no closer - still there at 16.00. No other birds around other than 1 Meadow Pipit over >N. Tried to digi-bin the Snow Bunting and got a few blurred shots but the wind was too strong to keep the camera still.

seo

1 was flushed on soil hill and guess what its my third new bird in 2 days. just a quick flush but obvious to tell what it was (plus there were other birders up there). i wonder what will come next. im back to school tomorrow so i wont be able to see much more stuff.

Caption Competition Time Again

Taken on a recent trip to Spurn, anyone care to comment? Keep it clean, remember the group's image.

Mystery Garden Visitor

Taken by my Dad on Saturday, my thought is Harris Hawk but don't have a guide book with it and think perhaps on the small side any ideas chaps? Also I'm afraid no further info on id only other thing is it flew off right.

snow buntings

what could make this day better. 1 jack snipe my first and now 3 snow buntings at the same site.
got a text about them from the grapvine and went up in less than 5 mins. nothing else presant probably because it is too dark.

Soil Hill

Walk round at 2.15pm.Put up six snipe which flew off towards Oxenhope. Four snow buntings still present which were feeding towards N E Corner. Nothing else except two crows.Puddles still had a thin ice cover on.

jack snipe

1 up on soil hill this morning about 9.30. also there was about 6 red legged partridge, 3 mipits (flyover jobs) and also 3 flyover golden plovers. 1 sparrowhawk flew in from the SE. my personel first jack snipe and good to see it on home turf instead of on holiday which is where most of my best birds are eg honey buzzard. flushed twice but lost it the second time.

no snipe on the pools this morning although the meadow pipits flew over. besides that the pools were deserted. no snow buntings either (or shore lark or purple sandpiper or lapland bunting but hey).

Out of area

It's south of our area boundry, but a little auk was reported at Blackmoorfoot Res', Huddersfield at 8:30am today.

11th November

Roils Head
2 Stonechats, 1 Redpoll, 5 Meadow Pipits, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Kestrel.
Highroad Well Moor
1 immature Herring Gull flew west, 40 Lapwings and 7 Common Gulls.
Moor End Road
1 superb adult male Sparrowhawk.