sponsor

hi guys
just to let you know that im doing a sponsored no computer for a week for the rainham marshes appeal led by the RSPB. this means that i will be unable to post starting tomorow uptil next friday

just thought id let you known

Ogden Water

Drake Goldeneye and Great Crested Grebe still there this morning.

Binoculars for sale

We have now closed the collection of optics for Malta and have sufficient binoculars for their needs with several over, it is our intention to sell or trade-in these extras against telescopes and tripods for the ALE. Rather than trade them in immediately we wanted to give local birders the opportunity to buy them if anyone wants to. All the binoculars have been valued by a birder who regularly deals in optics so we feel the prices fairly reflect their worth, these are as follows


Swift 8 x 42 in a black soft case £80

Bushnell 8 x 42 WA in a black case £50

Zeiss Dekarem 10 x 50 in a brown leather case £100

If anyone is interested in any of these please get in touch with me or Steve Downing

In addition to these we also have a number of pairs of cheaper bins which are really probably only fit to sell via a car boot sale or similar, does anyone go to car boot sales and would be prepared to sell these for us?

28th Feb

Cold Edge PM
Huge female Peregrine over Wainstalls, Oystercatcher, 15 Greylag Geese, Reed Bunting, Lesser BB Gull and a Hare thankfully not being chased by a pack of hounds at Cold Edge 2.pm.

Halifax Town Centre

Female Blackbird sitting on nest this morning.

Salterhebble

Cormorant circling over the water treatment works this morning.

Booth Wood Res'r

6 Great Black-backed Gulls through there this morning >W

Corvids on Saville Park. The Moor

Interesting how the windy conditions make the ground feeding birds huddle into more compact flocks than usual.
In just one group there were 25 Jackdaws, 14 Rooks and 8 Carrion crows, feeding together.
A good place to look at their differences, the turf being so short, or especially if they are scavanging around the fishshop tables.
Incidentaly, the local name "The Moor" seems inappropriate but there is a photograph in exsistence, I think its in one of the Old Halifax books, of the area looking something like Norland Moor does at present - all heathery with sandy criss-crossing paths.
Steve Blacksmith

Luddenden Dean

Very quiet in the dean today with the strong wind keeping all the birds down.
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Kestrel
6 Bullfinch
Lots of Tits around the feeders at Jerusalem Farm and around a cottage further up the dean.
1 Dipper on the new pond just below Jowler.
2 Herring Gulls >W

jackdaws

200 ish jackdaws just gone over my house. thts the most i've ever seen

Ogden

Back Lane fields this afternoon;

40 Fieldfare
30 Lapwings
c140 Starlings
8 Mistle Thrush
2 Stock Doves
2 Kestrel
2 Goosander over >W

Res'r
1 Great Crested Grebe
5 Canada Geese
85 Mallard

Bird food at bargain prices!

Thanks to Mick Sharp we now have access to a supplier of bird food at amazing prices. Some examples (with the CJ price in brackets for comparison) are

Black sunflower seed £16 for 20Kg (£32 at CJ)
Nyjer seed £22 for 20Kg (£36 at CJ)
Sunflower hearts £24 for 20Kg (£52 at CJ)
General bird seed mix £7 for 20Kg
Fat Balls £10 for 100

Not only are these excellent prices but the chap who sells it is based locally at Lane Head near Waring Green (the Pet Shop opposite the Crown Pub). Please be aware he is only open in the afternoons and will need a day or so notice to get what you want. If you want to order any just contact me and I'll pass on his phone number.

Thanks to Mick Sharp for bringing this to our attention.

manor heath

hundreds of redwings this morning.

Walsden

Two dippers in the Calder near B&S Motors this morning - 'singing' to each other.

Saturday @ Deanhead

3 Goldeneye (2 drakes), a pair of Goosander, one Teal and a Kestrel - about as good as it gets for the Res. itself. Nothing around and about in the valley, too windy. Couldn't find any Little Owls at Norland, 10 Greenfinch on wires.

pennine optics

just a quick word.
a very good company,went over today for a new camera lense.very good service.not the cheapest though but at least you can try out what you want to buy,and being close to home means no waiting for the post.

Twite feeding stations

Anyone interested in setting up and running a feeding station this year please get in touch and we'll try and source the Nyger seed required. Does anyone know if Brian (or anyone) is still feeding at Whiteholme?

Last call for Malta Optics

Anyone who still has optics they wish to donate to the Malta fund please let me know ASAP, thanks.

For latest updates and anti Birdlife acts of vandalism on Malta see www.birdlifemalta.org

Halifax Town Centre

Early bird!! Pair of Blackbirds with a newly built nest in a town centre car park this afternoon.

green withens aka windy hill

very windy up here this afternoon and very few birds
only 1 black headed gull which appeared to die in the waves!
also 1 red grouse
that was it no carrion crows,magpies kestrels, which are the usual fodder.

roll on march