Woodchat Shrike

Apologies - I thought directions had already been posted on the blog!

The bird was seen last Thursday. Get to Cottonstones Church(up Lumb Lane from Mill Bank) (or via Rooley Lane from Sowerby). Going south west from the church pass Alma Inn and go on Clay Pit Lane (about quarter mile past the church). Turn right on Wicken Lane and the bird was seen on land around Noah Dale Farm.
Nick and Roy checked the site tonight without success but very misty although habitat looks good! It could still be there???

Woodchat shrike

Woodchat Shrike

A birder has reported seeing a woodchat shrike near Halifax a few hours ago. This info was on the Bird Forum. He was wondering where to report it to. He's also posted a photograph of the bird. Nothing yet on Bird Guides.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=45989&page=85


Sandra

Jumble Hole / Underbank

6:45 - 7:30

- 1 wood warbler feeding. Probably grounded by heavy showers
- 1 unusual looking phyllosc' warbler skulking the scrub. Probably a juv' chiffchaff.
- 1 green woodpecker
- 1 nuthatch
- 1 treecreeper

Grasshopper warblers

Grasshopper warbler found by Andy Huyton outside his house (Widdop Common) at 6:50am.

I went up at 9:45, aand got two birds calling and showing reasonably well down to 10 feet. Still calling up to 10:45am.

GRAPEVINE

c60 text messages sent out in May/June/July.

Grapevine funds are due now please for;-
AC, AH, BS, DB, GD, JB, MB, MS, NR, NCD, NO, PJWS, RA, SJ, SB, SC, WB.

In credit still are BH, IS, NDawson, SG and TW

Fivers to Nick Carter, Nick Dawtrey or myself as soon as you can please
Thanks - Dave

Please let one of us know if you no longer wish to be part of the text service

Wheatley Valley

Yesterday afternoon on the former Birks Hall and Shroggs Tip sites. Bird life was very quiet (time of year I think) but the area has wonderful habitat on both sites.

Birks hall (access from Brackenbed Lane)is full of young trees including rosa, rowan, birch, alder, hawthorn, blackthorn, willow, oak and maple with an interesting understory including willow herb, nettles, blackberry etc. It looks a wonderful site for warblers, insects and later on wintering thrushes.

Shroggs tip site(up from B&Q and Dorlux)is planted around the edges with alder and birch etc and has a broad expanse of flat grassland in the middle. All the grasses are flowering and setting seed and there were hundreds of meadow brown butterflies and probably a few other interesting insects too.

Bird Report

Nick Dawtrey has asked me to remind everyone of the importance of bird report sales in ensuring the following years report can be financed, this year has seen a significant downturn in sales of the current report. Copies are still for sale at Woodlesford Newsagents on Moorend Road and are also available from myself or Nick (phone 01422 364228). Reports cost £5 each or £5-60 including postage. Pease help to support the archive as well as getting an informative and interesting read!

Fly Flats yesterday

25th July
Twite feeding on thistles


Golden Plover


Also present
2 Curlew
2 Common Sandpipers
2 juv Wheatears

Success???????

3 Buzzards seen soaring together today at 15:40 at undisclosed site, the birds were within half a mile of a suspected breeding site, only our 2nd in Calderdale. Hopefully this is a sign of successful breeding at the site, although the birds were only seen through bins and viewed from a hillside opposite. None of the birds appeared to be in moult so it was impossible to age any of them.

Warblers singing

Chiff-Chaff at the tree Nursery, Beardsworth's, last Wednesday 23rd on the A58 just before the Chain Bar junction.
Blackcap at Northowrham on Thursday.
Could be the good weather, I don't know. They seem to tail off singing before the longest day and then have a short song period later. Mostly I've heard Willow Warblers singing late.
Did anyone find a Wood Warbler this year in Calderdale, either early or late?

Thrushes anvil in a Northowrham garden. They were the common garden snails. I had seen Song Thrush there earlier in the year, carrying food, but the nest was in the next door garden, so I couldn't record it.

A worker at the Piece Hall, when I asked him to point out where they Peregrine chicks could be seen, pointed to the hole I (and Sean ) had identified Kestrel chicks. He admitted they were assuming they were Peregrines. I doubt if Peregrines could be in another part of the steeple.

First Garden Nuthatch

Popped home (Copley Hill) for lunch today and saw the first Nuthatch I have seen in our garden, I have seen them several times near the church in Copley so knew it wouldnt be too long.

Not a rare bird but I do like watching their antics - used to get plenty in when we lived up Berwick so nice to be getting them here now.

Leica binoculars for sale

Pete Gee is selling his Leica 8 X 32 BN binoculars, they are in mint condition, boxed as new and come with Optech strap, he is looking for £500 for them and can be contacted on lbcorsa@sky.com

Fly Flats/Castle Carr/Cold Edge

Male twite at Fly Flats this afternoon shownig pink rump and ringed colour combination on left tarsus.


Cold Edge -
1 pair of Tufted Duck

Withens Gap
c25 Linnets
c30 Goldfinch
c15 Greenfinch
30+ Meadow Pipits
1 Reed Bunting

Fly Flats
3 Wheatear (2 juvs)
3 pairs of Twite feeding on thistle heads near the feeding station
Colour rings top to bottom male pink/white/blue and another male pink/blue/yellow
1 Oystercatcher
2 LBBGs, 24 B H Gulls, 2 Common Gulls



Castle Carr Road
14 Twite - post breeding flock in the fields near the far end of the road by the old railway cabins

Never let the facts...etc

See http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/Peregrine-falcon-chicks-take-to.4313471.jp

Woodland birds

We have had a dreadful breeding season for many of our woodland birds (notably wood warbler - not sure that there has been a single sighting?) , but we are not alone
http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=1379

Undisclosed site - 6:45 to 10:45pm

- 4 short eared owls (2 adults hunting, 2 fledged young on wall and fence)
- 4 long eared owls (Known site. 2 adults, 2 young - one seen, another hunger calling.)
- 1 little owl
- 1-2 crossbill
- 2-3 siskin
- 2 common sandpiper
- 3 oystercatcher
- 2-3 sand martin, probably passing through
- 4+ kestrel
- 10+ red grouse
- 3 stonechat

Long eared owl hunger calling at second site on way home (again, a known site)

Ogden Garden

It seems to have been a good breeding season for garden birds. In the last month we have had young blue tits,great tits,coal tits,goldfinches,siskins,chaffinches, greenfinches robins dunnocks and great spotted woodpeckers [ at least three]at our garden feeders.

Callis Bridge sewage works - 7:00 - 8:00pm

Amazing site tonight, with a large gathering of hirundines. Minimum counts of

- 450 swifts
- 110 swallows
- 140 house martins

They all melted away suddenly at 7:50pm. I thought they would attract a raptor, but nothing in the time I was there.

Also, 12 pied wagtails, 9 of which were juvenilles

Merlins

Sue and watched a pair of Merlins displaying around a mountainside in Wales this afternoon. Would they still have young in the nest at this time of year ? The reason I ask is we want to walk up the mountain on a particular route tomorrow and would not wish to disturb nesting birds.