New Gull Roost?

With regard to Steve's post on 23rd December concerning gull roosts I have some new information to add to the discussion. I went up to Scammonden primarily to see if both divers were still present and the good news if you haven't caught up with them yet they are still around and diving frequently. I've attached another couple of photos but promise not to bore you with anymore unless a third one turns up!




Interestingly a solitary Moorhen was also present on the water which is the first time I've seen this species here, perhaps a Ringstone bird?

Anyhow back to the main event, both Black-headed and Common Gull started arriving from the north and north-east around 15:15hrs onwards and at dusk there were a total of 2,500 gulls present comprising 2,200 Black-headed Gull and 300 Common Gull.

At 16:00hrs 27 Herring Gull flew in from the west and circled the gull roost for about 2 minutes before continuing in an easterly direction along the M62 corridor.

There was no gull roost on 23rd December so perhaps the cold snap has resulted in the gulls roosting here as Scammonden is still ice-free?

Male Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and hunting SEO were also seen in the area, not a bad end to 2009!

Ringby Lane (Swales Moor)

Female Reed Bunting in the snow (3 present)
1 Meadow Pipit

2 Lapwings >SW at 09.45
5 Great Back-backed Gulls >W at 10.30

Bargain Book

If anyones interested WH Smiths have got 80% off RSPB Complete Birds of Britain and Europe making it £6 instead of £30.

'A Life With Loons'

Radio 4 last night at 11.30 pm for half -hour had a really interesting programme;
'A Life With - Loons'. In North America - a scientific approach on breeding/ringing/longevity/plumage/calls/feeding/migration etc. It's well worth catching up with if it's repeated - or on the computer i player !!?

TONIGHT - Radio 4 - 11.30 pm - 'A Life With - Ospreys'

Mixenden and Ogden Res'rs

Drake Tufted Duck at Mixenden Res'r this afternoon along with c100 Black Headed Gulls and 35 Common Gulls at the daytime roost.
1 female Sparrowhawk chasing a thrush sp..

Ogden

1 Kingfisher - sitting on a branch by the outflow below the embankment

1 Great Spotted Woodpecker on the lodge feeder

2 male Sparrowhawks - hunting at the same time either side of the plantation

No wildfowl other than the usual - time for a rarity with this easterly blast!

Scammonden & EGP

2 juvenile Great Northern Diver at opposite ends of the water this afternoon, one at the southern end and the one in the photo preferring the NE area near the tower.

1 Woodcock flushed on my walkabout plus 25 Fieldfare in a field near main car.





1st winter male Scaup still at EGP plus:

2 male Pochard
54 Tufted Duck
2 Goldeneye
7 Goosander at least
3 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebe
6 Cormorant
5 Moorhen
28 Coot
3 Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 over E plus 2 on the ice (see photos)


First one of an Adult winter fuscus graellsii





Second one showing certain features I personally have not seen before, plumage almost identical to the first one, perhaps more extensive head-markings, but with an obvious lack of colour in the bill and fleshy coloured legs which presumably could indicate a 3rd winter fuscus graellsii?





Any comments from more experienced observers welcome!

Ringby Lane (Swales Moor) and Ogden

This morning - like the Arctic up there!
1 Meadow Pipit
15 Common Gulls and the usual corvids

Passing Gulls >W
1 L B B G
2 Gt B B Gulls
9 Herring Gulls

Ploughcroft - in the fields
3 Redwing
23 Fieldfare
28 Starling

Ogden (pm)
145 Mallard and that was about it on the res'r other than a small number of B H and Common Gulls passing through towards Thornton Moor
c50 Rooks and c12 Jackdaws >NE late afternoon

GND update

Text came through on grapevine yesterday there are now two GNDs at Scammonden (JB)

Luddenden Dean

We checked out the dean this afternoon either side of the valley upstream from Jerusalem Farm
1 m Sparrowhawk inches off taking a Blackbird which dived into a holly bush!
c4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
1 Dipper near the lower lodge
200+ Woodpigeons
c25 Fieldfare
c20 Redwings

Walshaw Dean 11:30

The best bird was a dunlin, initially out on the ice in the middle of top Walshaw. At one point, it slipped into the water, and 'swam' about a bit, and I thought for a moment we might have a phalarope, as it was still at distance at this point! However, it then flew nearer the dam wall and gave good views before flying off down across middle Walshaw.

Other birds seen:

2+ goldcrest

1 goldeneye on middle Walshaw

Little Owl nr The Ridge

3 kestrel

2 reed bunting

2 mallard lower Walshaw

MB & AH

High Royd - yesterday

Posting on behalf of Andy Huyton:

- Water rail gave good views

Whieholme

2 hours round the res produced 2 GBBGull and 1 Herring Gull east,1 Carrion Crow and 1 male Peregrine also 1 male peregrine on wainhouse tower.

Xmas disaster at Fly Flatts

They're not just bad news for birds!

Grapevine

Just a reminder to those who have still not paid, the grapevine is due and credit will run out at the end of the month.

scammonden this afternoon

a quiet and slushy walk around the harbour side of the resovoir. sadly i could not find the diver which i was gutted about but thats the way things are. however all was not in vain. we got smashing views of a jay in flight. i dont go to scammonden often (3 times in 15 years) so i can not really say plus the usual species because i dont actually know what they are. plenty of b.h.gulls plus a song thrush and woodpigeons and canada geese and lots of mallards.

as we left we saw a kestrel attacking a crow. in the end the crow got so annoyed that it had to land to avoid harrasment.

Scaup at EGP

1st winter male Scaup still present early this morning, another dodgy digiscoped image attached, hopefully someone else with better equipment and warmer hands might produce something of superior quality.



No sign of the Gadwall or Chestnut Teal but plenty of other birds to wet the appetite inluded:

1 male Pochard
52 Tufted Duck
2 Goldeneye (1 male & 1 juvenile)
7 Goosander at least
3 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebe
4 Cormorant at least
3 Moorhen
25 Coot
1 LBB Gull
1 Kingfisher at least

Roils Head

Posting for Nick Dawtery
4 Great Black-backed Gulls and 10 Herring Gulls over >W this afternoon

Collared Doves have started singing in the last few days!

Boxing Day Goodies at EGP

Male Scaup on the water this morning was a lovely surprise



A pair of Gadwall were resting on the ice



And an escaped male Chestnut Teal which is native to Australia was probably the biggest surprise of all, although this is the third time I have seen a male of this species somewhere along the Calder Valley in the last couple of years, this however is my first sighting of one in the Halifax BW area



Other species counted were:

58 Canada Goose
1 male Pochard
51 Tufted Duck
2 Goldeneye (1 male & 1 juvenile)
1 female Goosander
2 Little Grebe
6 Great Crested Grebe
1 Cormorant
8 Lapwing

Fieldfare

A flock of about 200 Fieldfares flew over the house yesterday afternoon at about 15:00 in the direction of Withins Clough.

This morning a single bird was feeding on the apples in the garden.

Halifax

Still lots of wintering thrushes being reported in town centre areas today on the berrying shrubs/trees - mainly Fieldfares and Redwings along with a few Blackbirds and Mistle Thrushes.