Identification !!!

Tree Pipit and Meadow Pipit (double click to enlarge)

With thanks to David Crawshaw for this great photo of the two species together taken in Suffolk recently. Really good to see them together for comparison

I don't know about anyone else but I find identification of Tree Pipit (without call or song) very difficult especially with Meadow Pipit plumage so variable towards the autumn. Spring and summer song of both birds is quite different so with practise they are quite easy to tell apart. Also the contact/flight call of each is quite different.
However, identification (I find) can be tricky, especially in autumn, on their own when they perch in a tree or small bush as M P's occasionally do !
There are a couple at least, of good pointers here (though not always easy to see in the field). Meadow Pipit has a very long hind claw and lower mandible colour is different in each species.
There are other differences with the bill, flank streaks and white,rather than buff belly on the Tree Pipit but again in the field these are not always easy to see.
Does anyone else struggle with these two???

Other news today

A report today (many thanks R and C or is it K?) of a pair of Ring Ouzel at Walshaw (middle res'r area) on Sunday 6th Oct feeding on rowan berries.

Single Wheatear, Dunlin and a Ruff still present at Ringstone today along with the Golden Plover and Lapwing flocks and a few Snipe (Steve L and Andy H))

c50 Pink-footed Geese >W over Northowram (Andy C) at 5.25 pm were possibly the same skein seen by Matt further up the valley around 6.0 pm

23 Twite this afternoon at Derby Delph (Andy K) and Common Buzzard >W around 4.30 pm (Andy H)

And from Pete - a small flock of Redwings over Beacon Hill >W (think it was today Pete but please correct me if I'm in error!!)

Bits today

A marsh harrier appeared low over fields as I was driving in the East of our recording area, close to where one has been loitering in the Bradford Group area. Fortunately, I had binoculars in the car and was able to stop.

A skein of c.50 pink footed geese flew relatively low (compared to their usual travelling height) over Jumble Hole due west at 6pm this evening.

Ploughcroft area

This afternoon along Hag Lane I went looking for late Swallows and House Martins in the sheltered part of the valley without success. Plenty of Jays about but little else.
1 Sparrowhawk over Beacon Hill
1 Kestrel
1 Little Owl at Ploughcroft - which I was surprised to find after most of the field walls have been taken out from their traditional roosting/ vantage points.
I notice the same thing has happened in parts of the upper Luddenden Dean area as well. It's a shame to lose them as they are still valuable habitat. I just hope the fields don't now get weedkilled, ploughed and sown down with the Rye grass to the expense of the more wildlife friendly meadows !

Mixenden Res'r and Lower Brockholes

This morning around the Res'r
1 G C Grebe (adult)
5 Goosander
2 ad L B B Gulls
9 B H Gulls
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
3 Grey Wagtails
11 Pied Wagtails along Hayes Lane
I couldn't  find the roving tit flock today!

Lower Brockholes
1 Little Owl
3 Stonechats together - female with adult and juvenile males near the lower end of the golf course
Just a few Meadow Pipits about and a report of a few Skylarks on the top of Hunter Hill

Jumble Hole

A single redwing flew west mid afternoon. A raven was high over towards Hebden not long after.

Fly Flatts

It was a struggle to find anything up there this afternoon despite the favourable weather conditions and good visibility.
2 Kestrel
2 Canada Geese
2 Teal
2 Carrion Crows and that was it!
Oh - and a good smattering of Red Grouse
It was good too to meet a birder from East London up there who was pleased to locate the grouse but I guess Twite would be a struggle to find after the rapid decline in the last year or two up there. Though I am still putting nyger seed down in hope!

Ogden Garden

A red legged partridge visited this lunch time and spent a little time perched in a bush. A first for our garden.

see photo

Lee Mount

My first estimate of c80 (miles out !!!!) Pink-footed Geese this morning at 11.30  >W turned out to be 123. A nice noisy skein and my first of the autumn.
Also a Sparrowhawk over mobbed by corvids.

Lee Mount

No chance for any birding this weekend but 6 Swallows over the house this afternoon was nice. They went straight through due south.
I have been out at times most evenings listening for Redwings as lots of Vis miggers have been getting winter thrushes in small numbers over the last week or so. Just not heard any yet but should get some soon with a bit of luck!

Birds of Prey

Me and my wife had our appetite whetted with a Peregrine and Marsh Harrier just out of our area yesterday  so we went up to the good raptor spot at the top of the valley this aft.  We were rewarded with:-

Kestrel x 4
Sparrowhawk x 1
Buzzard x 2

We were just heading back up to the car when my wife spotted the 'buzzard' soaring in the valley.  A few carrion crows briefly mobbed it and it

was bigger than them. I got the bins on it and realised it wasn't a Buzzard and I assumed Sparrowhawk and it went into a stoop and just missed a Woodpigeon.  A small falcon then had a brief go at it and it made the falcon (I think Kes) look about a quarter of its size.
It was very pale underneath.  I got a couple of out of a focus shots as it passed over and flew strongly to the top of the valley.  Are they enough for anyone to be able to give their opinion on the question I am obviously asking?

I am hoping NCD may have seen it as we had driven past him on our way up to the spot but he had gone on our return so hem may have missed it.

Jumble Hole

2 chiffchaff still around. Plenty of siskin flying about today. And there seemed to be a steady stream of pied wagtails over during the day, including one flock of 22, plus many smaller groups.

Ogden BHG.

                                 Ogden leg ringed BHG.         Photos BS.

Seen at Ogden last winter and now returned, this BHG was ringed in Germany and is now 3 years old.
Re found yesterday and info, Denise Shields.
The bird this evening was amongst c100 gulls on the overflow railings at Ogden with just 2 of last weeks Little Grebes remaining.
BS

Ruff

Photos of the Ruff 28-09-13

Ruff still there this morning.

Fly Flatts and Mixenden Res'r

Totally fogged off at Fly this afternoon and the same at Withens Head so called at mixenden on the way back home and that was worthwhile as there were at least some birds there!!
A massive tit flock in the trees and shrubs along the edge of the Res'r. They were mostly Blue and Coal Tits with several Goldcrests, L T Tits and Great Tits, at least 2  Treecreepers and 2+ Ciff-Chaff's and a few Chaffinch with them. Possibly 50+ birds altogether but not half tricky to i d in the poor light, drizzle and so many small birds in the canopy which is still full of leaves. Several warbler types were flitting about rapidly but I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Well worth a check if anyone is up there this weekend.
2 G C Grebes - adult and juv
Passing B H Gulls and Common Gulls
1 Grey Wagtail
c12 Pied Wagtails along Hayes Lane
No hirundines today.

Photos

Just a post to say to everyone feel free to upload local bird photos onto the blog. It's very easy to do, and creates interesting content. They don't have to be 'award winning' quality, or even of rarities! For those of us who don't get out much, it's the closest we get to local birding. The ruff has been at Ringstone for some time now, and no photos yet? In truth, I'm unlikely to be able to get out and see it, so if anyone has record shots, however ropey, I'd love to see the bird.

My usual rant: the blog is only as interesting as the content that us members upload to it, so please keep records, sightings, questions, photos etc coming.

Fly Flatts

Loads of shoreline still and some small islands of peat emerging at the southern end but still no migrant waders though 3 Lapwings were on the mud at the northern end
2 Goosander on the res'r was unusual for this site
1 Teal
3 Mallard
23 Canada Geese
1 B H Gull
3 Kestrels including 2 together, both looked like juveniles

No mipits and no Wheatears!
Also checked Withens Head farm (the traditional Black Redstart spot!!) but nothing doing there either though there are plenty of Red Grouse about

Lee Mount

Chiff-chaff singing this morning at the back of the garden and seen briefly
2 Grey Wagtails >SE
A few Chaffinches on the move on and off today mostly >S
1 Sparrowhawk this afternoon

Parakeets

2 Parakeets or similar (Cockatiels?) flying around in Crow Wood Park,S/B this afternoon as I was leaving at 4.30.

I did manage to find one briefly with the bins but can't be absolutely sure of id. Ring Necked Parakeets or similar escapees.

Fly Flatts

10 Mallard
11 Teal
1 Tufted Duck
11 Canada Geese
1 unidentified small falcon over the moor Kestrel/Merlin but too far away to be sure.
No waders but loads of shoreline!