Lee Mount

A Mistle Thrush singing full belt across mid-day today in St George's Church graveyard. Also c20 Redwings there feeding in Holly bushes and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers nearby.

Mixenden Res'r and Ogden

I ventured out again this morning in the drizzle and fog not expecting a lot but was rewarded at Mixenden Res'r with a drake Common Scoter.

Drake Common Scoter

Also present 1 Little Grebe

Nearby 22 Canada Geese, 1 Barnacle Goose and a Greylag Goose

c70 Jackdaws

1 Grey Wagtail

c160 B H Gulls, 12 Common Gulls and a juv L B B Gull on the res'r

 

Ogden - the fog was even worse though I did manage to find a Little Grebe which looked to be catching plenty of small fish.

c20 Chaffinch

2 Bullfinch

8+ Coal Tits

c60 B H Gulls and 6 Common Gulls
AND a male Mistle Thrush singing alreday !





Swales Moor

I did venture out this afternoon in the fog and gloom, hope it clears up soon !!
Just 2 Meadow Pipits on the top along with a single Fieldfare and that was it as the fog closed in.

No other news today other than 5 Tree Sparrows at Northowram from AC and that is good news.

Withens Clough etc

A report from Nigel G of a male and female Goldeneye at Withens Clough yesterday midday. Possibly a second male there too. Also 2 Tufted duck ( one male one female). 

And from Mike St.  this morning a Merlin through Colnebridge just in our area flew right over his head!

Today

Not much reported so far today but a female Goldeneye is, as far as I know, only the second for Calderdale this back end again at Ringstone this morning from Steve L.

From Mike St at Clifton this p.m. Juv Mute Swan, a male Tufty, a Goldcrest, and a Kingfisher on the river. Always good to find a Mute Swan in our area these days !

Lumbutts, Tuesday

A quick look at what used to be my regular patch, taking advantage of the sunny weather.

Lee Dam

A Kingfisher on the top dam was a very pleasant surprise. I think this is the first one I have seen here, even though it always seemed a promising habitat.

Otherwise, it was rather quiet: one Moorhen on the lower dam, a flock of Canada Geese in the field to the east and a few Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Long-tailed Tits heard.

Longfield Dam

Rather sad to see this is now wired (although at least Lee Dam isn't), and totally devoid of wildfowl on this occasion.

Over the road, at least eight Lapwing feeding, along with at least one Rook and Starling - there may have been more of these hidden in the dip of the pasture, I suspect. There was also a flock of about thirty Black-headed Gulls further west in a field at the point the road bends right, and about twenty Canada Geese grazing near the riding stables.

Today

From (PG) Baitings Res'r today - 2 Kingfishers at this site was a very good find at this moorland location. They are usually lower down the valley

A pair of Wigeon at Ringstone today from (SL) and a buzzard sp. nearby mid morning (MH)

The Chaffinch flock at Ogden included a Lesser Redpoll today but no sign of yesterdays Bramblings (NK) though they could still be around.

Lee Mount etc

This morning - I amazed myself with an estimate of 150 Pink-footed Geese over >SE at 08:20. I got a photo on the phone and just had a count up.... 148 !
On past guestimates I usually over estimate but was more than pleased to get close today. It's not easy to count pinkies when they are on the move and changing position as they go. Lapwings are even more difficult !!!

I had a look out at some local sites with Alan T early afternoon. We checked Derby Delph for Twite but nothing doing there, though some were still about last week. 10 Herring Gulls (2 adults) >W returned >E a few minutes later !.We then checked below the res'r embankment at Booth Wood and found a Kestrel and a few Bullfinch but not a lot else. We were very surprised by a drone overhead, with camera lenses showing, for several minutes wondering if it was watching 'birders' for suspicious activities (as if) but we decided it was probably YW checking the dam wall. !
Nothing doing at Ringstone other than a number of B H Gulls and a few Common Gulls.

Tree Sparrows

There have been between 5 and 8 Tree Sparrows in Northowram this weekend visiting my garden and the area/gardens  around the two Cricket Pitches...It was an area in the past that was a regular breeding site ( at least 12 years ago) , so lets keep our fingers crossed that they hang around till the spring..

Mute swan

Mute swan is still on the canal at Hebden Bridge, but has moved from Stubbings down to Hebble End, down near the Alternative Technology Centre.

Pink Feet - Luddendedn Dean

I estimate around 90 went SW over Ludd Dean at 14.30ish.  They were flying in very neat formation.  I'm sure a few others got them and might show my number estimate up as I had no bins!

Rough Leg ?

DFs distant shot of a Buzzard species at Ringstone Edge yesterday. Looks good for RL Buzzard, any thoughts?

Swales Moor, Soil Hill and Ogden

A couple of hours out this morning to check the local sights
Swales Moor - 9 Linnet, 1 Skylark and 3 Meadow Pipits on the top but no sign of the recent Twite.

Soil Hill - pretty dead, just 3 Grey Partridge and a Pied Wagtail

Ogden - a stunning drake Wigeon on the reservoir along with c60 B H Gulls and c30 Common Gulls with 3 adult Herring Gulls pondering through >SW and 2 Raven >E very high.

Drake Wigeon

This is the best I could get across the reservoir!

Just one other report today so far with a drake Goosander on Ringstone Reservoir (AT). There don't seem to be many about yet and there is a distinct lack of Goldeneye reported (we have only had one autumn record and that was a female type at Ringstone on 5th  November). They usually arrive in mid to late October and stay in small numbers on the local reservoirs throughout the winter.

Fly Flatts and Soil Hill etc

Fly Flatts
It was hard to find anything up there though 46 Mallard on the res'r is a decent count for this site.
2 Kestrels, 4 B H Gulls and some Red Grouse and that was it, not even a corvid!

Soil Hill
I guess NK will have checked earlier but I gave it a try mid afternoon, always in the hope of a 'gem' !
3 Grey Partridge along the Ned Hill track and just a single Skylark on the top
50+ Common Gulls were together feeding in a field towards Ogden

Also a report from Steve L this morning of 2 drake Mandarin on Bowers Mill pond near Barkisland

Various

From Mike Stead yesterday, unable to post on the blog - recent sightings

I came across a cracking male Stonechat at Old Lindley (just in area) today, perched on a stone wall; it's not one of my usual areas, so that was a pleasing find.

At Kirklees Hall there are still one or two Yellowhammers about , and a  Buzzard nearby. 

38 Lapwings flew over as well, yesterday.

At Clifton Lagoon, Redwings and Blackbirds seem to have arrived in force - the bushes and trees are full of them.

And 'our' Pied Wagtail (one of two) that visited the garden all last winter popped up on the bird table last week !

Swales Moor and Oats Royd, Bradshaw

Late morning I got a report from Pete S about a distant flock of P f Geese >W seen from Shibden at 09:55

Swales Moor - just 2 Skylarks on the top and not much else in the fog

Oats Royd - I thought it might be worth checking just in case the Black Redstart from last week was still about. Looks like it's gone and just found a male Stonechat on the walls on the east side of the track near the bottom.

Out and about

Last couple of days I've visited several sites
From yesterday
Swales Moor - the solitary Twite was still there but it soon flushes ! Also 2 Skylarks, 20 mipits and 10 Linnets with c130 Fieldfare in the fields near Ploughcroft.
Soil Hill - 3 Grey Partridge, 2 Common Snipe, and 2 Reed Buntings
Mixenden Res'r - 4 Goosander
Ogden  - Back Lane - 8 Grey Partridge

Today
Cold Edge - 2 Stonechats, 4 Reed Buntings, 1 Cormorant, 1 Tufted Duck
Fly Flatts - 35 Mallard
Swales Moor - 2 Skylark, c20 Meadow Pipits
Pepper Hill/ Claremount - 3 Grey Partridge, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel and 1 Jay

Fly Flatts this morning

Warland

A report today from Pete Gr about a Shelduck at Warland this morning.
Nice one Pete hope you didnt get caught up there in that torrential downpour this morning !

Amazing re-encounter with a bird by a ringer - copied from email from BTO Demography Unit

4 NOVEMBER 2014

Ringer migration confirmed by a Blackcap

Back in September, we posted about the large numbers of Blackcaps that were moving through the central and western parts of the country. We were contacted recently with a fantastic story of a chance re-encounter between a member of the Brewood Ringing Group and one of these migrants.

Colin McShane writes:

Over the last 8 years I have been leading an Autumn ringing trip to the Parque Ambientale, in Vilamoura, Portugal with support from Vitor Encarnacao who heads up the Portuguese Ringing Scheme. Our trips have been successful on several levels and many British ringers have joined us over the years to expand their experience.

We have also controlled a number of birds from northern Europe, including Reed Warblers from Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden, and Bluethroats from France. On 06 October 2014 during this year’s trip, I extracted a male Blackcap from one of our standard mist nets and was very pleased, although not too surprised, to find that it was carrying a BTO ring. Back at the processing station, Dave Clifton (who has been an ever-present fixture on these trips) was doing his stint as the scribe. Having announced to the group what I had extracted, I began to process the bird - first reading out the ring number several times for accuracy.

Dave went quiet. He quickly got onto the phone to his wife, who checked in his ringing book back home. Hey Presto!! The bird was indeed one (of only two Blackcaps ringed at the site) he had ringed at Duckley Plantation, on the north shore of Blithfield Reservoir, Staffordshire on 11th September 2014 - only a few weeks before we had left for Portugal!!

Whooper swans - Todmorden

Seven whooper swans seen approx. 2.30pm this afternoon (Saturday) on the pond off Lumbutts Road.
Think 3 were juveniles.  The lady at the cattery had seen them some hours earlier circling the pond before landing.

Huge number of cars parked (fell race) at the side of Lumbutts road didn't seem to faze them