More Whooper Swans

 This morning 

25 on Lower Gorple Res'r + 2 Goosander @ 08:25 (SiB)

17 on Ringstone Res'r @ 08:55 (JB)

Later in the day

28 on Blackstone Edge

58 on Lower Walshaw

25 on Ogden

44 >W over Cock Hill

Total 197 probably mostly arrived after overnight movement and likely move on after dusk tonight (?)

Thanks for all the reports today.

Whooper Swans

Summary of the Whooper Swan reports on 17th and 19th March over Calderdale

17th - 22 on Withens Clough Res'r

19th - 43 over Clifton  were probably the same ones that turned up on Fly Flatts Res'r 

         - 28 heard over Northowram at 01:30 are probably the ones that turned up on Mixenden Res'r

         - 2 on Ringstone Res'r

         - 28 viewed from Ringstone went >N over M62 at 14:25

Thanks for the reports

No sign of Fridays Black Redstart from Ringby Lane on Saturday. It might be worth checking the area again once this east wind settles down !

Ploughcroft Lane Friday afternoon, 18th March 2022.

Decided to try to see the Black Redstart found by David Sutcliffe this morning on Ringby Lane.

Very flighty and mobile covering tens of yards. Last seen flying down the hill.

Cold Edge

 Buzzard

Black Redstart

 Nice to see the Black Redstart so local to me after a 

 great tip off from DS and JL , thank you. Linnet and Goldfinch also seen.

Cold Edge

 1 Redshank

Cold Edge

 Tufted duck: 3 males, 3 females.  Also 1 Redshank here, which at 1145 flew north towards Fly Flatts, where Brian had 2 earlier today.

Shibden Valley

 Singing Greenfinch. And first Chiffchaff heard singing here today.

Recent Bramblings at Roils Head

Cold Edge

 2 of 3 Curlews. Female on the right.

Cold Edge

 Goosander 1 pair

Cold Edge

 5 Whooper Swans. Thanks to Djs for alerting me.

Photo taken with Lumix TZ80 pocket camera, with 30x optical zoom.

Cold Edge

 Teal: 2 males, 1 female

Burning heather on Midgley Moor - viewed from Wainstalls

Cold Edge

 2 Oystercatchers

Cold Edge

 Male Goldeneye, and 3 Mallards

Pepper Hill

 An hour or so on the top above Claremount and Boothtown late morning produced, for me anyway, the first Skylarks of the year. Three of them in the sheltered fields facing east. No song heard here as yet though they do sing early in the year. I got their call several times, it reminds me of.... 'cheerup' .....'cheerup' !!

The Skylarks were with c60 Redwings, 4 Mistle Thrush and a single Song Thrush with 10+ Meadow Pipits in an adjacent field. There could have been more though they were possibly hidden in the longer grass keeping low down in the blustery wind.

Shibden Park

 A Nuthatch was throwing bits of stuff out of a hole in the trunk of a tree, about 4 metres above the ground. I don't think our Nuthatches excavate their nest holes, as a rule. So it's most likely that it was clearing out either remains of a nest from last year or debris that had somehow got into the hole.

Shibden Park

 9 Coots (and 6 Moorhens) here today.

Fly Flats

Poor conditions up there as I met with a hail storm late afternoon and a gusting westerly.

1 Curlew was the best I could do other than 28 Greylag Geese heading >N over the moor.

Withens Head - 10 Fieldfares in the field opposite the wind-farm with c110 Starlings.

A really good find for PD and AT at Ringstone this afternoon with  a drake Gadwall. Such a scarce bird in Calderdale.

Also from late morning - 2 Whooper Swans >W over Ogden towards Cold Edge around 11:30 (NK). 

I thought they might come down at Cold Edge dams given the poor weather conditions but there was no sign of them there, thanks to a check (AR).

Shibden Park

 Little Grebe