Out and about Monday 6 December

Good to get out in the crisp,cold weather, even though these are tough times for wildlife.
So, to Cromwell Bottom en route to a gig in Hull.
The snow lay all around,deep, and crisp,and uneven.

Nothing too exciting on the species seen but not too
bad....:-

scaup 1 as reported on the estimable Calderdale blog,
pochard x3
tufted duck c28
gc grebe 1
L grebe 1
goldeneye 2
heron 4
cormorant 5
goosander 5, 3f, 2m on river
5 teal on river
1 nuthactch
1 gs woodpecker
1 green woodpecker
2 redwing
5 mistlethrush
large ltt flocks

plus usual dunnocks, battling wrens, coot, moorhen,mallard, titmice, finches, corvids and gulls.

Pied-billed grebe

Borrowed photograph.

Out birding again after a break. A cold day, with many showers and some short spells of sunshine.


I made a quick trip to Hollingworth Lake this afternoon to have a gander
at the pied-billed grebe. Despite the fading light, I got some good views.
It kept pretty much on the move and it was feeding pretty voraciously. Let's hope the numerous dog walkers and hounds don't disturb it too much.

Jolly good.

Blackwood Common

A couple of hours up at Blackwood Common this evening. Nothing especially exciting but it was good to get out again after a longish break.

Species seen:-
Linnet c20
Meadow pipit c40
Skylark 1
House martin
Swallow
Little owl
Pheasant
Carrion crow
Jackdaw
Magpie
Rook
Stock dove 2
Wood pigeon

Rabbits

Thrilling what!
Beats watching television.

Withens Clough Stretch

Withens Clough 3.45-5.00pm. Cold, with a light breeze, some cloud and some sun.
Species seen
6 linnets
2 willow warblers seen. Others heard.
2 wheatears
3 curlew
2 common sandpiper
4 reed buntings
c10 swallows
c25 mipits
2 pheasant
Plus titmice, gold and chaffinch, jackdaws, carrion crows, blackbirds, canadas with goslings.

Biting Political Satire

Tory admen. Aaaaarrgghhhhhh!

X Marks The Spot

Evening stroll- Elmet

A walk before dusk.
2 roe deer
1 greater spotted woodpecker
1 peregrine
1 raven
jackdaws going to roost
2 tawny owls calling
plus the usual bird species.
And so to the snug.

Hubberton Sowerby Walk

A walk this am,, starting 9.30. Cold, fairly still, some cloud and some sunshine.

1 snipe
15 lapwing
6 golden plover
5 curlew
1 reed bunting
1 kestrel
1 raven
2 skylarks
plenty of swallows and house martins
lots of meadow pipits
Plus the usual species

Lots of changes close to Crow Hill, including knocking down dry stone walls, a trench dug, work on a bridleway/track using hard core etc. Looks like bigger fields are being created. Usually at this time of year the area is very wet, so the presumably the farmer has been taking advantage of the dry weather to make the changes. Hawthorn planting seems to in fashion in the area.

A good dander but the changes to the scape are a bit worrying.

And again...

Yesterday Elland Gravel Pits
Getting hard to see the warblers with the leaves out on the trees.

5 willow warblers
3 blackcaps
1 reed warbler
1 sedge warbler
6 reed buntings
1 kestrel

Plus usual species.

Butterflies
green veined white
large white
peacock

Elland Gravel Pits

Tuesday am. Warm with sunshine and cloud. Good to be there when there are only a few dog walkers and their mutts about.

Species Seen

3 reed buntings.
8 chiffchaff
7 willow warblers
3 blackcap
3 house martin
7 swallow
2 swift
1 kestrel
1 jay
1 heron
1 curlew over heading towards Elland
Plus the usual stuff

9 peackcock butterflies
2 orange tip
3 green veined white
2 small tortoise shell

Ringstone Reservoir

Monday. A quick visit.

1 golden plover.
2 oystercatchers
3 lapwing
2 tufted duck
6 mipits
1 pied wagtail
6 swallows

Plus usual species

Animals in Wakefield

http://yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Wakefield-rare-animal-skin-traders.622853.jp

Like your animals skinned, mounted, or stuffed?
Perhaps there is a big demand in Wakefield for macaque monkey skulls and flying foxes and British birds of prey.

Hardcastle Crags

Visit to the Crags this am for two hours. Not a huge amount showing, not helped by all the dogs and bawling chisellers.

Species..
2 nuthatch
6 goldcrest
1 dipper
3 great sp woodpecker heard
1 green woodpecker heard
Plus usual finches, titmice, thrushes and corvids.

Near Hubberton

Out walking yesterday am near Hubberton and over to Blackwood Common. Cold with some sunshine and showers.

Species seen;-

35 golden plover
40 lapwing
2 snipe drumming
4 reed bunting
15 skylark
5 curlew
1 wheatear
50+ meadow pipits
1 swallow
starlings flocking
2 pied wagtail
plus
corvids
titmice
finches
common gulls
blackbirds


Also, 1 large lagomorph
frogspawn

A good trip.

Cumbria, Monks, South Africans etc

6/3/10
A pleasant estuary walk and good cake near Ulverston with Henri Cartier Hughes.
The usual species seen for this location in difficult light that changed between bright sunlight and dark clouds thereby making photography difficult.
Species seen:-
redshank
curlew
lapwing
oystercatcher
shellduck
canada goose
mallard
wigeon
teal
cormorant
raven
rook
jackdaw
mute swan
herring, common and bh gulls
greater spotted woodpecker
song thrush
blackbird
dunnock
tit mice and finches.

We had a diversion into a Buddhist Monastery and had a jolly nice afternoon tea and spent some time talking to a South African Buddhist monk. She was interested in what our equipment was for. Lovely people the monks. No red squirrels seen. Plenty of Stan Laurel related references in the town.

Update

Busy recently and little chance to get out.


I managed to see the ring billed gull that was around near Mirfield at the ponds off Sands Lane the other week, ie 25/2. I happened across it as I was driving past on a work mission and I saw a charm of twitchers. I hadn't looked at any blogs for a few days and I don't receive the twitcher telegraph services, so I wasn't aware it was about. There is a video of it on the bald ibis blog http://www.thebaldibis.blogspot.com/

Anyway, a friendly Wakefield birder, Seth, let me have a look through his scope at the said bird. A good bird for this part of Yorkshire. i stop and look at the ponds occasionally when i am passing on my mission to bring enlightenment to the people of Dewsbury.

I was the only person there in a suit and tie, so I stood out from the crowd dressed in the birder uniforms of country colours, or camouflage gear. They did not mob me, however, despite a few funny looks.

Towards Luddenden Foot

Shackleton like I braved the snow and had a look at the heronry near Luddenden Foot in the snow and murk. Parts of the canal frozen.
Three herons on the nests at the site close to Clubendden Foot.
20 canada geese in filed near Brearley.
c20 jackdaws in trees close to Moderna site.
Titmice flocking close to Brearley-c20 great tits and c30 blue tits.
Mallard on the river and canal.
Usual corvids and gulls plus a bh gull with a black head.
1 grey wagtail close to the White Lion.
1 dipper near St Michael's church.
1 mistle thrush above Ludd Foot.

Plenty of snow and a brief glimpse of sun. Spring is on the way.

Banging female

I noticed some marks on my study window yesterday morning and thought that they were probably caused by a bird. Sure enough, later in the day I saw a female blackbird attacking its reflection in the window with great gusto, not to say reckless abandon. She made repeated return visits to attack the glass. Bird behaviour-fascinating and occasionally dangerous.
The window is a bit of a mess.

Cromwell Bottom-Dark and Wet

Monday. 2-3.15pm. Not a lot about. Visibility poor. Little bird song.
"Highlights":-
2 pochard m
1m, 1f goldeneye
coot
moorhen
mallard
usual gulls and corvids
coal, blue, great and lt tit
greenfinch
chaffinch
dunnock
robin
wren
mistle thrush
blackbird


Looked for signs of mustellids but no success.
Then it rained.

Biting poltical satire

Political satire, or a bit of a laugh?

Dander

Out this pm to Hardcastle Crags and Crimsworth Dean for a stroll of c6 miles. More walking than birding. Lots of people out, especially at the Crags, with plenty of dog walkers struggling to keep up with their dogs.

It was very quiet on the bird front and little bird song heard in the Crags.
Male tawny owl heard at 13.20
Mistle thrush
Titmice
Jackdaws
Dipper (1)
Chaffinch

EGP all is forgiven.

Out and about Sunday pm

After a late start I headed to Elland Gravel Pits Sunday pm which was busy with people but not busy with birds. It's a bit much that they have installed a turnstile to admit the crowds though as part of the recent improvements. It was cold and frosty.
Species seen:-
goldeneye
gc grebe
little grebe
tufted duck
coot
moorhen
cormorant
goosander
common gull
bh gull
mallard
blue tit
great tit
long tailed tit
wren
greenfinch
goldfinch
blackbird
song thrush
carrion crow
jackdaw
magpie
Exciting stuff what!

Also, a quick scoot up to Jay House Lane.
Species seen:-
sparrowhawk
5 tree sparrows
c100 fieldfare
plus the usual titmice, corvids and gulls.

Beware the ice on the road around the ford when the temperatures are low unless you like car tobogganing.

Legerdemain

A handy man to have on your team.Good to see he is not to face any disciplinary action after accidentally handling the ball twice in the World Cup qualifier. Apparently they are thinking of changing the name of Henry Street in Dublin to Hand Ball Alley. Vive les tricheurs!

The pits at Cromwell Bottom

Visit this am.

The waterski lake is thawing slowly so not much about there.
Species seen:-
flocks of goldfinch
flocks of long tailed tits and other titmice
flocks of redpoll
5 siskin
5 goosander, 3m, 2f
1 pochard
coot
moorhen
cormorant
bh and common gulls
2 jay
wren
blackbird
mistle thrush
jackdaw
dunnock
nuthatch-on the feeders in the car park
kestrel

1 mink on the river

Horse opera and donkey serenade

Lots of us have a deep affinity with the natural world, and animals in particular, but you can take this too far.

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Leicester-man-accused-having-sex-horse-donkey/article-1682397-detail/article.html

Sounds like Mr Squires was having a bit of a mare.

Smew news

Sunday 10 Jan
I went over to Horbury Junction yesterday with Veronica and spent three hours walking up and down the bank of the River Calder to get a good look at a smew. Good numbers of birds on the river, unsurprisingly including bird usually seen on lakes, ponds etc.. The following were among the species were seen:-

smew

goldeneye

teal

widgeon

pochard

red breasted merganser

coot

moorhen

mute swan

grey heron

tufted duck

mallard

canada goose

sparrowhawk

meadow pipit

house sparrow

dunnock

redwing

fieldfare

blackbird

mistle thrush

blue, great, long tailed and coal tit

chaffinch, goldfinch and greenfinch

wren

pied and grey wagtail

agbrigg shxtehawk

wood pigeon

herring gull

black headed gull

magpie

carrion crow

jackdaw

The smew was pretty skittish and it flew up and down the river a few times but we got good views eventually. What a cracking bird.

Photos by Veronica. Keep practising.

Snow business

I haven't been able to post recently but I have been out and about a few times, despite the weather.
Highlights have bee two great northern divers at Scammonden reservoir and great views of a short eared owl there also and a scaup at Cromwell Bottom, Calderdale's nearest thing to Titchwell.