Halifax biridng; Week 4

It has been another fairly standard week for birding given that autumn is now over and winter is here. It really felt like it too, with a serious snowfall on the 04^th that made conditions seriously challenging. Although the snow had cleared significantly on the 6^th there was still more than 50% cover in the Soil Hill area.
There have been a few highlights during the week. An afternoon visit on the 2^nd was a waste of time until the last hour of daylight when a Common Buzzard flew past and a Barn Owl appeared, hunting the Ned Hill Track. Was good to chat to AC on the same date. With the snowfall on the 4th, birds were few and far between, but a male Stonechat on Taylor lane was nice. The snowfall also meant the local Jack Snipes were very reluctant to flush, even by their standards. The bird on the 4^th was almost underneath my foot when it went, and both birds on the 5^th went at similar proximity. A few Common Snipe were also around, including a flock of four together on the 5^th. On the 6^th a solitary Siskin that flew over was probably the highlight, although there was a good performance from a Northern Raven. But the standout of the week has to be the various groups of Pink-footed Geese that have flown by at various points. On the afternoon of the 2^nd one of these flocks reached nearly 200 birds.

	15	East	09:09:00	01.12.2020
	172	West	15:00:00	02.12.2020
	120	West	15:30:00	02.12.2020
	24	West	11:36:00	05.12.2020
	69	West	11:43:00	06.12.2020

I made another visit to Lower Gorple and was rewarded with some nice birding. A single drake Teal was still present and a Great Black-backed Gull also flew over, which was a yeartick for me. During the week I also visited Mixenden, Cold Edge and Ogden with fairly limited success. A drake Goldeneye on Cold Edge was probably the standout, although there is always a nice assortment of woodland species at Ogden.

On the morning of the 2^nd I also paid a visit to Elland Gravel Pits. I was really hopeful for a Water Rail but sadly there was nothing doing in the small area of reedbed there. Was some nice birding however, with small groups of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll flying around, as well as a single Raven and good numbers of Goosander. But the real highlight was 3 Whooper Swans were on the Ski Lake. At around 10:20 another flock of 5 birds arrived, circled the lake three times and then flew off towards Brighouse. The 3 birds on the lake then took off a few minutes later and flew towards Elland. Not what I was expecting this morning, but very much appreciated. 

-Jack Snipe

-Pink-footed Geese

-Whooper Swans

Species List:
Soil Hill: Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Little Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin
Lower Gorple: Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Common Pheasant, Red Grouse, Stock Dove, Northern Lapwing, Great Black-backed Gull, Western Barn Owl, Little Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, European Robin, Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Goldfinch,
Elland Gravel Pits: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Common Merganser, Little Grebe, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Mew Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Wren, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Grey Wagtail, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting,
Mixenden Reservoir: Mallard, Common Goldeneye, Common Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch,
Ogden Water LNR: Mallard, Black-headed Gull, Mew Gull, European Herring Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Common Chaffinch, European Goldfinch,
Cold Edge Dams: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Goldeneye, Common Pheasant, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Meadow Pipit,