Soil Hill & Whiteholme; Week 02nd August - 08th August

Soil Hill

It was another week with few visits to the old stomping ground, due to reservoir preferable weather and spending the weekend at Spurn. Still, in the early days of the week it was delightful to be back up and checking the various bushes for passing migrants. Although there was nothing major to report, a Sedge Warbler on the 2^nd and 2 on the 3^rd was a nice treat. Both were juveniles so hopefully this is a good indication that they did breed successfully here, despite being unable to keep a watchful eye on them. Willow Warblers peaked at 12 on the 4^th, when the early morning sun really brought out the stunning yellow of the juvenile plumage. A single ‘browncap’ Blackcap was also present on the 4^th, presumably another dispersing juvenile but it would be nice to think that it is one of the juveniles from the Koi Farm Copse. A pair of juvenile Bullfinch on the 4^th was the only other standout of the week. 

-Willow Warbler

Whiteholme Reservoir & Blackstone Edge Reservoir

  Whiteholme was reasonably uneventful this week, although there was a nice scattering of common waders and a Willow Warbler on the 2^nd was very pleasant. Obviously the handful of Wheatears that saw out the week were the real highlights, but then they always are.

  I had been keeping an eye on Blackstone Edge as more of a courtesy that with any real hope of finding anything, given it was showing some nice shoreline and I was already in the area to check Whiteholme. The morning of the 5^th was no exception and having found Whiteholme very quiet I thought I would give it a go. As soon as I got there I could see more birds, with a small flock of Black-headed Gulls feeding on the far side. Among them, through the scope, I noticed another gull in tandem. Although distant, the posture and structure, combined with the rather plain plumage made me wonder if this could be a Caspian Gull, but then I have tried so many times to turn commoner species into Casps that I assumed I would be wrong again. But closer inspection of the plumage did nothing but make me more hopeful that this could finally be my Calderdale Casp. It then took flight and landed nearer to me on the mud. In flight it showed clear primary windows as well as what appeared to be white axillaries. The photos I managed to get I sent to a couple of friends for confirmation but to me this was a perfect juvenile Caspian Gull. Frustratingly it then took off again and instead of dropping back in, as it initially appeared it was going to, it headed straight over the dam wall and into Lancashire. Not long after I received confirmation of my suspicions, but the bird did not returned. This is the 3^rd record of this species for Calderdale, and the 1^st juvenile. 

-Caspian Gull

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Little Owl, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,
Whiteholme Reservoir: Canada Goose, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Common Kestrel, Carrion Crow, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Wren, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Reed Bunting, 
Blackstone Edge Reservoir: Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Caspian Gull, Common Kestrel, Carrion Crow, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail,