Soil Hill; Week 16th May - 22nd May

Soil Hill

After a quiet previous week, this week there were a few more notable birds. The highlight of the week was on the 19th when a distant Shelduck flew north over Ovenden Moor and then continued over Thornton Moor Reservoir. Frustratingly I couldn't pick up the bird once I took my binoculars off it, and as such, I only managed to fluke a couple of record shots with my camera at the wrong settings. Still, this is my first patch tick for 18 months and is my 116th species for the Hill.

An evening visit on the 16th turned productive with a very mobile Cuckoo in the North Slope area, and also a pair of Grey Partridge on the Taylor Lane manure pile. Presumably, this pair was also on the summit the following day. My first Barn Owl of the year was hunting on the morning of the 19th, so its good to know they are still around. Otherwise the species remained very similar to last week, with no notable new arrivals of other migrants. Something seems to have prompted the Common Snipe population to begin breeding activities, with at least five birds displaying and many more residing in the fields below. Drumming snipe is one of my favourite sounds, so this is a very welcome development. 

-Common Shelduck

-Grey Partridge

-Common Cuckoo

Species List:

Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Western Barn Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,