Rishworth Moor

  It was a stunning winter day, with frosty ground and clear blue skies. After a walk around Soil Hill in the morning I decided to take the car out and try to work on my Calderdale year list, checking out a few locations with resident species that I could see nicely and easily. One of these that I was especially keen to see were the Twite on Rishworth Moor.

  The previous week I had visited with Harry Coghill, and although we did see three individuals at one location, they quickly left and we had no further sign. Consequently, today I returned hoping to get some better views and hopefully some photos in nice light. It took a few hours of checking different locations before I eventually found them, back at the first site I had checked. Here there were only two individuals, but they were busy tucking into seed that seemingly kept them occupied, allowing me to approach reasonably close without disturbing them. 

  It is sad to see the decline of the species even during my time in Halifax, with this now being the last site to find them, having previously seen them at several different spots in years gone by. How much longer the colony here lingers, only time will tell. 

-Twite

Species List:
Rishworth Moor: Common Goldeneye, Stock Dove, European Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Wren, White-throated Dipper, Mistle Thrush, European Stonechat, Grey Wagtail, Twite, Common Reed Bunting,