Soil Hill; Isolation week 15

Another week passes, and another week with mixed to poor weather. As usual I visited a few sites across Calderdale with a few nice species and a few outstanding highlights.

On the 6^th July my visit to Soil Hill turned up probably the find of the year when I stumbled across a male Red-veined Darter at the bottom of the North Slope. As soon as I saw the insect fly past me alarm bells started ringing, and as it landed, I knew I had an extremely rare insect on my hands, the first for Calderdale. In dull conditions it was extremely docile allowing suitable photo documentation. When I left it was still sat in the vegetation, but AC when looked later it could not be found. A real turn up for the books and the highlight of what has been an exceptional spring.

Also on the 6^th there was some bird action as well when 2 Crossbills flew west across the Hill, as well as two Siskins. On the 7^th there was probably the bird highlight of the week with a cracking Grasshopper Warbler loudly reeling and occasionally showing on the North Slope. Presumably this bird was the individual singing on the 10^th. Otherwise the birdlife on the Hill remained largely consistent, with a few Stonechats and Sand Martins the best of the rest during the week. Bullfinches were also on the around on the 9^th and 10^th of the week. During the week Black-headed Gull numbers increased rapidly, and on the 10^th the first Common Gulls returned over the Hill.

Just a single visit to Whiteholme this week, on the 7^th, due to the recent rainfall having devoured the shoreline that looked so promising for migrant waders. A couple of Wheatear were the best that I could muster here. On the same day I made a quick stop at Ogden to see the juvenile Dipper that has been reported recently. It showed quite nicely in the gloom of the woods, but the supporting cast was fairly limited to common woodland species.

On the 8^th I did a bit of a tour around SE Halifax, starting at Cromwell Bottom for Reed Warbler, where I also had Kingfisher and a nice party of Goosander. There was also my first Common Gull of the Autumn. I followed this up with my first visit to Jay House Lane to see the Tree Sparrows, a few of which were on show, and finally a quick stop in Shibden Park to Calderdale year-tick Coot.

-Red-veined Darter

-Dipper

-Grasshopper Warbler

Species List:

Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Feral Dove, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Eurasian Curlew, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, European Herring Gull, Little Owl, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Red Crossbill, Common Linnet, Eurasian Siskin, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, 

Whiteholme Reservoir: Canada Goose, Common Swift, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Wren, Northern Wheatear, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit,

Ogden Water LNR: Canada Goose, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, White-throated Dipper, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Common Chaffinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin,

Cromwell Bottom NR: Mute Swan, Mallard, Common Merganser, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Grey Heron, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, Grey Wagtail, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, Western Grey Squirrel, Bank Vole,

Jay House Lane: Common Wood Pigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Owl, Eurasian Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, European Goldfinch,

Shibden Park: Mute Swan, Mallard, Feral Pigeon, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Coot, Black-headed Gull, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Eurasian Wren, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Eurasian Bullfinch, Eurasian Siskin,

Hardcastle Craggs NT

After weeks of working I finally got a change in my scenery with Lia visiting from Brazil. Our first target species for her visit was Dipper so we decided to head over to the old reliable spot of Hardcastle Craggs. It took some surprising effort to find the birds, as we walked far beyond the Gibson Mill before we saw a bird fly past us briefly. It then took more time before we finally pinned one down, but once we had it put on the best performance I have ever had from a Dipper. A real shower. All the other species we saw were common woodland species.

-Mallard

-Dipper

Species List:

Hardcastle Craggs: Mallard, Woodpigeon, Black-headed Gull, Grey Heron, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Jay, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Wren, Dipper, Redwing, Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch, Siskin, Grey Squirrel, Migrant Hawker,

Rivelin Valley on the hunt for Dipper

Since today is mothers day I said I was going to Skype home in the afternoon, which restricted the possibilites of where I could go birding in the morning. I decided to go to the Rivelin Valley to try and track down dipper. It took a while but I eventually found one near one of the bridges. I noticed that it was flying off with moss, so decided to try and track down the nest it seemed to be building. I found it almost straight away, and it was nearly complete, so it was a lovely looking structure. 

I then found the second bird, so settled down to watch them as they hunted and flitted around the river looking for food and material. And as the weather was so nice it really made for a very nice morning. I managed a few record shots, but they were a way away and I did not want to disturb the birds at the nest. 

-Dipper with Nest

That was the 97th species this year. There was plenty of other nice things on the walk too, such as stock dove, siskin having a wash, 5 jays all flying in a line, a grey wagtail at Malin Bridge and a Sparrowhawk calling from one of the trees. It made for a lovely morning, that's for sure.

-Sparrowhawk

Species List: Grey wagtail, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jay, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Sparrowhawk, Chaffinch, Siskin, 

Yorkshire Dales Holiday Day 3

Burnsall Bridge

 You know how this goes, and tis post is being written 3 months late, so any details will be thin on the ground. Burnsall bridge, overcast walk up the river. It took a while for things to get going, but we got smashing views of female goosander flying right past us

-Female Goosander
Futher up the river and we got smashing views of a wren under a rock. It was very difficult to see because it was doing what wrens do and seemingly teleporting around, but when we caught up with it.

-Wren
Again upstream we encountered more female goosanders which conisitently flew past us quite close

-Goosander
We got to the stepping stones and there I got a shot of a dipper on the stepping stones, something I had always wanted to try and get a photo of

-Dipper
We carried on futher than usual today, past the bridge where there are few rocks in the river, and so the birds tend to be a bit different. However, where there were rocks I was able to get close a very bold dipper

-Dipper

I mentioned that the birds were different, and the buzzard overhead shows it, as we moved into more open fields where buzards would be more at home

-Buzzard

On the far bank of the river I spotted this oystercatcher which could well be a first for me on this river, though it may not be.

-Oystercatcher

It was only when we were nearly back at the car that we caught up with another regular on this river, grey wagtail, and it was a pretty poor view at that

-Grey wagtail

Just before we got back we spotted our first male goosander of the day, together with another female, possibly one we had already seen

-Goosander