Ogden Water

   The jetlag was finally begun to reside a little, which meant today I was able to get out birding. It helped that the poor weather had eased a little and it was actually nice to be out birding again. Yesterday there had been a flock of Whooper Swans on Ogden, and since the weather was still quite dull it followed that they would still be present.

  I headed to Ogden at around 08:30 to find all 21 birds from the previous day still present on the water. They were not particularly vocal, leading me to think they may have moved on whilst I walked down to the waters edge. Once there however the birds were quite happy and would swim near to the sides at times as well, allowing for some nice shots of them.

  After Ogden I headed to Soil Hill for a look round, where I had a flock of 15 Whooper Swans flying north. It is impossible to know if these are some of the same birds from Ogden, but it is certainly a possibility. A nice return to Calderdale birding after six weeks away. 

Whooper Swan

Mixenden Reservoir twitching Whooper Swan

 Today was Whooper Swan day in Calderdale, and across the entire north of England it seemed. I had already done a round on Soil Hill mid-morning and found nothing of particular note, with no apparent migration on display. Having just returned to the house, I got ACs message about a flock of Whoopers coming north from Shibden. From the bedroom window I managed to pick them up, before jumping in the car, without my phone, and racing up to Ned Hill Track to try and intercept them.

Once at Ned Hill Track I failed to locate the birds, and after a 10-minute scan I assumed they had gone up the other side of the hill and returned home. No sooner had I arrived home than the phone went off again. Once again it was AC reporting another flock of Whoopers coming north. Once again I picked them up from the window, before racing down to the car and back up to the Ned Hill Track. Once again they failed to arrive, but a follow-up message from AC suggested they may have landed on Mixenden. I had a quick look down, and yep, there did indeed appear to be some swans, although hugging the near shore and so primarily out of sight.

Once at the reservoir it was clear why I hadn’t picked up any swans from Ned Hill Track, as both flocks had clearly dropped off here. In total I counted 111 in the field, but checking photos it does appear to be 112. After a short while watching them I returned to the car, ready for setting off back, when another message from AC came through, warning of a third flock. Expecting them to drop in, I headed back to the reservoir, only to see them through the houses, passing the hill on the other side. Fortunately, this latest flock then looped back round, past Soil Hill before dropping down onto Ogden. An excellent Whooper Swan day 2023!

And there was another nice bonus on Mixenden Reservoir, with a smart drake Common Scoter. It kept mostly to the far end, nearly always facing away in strong wind, but certainly an unexpected addition to the visit. And then, just as I was wrapping up, a Red Kite drifted over heading south. A brilliant day birding in Halifax! 

-Whooper Swans

-Common Scoter

-Red Kite

Species List:
Mixenden Reservoir: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Common Scoter, Common Wood Pigeon, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Red Kite, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Goldfinch, 

Soil Hill birding; February

  February was never going to be the liveliest month on Soil Hill, but having not spent much time on the site at this time of year, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the birds that I managed to find since my return from Malawi.

  On the 22^nd there was a skein of 57 Pink-footed Geese that flew northwest over the Hill, the only skein during the month, and on the 28^th a small flock of eight Whooper Swans flew north far over Keighley, possibly the same eight birds that had been seen earlier in the morning at Wintersett. Finally on the wildfowl front, there have been up to seven Teal on the NK Pond, with birds being seen on most dates.

  Despite searching on most dates, the only Jack Snipe of the month was flushed on the 21^st. The final birds of interest during the month was the surprise of four Long-tailed Tit in the North Slope Tree-Line on the 22^nd, the first time I have recorded this species here in the first half of the year.

  In terms of migrants, there were good numbers of Fieldfare throughout the month, with a scattering of Redwing mixed in as well. The first spring migrants had already begun to return, with Eurasian Curlew and Oystercatcher both appearing in the Bottom Cattle Fields, although not lingering particularly long.  

-Pink-footed Goose

-Whooper Swan

-Long-tailed Tit

Species List:
Soil Hill: Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Grey Partridge, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Little Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting,

Soil Hill birding; updates from the week 17th October - 23rd October

  Its been quite a week on the Hill, with some days being very pleasant and producing incredible migration, while others have been awful with strong winds, rain and thick fog until late afternoon. This is the time of year when the weather can dictate the birding on offer, so it has been pleasing that the days which have been calmer have produced some of the best birding days I have ever had here.  

• The first day with notable passage was the 18^th, when Woodpigeons really started to get going with 1291 all heading south. Most of these birds went south within the first hour of light and seemed to die off after that. This is only a prelude to what was to follow for VizMig this week.  

• It is simply impossible to describe the scenes on Soil Hill on the 19^th this week. The first easterly winds of the autumn and fortunately it didn’t bring the mist and rain that they normally do. What it did bring though we masses and masses of thrushes. I headed up before first light and could already hear flocks of Redwings moving in the dark. Once the light cleared at around 07:30 I started counting as thousands of birds started passing through. With the torrent not slowing down until after lunch, I ended up staying until 12:30 watching flocks pile through. In the end I managed 12679 Redwing, with an additional 1035 Fieldfare and 812 Woodpigeon, as well as a small selection of the usual finches. Outstanding stuff, exactly the kind of day I had hoped for when I knew I would be here all October. 

• The 22^nd of October saw the wind switch back to southwesterly, and with no rain in the forecast it looked promising for VizMig. And so it turned out to be with big groups of thrushes, mostly Fieldfare, heading south from first light until 10:30. In total I managed 3308 Fieldfare with 934 Redwing mixed in for good measure. Woodpigeons were slightly down on what I expected, with ‘just’ 449 going south. Another very enjoyable days birding. 

-Redwing

-Fieldfare

-Woodpigeon

Among the throngs of migrants there were a few standout birds to enjoy as well, some real local rarities and others that are just special for here, including a patch tick…  

• Although it was long expected as a patch tick this autumn, it was nice to clinch my first Brambling on the 22^nd when a single flew south over the North Slope calling. Later a flock of seven also flew south but much more distant. This is my 121^st species for the patch! Fittingly, it was also my 100^th on Soil Hill this year.

• On the 19^th, just as I was finishing up the insane mornings VizMig, I picked up a Red Kite slowly drifting north, to the east of my VP. It came a little closer but was always high and continued to slowly move it’s way north. Remarkably, this is my first of the year here. Long overdue!

• On the 22^nd there was a nice surprise in the North Slope Tree-Line when I spotted a day-roosting Tawny Owl perched atop one of the fenceposts that runs down the slope. Its almost two years to the day since I first found this species roosting on the Hill, and I have only seen it one other time since, so to find it again on the nearly the same perch is quite the coincidence. 

• The final real notable species for the week was in the afternoon of the 23^rd when the high pitched calls alerted me to the presence of a flock of Long-tailed Tits. It was this time of year in 2020 when I also found this species here, when they lingered for just short of week. This time it was a flock of nine birds on the Ned Hill Track. Time will tell how long they will keep visiting the Hill for.  

-Brambling

-Red Kite

-Tawny Owl

-Long-tailed Tit

There were a few bits of Wildfowl this week, some on passage and others visiting the site itself. Although there were no huge numbers on passage, it’s always nice to see flocks on the move. 

• It’s been a long time coming, but the first Whooper Swans of the autumn finally passed south past Soil Hill this week. A group of 15 went south on the 19^th, passing down the Ogden Valley, with another small group of 8 on the 22^nd, which went out much further to the east over Bradford. 

• The 19^th was the only date this week where Pink-footed Geese were moving, with two small skeins totally just 91 birds heading northwest in the low cloud. 

• The NK Pond has hosted variable numbers of Teal during the week, with sightings every other day ranging from just three individuals to a personal record of 9 on the 22^nd.

-Whooper Swan

-Pink-footed Goose

-Eurasian Teal

  There was plenty of other good winter to be birding this week, even on days with poorer weather conditions. The poorer weather conditions produced a huge count of Common Snipe on the 20^th, when a passing ATV flushed a flock of 15 off the summit. Further walking produced another eight individuals bringing the total to 23! Another impressive count was on the 22^nd, when I totalled 15. My hunts for Jack Snipe have been successful for the most part, although no more than one individual at a time. Frustratingly though for most of the week it flushed before I was able to locate the bird with the thermal. That was until the 23^rd when one sat rather nicely and conspicuously, glowing in the thermal. The only other wader of note this week was a flock of six Golden Plover that flew north on the 19^th.

  Passerine migrants have been much reduced, as expected. Probably the last Chiffchaff of the year was present on the 17^th, and given that almost a week has passed since then, I think it is safe to say that this will indeed be the last of the year.  Goldcrests have been present almost daily but the best count of the week was just two on the 18^th. And finally, there have again been a number of Stonechat hanging around the Hill, with up to four being present almost every day, although they are mobile around the site.

   Throughout the week there were finches present in varying numbers, generally on VizMig but other times settled in the bushes feeding up. A Lesser Redpoll on the 21^st was the first I have ever seen on the deck here, surprising given how many I have heard and seen flying over. Siskins especially saw some nice totals on passage, with 29 on the 17^th and 28 on the 22^nd both being my best counts for this species here. Bullfinch have also been present daily, with the best count being four on the 22^nd. These were settled in the North Slope Tree-Line.

  The final note of the week was a flock of I estimated 500 Starlings on Perseverance Road on the 21^st, moving around in the fog in rather atmospheric conditions. 

-Jack Snipe

-Lesser Redpoll

-Starlings

Species List:
Soil Hill: Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Eurasian Teal, Goosander, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Common Moorhen, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Common Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Brambling, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Common Reed Bunting, 

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,

Halifax birding; Week 2

It being November the Hill was fairly quiet overall with only a few notable bits from the week. That said, there were some real standouts, most notable two different Snow Buntings; the first on the 16^th which was flushed from the summit before flying south not to be refound, and the second on the 22^nd which spent a bit more time circling the summit before flying north. A Jack Snipe was the only other notable bird, on the 21^st. Common Snipes continue to be around, although the locations they take up have been changeable and has often been tricky to find them. The 22^nd was a brilliant day; in addition to the Snow Bunting there was able a skein of 54 Pink-footed Geese, a small passage of 144 Woodpigeons and a flock of 52 Fieldfare. Was also good to see CK up there.

On the 18^th the weather truly was atrocious and I had no plans to head out at all, but made an afternoon visit to Ogden to look for a Wigeon and Teal that BS had found. Compounding the misery, I dipped on both. A handful of commoner woodland species was all I could muster.

On the 19^th I headed out for a full days birding, with a classic November winters day with bright sunshine but brisk conditions. My first stop was Derby Delph Quarry where there were two Twite perched on the wires that stretch above the feeding station. There could have been more in the quarry itself but I failed to pick them out. Continuing up the road towards the M62 I made my first visit to Green Withens Reservoir. The air was full of Red Grouse calls and, despite the overall lack of birds, I had a brilliant time there, with a flock of 56 Pink-footed Geese going over, a group of 17 Twite showing nicely and the highlight of the day, a Water Pipit by the boathouse. It initially showed well but after proved elusive. A quick stop at Ringstone Edge mid-morning produced a Whooper Swan, and an even quicker visit to Whiteholme produced a pair of Raven. I ended the day at Lower Gorple where I had a flock of 10 Whooper Swans fly SE. A brilliant way to end a really enjoyable days birding. 

-Snow Bunting 1


-Snow Bunting 2

-Lapwing


-Water Pipit

-Pink-footed Goose


-Twite

-Whooper Swan


-Whooper Swans

Species List:

Ogden Water LNR: Mallard, Common Wood Pigeon, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, White-throated Dipper, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Goldfinch,
Green Withens Reservoir: Pink-footed Goose, Red Grouse, Common Kestrel, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Pied Wagtail, Water Pipit, Twite,
Ringstone Edge Reservoir: Whooper Swan, Mallard, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Mew Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Eurasian Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Common Starling,
Lower Gorple Reservoir: Greylag Goose, Whooper Swan, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red Grouse, Stock Dove, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, European Robin, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, 
Soil Hill: Greylag Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Moorhen, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Jack Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Snow Bunting, Common Reed Bunting,