Soil Hill; Isolation week 2

The Spring on Soil Hill really got going this week, with birds departing and arriving throughout the week. Heres a quick summary from each day I've been up to the Hill:

04 April

Visit from 07.00. Total 42 species observed. 

A nice early morning migration, which I observed from 08.00 - 09.00 with the following totals going north; 18 Woodpigeon, 52 Fieldfare, 92 Meadow Pipit, 2 Linnet

Birds on and around the Hill included a single Grey Partridge, another Collared Dove, 3 Oystercatcher, a Snipe and a Buzzard.

05 April

Visit from 07.00. Total 42 species observed.

No migration of note this morning, although a flock of 14 Fieldfare and 2 Redwing flew north

Birds on and around the Hill included the first Swallow of the year, single Oystercatcher, 2 Snipe, 2 Buzzards and a Goldcrest.

-Pied Wagtail

-Wren 

06 April

Visit from 11.00. Total 28 species observed. 

Decided to head up a little later today due to overcast, cloudy and windy conditions when I checked at 07.00. However, it paid off greatly! Having been following numerous lockdown birders recording Ospreys over their houses I was becoming very jealous and frustrated at the lack of such action on Soil Hill. AGAIN! 

I had been round the Hill and was climbing back up the north slope when I spotted a large bird in the sky above me. Before I even put bins on it I knew this was the one, and I was relieved when it banked revealing its white belly and axillaries. I was absolutely over the moon, at long last I had this raptor on my Soil Hill list. This is also my 100th species that I have seen on patch, to make it extra special. 

-Osprey

07 April

Visit from 07.00. Total 39 species observed.

First Wheatear of the year this morning, a fairly inactive individual along the walls of the top fields. Seen on the way up and could not find on the way back down. 

Other species of note include 2 Red-legged Partridge, ANOTHER Collared Dove, Snipe, 2 Coal Tit, Barn Swallow, Goldcrest and a flock of 35 Fieldfare

08 April

Visit from 07.00. Total 43 species observed.

A very productive morning with a nice species total. The standout was a pair of Bullfinch in the trees on the north slope. This is the first time I have seen them on site since the winter group moved off. 

Other species of note included; 4 Red-legged Partridge, 2 Grey Partridge, 2 more Collared Dove and the regular displaying Snipe. 

-Bullfinch

09 April

Visit from 07.00. Total 26 species observed

Waste of time this morning. Thick fog descended at about 07.15 and from that point there was little birding to be had. The best of it was a Green Woodpecker which was calling from somewhere towards the ogden plantation, not a hope in hell of actuallying seeing it. Was done in an hour.

10 April

Visit from 10.00. Total 40 species observed

Due to another foggy forecast I delayed my walk until late morning. The cool and overcast conditions meant birds were still fairly active and I mustered a few good birds. First of these were my first Willow Warblers of the year, with two singing. Three Wheatears were gracing the bottom fields with their presence, and my journey down to try and photograph them yeilded two Reed Buntings. A Jay also flew through. 

Other species of note included Snipe, Red-legged Partridge and another Barn Swallow

-Jay

Species List:
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Red-legged Partridge, Common Pheasant, Grey Partridge, Rock Dove, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Grey Heron, Western Osprey, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Little Owl, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Redwing, Common Blackbird, Fieldfare, European Robin, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, European Rabbit, Roe Deer, Red Fox, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, 

Padley Gorge NT

Finally free from the curse of exams I was free again to throw money away on public transport chasing birds beautiful areas. On today's agenda was Padley Gorge, but birds was not my priority. That today belonged to the green hairstreak butterfly that inhabits the moors and since it was such a lovely day I decided to go out to see if I could find them.

Things started well butterfly-wise, with numerous Small Heath fluttering around, along with a couple of Large White, Small Tortoiseshell and various moths, mainly carpet and micro moths, some looking very lovely.

-Small Heath

I wandered around the moors for sometime without luck on the butterfly front. On the bird front I managed to find a pair of Curlew, a lone male Stonechat and plenty of Meadow Pipits. That was the case for some time, all the while cuckoos singing from the plantations in front and from behind.

After a bit, exploring moors I had not been that was before. From this position I heard a call I was not familiar with, but very reminiscent of whitethroat. I found the culprit soon enough though, tracking down a stunning male Whinchat, a true stunner. Sadly it was a long way away, and it was very flighty, so I could not get close, and I struggled to get any really good shots, but it was a delight to see.

-Whinchat

It was on my stealth approach of this bird that I got what I had really wanted. Indeed, something green did fly past me, but it was not the butterfly, as finally... FINALLY... after 164 days I managed to see a Green Woodpecker. It flew past me as I lay there, a flash of green. Initially I thought mistle thrush, which are common here, but no, it was the bird that had left the largest blemish on my year-list. I finally managed it. It was only a flyby, but I managed a couple of awful shots. During my wanderings the bird flew past me 3 times, each time giving me a sense of relief and euphoria.

-Green Woodpecker

But that was not the end of what was quite a few minuets, as after the woodpecker departed and I continued to approach the increasingly distant whinchat, I heard a peculiar noise and turned around to see a pair of cuckoos in the tree behind having a squabble. Their stay was very brief as they left to continue their squabble elsewhere, and I was a little slow off the mark for photos, hence why the first one is very poor, but it shows all the cuckoo qualities in a blurred sense.

-Cuckoo

I needed a little while to catch my breath back after these encounters. So I settled under the tree where the cuckoos had been to see if the whinchat would return. It did not but there I noticed a red grouse moving through the heather quite close, but being very skulky and so difficult to photograph.

-Red Grouse

I waited for some time, but the bird did not return so I headed off towards the woods. On the way I called off at the tree where the Stonechats usually are, and I was not disappointed, with one male and one female bird showing, the male showing very well. As well as the stone chats there was a pair of Willow Warblers, which I think had a nest in the tree, so I decided not to approach too close.

-Female Stonechat and Willow Warbler

-Stonechat

Moving down to the forest edge I found one tree pipit singing, but the photos are not included here due to the fact that they add nothing to any previous photos and were not particularly good. As I wandered along the forest edge I spotted a cuckoo that had been resting in the birches. I tried to approach it multiple times but kept loosing it, and then it would fly off while I was still some way off. It sent a Wren absolutely bezerk, and no wonder, because as I was following the Cuckoo I found this lovely wren fledgling in the bracken.

-Wren Fledgling

Having tried and failed about 5 times to track it down, I eventually lost the cuckoo and so headed down into the woods for the specialties in there. Box 8 had been occupied last time I was here, but it was not the case this time, the birds clearly having moved on.

But not to worry as box 4 now had a pair of Pied Flycatcher in it, and they gave very good views once I had settled down. Again the light was an issue but I managed a couple of good ones. In this region there was also a male Redstart and a Goldcrest, the latter being a patch tick for me

-Pied Flycatcher

I decided to cut straight across to the redstart nest, but on the way encountered another nest, this time in a natural crack in a tree. It gave me my first proper views of a female redstart. The light was again too poor for decent photos, but I got a couple and the birds did show nicely, so I can not complain.

-Redstart

I continued up only to find that the box that had been occupied was occupied no longer. I get the impression that the birds must have fledged, as a little further up I found a pair of redstarts mobbing a squirrel, very aggressively, with the male even bombing the squirrel. The squirrel in question seemed completely uncaring, grooming itself on a branch while the birds were going bezerk all around it.

It was in this area that I found a Spot Fly, allowing me to improve on last times appalling photo effort. It did show well but was quite mobile and once again the light was poor. It is odd to observe that I only see these birds here individually, I wonder if they are later breeders than the others.

-Spotted Flycatcher

I returned up to the moors to see if I could track down any butterflies, but did not manage it. I also intended to go back to the whinchat and see if I could get any more photos. When I arrived he was very close to the path, but that was when I was some way down the path, and he did not stay there. I was about 50 meters away when he decided I was too close and he then moved off over the moors and I could not re-locate it.

I decided it was probably an idea to head off for the bus, but quite near to the river at the bus stop I tracked down another male whinchat singing. I had some time and so decided to approach. As I did a squat bird flew up from the shrub by side and landed in the tree next to me. I grabbed some shots, had a quick look and saw a faint red breast, so figured juvenile robin.

However, this bird was not a robin. When I got back and had a proper look I saw a white ring on the face, but it was faint and yet not as faint as I would expect in a juvenile Whinchat, but the white on the wings just visable in the photo below is a big giveaway, that this was indeed a whinchat sat in the tree next to me that I assumed was a robin.

-Whinchat

The male whinchat I had been initially tracking was not better behaved than the one I had seen before on the top moors. As a result I could not get close, despite my commando crawling. Needless to say I was unable to get any good photos, but I managed to double my Whinchat count for my life in a few hours, fancy that.

Species List:

Padley Gorge NT: Whinchat, Meadow Pipit, Curlew, Cuckoo, Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Stonechat, Willow Warbler, Mistle Thrush, Green Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Tree Pipit, Goldcrest, Robin, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Swallow, Swift, Woodpigeon, Red Grouse, Wren

Bolton Abbey

So today my family decided to have their family day out at Bolton Abbey. I was not optimistic for finding anything for my yearlist, but I knew it would be a nice walk, and that I would see some lovely stuff. We wandered up the river and at the first loop I spotted a drake Mandarin, my first proper view of the year, though I have seen them before. 

-Mandarin

It was in this area that I began to notice the number of buzzards overhead. I got to watch many of them drifting over, though I only got silhouettes. I kept my eyes open for rarer raptors on passage but I could find none.

-Common Buzzard

But as I watched, I spotted another bird that was deffo not a buzzard due to the wing and tail shape being wrong. However, Having looked at the possibilities I thought it was an Osprey only the tailed looked too long. However, a quick plea on the Calderdale blog and reliable sources have agreed with this bird being an Osprey, so I will happily go along with that. So there we go then, another smashing bird seen today, and today's year-tick. It is also the first time I have ever seen Ospreys on passage. It is just unfortunate that I could get no better shots of what would have been a stunning bird.

--I re-analysed the photo and I am not happy with the Osprey school of thought and now think that it is a Marsh Harrier. The photo when tortured to bring out a wing features lacks the patterning of an Osprey but the dark patches match better to Marsh Harrier--

-Marsh Harrier

I spent quite a while watching the raptors, but then my attention was drawn back to the river, where an unusual plumaged form of a reed bunting. I think it was a young male coming back to summer male, so its possibly the first time I have seen one like this.

-Reed Bunting

At the same point there were a few waders going overhead, a trio of Oystercatchers and a Curlew, making for a nice addition to the day list. The Curlew flew right overhead, which gave me a great view, though I tried to take photos rather than watch it, which I would probably do If I had the time again.

-Curlew

A little further up again between watching the raptors there was a patch of scum in the water, where there was a pair of mandarin feeding. They looked really nice, and I managed to get pretty close to them, allowing me to get some decent shots for the year photo album.

-Mandarin Pair

The walk through the wood provided nothing much, but there was a Dipper and a Goosander on the river, as well as a buzzard on the hill behind. On the small birds in the wood there was very little, just a Long-Tailed Tit on one of the trees. There was also a Wren near the visitor center, as well as a Grey Wagtail.

-Wren

The way back passed without incident until the same area where it all happened on the way up. There I spotted the Mandarin pair on the grass grazing. I was not able to get very close but I was able to get some good views, and of such lovely birds.

-Mandarin Pair

So overall it was a really nice walk and saw some great stuff, the highlight being the mandarins which seemed to have increased so much since the last time I was there. The only thing left to do is to give a full run down of all the species seen today

Species List: Dunnock, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Blue Tit, Magpie, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Great Tit, Robin, Pheasant, Black-Headed Gull, Wren, Mallard, Common Buzzard, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Jackdaw, Rook, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Goosander, Long-Tailed Tit, Song Thrush, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Reed Bunting, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Chiffchaff, Sand Martin, Dipper, Willow Warbler, Swallow, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier,

Wycolle-New Years Day

Its been a while since I last left the house due to the atrocities of the weather. However, today we went as a family to Wycolle for a walk. The weather was truly horrendous. Horizontal rain did not make for ideal conditions, and as such the wildlife total was small. Birds included Wren, Pheasant, Mallard, Blackbird and blue tit, and a rabbit for the mammals. I think enough has been said here...

Oats Royd

This time going to Oats Royd I went along the bottom via the fields, which was much quicker and allowed me to walk alongside the river. When I entered the reserve the first thing I saw was a scorpion fly, an insect that has long eluded my camera, and has also been tricky to track down 

-Scorpion Fly

The reserve was full of insects again, the first bird I saw being a wren singing from the top of a conifer tree

-Wren

At the first pond I also found a large flock of willow warblers, possibly a family group as some of the birds looked quite young 

-Willow warbler

The other ponds were full of damselflies of common blue, large red and common blue tailed. I also found the exuvia of a dragonfly, but there was no dragonfly to go with it and since there has been no rain to knock them off it could well have been there for a good month

-Large red damselfly 

-Common Blue damselfly 

-Blue tailed damselfly 

At the first pond I also spotted a newt resting on a crisp packet. There were also loads more on the bottom of the pond but I couldn't get a better photo to identify them with, but I think they are Palmate newts judging by the lack of spots

-Palmate newt

At the far point nearest to the industrial estate there were loads of damselflies, a greater concentration than anywhere else on the reserve. It is probably the most damselflies I have ever seen in one place

-Common Blue Damselflies

On the heath next to the last pool I flushed a small heath butterfly, which was really nice though it was reluctant to sit with its wings open for a photo, so this modest effort is the best I could do

-Small Heath Butterfly 

And on the way back I also spotted a lovely male orange tip feeding, which will add to my limited photo library of this species

-Orange tip

And keeping with the butterfly theme there was also a lovely small copper resting on the path 

-Small copper

And last but by no means least I spotted this lovely greenish weevil of some description on the fens near the central pool which added to the long list of species seen today

-Greenish weevil of some description 

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