Saturday 26 January 2019

Buzzards

Watched 2 Buzzards for most of the morning in display mode , fantastic playing in the wind and occasionally joined by a female Sparrowhawk..The first Meadow Pipit returning and the gulls were aprox 100 Common , 20 BH , 3 LBBGull (1 adult and 2 first winters) 2 Herring , 1 adult and 1 first winter. Rooks , GS and Green  Woodpecker  and a few Stock Doves...............

Tuesday 22 January 2019

Waxwings



Around 60 at Lane Head today....................

Saturday 19 January 2019

Back on the hills 18TH AND 21ST

A cold and snowy visit to Walshaw Dean , 3 Barn Owls  , 3 Short -eared Owl , 2 Hen Harriers , 6 Stock Dove , Fieldfare , Redwing , 28 Pink - footed Goose , Buzzards , Kestrel , Meadow Pipit , Pied Wagtail , + usual...
 
Raven ( photo NCD)from last week

A walk through Blake Dean saw my first Nuthatch in this area along with 8 + Cole Tit , Robin and Blackbird. Walshaw Plantation held a decent sized flock of 20 + Crossbills and a Barn Owl hunting out in the day at 12.10..A noisy Raven was mobbing a Buzzard and 2 Carion Crows were mobbing a Hen harrier above middle Walshaw. A beautiful male Stonechat was my bird of the day and as I was watching it feeding along a dry stone wall a flock of 85 +  Pink- footed Geese headed high west. Mallards and Greylag Goose on the reservoir and a flock of 200 + Fieldfare were feeding on the ground.The odd Meadow Pipit are now being seen...........
Acleris logiana 

Only the second  local record of this species..

Thursday 17 January 2019

Early jan

                                                  'Pied Jackdaw'
                                           Pheasant display at the top of Larch...
                                                               Woodpigeon at home..
Barn Owls , SEOwls , HH , Waxwings , Crossbill , Mealy Redpoll , Sparrowhawk , Raven , Teal , Tawny Owl , Little Owl..The bird of the month so far was a Dark Backed LBBGull a definate 'intermedius type' not dark enough for Baltic but dark enough to rule out our usual LBB's..
Great to see 4 Buzzards up in the air over the house this week and a couple of Sparrowhawks....

Tuesday 1 January 2019

2019..1st and 2nd

Dawn at Lower Gorple ,first birds herd were Red Grouse and  first birds seen were Mallards about 50 + , 3 Red Grouse , 2 Mistle Thrush , 2 Kestrel , 1 Meadow Pipit , 4  Barn Owl , 2 Carrion Crow , 10 Lapwing , 1 Oystercatcher , 3 Chaffinch , 1 Blue Tit , 7 Greenfinch , 5 Pheasant , 2 female Hen Harrier and the highlight of the morning 7 Ravens cronking away high over Lower Gorple towards Widdop and  7 Crossbills in Walshaw plantation , at least 8 SEO around , 1 Little Owl ........A steady 50 species to start the year......