this Week

A pretty quiet week with calling Tawny Owl on tuesday and Song Thrushon Friday being the highlights.Today and yesterday the lapwings are back about 30/40 so we must be in for another cold snap again.Also a few winter thrushes on the move with 45 Fieldfare and a handful of Redwing heading n/e.Numbers of BHGull and Common Gull have started to increase again.

Pink Footed Geese

At least 200 Pink-footed Geese headed wast at 11.00 today and then 150 at 11.15,30 lapwing in the field and a Sparrowhawk displaying.44 species might make at least 50 odd by the time of the first migrant.??

Nuthatch x 2

A walk from Shibden park(usuall MA,CG,MH and BH Gull + Corvids)to Northowram was pretty quiet except for 2 Nuthatch,2 Mistle Thrush,8 BB,BT + GT and 1 Cole Tit.

N/W vis

An hours vis this morning between 9 and 10 all N/W
4 Fieldfare
2 Stock Doves
2 Bullfinch(M+F)
30 Woodpigeon
4 Goldfinch
8 Stcok dove blogging and little else

Mild Tuesday Morning

Very mild today with a light warm s/westerly blowing up the valley.2 Stock Dove and a few Corvids in the fields but down by the stream another Woodcock was flushed,a large tit flock contained 12 LTTT,2 Cole T,8 BT , 6 GT,5 Bullfinch and 3 Goldfinch.At last Treecreeper made an apperance and 1 LBBGull drifted low to the west.3 Great Spotted Woodpecker in the wood.

It was a grey day

It was a grey day,with s/w 4/5 wind ,Pied wagtail blogging, 4Canada Geese low s/w,1 Fieldfare and 3 1st winter Herring Gull s/w takes me to 41 for the year.Also today 88 Lapwing,1 Snipe,10 Goldfinch,1 Great Spot,200 + mixed Corvids(JD,RK,MP and CC)100+ mixed Gulls BH and CM 20+ Collared Dove and 11 House Sparrow.

Greenfinch at last

3 Greenfinch today and then a flock of 17 dropped in to next door but 4, the cold snap must have moved um down the valley but now back to where they should be.. 37 species and counting.10 Goldfinch,1 Great spot and little else.

Woodcock

After reading the soil Hill blogg,I decided to go out this evening looking for Woodcock and with all the luck in the world one flew within 10 feet of my head in the local wood at about 5'oclock this was only my 3rd local Woodcock so I was well chuffed.No calling Tawnys yet but I was a bit early.

The big Thaw

At last its not freezing during the day and with the wind turning s/w we might get a bit of winter movement..Male and Female sparrowhawk displaying this morning and 75 Lapwing in the field.2 Meadow Pipits and a Grey wagtail makes 35 species for the year.Also Jays and Great spots crashing around the wood . Great Tits display and terretorial scraps.

Goldfinch

A flock of 33in the village today next to Town gate stores.

Nuthatch on monday morning walk

Started well with Cole Titon the garen feeders and as I entered the field 32 lapwing took flight with 50 starling.Little else till i made it to the stream which heads off to Shibden Park, Nuthatchand Long Tailed Titup in the trees and 45 redwing feeding on the ground.Only two other observations 1.there were at least 40 Blackbirds around .2 No Greenfinch.??This time last year I would have seen at least 30 Greenfinch a day and this year so far none.?....33 species so far.( a target of 70 should be obtainable?)

Nice to see

It was nice to see 2 Little Owls today as I havent seen them since the autumn and thought they had bee moved out of the old barn by the new herd of cattle that have moved in.Green woodpecker,Wren,Jay 2 Bullfinch and 2 snipe made for a cold but pleasant local walk.

A few more

Great Tit on the feeders,Snipe,Lapwing,Mistle Thrush and 4 Stock Dove in the front field makes 25.Its a long way to 50.

Sparrowhawk display

Watched a Sparrowhawk for 5 minutes in full display this morning over the local wood,wing flapping ,swooping and looping very impressive.7 Great Black backed Gull ,20 Common Gulls west and 15 Woodpigeons.The list so far.1.Blackbird,2Goldfinch,3 Blue Tit,4 House sparrow,5 Black Headed Gull,6 Dunnock,7 Bullfinch,8 Carrion Crow,9Rook,10 Jackdaw,11 Great Spotted Woodpecker,12 Starling,13 Magpie,14 Chaffinch,15 Collared dove,16 Kestrel + the four above makes 20 species.(not very impressive but this is the Pennines and all species are recorded within 1 mile of my house)

Calls of Geese

Last night as i was doing the firework display(it was only 2 bangers and a catherine wheel which got stuck) for the kids I herd Pink footed Geese flying overhead about 8.00.3 cracking Bullfinch in the hawthorn in the front field was a good start to the year 2 Males and a female.Also of note 13 Goldfinch 30 House Sparrow, Great spotted woodpecker and 3 Chaffinch.16 species

Nuthatch

Saw 2 Nuthatch near Hipperholme and lightcliffe school on New years eve,they could be seen and herd from the car park at school flying over the road into someones garden.What a great success story this species is in Calderdale ,way back in the 1990's you couldn't buy one ,I had to twitch my first Calderdale Nuthatch...!!!!!!Anyway I wish you all the success of the Nuthatch in 2009.....