More Pinks , Waxwings and a Redwing

With a good move of Pinks over Calderdale yesterday I added another 315 +131 to  the year total. Which now stands at 2687 and a massive 11100(aprox) since 2003..not bad for the Pennines also with a few Whoopers this year which makes a  total of 402 another interesting total for an inland location.

   With Waxwings being reported widely I had a look down at Lane head Brighouse and 8 soon came into view. I left and returned a bit later and was struck by a dark Redwing which immediately made me think it was one of the dark Islandic types.I got good views and was pretty sure it was one. Unfortunately I did not get the under tail coverts in enough detail , so i will have to go back and have another look tomorrow . 13 Waxwings over the House and 18 Lapwings made for a good couple of days.

Scarbrough Harbour

This morning we made a dash for fish and chips and a walk on the beach  , both were excellent .But also Red -throated Diver , couple of Long tailed Ducks , a very smart Black necked Grebe , Turnstones , Cormorant and a couple of distant  Common Scoter...they have it easy these east  coast birders.............

Black Combe

Had a walk over Black Combe last weekend, Flushed some 70 + Snipe from the flooded areas , 1 Jack Snipe , 3 Ravens , 20 Fieldfare , 1 Peregrine and 1 Meadow Pipit.

Raven display

 I was lucky yesterday to come across a pair of Ravens in full flight display and calling .I have seen them before tumbling and twisting in the sky and then falling earthwards calling all the time but yesterday  I was amazed just how many voacl voices they have , not only the ' cronk cronks '  and ripples but a whole range of Oriole and almost Capercaillie like noises. This is there spring as the rest of us get ready for winter .
  Also in the same general area a Peregrine Falcon was ripping a Teal to pieces and just down stream there was a dead sheep stuck in the mud and 2 Great backed backed Gulls , 2 Buzzards and 3 Ravens were taking turns to feed.
  Also recently a Great White Egret , Woodcock , Green Sandpiper , Greenshank and Whooper Swan.

Cumbrian stone Circles

                                                   Sunkenkirk below Black Combe

                                                Long Meg and her daughters

                                           Giants graveyard and Black combe in the background

Early November Vis - mig

My favourite time for Vis -  mig , plenty of Woodpigeon moving but more to the east than usual with 5373 the high count so far. Pink footed Geese (1662 ) have moved east but again way to the south and distant viewing with the scope essential. Small numbers of  jay , Redwing , Fieldfare , Chaffinch and a high flying flock of 9 Magpies. 3 Whoopers south , 1 Skylark south and a few Mipits still heading south..

MIpit Madness 1780 ( aprox) in 3 hours

From 7.15 to 10.15 the skies were alive with Meadow Pipits , there were small groups on the cricket pitch , on the fences on the walls and as I walked through the fields they were popping up and flying south calling loudly. I have long awaited a big Mipit day as I have read about them many times . At one point I reckoned on 15 per minute for an hour ..they were every where. Also a Wheatear , Pied Wags , 6 + 23 lapwing , 1 Snipe  , 4 Redpoll , 100 + Goldfinch ,  Linnets and 7 Swallows might have been the last here. Mistle Thrush , Song thrush and one Bullfinch high north  made for a hectic morning......Pinks and Redwings next , Fieldfare and Starlings then Woodpigs and Whoopers  ...and who knows what else...

Lakes , Barrow in furness area 22nd - 24th

18 Geenshank ( 14 together ) , 25 Black tailed , 5 Bar tailed Godwits , 25 Snipe , 1 Curlew Sandpiper , Otter again , 2 Common Tern , 2 Red throated Diver , 41 (yes 41 ) Little Egret . 45 Pink Footed Geese high south , 3 Grey Plover , 350 Golden Plover . 300 Widgeon , 200  + Teal , 500 + Redshank , 700 + Curlew , Watched a Peregrine take a female Pintail , 100's of Oyks , Shelduck and Eider//////////////

Little Owl puzzle..???

In 2010 my local little Owls deserted , when the barn they nested in collapsed .I have not seen them in Northowram since.?? They nest at Shelf , and in the Coley area. The puzzling thing is for the last 3 Septembers I have found Little owl feathers on the Cricket pitch I can only assume that one Owl must come to the cricket pitch at this time of year to feed.?????
Note ~~~~ on the 3.10.16 I found a dead Little Owl on the road down to Copley....

Wheatear....and distant Buzzard

One Wheatear on the cricket pitch today was a first actually on the pitch that I remember seeing . Plenty in the fields before. Meadow Pipits (20+ ) , Swallows(200+) and House Martins(15 +) on the move this week  .Also  up to four  Buzzards about .  A call from Bri alerting me to a   Honey Buzzard heading my way was too good to miss. After about 15 minutes a Buzzard sp flew high over the house it looked to have a long neck but unfortunately it could have just as easy been a Common Buzzard .Also it looked to have flat wings and was being mobbed by Swallows , but it could have been a territorial Common Buzzard so will have to let that one go..

Ringstone

Widgeon    11
Lapwing   176
Golden Plover   2
Great Crested Grebe 1
Cormorant    3
Snipe  4
Common Gull 1
BHGull       200 +
Mallard           4

First Meadow Pipits on the move

A flock of 14 Meadow pipit  on the cricket pitch this morning were the first here this autumn with 12 Pied wags , 250 + Goldfinch ,9 Linnet , 2 Greenfinch , 18 Starlings  and 1 singing Chiffchaff  .

Lesvos 2001

Norland 30th August

3 Little Owl ( 1 ad and 2 juv) , a good sized flock of meadow Pipit (120+) on the ground . Loads of Swallows feeding over the moor (50+) BH Gulls 16 and 2 Common Gulls in the field next to the path and a couple of Skylarks...fantastic views all round from the top...

Lakes Ravenglass / barrow / Carisle areas (early August)

Lakes produced  350 Redshank , 170 + Ringed Plover , 4 Whimbrel , 11 Greenshank ,10 Black tailed Godwit , Knot ,  Green and Common Sands ,Curlew (1 flock of 250)  Merlin , Little Egrets , Sandwich Tern , Turnstone ,

Otter

Adult female with 2 young uns......

Another one from the note book.........

Redstart Garden tick....................

Looked out of the window and there was flash of a red tail  a juv Redstart flew into the pear tree...just enough time to get a good look at it and then it was gone....1 Whitethroat .2 Chiffs , 3Willow Warbler and 1 Goldcrest in the tall hedge 30 Goldfinch and 10 linnets around the cricket pitches......

Friday 12th...

A juv female Peregrine and a tatty adult Buzzard ( both outer tail feathers missing) over shelf roundabout at 2 ish , 3 Willow Warblers , 2 Whitethroat , 2 House martin , 2 Swift and 40 + Swallows in the fields........

Northowram fields 9th August

1 Spotted Flycatcher
7 Willow Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
1 Whitethroat
25 Swift  / south
1 GBBGull   west
15 LBBGull  west

France 2016

Cirl Bunting and Serin  (very Common) , Monty's harrier , Black Kite , Black Reds breeding , Cory's ,Sooty and Manx Shearwaters , Melodious and Dartford Warblers . Lesser Pecker and Turtle Dove calling most mornings in the garden . Kingfisher ,Spoonbill , Cattle Egret and a flock of 138 Black - tailed Godwit  over the house.  Pine Marten on the roof of the House , Coypu in local ponds with Cetties , Fan - tailed ,Great Reed Warblers and Black Necked Grebes ( 16 ) ,
   25 species of Butterfly in and around the Garden included , Lullworth Skipper , Mazarine Blue  ,Wood White , Silver Washed and Glanville Fritillary ,

                                                           Lappet

And no need for a moth trap when all you have to do is leave the outside light on overnight 100 + species...The Passenger , Satin Wave ,Leopard moth , Waved Umber ,Scarce Hook tip , Gurnsey Underwing ,Dingy Mocca  and Lappet.....

Northowram Cricket Pitch (8th)

3 Pied Wagtail , 1 Whitethroat , 3 Swift (south) ,30 Golfinch  on thistles , 2 Herring Gull and 4 LBB gulls.

August 8th 2016

3 Buzzards ( 2 ad and 1 juv)
1 Peregrine (adult male)
1 Sparrowhawk ( female)
100 + Swallow south all day
 40 + Swift south all day

From the Note book Canada 1996...

Lakes

Large numbers of Curlew on the estuaries are starting to build up with 2 different flocks of 500 + seen. Oystercatcher also in good numbers 300 and 200.A flock of 9 Greenshank , adult Med Gull , Yellow Wagtail and the first juvenile Little Egrets have been seen . Redshank , Dunlin ,Common Sandpiper , Ringed Plover  , Whimbrel , and lapwing are filling up the estuaries at low tide. Little ,Sandwich and Common Terns were seen at Hodbarrow along with another 2 + 1 Greenshank.
Nice to see Grayling and Gatekeeper here. Also nice to see another Otter feeding on crabs and fish near Ravenglass  watched for about 40 minutes .

On the 16th July I had 4 Common Terns NNW over the house ,which is the third tern species from the garden   ,,,

Scotland July 2016

                                                Small Pearl bordered Fritillary

                                                           Emperor

                                                                 Gold Spot

Red Deer

                                                              Golden ringed Dragonfly

Birds included finding a  pair of breeding Redwing , summer plumaged Black throated Diver , breeding Common Scoter , Merlin , Tree Pipit  and Greenshank. And the Scottish form of Large Heath butterfly.

Summer Solstice 2016

                                                            Poplar hawkmoth

                                                   Small Elephanr Hawkmoth

                                                        Elephant hawkmoth

                                                      Beautiful Snout

                                                        Bilberry Tortrix

Summer

 Tawny , Little and Barn Owl feathers and little owl pellets, Buzzard feathers and Kestrel pellets( containing Common Shrew jaw bone)

                                                      Clay coloured Weevil...Norland Moor

Marsh Fritillary and Broad - bordered bee Hawkmoth

Lincs today saw , Painted lady (5) Common Blue  (1) Holly Blue ( 1) Wall Brown (2) Orange Tip (2 males)Marsh Fritillary (14) Dingy Skipper (2) Broad Borderd Bee hawkmoth (3)Silver Y (2) and 500+ Diamond Backed moths.

Southern Lakes

                                                             E.Sangii  Foulshaw Moss (first record for the reserve)

                                                         Hooded Crow 

                                           Oystercatcher nesting between railway tracks ..??

                                                    Green Hairstreak  Black Combe

                                      Otter tracks showing digging out a Sand Martin nest


Nice to finally catch up with  the Foulshaw Ospreys , watched the male bringing in some new nesting material ...and also watched an adult Otter at Waberthwaite hunting along the estuary at low tide. Superb .....Plenty of Goosander and Shelduck chicks about  and found a small colony of Yellowhammers ( 3 siging males) near Black Combe .......................

Suprise Sandwich

A Sandwich Tern flew N/W at 18.00 today a real surprise went to grab the camera but the kids had been using it and it was dead as a post.....House Martins , Swifts,  LBBgulls had been on the move most of the day .3 Blackcap , 2 Chiffchaff , 1 Whitethroat singing this morning. Plenty Skylarks singing around Shelf moor this afternoon and a few Linnets.

Donna Nook

The thing with living in a land locked county is you miss the sea...I could see hundreds of seals today  on the tide line on another brief visit to Donna Nook.....30 + Yellow Wagtails , 1 Lesser Whitethroat singing , 30 + Whitethroat , 20+ Sedge Warblers ,  20 Avocets with 7 young , 1 Cuckoo , 1 Spotted Flycatcher ,1  Common Sandpiper , 2 Little Ringed Plover , a small flock of waders flew overhead  contained 7 Ringed Plover and 1 Dunlin ,1 Curlew , 2 female Marsh Harrier 10 + Little Egret , and a couple of Barn Owls......

All the locals are back

Had a walk this morning around the local fields and all the summer visitors are back in place ,,,Blackcap , Chiffchaff , Willow Warbler , Whitethroat , Swallows  and  Swifts the Garden Warbler site is now another Shit housing estate........

Donna Nook

,Managed another couple of hours there today , started off with a female Pied Flycatcher on the fence in the car park.20 Avocet  ,6 Grey Plover , Common Sandpiper , 1 Whimbrel , 1 Greenshank , plenty Dunlin and Ringed Plover . A  smart Lesser Whitethroat , Blackcap , Willlow Warbler and loads of Whitethroat and Yellowhammer. Short eared Owl at Pyes Hall and  a few Yellow Wags / Wheatear ,,,,,,Loads of Swits heading north...Green Hairstreak , Wall Brown , Orange tip , Small tort , Peacock , Green Veined and Small White...