Spring............has sprung in Northowram

What a beautiful day , started off with 3 Greenfinch displaying and calling in the hedge behind the cricket pitch soon followed by Robin , Blackbird , Song Thrush , Dunnock , Wren and Chaffinch in full song .. A Mistle Thrush could be herd belting it out down Chelsea valley. A female Goosander was a nice surprise as were 4 male Siskin.  Male and female Bullfinch , Sparrowhawk display and 2 Long tailed tits in the front garden ,1 LBBGull and 2 Herring Gulls west..... a flock of 15 Siskin and 2 Goldfinch rounded off a good morning walk......................

Tree Sparrows

After a tip off at Cromwell Bottom yesterday I headed to Shelf Park , I took the Calderdale way path to Norwood green. Calls of Buzzards overhead eventually produced 2 birds displaying over the fields towards Coley church..Nuthatch , Great spotted Woodpeckes and Treecreeper were all herd calling from the woodland. I searched high and low for Tree Sparrows but not a bird in sight. I decided to head off home on a different path  a fleeting glimpse of a little brown job  disappeared into the hedge. I then noticed a very large feeding station behind a set of farm buildings it was packed with birds and in the middle of all the Chaffinch ,  Robins , Blue |great and LTTits were 3 Tree Sparrows,,,,result...Many thanks to the FOCB for the tip off......

The Duddon

A few days in the southern lakes produced Displaying Ringed Polover , Skylarks , Song Thrush and Grey Wagtail in full song. Bar Tailed Godwit , Red Throated Diver , Eider , Barnacle Geese , large numbers of Golden Plover , Dunlin , Oystercatcher , Curlew , Knot (3000 + doing murmuration ) Sanderling  Great Crested Grebes displaying , Red Breasted merganser , 10 + Little Egrets , Pinks overhead all the time 1000 + and 27 Twite.

Shibden to Beacon Hill

SW 6 and heavy rain...Why I ask myself ............5 Mute Swan , Coot Moorhen  Mallard and plenty BH Gulls and Common Gulls. around Shibden Park..A Grey wagtail in Cunnery Wood and 2 Pink footed geese over Beacon Hill...lots of rain and wind..........yuckkk

Siskin

2 Skylarks over the house this morning was a good start , then 7 Redwing in the tall hedge and 7 Stock Doves around the barn ,2 Song Thrush were very vocal and 2 Mistle Thrush 'rattled ' over . Then 6 Siskin , four  gardens down ,1 male and 5 female types. 3   Treecreepers in Shibden Valley and a male Sparrowhawk here also...

Lesser Redpoll

2 Lesser Redpoll today along the tall Hedge  which is a bit of a rare in these parts.10 Blackbirds ,  7 Stock Doves , 6 Chaffinch , 3 Dunnock  , 1 Wren and a couple of robins.1 Green Woodpecker calling from the wood. 142 Jackdaws over this evening going to roost and  Stock Doves have also seen doing display flights today......

Covenham area...

Its rare these days to see an Adult Male Hen Harrier hunting over open farmland , so today was a red letter day indeed .A beautiful male flew within 20 feet from where I was walking. With juv Peregrine and  Merlin , adult female Sparrowhawk , 3 Buzzards , and plenty of Kestrels I classed it as a good raptor day. Green Sandpiper , Little Egret , 3 Barn Owls  , 41 Pinks headed north /west and 10 Whoopers were loafing  around in a stubble field.......

Local fields

A walk round the local fields today produced 10 Goldfinch , 23 Starling , 70 Jackdaw , 14 Rook, 20 Carrion Crow , 2 Magpie , 6 Blackbirds , 30 Common Gull , 15 BH Gull , 2 Herring Gulls headed west and the highlight of the day 3 Common Buzzards displaying in the valley. Some other good news were 2 Little Owls near a former nest site that was turned in to a house..

Grebes

Slav Grebes