Calm on the moors

(Photo Sarah Hanson many thanks)

A calm and still evening today produced 7/8 kestrel , 8 SEO's , 3 LEO 's , 3 Barn Owls , 2 Buzzards and 2 Hens ( one with sat tag and 1 juv female) 1 male Sparrowhawk and a few Oyck's and Curlew.

On the pic above you can just make out the sat tag....

Cricket pitch

Had my first 3 Juv pied Wags this morning one with bright yellow face and smoky grey flanks , other 2 were grey juvs . 55 Starlings ,  4 Goldfinch and 35 Swallows , some of the Swallows were sitting on the grass.............1  juv Dunnock also

Hills alive with Owls

What a night to be out , as I got out of the car I could hear Raven and I could see a group of birds over New Laith pasture  on closer inspection , 1 Juv peregrine , 2 Buzzards and 2 Raven were all up in the air together.
   A SEO was seen briefly on the track to the south. What a night , 3 Barn Owls , 6 SEO's and 2 LEO's( i ad +i juv) all hunting on the same hillside giving excellent views for long periods.One juv female Hen Harrier , Kestrels and Curlews added to a memorable evening..........is was good to note that in the fading light , Barn Owls look very white , LEO's look Dark and rounded and SEO look pale..............

Young Tawny Owl

Young Tawny Owl in the Craggs last night.................

Little Egret

A bit of luck at last with yesterdays Common Scoter and  a flock of waders at Fly Flatts today (9 Ringed Plover , 10 Dunlin and 2 Curlew) . A Little Egret flew along Shibden Valley today , it was always at a difficult angle so I could not get the shape at all until at the last moment it turned so I could see it.

Common Scoter

One adult male Common Scoter on Booth Wood Reservoir today in thick fog and drizzle. A fine adult Stoat and Common Sandpiper yesterday ,   in thick mist and drizzle, last night a new Calderdale moth species ...Pale Prominent(above , pic CS) , ....

Painted lady makes 23

Went to hebden for the HH day and took in the bit of waste ground at Mythom. First butterfly was this Painted lady my 23rd species in Calderdale this year...............................What a year its been.....................

Nice............

Owls

Had a drive about yesterday evening looking for Owls.started with Little Owl  sat on the top of a wall minding it's own business. Soon after  this I watched 5 SEOwls hunting 3 juvs and 2 adults , One of the adults caught a vole and gave it to one of the hungry juvs sat on a wall. One of the juv's had a pure white tail which made it easy to pick out .Then onto a local abandoned mill to watch 2 Barn Owls hunting in the failing light, a Tawny owl was calling from a nearby wood and was also seen hunting as the light failed..................

Buzzards.....

                                                             Typical in flight profile

In 1998 20 years ago there were less than 10 sightings in a year in the whole of Calderdale in 1991 there were only 3 records . This week so far I have seen  4 Northowram , 4 Shibden Valley , 3 Fly Flatts (wind farm side)  , 4 Castle Carr  and  3 at top west side of fly , 2 over Cromwell and 2  over the motorway at Hearsthead...............

More SEOwls

Fly Flatts

Had a couple of hours up there the last few days,  1 Green Sandpiper , 1 Ringed Plover , 2 SEOwl , 2 Dunlin , 11 Teal , 10 Lapwing , 2 Grey Patridge , 2 Barnies, 2 Raven , 2 Buzzards , 2 Wheatear  and a few Gulls.Two Wall Brown near Cold Edge Quarries . Holly Blue and Small Copper

in the garden at Northowram today.

2nd juv Buzzard takes to the air..........

This morning there were 4 Buzzards in the air all mewing together and dive bombing the local jackdaws ,  this is the 4th year in a row they had bred successfully , There  is a build up of Goldfinch with a small flock of 20 + being seen most days. The local Kestrel has also one young flying .Lots of gulls on the move mainly LBBGulls and Black headed , but the odd Herring Gull as well.