Whiteholme...so busy....and Lower Gorple back to its best

 Vis - mig mornings at Whiteholme this week so far .......Hard to count the Meadow Pipits there have been so many  all heading due  south and low , wave after wave  , largest group aprox 70 birds but constant for the first 3 hours of the day. 2 Merlin's have been present , 2 Female Hen Harriers this morning moving south also 2 Marsh Harriers over the weekend  , Pink-footed Geese aprox 500 + last few days , Stonechats , Dunlin , Snipe , 9 Ravens , Reed Buntings , Chiffchaffs and a Robin has been about for the last couple of day which is a first for me up here . Its a great day if you get 25 species at whiteholme,,,,,

https://ebird.org/checklist/S275037808

 Lower Gorple , 3 SEO's , 1 Barn Owl ,  Hen Harrier , Marsh Harrier and Merlin still about up there as well.....

                                                                      Star bird

                                                         Hen Harrier at Whiteholme 

                                                                            

                                                    2nd Hen Harrier at Whiteholme

Grey Partridge

 

There is always one local species that you miss throughout the year , glad to see Grey Partridge today...Thanks DJB

Whiteholme

 

Whiteholme Sat morning 8.30 - 12.00

 

1 x Osprey sat on the fence post for 10 minutes before  heading off south west

31 x Ringed Plover

2 x Curlew Sandpiper 

1 x Little Stint

3 x Dunlin

1 x Snipe 

2 x  Kestrel

4 x Swallow

1 x Wheatear

2 x Teal 

2 x Raven

60 + Meadow Pipit , small groups heading south throughout morning 

Whiteholme madness

 I was busy with the family today , but a text message at 09.00 said Curlew Sandpiper at Whiteholme Reservoir so I was off , got some half decent (poor ) views of it and was off to do some painting jobs etc back at home ........I was a bit miffed when the next message said 2 Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stint etc

  So at 4.30 all jobs done I was off to Whiteholme again , weather was a bit unsettled to say the least but I reckoned I had enough time to get there and back without getting soaked (o how wrong I was) .

 The 2 Curlew Sands , Little Stint , Dunlin and 41 Teal showed well and it started to rain and the sky went black, I had the 2 Curlew Sands in the scope at the same time when a small flock of waders flew past and then another small flock. I thought must be the Ringed Plovers , If was now heavy rain and the sky was jet black , I could seen another group of waders on the shoreline  ...9 Bar -tailed Godwits and a Turnstone but my scope was covered in rain and my bins the same, I picked out another Turnstone , but the weather was against me , I had to move out of the wind and driving rain, 

   I could not id the other flock of waders present but looked like a Ruff and 9 Dunlin types but I was not confident under the circumstances, No let up in the rain when PD , LD and MH turned up and the BArwits and Turnstones had moved on.....roll on tomorrow...

Scammonden ,,

 Had a walk round this morning , 3 Little Grebes , 3 Sand Martin , 8 Swallows , 12 Chiffchaff , 1 male Blackcap , 8 Stonechats , 3 Mistle Thrush , Buzzard , Kestrel , Sparrowhawk ,  4 juv Bullfinch , 60 + Meadow Pipit and 6 LTTits

The long walk to Whiteholme Reservoir........

 A busy morning with 2 Common Sandpipers , 3 Snipe , 3 Shoveler and 5 Teal at Ringstone first thing , then Scammonden , still busy with migrants  20 + Chiffy's 5 Blackcap , 1  Whitethroat , 1 Spot Fly , 7 Stonechat and a bonus bird CC Marsh Harrier south along the ridge. This bird was reported earlier just to the north west .A Red Kite the day before at Ringstone.

   Then a Little Stint turned up at Whiteholme , so off on the long walk to see if it was still there. Not a single bird on the track , but I could see MH sat on the dam wall looking very pleased at finding a Little Stint . Then out of nowhere an Osprey was right behind him , I started waving and running towards Martyn , he turned round and got full scope views of a Juv Osprey heading south ,  what a morning...The Little Stint , Dunlin , 23 Ringed Plover , Shelduck , 13 Teal and 1 Snipe all showed very well,,,,, 

                                                                 1cy LBBGull with leg ring at Ringstone

Calderdale so far this year...1) Red Kite , 2) Peregrine Falcon , 3 ) Kestrel , 4) Sparrowhawk , 5 ) Hen Harrier , 6 ) Buzzard , 7 ) Barn Owl , 8 ) Little Owl , 9 )Tawny Owl , 10 ) Med Gull , 11)  LBBGull 12 ) GBBGull , 13 ) Herring Gull , 14 )Common Gull , 15 ) BH Gull , 16 )  Pink F Goose ,  17 ) Whooper Swan , 18 ) Mute Swan , 19) Coot , 20 ) Moorhen  , 21 ) Mallard , 22 ) Pochard , 23 ) Tufted Duck , 24 ) Scaup , 25 ) , Goldeneye  , 26 )  Shoveler , 27 ) Mandarin Duck ,  28 )  Widgeon , 29 ) Teal , 30 ) Goosander , 31 ) Little Grebe , 32) Greylag Goose , 33 )Canada Goose , 34) Red Grouse , 35)  Pheasant , 36 ) Red-legged Partridge , 37 ) Cormorant , 38 ) Grey Heron , 39 ) Kingfisher , 40 ) Dipper , 41 ) Grey Wagtail , 42 ) Pied Wagtail , 43) Lapwing , 44 ) Golden Plover , 45) Feral Pigeon , 46 ) Woodpigeon , 47 ) Stock Dove , 48 ) Collared Dove , 49 ) Great Spotted Woodpecker , 50 )Green Woodpecker , 51 ) Treecreeper , 52 ) Nuthatch ,  53 )Wren , 54 )Robin , 55 ) Dunnock , 56 ) House Sparrow , 57 )Tree Sparrow , 58 ) Meadow Pipit , 59 ) Skylark , 60) Chaffinch , 61 ) Brambling , 63) Goldfinch , 63) Greenfinch , 64 ) Redpoll , 65 ) Siskin , 66) Crossbill , 67 ) , Bullfinch 68 ) Reed Bunting , 69) , Blackbird , 70) Song Thrush , 71 ) Mistle Thrush , 72 ) Fieldfare , 73 ) Redwing , 74 ) Goldcrest , 75 ) Jay , 76) Raven , 77 ) Rook , 78 ) Jackdaw , 79 ) Carrion Crow , 80 ) Magpie , 81) Starling , 82 ) Blue Tit , 83 ) Great Tit , 84 ) Long - tailed Tit , 85 ) Cole Tit , 86) Stonechat , 87 ) Common Snipe, 88 ) Jack Snipe , 89) Blackcap , 90 )  Curlew  , 91 ) Oystercatcher , 92 ) Barnacle Goose , 93 ) Egyptian Goose ,  94 )Ringed Plover , 95) Short -eared Owl , 96 ) Redshank , 97 ) Woodcock ,98) Merlin  , 99) Chiffchaff 100)  Linnet  101) Great Crested Grebe .102) LRPlover 103) Shelduck 104)Wheatear 105) Twite 106) Swallow 107) Sand Martin 108) House Martin 109 ) Yellowhammer110) Willow Warbler 111) Common Scoter....11th APRIL ONWARDS , 112 ) Common Sandpiper 113) Ring Ouzel 114) Cuckoo , 115) Common Whitethroat 116 ) Garden Warbler , 117 ) Grasshopper Warbler , 118) Dunlin  , 119 ) Ruff , 120) Swift.121) Sanderling 122) Yellow Wagtail 123 ) Long -eared Owl 124) Reed Warbler , 125) Quail , 126) Common Tern  127) Nightjar 128) Hobby 129) Black -tailed Godwit 130 ) Sedge Warbler 131 ) Greenshank 132 ) Spotted Flycatcher 133 ) Common Redstart 134 ) Black Redstart 135 ) Marsh Harrier .136) Little Egret 137) Lesser Whitethroat 138 ) Whinchat 139 ) Whimbrel   140) Turnstone 141 ) Caspian Gull  142) Osprey 143 ) Little Stint 144) Curlew Sandpiper 145 ) Bar-tailed Godwit 146 ) Yellow - legged Gull .147 ) Grey Partridge 

Ringstone

2 Little Egret dropped into Ringstone this afternoon  

                                             2cy Caspian Gull (141 species for the year and a new species for Ringstone for me)  at Ringstone in with the masses of gulls, must be a 1000 gulls at the moment with 700 + BH Gull , LBB , HG , Common Gull and Caspian ..no Yellow legged for me yet...on Thurdsay and Friday , 5 Shoveler , 2+ 6 Teal  , 278 Lapwing , 57 Golden Plover , 4 Shelduck , 6+ 3 + 1 Ringed Plover , 200 LBB Gulls , 10 Herring Gulls , 800 BH Gull and 20 + Common Gulls , 5 Cormorant , 2 GC Grebe , 4 Tufted Duck , 30 + Mallard .3 Skylarks. 

   Scammonden area (near church) , 12 + Yellow Wagtail , 15 + Stonechat , 40 + Chiffchaff  ,   2 Blackcap , 2 Whitethroat , 1 Wheatear , 3 Spot Fly , 8 Willow Warbler , 1 Whinchat  also   Siskin , Sand Martin , Swallows , Goldfinch , 4 Raven , Bullfinch ....