Friday

Soil Hill...5 snow Bunts and 5 Linnets

Shelf Moor....320 Lapwing 22 Golden plover

Northowram....33 Linnets,9 Stock Dove,3 Herring Gull,1 GBBGull(west)
3 Mistle thrush,4 Redwing,52 Fieldfare and 36 Fieldfare (north) and 3 singing Robins

Wet,Wet ,Wednesday

Another beating by the weather today,-
10 Stock dove
2 Singing Robin
26 Linnets
1 GBBGull west
4 Herring Gull west
315 Lapwing
11 Golden Plover
244 Starling
40 Common Gull
70 BHgull

Monday,

An excellent count of 325 Lapwing and 7 Golden plover at Shelf moor.Also seen in flight from Northowram.


On 31st December I watched a female Sparrowhawk displaying in Shibden Valley.!!!

Ogden in the rain

Torrential rain at Ogden this afternoon,from the car park to the giants tooth I saw 1 Carrion crow.It got a bit better on the path back with the highlight being a female sparrowhawk hunting 12 Goldfinches /////in total 14 species.

Round and about

Ogden...1 Tufted Duck,1 Herring Gull ,5 BH Gull,2 Common Gull and 34 Mallard
Shelf Moor....185 Lapwing,1 Golden Plover and 400+ Starling
Northowram...33 Linnets,4 Herring Gulls ,50 Field fare and 5 Redwing.
A grey ,wet and very windy day.

Gulls

Loads of Gulls at Northowram today including one ArgentatusHerring Gull,5 Herring Gull,270+Common Gulls,125 + BH Gulls,105 Pinkfeet west,35+ Lapwing west,2 Linnet,45 Fieldfare ,2 Redwing,15 Stock Dove and a male Fovx being mobbed by BH Gulls...??
Well worth a look through the gulls if your passing something must turn up in um soon.
On wenesday there were 3 Argentatus (2 adults and a 1st winter) and 1 1st winter argenteus.Also the Linnet flock had increased to 21.....

Strange Cloud formation

There was a strange cloud formation over Northowram yesterday,look like a rock formation from the Rockies USA..any one else see it.????

Large gulls

A good move of larger gulls yesterday saw at lest 250 Herring gulls and 18 GBBGulls ssw.14 Linnets in the field and a Grey Heron looking for an easy meal in he fishpond down the road.

Linnets

A small flock of 8 Linnets today was a nice suprise,5 Stock doves and a lapwing.

Dipper x 2

2 Dippers today on the stream just below Coley garden centre,the first time ive seen them this close to home.1 Grey wag,25 lapwing ,20 LTTits and 3 stock doves.1 female sparrowhawk also.

Twite

What a record a winter Twite,,no rings on it as well,Ive been allowed back in the fields as the cow herd has been put away for the winter,and low and behold after one week without cows we get a twite and a small flock of lapwing and Stock Doves...my first Northowram Twite....

Amazing what you find on the internet.

This surely must be the most emotive and most discussed subject on any of the bird forums. One of the most disappointing parts of this discussion, here or on any other forum, is the total silence from the RSPB. Surely the RSPB should not only manage reserves and persecute egg collectors and others but also represent the views and wishes of its members. Recently they seem to have embodied the gun-ho attitude of FERA, not only with the Ruddy Duck but also Eagle Owls, Monk Parakeets etc. They have also been remarkably silent on the slaughter of 2000 Gannet chicks on Sula Sgeir each year. Isn't it time that the RSPB consults its members about these various slaughters, say through its magazine, and then supports whatever the majority of its members wish?

Information obtained from FERA, on March 7th 2011, under the freedom of information act, stated that the total overall cost of the "Ruddy Duck Eradication Programme" was £3.3M. The number of Ruddy Ducks culled was 7165 and they estimated the current population to be in the region of 100 birds. They also state that 35 non-target birds were killed, thse included Common Scoter, Black-necked Grebe, Mallard, Teal, Little Grebe, Pochard, Tufted Duck and Coot. Obviously this list is not complete as I know of a White-headed Duck and a Slavonian Grebe that disappeared during a cull.

Is there anyone out there, officially representing the RSPB, able to inform us and all its members of their latest position in regard to the culling of Ruddy Ducks, Monk Parakeets and any thing else that FERA considers to be unwanted. I also wish to know what they are doing to stop the slaughter of Gannet chicks. If they are no longer representing their members views but following the wishes of FERA and other government organisations then surely their charity status should be withdrawn and perhaps we should all consider whether our continued support is appropriate

Soil Hill

A very brisk wind blew across a sunny and clear soil hill today.9 Snow Buntings,1 Linnet,1 Woodcock,1 Skylark,1 female blackbird,5 BH Gull,20 lapwing (north)1 Kestrel and 6 carrion Crows made for a most enjoyable visit..

The relentless destruction of wildlife continues

Catalonia has allowed the trapping of 60,000 finches this winter, the quota including 48,800 Chaffinches, 6,500 Goldfinches, 3,500 Greenfinches and 3,600 Linnets. This is ostensibly for the local cage-bird trade.
Spain is a member country of the EU - wild birds such as this are protected by law - supposedly

Hen Harriers
The toffs' most unpopular bird in UK; and they're driving it to extinction in England. When its rioting and robbery by ordinary folk , our prime minister and his cronies get all worked up. I don't hear them condemning their mates for regularly breaking the law to eliminate the Hen Harrier from their estates. This is one of the most beautiful and spectacular of our birds and it only survives as a breeding bird in England because of one estate. The species regularly prospects across moorland over much of the rest of the North of England, it only doesn't breed because it is prevented from doing so. http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=3030
RSPB: English Hen Harriers 'four steps' from extinction
www.birdguides.com
A 2011 joint survey of the English uplands by the RSPB and Natural England found that only four nesting pairs of Hen Harrier successfully raised young; all were on a single estate in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire. This is believed to be the lowest population in England since they recolonised in
Badgers
It is the government’s intention to kill badgers in 2011 as part of a control to stop the spread of Bovine TB in cattle. This is despite robust and sound science that proves it has ‘no meaningful contribution to the control of Bovine TB in cattle’.
The Government is holding a consultation suggesting different methods and asking you, the general public to tell them what you want to see happen. They have said that they will listen to the replies to this consultation but they have not made it easy for people to reply.
The Badger Trust details suggestions as to how to reply. If you do not want to see badgers cage trapped and shot or free running badgers killed with a rifle – please take the time to reply.
Visit http://www.badgerprotectionleague.com/information.php and use follow their guidelines on replying to the English and Welsh consulations. Time is short - Please Do it Now!
Their lives are literally in your hands
Then there are the maltese shooters shooting birds of prey in the UK,
Three persons were on Monday night apprehended by customs at Malta International Airport in possession of dead protected birds.
The three persons were returning from a hunting trip in the UK.

A joint operation between Customs, Administrative Law Enforcement police, MEPA officials and veterinary services officials revealed a number of protected birds including birds of prey concealed in their luggage amongst other legal game.

The birds were protected by international law.

The persons in question are expected to be arraigned in court soon.

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Cyprus doing what they allways do ,the continued destruction of the Amazon and the ever decreasing POLAR ICE CAPS.and people still say its nothing to do with the human race.....

Clear at last

I was thinking that fog would never clear...........
500 woodpigs s/w
10 Canada goose s/w
54 Lapwing north
30 Common Gulls
2 sparrowhawk (locals)

Fogged out

Thick fog all weekend,,,, in the morning on sat ,,,and all day Sunday.
3 Redwing south,14 Canada goose west,1 alba wagtail which called like white(is it too late for White??).100 Woodpigeon eastand 1 large anser sp which eluded id...Also herd Pinkfeet going over but did not see any..

Rough Legged Buzzard (early x mas present)

Went to look for RL Buzzard tO day,just as I was aproaching the area where it had been seen ,I saw a bird being chased across the moor to my right by a Kestrel,it flew right infront of the car .A Buzzard to be sure and as it banked the white rump came into view.Very nice indeed//////////Watched in flight for the next half an hour or so until the cold got the better of me.Many thanks to the chap who found it and to aLL THE MOBILE MESSAGES FROM NICK AND Dave///Cheers Im gonna have a beer or two tonight/
Calderdale list 195
Uk 400 club rules 198

Computer problems

There is nowt worse than your computer blowing up and you then have re-enter 5,000 moth records that you have just done..once is boring twice is insane,,,,,,
12 November
Starlings 158 west
Pink footed Goose 100 west
Redwing 40 south
Fieldfare 30 south
Lapwing 48 west
Snipe 1 south
Chaffinch 15 south
Woodpidgeoan 500 east
Buzzard sp 1 west
Red Admiral 2
Jay 1 ,Great Spot 3, Song Thrush 2,Mistle Thrush 3 and 2 Sparrowhawks around the village.

MEGA MOVE

Woodpigeons on the move this morning from first light all heading s/sw aprox number 16,500,but i missed loads.Largest group must have been aprox 1500 birds but there were so many birds in the sky it could easily have been 2000+. Starlings also in small direct squadrons about 400+,Redwings 200,Fieldfare 80, StockDove 8,LBBGull 1,Common Gull/BHGull 500+,Mipits 3 and Finches in small numbers mainly Chaffinch and Goldies

Any one want to buy some binns...........

Rough Legged Buzzard
Bee Eater
Woodchat Shrike
Black Stork/ Common Crane
Manx Shearwater
Little Auk
Gannet
Puffin
Black Headed Bunting
Hooded Crow, Montys Harrier................................

Evening suprise

20 Whooper Swans flew west this evening along with 3 Stock Doves south and a Great Spotted Woodpecker south.

Just an amazing bird.........................

North,South ,East ,West

Well on Friday Fieldfare and Redwings arrived on Mass with at least 2000 of each along with 200+ pink feet heading west way out by Emily moor mast.
Saturday saw Woodpigs west and Redwings and fieldfare in all directions.
Sunday saw Woodpigs North 500 +,Starlings low north west 1000+ , Jackdaws west 200 + , Goldfinch south 3 small parties,and Redwings going east.????What a mixed bag...

Divers

What a stonker an adult Great Northern Diver today at Ringstone...500+ Fieldfare moving south in two groups with a few redwings mixed in.Lapwings and Golden Plovers in the north field and 20+ goldcrests in the keepers garden.Very pleased with the diver and that now makes my calderdale list not bad for an inland birder.
Red Throated Diver 3
Black throated Diver 4
Great Northern Diver 4
Wont be many Calderdale birders who Can beat that....if any.????

Rain ,Rain and more Rain

Monday morning .....rain...
Redwing 8 s/w
Linnets 14 blogging
Starling 200 + around the village
BHGull 150 +
Common Gull 2
GBBGull 1 Juv/1st winter
LBBGull 11 mostly adult types
Herring Gull 1 juv/1st winter
LTTits,Blue and Great Tit flock aprox 18
4 Greenfinch
robins 2 fighting

A bit of Vis

Before the gale started it was'nt too bad with,Great spot south,43 Mipits s/w ,2 Greenfinch,30 Goldfinch,15 Long t tit, 1 chiffchaff,2 stock dove,2 Kestrels and 5 sightings of sprwhawk,2 pied and 1 Grey wagtail south.3 lBBGull and 40+BHGull west and 1 Grey Heron.....

First Pinks

Had my first pink footed geese over the last couple of days 22 yesterday and 40 today heading west...1 Crossbill flew south calling and 1 great spot the same direction.1 Greenland Wheatear,22 LBBGulls,1 Skylark,120 Linnets 1 Kestrel on soil Hill today...

Jays

Jays seem to be everywhere this week with at least 12 sightings in /over and around the village.2 willow Warblers and 2 chiffs (one singing like it was spring this morning),30 LTTits,2 Grey Herons,2 Grey Wags and the family of sparrowhawks are still around causing chaos.A few LBBgulls west and a steady trickle of Mipits south /west. Loads of Speckled woods about today and single ed Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell..should be good for a few migrant moths this week with perfect weather for them.....????

Morning Vis

A real morning for vis with dark low skies and a small open window to the s/e pity I only had an hour ....
Mipits 175+ s/w
Swallows 150+ s/w
Linnet 17 s/w
Chaffinch 5 s/w
LbbGull 3 s/w
Greenfinch 4 s/w
Pied wagtail 17
Grey Wagtail 2 south
Sparrowhawk 1 female took Blackbird off wall.
Stock Dove 6
Grey Heron 1 west
Golcrest 2

Weekly round up

100 lapwings flew north which must have been the queensbury flock ,3 Bullfinch in the back gaden was a nice supise,a Nuthatch in the wood with 20+ Blue and Great Tits,10 Goldfinch,18 Linnets,8 pied wagtail and a Yellow wagtail south first thing on sunday morning was the best so far this autumn.