Lower |Gorple.....

  A really excellent couple of evenings at Lower Gorple , started with a female Ring Ousel down on the rocks just out of the car park.. 223 Pink -footed Geese west , 30 Golden Plover on the tops . a scattering of Meadow Pipits and a few Pied Wagtails. 2 Greylags and 2 Canada Geese kicking about .1 female Sparrowhawk , 3 Kestrel , 2 Barn Owls  and a few Bussards . Three Whooper Swans are the first of the winter season (2 adults and a Juv). 3 Ringtail Hen Harries and a cracking adult male made my weekend,,,,,,,,,Monday...1 Cream Crowned Marsh Harrier , Raven , 1 adult female Hen Harrier and 1 Barn Owl ( with golden wings ,there is one with very white wings)

Local Waxcaps

 

                                                               Blackening Waxcap

Thousands of Redwing

 Got up early to head for soil hill as it looked like a good morning for vis-mig , but as I got past Shelf Roundabout thick fog made for a sudden u turn.When I got out of the car at home 200 + Redwing flew low straight over the house , the next 4 hours saw an unprecedented number of Redwing fly over my patch...20 , 454 in 4 hours , + Crossbill x 9 , Brambling x 3 , Cormorant , Snipe , Woodpidgeon 1000 + , great Spotted Wodpecker x 2 , Meadow Pipit 200 + , Goldfinch , 1 Swallow , Siskin , Reed Bunting , Alba Wagatails and surprisingly 30 + Mistle Thrush ...

The fog helped me in the end , From my watch point in  Northowram , I could see the fog bank sat on Shelf Moor to the west and thick total cloud cover abover , The masses of Redwing came in from the  north east and as the saw the fog on the hills turned more SSW and this took them right through Northowram in there thousands. As you can see Peniston was the same. All the sites west were fog bound and the Redwings did not cross the Pennine.s in any large numbers.  At one point there were a 1000 + Redwings in one flock twisting and turning and redirecting above Northowram ....

5 Red Admiral and 4 Comma in the garden in the afternoon..

5 Crossbill  Walshaw plantation ,(1 red male ) , 2 Barn Owl , 5 Goldcrest , 10 Siskin , 1 female Sparrowhawk and  44 Fieldfare dropped in last light..

Soil Hill

 Had a look up on the  Hill this morning from 07.30 - 8.30 ...

Meadow Pipits ...140 s/w

Pink Footed Geese  x 12 east 

Chaffinch x 4 s/w

House Martin x 1 s/w

Goldfinch x 14 s/w 

Jackdaw x 4 very high s/w

Kestrel x 3 , Canada Goose x 48 , Mallard x 24 , BH Gull x 6 , Moorhen x 1 

Memory's from Soil Hill ..Many thanks to Brian Sumner ,,

 Thursday, December 5, 2013

A Soil Hill story

An horrendous day up here on the tops with a severe gale WNW >9 gusting 10 bringing showers of horizontal rain turning to snow after dark when the wind dropped leaving a light frozen coating on the cars and pavements.

 

With the sighting of Lapland Bunting on Ringby Top the other day,DJS, it reminded me of the Shore Lark found up there a few years ago and the amazing sighting we had of 3 Shore Lark and 2 Snow Buntings which gave excellent views on Soil Hill for a few days back in Nov 2004.

Here is a report from Andy Cockroft I dug out from his first visit to the hill.

 

                                          Andy wrote :-       The phone was buzzing in my pocket but I was unable to read it as it was my Grandmas 90th birthday speech. When I got to read it , it said, 3 Shore Lark , Soil Hill

10/11/2004.  Where the hell is Soil Hill I thought !!!!!! Early next morning I pulled up at the place I was told to go to where it was thick fog, not just thick but dense with visibility down to 3 or 4 feet.

I had no idea where to go or even where I was, ( now I know that this is not uncommon on the hill).

                                                            As I stumbled around the wire and rubbish I certainly cursed the place a few times. Eventually I reached the top and thought I,ve no chance of seeing anything in this, but then out of the gloom 3 birds flew past me which could have been Skylarks but sometimes you just know when they are something different. I searched for another hour then gave it up.

                                                                    A couple of hours later I returned and the fog had gone so I set off again knowing that they were there somewhere and after literally bumping into one of the Cunningham brothers we were soon rewarded with the 3 Shore Larks giving good views and also Snow Bunting and Jack Snipe.

Since that first date I have been many times to the hill and have been rewarded several times with, Black Redstart, Dotterel , Purple Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover and Buzzard to name a few.

Soil Hill is one of the best places to see Snow Bunting in winter and usually picks up the first Wheatear in spring and is well worth a look at any time of year , especially in the autumn for vis mig.

Andy C.

A nice report there Andy giving a good feel to the place.

Fly Flatts and home

 Had a look at Fly Flatts from the top road , a single Great Crested Grebe was a first for me at this site and at least 5 Stonechat  on the road.Kestrel  and a few Mipits . A quick view of a Blackbird type was inconclusive ,!! 

  Still a few Swallows drifting south and large numbers of meadow Pipits and Goldfinch heading the same way. A cracking adult female Wheatear today along the drystone wall  and a few Pied Wagtails on the Cricket Pitch...

Early October

 Still plenty Red Admirals in the garden with a single Comma and the odd Speckled Wood, a good move of Pink footed geese in the last few days with  at least 500 + heading east in 5 skiens...loads of Meadow Pipits have been heading south with some decent flocks of 20 + ,Swallows still moving and small flocks of Goldfinch. A group of 11 Mistle Thrush came in from the east and headed south west  with one single Redwing in with them was interseting/early  . Sparrowhawks and Bussards seen daily .  A trip up to Lower Walshaw ,was generally quiet but HH , Merlin , Sparrowhawk and great views of hunting Barn Owl made it worth while. One female Widgeon dropped into Ringstone briefly...

Northowram Waxcap and Spindle

 

Butterfly's 30th September

 In the garden today there were 8 Red Admiral and 1 Comma feeding on seedum ,wont be many more before the winter. An excellent year at Northowram for butterfly's with good numbers of  Holly Blue , Wall Brown Speckled Wood and Comma...

Calm at the gap

 A very quiet morning  after a very hectic few days at the Gap saw little or no movement south today ,in the bay , 

22 lapwing west , 70 Golden Plover blogging , 7 House martin , 20 Shag , 30 Red throated Diver , 175+ Teal , 30 Widgeon , 1 Pintail ,1 Artic Skua , 1 Peregrine Falcon , Gannet 300 + , 2 kittiwake , 3 Swallows and a very late Swift , a few local Linnets , Reed Buntings , 1 Stonechat ,  10 Yellowhammer , 2 Common Scoter , 10 juv Common Terns and 20 Bottle nose Dolphins....

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler , Long Nab.....

 After another hectic morning  at the Gap I headed up the coast to see the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and it showed very well in bursts ...Another great bird to see in Yorkshire..

A Tide of Finches

 Busy from the off with flocks of finches heading south  a total of 1300 finches in 3 hours is some counting + all the local stuff moving about....A pod of 9 Bottle Nosed Dolphin , 1 Little Gull and a Little Egret made for a brilliant morning ..Many thanks to Keith Clarkson...(the legend)....still a few Red Admiral moving south

 

Madness at the Gap..............

Clifden Nonpareil ( Blue Underwing)

Red Underwing

                     Convolvulus Hawkmoths male and female and Blue Underwing
 

Hunmanby Gap Vis...

 

Soil Hill Vis....

Meadow pipit x 145

Pinks x 55 + 58 

Redpoll x 5 

Goldfinch x 41

Skylark x 3

Swallow x 2 

Alba x 3

Greenfinch x 5

Raven ,RL PArtridge , Sparrowhawk and Kes locals..

Thanks DJS

Soil Hill Vis - mig..

Meadow Pipits x 395 s/w

Swallow x 17 s/w

Pinks x 32 east 

Chaffinch x 2 s/w 

BH Gull x 3 s/w 

Present Stonechat x 3 Kestrel x 1 , Starling x 13, Chiffchaff x 1 few corvids kicking about....

Northowram Cricket Pitch and Fields

 Great to see a young Little Owl on one of the dry stone walls today , not seen one for a few years.Also a cracking adult female Wheatear yesterday , Chiffchaff in the long hedge , 7 House Martin south last night and a few Swallows south today. A small flock of Meadow Pipit over the fields contained a Nuthatch in vis /mig mode. Sparrowhawks most days recently and still plenty Red Admirals moving south...

Welsh 3000 and Moel Siabod...

 A long weekend in Snowdonia , 36 miles walked ,uphill 14,000 feet , dowhill 13,000 feet , time walking 24 hours ..Mountains walked in pretty atrocious conditions..

1)Snowdon ..3560ft

2) Carnedd Ugain 3494 ft

3) Carnedd Llewelyn  3491 ft

4) Carnedd Dafydd 3425 ft 

5) Glydr Fawr   3278ft

6) Glydr Fach 3261 ft 

7) Pen Yr Ole Wen 3209 ft

8) Yr Ellen   3156 ft

9) Y Garn   3107 ft

10)  Y Garn 3107 ft

11) Foel Fras 3091 ft

12) Gwnenellin 3038 ft

13) Eldir  fawr 3031 ft

14)The mighty Tyfan...3002 ft

15) Moel Siabod 2861 ft

Pen Y Fan....

 A 9 mile hike around the ridges surrounding Pen Y Fan 2907ft (20th) , Cribyn 2608ft and Corn Du 2864ft (22nd) a beautiful sunny day with easy paths all around...........Small numbers of Wheatear(15 +)

Meadow Pipit 100 + , Swallow 40 + House Martin 17 , Red Kite 4 , Skylark , Stonechat 20 +, Whinchat 2 all moving S/W........

Aran Ridge

An 11 mile walk from Llanuwchllyn up to Aran Fawddwy 2969 ft (16th) passing Aran Benllyn 2904ft (21st) and Erw Ddafad Duu 2861ft (23rd) . The wind was gale force and the ridge path was dangerous on the way up I returned away from the ridge on the way down..
 

Cadair Idris (19th highest in Wales)

Caldair Idris  2930 ft (19th) and Mynydd Moel 2831 ft (25th) . A truely spectacular walk....
 

Late July

 On the 30th 2 White Letter Hairstreaks were still hanging on to the local Elm tree although looking a bit tatty , Purple HAirstreaks are there in good numbers if the sun would shine for more than 2 minutes at a time , 2 Holly Blues , 10 + Commas , Ringlets ,Gatekeepers ,Meadow Browns all in reasonable numbers. Small Tortoiseshells numbers peaked at about 25 , Large and Small Whites  a few Speckled Woods and a couple of Red Admirals

Moths and Butterflies

 Been a busy few weeks for moths and butterflies , the first White Letter and Purple HAirstreaks came out last week , with very good numbers of Meadow Brown , Small and Large Skippers , Small Tortoiseshell , Ringlet , Gatekeeper and a particular good year for Comma .

  Moths have been plentiful with Rannoch Looper at Luddunden  (thanks Martyn Hayes ) , Obscure Wainscot , Marbled White Spot , Sandy Carpet , Lunar Hornet Moth , loads of Beautiful Hook tip , Scarce Footman at Cromwell... 

North Wales

 A walk from Prestatyn to Telacre Beach , 

Black Guilimot x 1

Common Scoter x 200 + 

Manx Shearwater x 75

Little Tern x 200 + including a flock of 75

Common Tern x 4

Sandwich Tern x 25

Ringed Plover x 20 

Curlew x 30 +

Little Egret x  30 +

Sand MArtin x 50

Cettis Warbler x 1

Reed Warbler x 4

Pyramaidical Orchid x 200 + 

Garden Butterflys...

 What a few weeks we've been having hot days but cold nights  , over the last couple of weeks in the garden I have seen , Male Brimstone , Small Tortoiseshell , Holly Blue (2 together) , Small Copper , Orange Tip (male and female) , Wall Brown (the first in the garden for years) ,Peacock , Large White , Small White , Mint Moth  and a Red Admiral fly through.....