Highlights - September Moths

3 Autumunal Rustic
3 Lunar Underwing
15 Black rustic
2 Angle Shades
2 Silver Y
1 Spruce Carpet
5 Large Yellow Underwing
2 Common Marbled Carpet
1 Red line quaker
2 Blairs shoulder knot
2 Pale pinion
1 Copper underwing
1 Canary Shouldered Thorn

Looking for a Gannet

Feeling quite confident one was going to fly over the area as they seem to everywhere ele,I have been keeping an eye on the sky all weekend.Not a sniff surprisingly.Optomistic fool !!!!!!!
17 swallows south
22 Pink Footed Goose(west)
34 Golden Plover(west)
5 Skylarks
2 Little Owl
1 Very dark LBBGull
33 BH Gull
3 Common Gull
47 Meadow Pipit s/w
12 Siskin
20 Goldfinch
37 Redwing west/s/west
1 Sprwk
8 Pied wagtail
3 Jays (on the move)
1 wader went over and called once at 3.00 this afternoon(poss green sand)

Walk to school

172 redwing w/s/w
11 Goldfinch
32 Meadow pipit s/w
1 pink -footed goose North
9 pied wagtails
29 house Sparrow
12 BH Gull

Northowram today

3 House martins s/w
10 Swallows
35 Meadow Pipit s/w
1 Angle shades
2 large Yellow Underwing
1 garden carpet
1 Grey pine Carpet
Thats it

Great Northern Diver

Well,well, there i was counting Golden Plover in Linconshire and i get a text.GNDiver at ringstone do i-
1.Drive straight to Ringstone and the return to count (4hour trip)
2.Carry on counting GP and hope its there tomorrow.
Having dipped on the avocet,I decide it wont stay long and carry on counting.ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh(just call me Dipper)
So i get up on Saturday 4.55 drive to Ringstone for first light 6.40.
And thankfully its there,low mist over a still(pond like)Ringstone and the evoctive call of the diver echoing round the res.I watched it for 31 minutes before it flew off westnever to be seen again.It really was fantastic .A continuous stream of Mipits overhead (400 +) a classic Greeland Wheatear and a couple of siskin made the early start worthwhile.I then had to work till 22.30 Cheffing.(knackered)I hope you dont mind Sean nicked your photo of birders blogg.

Things in the garage today

Wasp Nest,sectaceous Hebrew Character and 2Brown Spot Pinion

Soil Hill

2 Grey partridge
8 Skylark
60+ Linnet
30 Mipit
1 Common Gull (north)
10 Goldfinch
1 female Sprwk mobbing Juv Kestrel for 5 mins.
7 Stock dove
12 Woodpigs

Pontefract today

1 Yellow wagtail
1 Stonechat
30 Yellowhammer
237 Linnet
3 Corn Bunting
20 Skylark
1 reed Bunting
30 Goldfinch

Autumn Colour

A splash of colour with Autumunal Rustic and Red Admiral

Linconshire

2500 Golden Plover
1 Hobby Juv
5 Marsh harrier
2 Buzzard
3 Merlin
2 Little egret
52 tree sparrow(1 flock nice to see)
1 Green sand
50 + yellow wag(1 flock of 20)

Canary Shouldered Thorn

Just Brilliant.

Soil Hill

1 Mistle Thrush
1 wheatear
6 Grey partridge
25 Goldfich
1 LBBGull North
7 meadow pipit
2 stock Dove

Vis 8.00 - 9.30

Low cloud and drizzle.
1 Willow warbler in garden
6 Meadow Pipit s/w
6 House Martin s/w
30 swallow s/w

More Butts,no Birds

This morning i had 5 Goldcrest in the garden, amazing for here,I felt sure today would bring me a Black redstart after a two hour slog and only one willow warbler + usuall stuff it was back to the Butterfly patch.2 Painted lady,2 wall Brown,10 small Copper,30+ speckled wood,2 Red Admiral 8 Peacocks and a White type.

First day in Calderdale for ages-

Northowram-6,30 - 7.30
3 Common Gull North
3 Cormorant west
1 LBBGull west
25 House Sparrows (in garden)
10 Swallows s/w

1 Black Redstart...Soil Hill(nice one Nigel.K)its my first since 1993

Ringstone
30 Lapwing
8 mallard
1 Teal
1 GC Grebe

Vis 8.00 - 9.30(then heavy rain)

37 Swallows west
2 House martin west
6 Meadow Pipit s/w
2 Skylark south
6 Stock Dove (bloggers)
10 Bh Gull s/w
6 Goldfinch

Copper Underwing

First Copper underwing last night,identified by pale palps.

Wales 2

A sunny week with loads of these two about,Also 20+ Red Kites,40+ Buzzard,30+ Little Egrets,1 Dartford Warbler,Cetti's Warbler,Chough,Rock Pipits and usuall Gannets,Ravens etc

Wales

Black Arches and Square Spot Dart.(Top moffing)

What a week to go away(not)

Well after missing the Avocet,I should have known that going to Wales was bad timing.The first invasion of Great Brocade in Calderdale since 1964 was this week as well as the first Yellow Barred Brindle.Black redstarts,Osprey(over Southowram) ,Pintails,yellow wags ,Spotted Flys etc,O well it could have been worse I could have gone to Green Withens.

Last Night at Withens Clough

A very poor night with low temperature ,clear skies and Northerly wind.
12 Square Spot Rustic
20+ Lesser Yellow Underwing
5 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Dark arches
2 Antler Moth
1 Chevron
1 Purple Bar
1 Shuttle Shaped dart
4 Common Wainscot
3 Smoky Wainscot
That was it.?

Small Copper

8 Small copper
1 Purple Hairestreak(female)
15 Speckled wood
10 peacock
1 Gatekeeper
4 small Tortoiseshell
2 Nuthatch
2 willow warbler
2 GS Woodpecker
2 Skylark

Sun at Last

Yesterday evening saw 2 Swift,3 House martin,1 sand martin and 100+ Swallows all heading s/w
Today was sunny for the first time since.........mmmmmm last week sometime.
20+ peacock
1 Red Admiral
10 small White
2 Large White
4 Speckled Wood
6 Small Copper
1 Gatekeeper
Last nights Moths
1 Grey Chi
2 Antler Moths
2 Dusky Brocade
1 Six Striped Rustic
2 Small Square Spot
4 Square Spot Rustic
1 Single Dotted wave
1 Scalloped Oak

The Sallow

The first autumunal moth last night was this Sallow,also Antler Moth and Small Dusty Wave

Pontefract Vis

07.30 - 11.30
1 Yellow wag s/w
8 Swifts s/w
10 House martin s/w
8 Sand martin s
50 Swallows bloggingd
other
Yellowhammer 20+
Linnet 50+
Red Legged partridgge 10

SWIFTS

1 Swift s/w
I usually have Swifts here until about the first week in september.There are a few early October records in Calderdale

Pontefract bird survey.

Just finished a bird survey for a small industrial site off junction 34 of M62.
2 pairs lesser whitethroat
10 pairs Yellowhammer
9 pairs Corn Bunting
1 pair Barn Owl
3 pairs Yellow Wagtail
1 pair Willow Tit
8 pairs Tree sparrow
8 pairs sand Martin
14 pairs whitethroat
Its only 1/2 hour from Fax.????????
Start winter survey in Linconshire in september ..............watch this space.

More Rain.

1 Swift s/w
1 Willow Warbler north along hedge then high north.
4 LBBGull west
1 Grey wag s/w
25 BHGull s/w
1 female Sprwk

August?

A very poor couple of days with high winds and rain.A few LBBGulls west,100+ Swallows last night and 30 Goldfinch.jays seem to on the move and a male Sprwk has been terrorising the ever increasing Collared Dove population.The only moth of note was a migrant Silver Y.

Swallows

At least 50 Swallows feeding over the frount field last night.1 Sparrowhawk,a few BH Gulls and 2 distant Peregrines over Southowram.10 LTTits were the first for the autumn.