19.01.2023

 Well its been a tough start to the year with rain , wind and snow...and birds have been hard to find. Lower Gorple today was a break in the weather , 2 Merlins , Meadow Pipit , Raven , Hen Harrier , Peregrine and a few Stock Doves . A look at Walshaw plantation held a mixed flock of 20 Siskin , 5 Redpoll , 10 Goldfinch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. 

 A few Pink footed Geese skiens heading west , 2 GBBGulls ,Goldeneye , Tufted Duck , Teal ,Goosander have been hard to find but 65 species by the 19th January...... 

  Added 8 Twite a rare bird now , long gone are the days when you could get um on Soil Hill , in fact the easiest place is Green Withens in winter !!!!! Great to hear Red Grouse calling here as well  and not a gamekeeper for miles..Dipper in Hebden Bridge , Woodcock , Stonechat and a couple of Barn Owls hunting during the day at Widdop. Red legged Partridge , Nuthatch , Whooper Swan and a Grey Wagtail on the road at Slack,  makes 76 so far 25th January. 

  15 years ago Barn Owl was mega rare and Twite was common. Also Nuthatch ,Marsh Harrier , Red Kite , Raven  and Little Egret are now regular and used to be rare and Tree Pipit , Pochard , Wood Warbler , Water Rail , Whinchat , Lesser Whitethroat , Sedge Warbler are going the other way......

Jan 2nd

 First trip to Lower Gorple today produced 2 Barn Owls , another Shelduck , Kestrel , Hen Harrier , Red Grouse , Pheasant , Greylag Goose , 15 Lapwing , LBBGull ,  Great Spotted Woodpecker , Goldcrest  and a White Ermine Stoat only my second sighting of these elusive creatures ..Jay house lane had  plenty of Common/ BH Gulls , Song Thrush , Wren , Dunnock and Tree Sparrow..50 species.... 

2023........

 Had a quick look round today , heavy sleet and rain most of the morning with the highlight an adult female Sparrowhawk hunting a flock of Thrushes in front of the house at first light and a small group of 6 Stock Doves , Goldeneye at EGPits ,  Shelduck at Ringstone..., and a Grey Heron over the house this aftenoon..managed 37 species....HNY one and all.............

Moth Records 2022

Got round to sending in all my local moth records this week to the  YNU...highlights for the year at Northowram were..Clay triple lines , Double striped Tabby , Vines Rustic ,  Scarce footman , Red necked Footman ,and Box tree Moth

 New to VC63 – Northern Belle Phiaris palustrana ( gen det CF) Walshaw Moor

New for SD93

Stigmella anomalella (leaf mine) Crimsworth Dean

 

New for SE03

Udea ferrugalis. (Adult) 

Jack Snipe , Woodcock and Crossbills

 Went to look for a reported Green Sandpiper at Jay House lane ponds , when I got out of the car I could see a dark wader bobbing up and down in the steam , had to be it , got scope on it Jack Snipe a real bonus..Then onto Walshaw Dean Plantation where I flushed 2 Woodcock and a party of 8 Crossbills were high in  the tops eating pine cones..An excellent crop this year....Also 1 Barn Owl and a cracking male Sparrowhawk hunting a small flock of 20 Siskin......

Waxwing and Woodcock

 It was nice to find a single Waxwing today , I was driving up Pellon Lane and in the corner of my eye I saw a Waxwing in the top of a tree in Kick fit car Park , just managed to stop and get a couple of  photos .. Not seen any locally for a few years so fingers crossed a few more turn up. A Woodcock was flushed from the path up at fly flats ...little else on a very cold day....................

Fly Flats........Snow Bunting

 Frozen all round the reservoir and the reservoir its self. A single Common Gull , 4 distant skeins of Pink footed geese , 2 Stonechats , 12 Meadow Pipits , 2 Kestrels , 2 Carrion Crow , 1 Magpie and 11 Herring Gulls,. I was lucky to briefly seen a Snow  Bunting  on the way up and on the way back it showed really well feeding in the grass next to the road . Thick fog should keep it grounded till tomorrow

Widdop...late Ring Ouzel

Had a walk around Widdop Reservoir on Thursday , and was surprised to find a cracking adult male Ring Ouzel my latest local sighting. Also in the area Barn Owl , Woodcock , 6 Ravens , Male Merlin , 4 Stonechat , Song Thrush , 14 Meadow Pipit , 3 Reed Bunting , 2 Teal , 34 Mallard and a few Redwings and Fieldfares.... 

GCNewts

  Been working on a Great Crested Newt survey for a local Ecology Company for the last few weeks. In total we moved 32 GCN's , 398 Toads , 69 Frogs and 209 Smooth newts...great job... 

Woodpigeons 2022

 A very good year for Woodpigeon migration over Northowram ..

29th October .....5129

31st October ......1245

4th October .....24278

Cock Hill Vis Mig 19th October 2022

All birds heading SSW unless stated..8.00 - 11.00 

Redwing.......11492

Fieldfare.....1245 

Mistle Thrush....9 

Pink-footed Goose...116 (110 west  + 6 east  ) 

Greylag Goose....58 (33 + 5+ 5 +15all east )

Golden Plover... 32 (28 + 4) 

Lapwing......14 (11 + 3) 

Chaffinch.... 38 

Goldfinch.....20 

Meadow Pipit ....45 

Skylark...2 

Jackdaw...185 

Woodpigeon...758 

Buzard...4 present 

Kestrel..3 present 

Raven...2 present 

Peregrine ....2 present

Fly Flats.....Permit Holders Only...

Had a look at Fly Flats a few times last week or so with NCD ..A large Gull roost in the evening numbers 500+ . Mostly LBBGulls 400 + including a couple of intermedius types , Common Gulls 20 + , BH Gulls 20 + , Herring Gulls mostly argenteus but the odd Argentatus last couple of nights , 1 Adult Yellow legged Gull shown 3 nights , 1 adult GBBGull , 3 Tufted Duck ,2 SEOwls , 4 Raven , 5 Widgeon , 1 Goosander , 15 Greylags , 1 Pink footed Goose , 18 Mallard , 1 Mandarin Duck , 1 Scaup , 1 Red Kite , Kestrels and the odd Mipit kicking about..........Well worth a look if you like gulls.........

Ringstone Hide

Little Stint and Ruff at Ringstone today ,thanks Dave Frans Great to sit in the hide at Ringstone today ,been a long time since we built it..!!! A busy bird day with Ruff , Little Stint , Snipe , Lapwing , Golden Plover , Great Crested Grebe , Common Gull , Black headed Gull , Meadow Pits , Cormorant and plenty Canada Geese//

Great White Egret

 Always a bit distant but the GWE flew high above Hardcastle Crags  over Blake Dean , Walsahaw Plantation , Widdop and then flew into Lancs....yay..............

Spot the GWE

Moths.

 An excellent week trapping at home with all the usual September moths , Lunar Underwing are the most common moth at the moment and still plenty LYU's about. I always think it getting into winter when you get your first Blairs Shoulder Knot and had a few this week...Frosted Orange , Brown Spot Pinion , Pink Barred and Barred Sallows , Autumn Green and Red Green Carpets and a few Snouts hanging on in there.....On the moors there is a massive number of Fox Moths, they seem to be on most patches of flowering heather.....a count of 107 on one large area was outstanding to see....

American Gulls.....

                                             2nd Winter Heemann's Gull

                                            American Herring Gulls L . smithsonianus

                                                  first winter

                                                    first winter

                                                   Adult

                                                          first winter

                                                     Adult California Gulls and Western Gull

                                                           Adult Ring Billed Gull

                                                 Western Gulls  

                                                 Second Winter

                                      Adult Western

                                          Adult Western

                                           Juv Western

New York and San Francisco

 Not a birding trip but a great couple of days dedicated to birding , one in Central Park New York and 1 day in the San Francisco bay area ( the Botanical Gardens are fantastic). Heermann's Gull , Pygmy Nuthatch , Stellers Jay , Long billed Curlew and Black Turnstone were outstanding.....

Long billed Curlew

 

Ladder Backed Woodpecker etc

                                                  California Gulls and top Western Gull

                                               Great White Egret

                                                Ladder Backed Woodpecker

                                                  Juv Western Gull

                                                  Western Scrub JAy
 

California Sea Lions

 

Elegant Terns , Caspian Tern and California Gull

 

San Francisco Birds

Pied Billed Grebe x 1...Botanical Gardens 

American White Pelican x 4 ..Crissy fields

Brown Pelican  x 2000 + common seen all the time flying over and around the bay

Double Crested Cormorant x 400 + common

Pelagic Cormorant x 10 + 

Brandt's Cormorant x 200 + common around the bay 

Great White Egret  x 11 together at Crissy fields

Great Blue Heron x 20 + common 

Black Crowned Night Heron x common

Yellow Crowned Night Heron x 1 

Surf Scoter x 10 

Red Tailed Hawk x common

Turkey Vulture x 8 

American Coot x 1 Botanical Gardens

Killdeer x 10 together at Crissy fields and 2 flyovers

Black Oystercatcher x 2 

Marbled Godwit x 8  Crissy fields

Long billed Curlew x 1 Crissy fields

Black Turnstone x 2 

Western Gull x Common 

Mew Gull x 1 Crissy Fields

Heermann's Gull x 6  

California Gull x 25  Crissy fields

Ring Billed Gull x 4 Crissy fields

Elegant tern x 300 + common in the bay area

Caspian Tern  x 10 +

Pigeon Guillemot  x 20

Common Mure x 10

Mourning Dove x common

Anna's Hummingbird x common 

Acorn Woodpecker x 2 

Ladder Backed Woodpecker x 1 Botanical Gardens 

Western Wood Pewee x 1 

Black Phoebe x  8 

Steller's jay x 2

Western Scrub Jay x 6

Common Raven x common 

American Crow x common 

Chestnut - backed Chickadee x 2 Botanical Gardens

Bushtit x 6 Botanical Gardens

Pygmy Nuthatch x 14 Botanical Gardens 

House Wren x 1 Botanical GArdens 

Winter wren x 4 

Western Bluebird x 6 

American Robin x 20

Orange Crowned Warbler x 2 Botanical gardens

Townsend's Warbler x 4 Botanical Gardens

California Towhee x 8

White Crowned Sparrow x common 

Song Sparrow x common

Oregon Dark eyed Junco x common 

Brown headed Cowbird x common

Tricolored Blackbird x 2 

Brewer's Blackbird x common 

House Finch x 10 

Lesser Goldfinch x 10 

Butterfly's

New York

 American Painted Lady x 1

Monarch  x 30

Question Mark x 1

LArge White x 10

San Francisco

West Coast Lady x 3

Painted Lady x 2

Common Buckeye x 1

Anise Swallowtail x 1

Western Tiger Swallowtail x 1

Fiery Skipper x 40 +

Monarch x 15 +

Umber Skipper x 10

Red Admiral x 3

Large White x 10

Killdeer

 

San Francisco 2

 

                                                2nd Winter Heerman's Gull

                                               Best Gull on the Beach

                                                 White Crowned Sparrow

                                             American White Pelican's with California Gulls
 

San Francisco

                                                  Western Bluebird

                                                 Western Bluebird

                                                   Yellow Crowned Night Heron

                                             Juv Black Crowned Night Heron

                                           Great Blue Heron

                                         Black Turnstone

 

Central Park , New York City

Adult Ring - billed Gull Central Park 8th September 06.50 - 12.00 

American Robin ...100 + 

Common Yellowthroat ...40 + 

Black and White Warbler....3 

Ovenbird.....3 

Northern Waterthrush ...2 

American Redstart .....

4 Magnolia Warbler......1 

Black throated blue Warbler....1 

Ruby throated Hummingbird......2 

Northern Flicker...2 

Red bellied Woodpecker ...1 

Downy Woodpecker....2 

Veery.....6. 

Wood Thrush..2 

Swainsons Thrush...1 

Cardinal...5 

Yellow Warbler...2 

Blue Jay...11 

Common grackle.....22 

Empid Flycatcher sp .....1 

Yellow Throated Warbler ...1 

Mockingbird...3

 Ring billed Gull ...100 + 

American Herring Gull 35 + 

Laughing Gull ...2 

Great Black Backed Gull.... 11 

American Crow ....10 

White Crowned Sparrow ..2 

Double Crested Cormorant ..25+ Great White Egret .......1 

Black crowned Night Heron ..1 

Mallard....+ 

Black Duck ...5 

Shoveler....6 

Mourning Dove ...14 

European Starling ...+ 

House Sparrow ...+ 

Grey Catbird..12 

Peregrine Falcon ...1

 American Kestrel ...2 

Red tailed Hawk ...1 Canada Goose.....30 + 

 Monarch Butterfly...15 , Question Mark....1 , Large White ......10 + ....Large Moth to ID...1

Suspicious Characters

Keep an eye for these two , often seen loitering around Lower Gorple at dusk..the tall one especially...he said they had seen , 2 Hen HArrier , 1 Marsh Harrier , 6 Kestrels , 1 Sparrowhawk , 3 Bueto Bueto ,1Barn Owl and a Juv Peregrine Falcon chasing Woodpigeons , Snipe , Oystercatches and a few Tufted Duck ...a likley story..

Wood Sandpiper

Well way back in September 1996 I found 2 Wood Sands at Ringstone Edge reservoir , and today JJL found one at Blackstone Edge 26 years without one locally .......Well done John

Pic jen Coats

Greenshank

Not been to Withens Clough for a while so it was nice to find a Greenshank feeding along the shoreline , 45 LApwing and 3 Wheatear.