Lack of posts recently

Sorry for the long gap since my last post on here but the weather has been really poor and there haven't been many birds or other wildlife showing. Although I've been out and about, the camera has stayed at home but I'm hoping for a dry day soon !?

Anyway, here's an image of a juv Great Black-backed Gull with what I thought was a damaged wing so I approached it carefully, only to have it fly off quite unharmed and perfectly happy.

The rain and high tides at Hornsea have been causing the Mere outflow to backup and flood the grassy area around the Yorkshire Water pumping station just back from the promenade. Ironic that the pumping station should be flooded...

The shallow water has brought in geese, gulls and a couple of Sanderling too.

Common Scoter at Gaddings Dam

A dry day so out for a walk around the dams.

Mankinholes – a Little Owl  and a Kestrel on the ruined barn

Lee Dam

Goosander  –  1

Teal – 7

Moorhen  – 3

Dipper – 1

Jay – 1

Little Owl - 2

Longfield Dam

Lapwing – 15

Mistle Thrush – 1

Meadow Pipit – 1

Pied Wagtail – 2

Gaddings Dam

Goldeneye – 7 all females….and another bird that I took for a Great Crested Grebe at first, based on colouration and white cheeks. It was over the far side of the dam but I’d seen GCGs there in the past so even though it was a poor view, it was most likely another one. I texted Dave S to let him know. A few minutes passed and I looked again, got a better view and I wasn’t so sure so I waited to see if the birds would come any closer but they didn’t. I walked round the dam, out of sight, hoping to come up behind them and get a closer view but when I popped my head up they had gone over to the other side.This went on for a while! I took a few photos to try and get a better impression but they were inconclusive for me, although I was sure it wasn’t GCG now, so I rang Andy H for help.

Andy had a great idea to zoom in on one of the photos on my camera and take a snap of the screen with my phone, then send the photo to him. Meanwhile I told Dave S that the GCG id was being reviewed and I sent the same photo to him. It was poor quality to say the least but almost simultaneously both Andy and Dave came back with female Common Scoter. My first Common Scoter in Calderdale and my first female Scoter thanks to Andy and Dave.

I was able to get a few better photos a little later.

Waxwings

I managed to catch up with a small flock of Waxwing this morning over in Brighouse. As usual they were in a supermarket car park - Sainsburys this time.

Unfortunately the light was poor as it was overcast and pouring down so I had to change the camera settings to get half-decent images. Hopefully there will be further opportunities this year when the light is better and the birds come down from the tree tops.

Cragg Vale

I had a good long walk yesterday from home to Mytholmroyd, through Cragg Vale to Withens Clough reservoir then over the hill to Lee Dam and back home - about 11 miles so time to look around and wonder about stuff.

Going through Cragg Vale (which is the longest continuous incline in England, rising 968 feet over 5.5. miles, cyclists love it) I found a footpath that I hadn't used before in all the dozens of times I've walked through there. In most of the cloughs around Calderdale there are the remains of old mills which were water powered, so they were built in the steep cloughs to make use of the free power from the streams. However, I haven't come across an actual water wheel or even the remains of one before so this was a wonderful surprise:

 I think it's called Castle Gate Mill as just 100 yards further up I passed a small row of cottages and outside one of them was a post box:

 The stream was flowing normally for a change as we haven't had the torrential downpours recently that we've almost become accustomed to over the past year.

  Not many birds about which was very disappointing for such a long walk, but the usual Goosander and Teal were at Lee Dam and the ever-present Little Owl was in the barn at Mankinholes.

There was a Brambling in the garden yesterday morning though, which is my first of the Autumn.

Sanderling at Hornsea

There were 6 Sanderling and a Turnstone on the beach this morning.

A single Goldeneye was at the Mere and a possible Snow Bunting overhead on the cliff top.

Long-tailed Duck at Stocks Reservoir

Nipped over to see if the Long-tailed Duck was still at Stocks Reservoir this morning and it was. Showing well just below the first hide. A few Wigeon, Teal and Cormorant about but not a lot else unfortunately. It's a nice spot though and worthy of a longer visit at some time in the not-too-distant future.

The photos are naff as they were taken through the scope with my phone, very basic record shots and not worth saying any more about them.

Hornsea, South Cliff this morning

A walk on the cliff top in the calmer conditions following a blustery weekend was a real pleasure. The sun was shining early on and brightened up the whole place. It also provided good lighting for viewing the birds. Although nothing spectacular turned up, 4 Redwing flew in off the sea and joined about 10 Reed Buntings and the many Blackbirds in the hedgerows.

The Stock Dove was in its usual place and a Kestrel was on the look out for breakfast. Nowt much on the beach apart from 3 Common Gulls and the usual Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls.

Winter Thrushes

I walked up to Walshaw Dean today looking for winter thrushes hoping that they had arrived this far inland following the mass arrival on the East coast on Monday.

Although the mist was stuck at about 700 ft, visibility was OK horizontally, but I didn't go up any further than the lower reservoir as the mist closed in too much.

Walshaw Dean house
Blackbird - 4
Song Thrush - 2
On the water
Canada Goose - 5 and Mallard - 15 (incl 2 hybrids)
Little Grebe - 1 (first one I've seen up here as the habitat isn't exactly ideal with open water and no vegetation at the water edge)

Red Grouse - 2 calling

Walshaw Plantation
Coal Tit - 4
Treecreeper - 1

Blake Dean
Grey Heron - 1 preening by the stream and doing a good job of trying to tie itself in knots
Fieldfare - c.35 overhead, flying to and fro but not landing or calling. There are plenty of Rowan trees here all of which have berries but obviously the birds weren't hungry. Perhaps the mist had forced them down and they couldn't decide which way to go?! They eventually disappeared downstream in the direction of Hardcastle Crags.

No Redwing although plenty were seen and heard locally this morning.

Oktobermist

Walked over to Withens Clough reservoir this morning. I set off in the all-enveloping mist but the sun broke through as I gained height over the hill.

On the way back 45 Pink-footed geese went over flying West.

Mankinholes just clearing of mist while Todmorden in the valley is still covered

It isn't often Withens Cough is like a mill pond...

The Te Deum stone at Withens Gate

Sparrowhawk

The weather here in West Yorkshire has been appalling recently with torrential rain and strong winds. Here is one of our local Sparrowhawks doing its best to stay upright in the teeth of a gale. It landed on the wall at the back of our house where we haven't seen it before - it usually lands in the tree or swoops through the garden past the bird feeders lookng for prey.

A few days in Flamborough

I had a few days in Flamborough with a couple of friends to catch a little of the Autumn migration last week. The weather wasn't too bad with rain Tuesday afternoon but Wednesday and Thursday were dry and breezy. Wednesday was the best day as when Thursday dawned it became apparent that there had been a clear out of birds.

I had two lifers in Yellow browed Warbler (at Old Fall) and Firecrest (showing well at Bay Brambles) with Jack Snipe a year first for me. I didn't get too many photos as the birds were either not showing well enough or were in deep cover so the auto focus wouldn't function, and manual focus is too slow with me operating it :)

I was in a camping pod up at Wold camp site and the pod was comfy enough and dry enough to keep the worst of the elements at bay.

sunrise over Flamborough Head

South Landing

Kestrel

Meadow Pipit

Adult Guillemot in winter plumage

Strait Hey, and a Siskin

Took a walk over Strait Hey before the rain started yesterday morning and it was a superb morning with the sun shining and high white clouds. There was the usual chilly wind blowing to make sure you didn't enjoy it too much - we are after all, high in the West Yorkshire Pennines!

In the garden at home we had a Siskin on the feeder. This is the first Siskin we've seen in the garden in September of any year.

A Redpoll also visited the feeders briefly but it didn't stay long. The Redpolls desert our garden for about 6 weeks each year after the breeding season and I still don't know why, or where they go. More research needed here.

A walk on the beach

The beach looked so invitingly empty that I couldn't resist a walk so I set off to walk down to Mappleton, just a couple of miles south.

There were a few gulls on the beach just black-headed, herring and great black-backed -

and a few Linnets were coming down off the cliff tops -

I thought I'd take a self timed photo but I set the timer a bit short, so here's a view of my best side :)