Swalesmoor & Shibden Valley

    SWALESMOOR.
    Decided to stay local during the last couple of days
    and took a walk around Swalesmoor and Shibden
    Valley, my first encounter were 8 House Sparrows
    which was nice as not seen many about recently this
    was at the bottom of Ringby lane where there was also
    a Chaffinch and a coal Tit nr the feeders, further up the
    hill were lots of Meadow  Pipits and a bird with them
    that was a bit lighter and had a shorter bill, it may have
    been a Juvenile or maybe not.
   
    First half hour was great but the next hour there was
    apart from 2 Pied Wagtail in the roadside fields,
    Had Lane was quiet apart from watching an aerial
    duel between a Crow and a Kestrel which was enjoyable
    to watch with the Kes making the better moves, further
    on the path I had a quick chat with a metal detector, he
    was a nice fella and said he'd found 2 Georgian coins
    after that I set off home.

   SHIBDEN VALLEY.
   Started off so quiet on a dull and and bad light day so
   to veer off the path and up towards the woods where
   Long Tailed Tit, Robin, Blue Tits, and Willow Warbler
   were seen, also a Heron which surprised me and the
   highlight of the day was a Red Kite flying over but
   didn't report it as I'd left my phone at home that's 2
   Kites Ive seen local in the last couple of weeks.

 

 

Buzzards in the Air

  Had a nice surprise yesterday morning with a Spotted Flycatcher
  in the garden though didn't stay long enough for me to get my
  camera, at first I thought it was a female Chaffinch but the song
  was different, managed to get binoculars on it and realised it was
  a flycatcher after re-checking not he internet and books, it had
  longer wings and a speckled head and chest, other birds in garden
  were Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Dunnock, Robin and
  Blue Tit along with 8 Collared Dove, and pesky Magpies and
  pigeons along with the odd Jackdaw.

  Today I went looking for Redstart that had been seen at Bradshaw
  Cricket Field, but didn't have any joy as I couldn't even find the
  bloody cricket field lol, but lo and behold as I was driving along
  Roper Lane I looked over Bradshaw and there it was the cricket
  field, how I missed it I'll never know, I also couldn't find the park
  either.
 
  In the garden today overhead were 2 beautiful Buzzard calling
  and my daily Sparrowhawk, I managed some distant shots but
  not great, also today I went up to Soil Hill where there were a
  few flighty Meadow Pipits, 1 distant Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel,
  Dragonfly on top pond and a Coot on the bottom pond and also
  a very white Gull last time I seen one like it was at Hartlepool
  and that was an Arctic Gull but I think it might just of been the
  sun shining on it that made it so bright.

Top Withens

   Yesterday I went back up to the wind farm to see if
    the Black Redstart was still there and it was showing well
    for about 10 mins on the outhouse roofs but too far away
    to take a decent photograph, still nice that its still around.
    2 Wheaterar and 4 Meadow Pipit, 1 Kestrel and a flock of
    Starling were up there too.
    Cold Edge Road had 4 Whinchat, 8 Stonechat, 1 Wheatear,
    10 Canada's and a few unidentified, 6 Pied Wagtail on way
    up to wind farm along with lots of Swallows.
   
   

   

Black Redstarts

   Ventured up to Top Withens to try and spot the Black Redstart
   that has been reported up there and lo and behold as soon as I
   got out of the car it was there but very elusive and at a distant
   which doesn't help with photography so pics are poor but at
   least I got to see it, the one I saw at about 10.00am was only
   a juvenile it was bobbing about on the tractor and the field
   in the farmyard until the farms cat turned up which sent it
   flying down the valley not to be seen again until later in the
   day.

   Other stuff there between 10.00 and 12.00 were a few Meadow
   Pipits, Kestrel, flock of Goldfinch, a few Linnets and Mistle
   Thrush flew over. John.M and another couple turned up looking
   for the Redstart but only got a glancing view of it, but this was
   an Adult and I also seen two Adults having a bit of a scuffle around
   the Farmhouse but too speedy to get a lock on the camera both had
   dark greyish bodies and bright orange tails, had a look in my bird
   books and on the internet to check if they were Black or Common
   Redstart and I must say now they were deffo 2 adult Black Redstarts,
   a Weasel was also seen running along one of the walls.

   I got home and had just finished reporting what Id seen when out of
   the front window a Red Kite flew by being mobbed by crows and
   flying towards fly flatts, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Blue Tit,
   and Robin were in the garden.

   6.00PM O'Clock I decided to wander back up to the Withens and the
   juvenile Black Redstart was on a wall but didn't stay around long,
   lots of Meadow Pipits were milling about and about 8 Wheatear were
   knocking around on the walls and in the fields but at a distance but its
   always nice to see them.