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.

 

Rarities are arriving

   Not a lot to see while the winds been blowing but a few
   rarities have been spotted locally.

   Black Redstart has been seen up Top Withens, Ive just had
   a harrier type raptor over Claremount Hill flying towards
   Southowram so I hope someone else seen it so it could be
   confirmed,  Tawny Owl was in a tree outside my workplace
   which was great to see but no camera Im afraid. Pink-Footed
   Geese have been seen flying over Brighouse.

   Garden has had Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Robin, Dunnock
   and Collared Dove and a couple of Linnets. Kestrel and Sparrowhawk
   in the back field, Greenfinch and lots of Corvids

Cold Edge Dams

    Took a visit to Cold Edge Dams yesterday in the wild
    gale force winds, don't think the farmer likes us being
    up there anymore as all the parking spots were dug over
    and large timbers put in the way.

    Had a look on the lakes but nothing to see, plenty of
    swallows flying about near the plantation and over the
    heather, I then drove up to the yachting lake which was
    also quiet, I was a bit disheartened until I seen some birds
    on the road back at a distance but it turned out to be Whinchats
    and Stonechats though all looked young but at least it cheered
    me up, Canada geese were on the pond as usual but couldn't
   spot the Barnacle Goose.

   Little Owl was at Wainstalls, nothing at Nolstar so on up to
   Fly Flatts where the lake was the emptiest Ive ever seen it
   and the builders were working on the Lake Boathouse so that
   destroyed my hope of Barn Owl, further on a Kestrel gave a
   good showing with lots of acrobatic dives and it was great
   to see, then on upto Soil Hill where it blew all my hair off
   for nothing as there was nothing about a few gulls, couple
   of distant Skylark and a few pigeons.