Low Moor and Oakenshaw Wildlife

Today I conducted a survey of spring migrants that are passing through or staying to breed on the local patch.

I first started at Caldene fields where there is a nice male Wheatear (passage) which arrived yesterday and is feeding up in readiness to complete it’s journey. Also there was a male Blackcap in full song and a Common Buzzard circling the fields.

At Raw Nook NR there was a welcome sound a singing Willow Warbler I say welcome but the species was very uncommon at the site last year. Blackcaps were evident with 5 seen including 2 females and at least 3 Chiffchaffs were noted.

TH beck held at least 5 chiffchaffs and 6 Blackcaps including 2 females. So all in all a reasonable sprinkle of migrants for this time of year. Also at the site was a male Orange Tip butterfly.

Yesterday I was looking for spring migrants but could only find Chiffchaffs that were enjoying the spring sunshine.

In fact there were 3 possibly 2 males and a female at Raw Nook NR and a further 4 at Toad Holes Beck. At the former site a Comma butterfly was sunning it’s self and a single Small Tortoiseshell was at Caldene fields.

A single male Chiffchaff was in full song at Raw Nook Nr this morning…no sign of any other migrants as yet.

Some maybe aware of the Mute Swans at Toad Holes Beck. I say Swans because there were originally 2 on the 19/2 but one has left and the other one has remained. The Swan has been ringed and today I got a glimpse of a ring which I believe to 634Y.

Research reveals the Swan ‘ may’ have been ringed by
Yorkshire Swan Hospital Rescue. I have contacted them so I will update when I get some news.

Also there was a Kingfisher…a bit of a surprise in early spring and 2 singing male Goldcrest.

In December 2010 a pair of Chestnut Teal spent two days at the fisherman’s pond at Toad Holes beck. I photographed the pair as they were escapees possibly from a wildlife collection. The duck originates from southern Australia but is kept in captivity both in the UK and Europe.

Then on the 21/3/2012 a pair turned up at the pond at Caldene fields. Given a two year lapse I thought there was a good chance they were the same birds.

Today at the middle pond at TH beck I found another pair which were very wary and kept swimming into the reeds for cover…

If these are the same birds that puts them at around 10 years old…hmm.. I just wonder now if the species has bred somewhere and these are the off spring…Then again ‘ Who knows ‘

On Tuesday there was a kingfisher at Toad Holes beck giving excellent views as it sat out in the open…however, no camera! So today I went down with the camera and guess what the Kingfisher was still there but there was no way it was going to pose for a photo…Also flying low over the site was a Common Buzzard which is always a welcome sight.

I then went to Harold Park lake. Although not in our recording area I am interested in the gulls and ducks that may turn up there. And look what was there on the ice…A ringed Black headed Gull the third I’ve found at the site

I did some research and found the gull was ringed (J7RR) as a chick in Stavanger Norway on 16/6/2013. It appears to have been sedentary in the Oslo region and spent at least two winters there. This is the first time it has been recorded in the UK. I have updated my sighting onto the Norwegian’s gull ringing site for the birds migration continuity.