A bit of a surprise this one…a feeding female Ring-necked parakeet in the Low Moor area!
The species is fairly common in the south and slowly spreading north. To date I have two previous records of this species but never one visiting a garden feeder so keep a look out and if you see one please in our area please let me know…cheers
On Saturday morning our group had it’s monthly workday. There was another good turnout of volunteers armed with mattocks to continue removing the Silver Birch saplings from the lowland heath area.
However, today we had some special guests, Karen a wildlife reserve manager from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and her trainee Sue who had been invited by Sarah Goldsmith (YWT) to our workday.
Our group has perhaps limited knowledge of forming a conservation management plan for our sites. So whilst the rest of the group were hard at work Claire and myself took our guests on a tour of the sites (including Dealburn Road Wildlife site) to seek help, knowledge and advice
We started at Raw Nook Nr discussing pond management and how to thin out the woodland to create better habitats. The meadow at the site hasn’t been cut for a number of years and now coarse grasses are prevalent. Karen suggested clearing small patches of the grasses and spreading Yellow Rattle seeds…but they needs a heavy frost before they germinate….Yes said Karen…just put them in the freezer before hand…that will do the trick…Excellent idea Karen.
It was then on to the Dealburn Road where we discussed various issues in taking the site forward. Again discussions at Toad Holes Beck centered on the lack of management of the meadow and thinning out of the Hawthorns.
So Claire now has a full notepad of knowledge and advice and me, well when we met with the rest of the group it was the perfect ending as an Orange Ladybird flew onto a member of the group!…a site first for Toad Holes Beck…
Yes I have to admit that watching visible migration in our area is just about over for another year. I watched this today and like the last two mornings there has been little passing through.
But getting up before dawn most days from early September has provided me with some memorable moments like the Grey Plover that flew west over the watch point and the 5 Barnacle Geese that following a skein of Pink-footed geese. Perhaps the real highlight has been the Hawfinches with 4 recorded.
At 06.50 this morning I was just setting off to watch visible migration when I saw the spectacular Venus-Jupiter conjunction where both Venus and Jupiter can clearly be seen together in the sky.
Jupiter is at the top and Venus at the bottom.
Then after the spectacle had finished Jackdaws were on the move to the S/W a good count of 337 was noted. Eight Blackbird which were flying high to the N were observed which was an interesting sighting.
Another Hawfinch flew west over the watch point this morning at Caldene fields. However, there was a strong possibility that a second bird came in a couple of minutes later. This bird dropped into some trees around the Wyke area.
This sighting today is my forth this autumn following the major influx of the species nationally.
My point is that now and in the coming weeks these finches ‘ may ‘ feed in gardens or be seen locally…so keep an eye out and if you see one please let me know…cheers
Following on from the Hawfinch I had on 26th of October which flew south just overhead at Caldene fields a further two birds were seen this morning at 9.24. They came in from the north again just overhead and veered towards some trees I managed to fire off a single shot with the camera…
Ok! not a good photo…but a brilliant memory and record shot…
A calling Hawfinch came in from the north at 07.58 and flew directly over the watch point at Caldene fields today…A super bird and very uncommon here.
Yes a lovely welcome autumn sound this morning at the watch point, Pink-footed geese as they made their way to the east, 394 and a further 166 directly overhead to the N/W…
There was certainly some fun going on at the Woodlands cricket club on Sunday. Sarah from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust was busy with the children making name badges from leaves, wooden bracelets and whistles out of Elder.
Then in the afternoon myself and Sarah took a party of adults and children on a nature walk around Toad Holes Beck and Raw Nook nr.
That Shieldbug must be a…yes it’s a Red-legged Shieldbug
That Jelly Ear fungus…yes it just feels like jelly!
Then a Comma butterfly posed for photographs and even landed on some of the children’s hands at Toad Holes Beck. Moving on the Raw Nook nr and we were busy finding and identifying fungi well some of them anyway. But the pond beckoned and Sarah brought her pond dipping equipment and the children loved it…and so did the adults too.
Other news, I am helping a young lad called Freddie to gain a Duke of Edinburgh Award. He is learning about bird identification and wildfowl survey work in our area. His skills in bird identification must be working as he informed me that he had seen what he thought were 3 Gadwall at a pond in Oakenshaw. OK I thought….but his description fit Gadwall (an uncommon duck in our area) anyway on Sunday we visited the ponds in our area to carry out the survey work and there they were GADWALL at Toad Holes Beck…which must have moved up from the Oakenshaw pond. So well done Freddie…
Today at Caldene Fields watch point I recorded another excellent movement of 4,296 Redwings moving S and 3,343 Wood Pigeon also on their way south.
During the last couple of days I have recorded some impressive numbers of Redwings passing through our area. The main passage started on the 20th of October with 5,519 passing to the S and S/W then on Saturday the 21st even though the wind was very strong a massive 8,520 moved.
