24th June

Returned to the Nightjar site this evening and had 2 birds. At least one male churring and seen well in flight, also had another bird in flight at the same time that the male was churring.

18th June Nightjar 208

After a life time of looking for Nightjar in Calderdale it finally happened tonight, when some 15 birders turned up at a site where a bird had been heard churring for the last few nights. The bird was heard from 21.55pm and then showed in flight at a distance, but there was no doubt about it. That takes my Halifax total to 208.

10th June

Nipped over to Fairburn with Roy this evening in the rain, but had quiet a good two hours with 4 Spoonbills 2 Little Egrets, 4 Avocets, 1 Black-tailed Godwit a Marsh Harrier made a kill and a Cettis Warbler was singing and seen briefly in flight.

9th June

My big 88mm Kowa scope has had to go to telescope hospital for repairs so I have purchased its little relative the 601 to see me through the next month or so. Still got the Leica apo 77 and an Opticron if 60 but wanted something light and portable for a change. Only problem is I can not use my phone scope adaptor on the 601 its too big, so have had to go back to using my fugi f30 to digi scope, tried it out on a Greylag above. Any way before me and Dave got a soaking today we managed to clock up 4 Shorties, 3 Kestrels, 1 Sparrowhawk loads of herring and lessers + the usual waders.

5th June

A good Owl night tonight with 7 Shorties, 2 Long-eared, 1 Barn and 1 Little Owl, also 2 Woodcock roding, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 1 Grey Partridge and a Spotted Flycatcher at last.

2nd June Roller at Crimsworth Dean 207

Oh my god, just got my 207th bird for Halifax with a superb Roller at Crimsworth Dean. It was found a few hours earlier by a birder doing his local patch. About 10 other birders managed to get it before it went to roost. There are 2 other very old records, 1 shot at Fixby in 1824 and 1 shot at Halifax in 1844, thankfully we were only shooting with cameras.

1st June

Back on the moors today, all the usual waders + 5 Buzzards, 1 Merlin, 1 Cuckoo and a Short-eared Owl.