Sparrowhawk and Common Gulls

Took some kitchen scraps up to Mount Tabor in the hope of getting some photos of Common Gulls. It was freezing, could hardly hold the camera still but I still managed to take 250 shots. On the way back home the local Sparrowhawk was terrorising the starlings and no doubt Waxwings of which I just saw 6 birds breifly.

Sprawker going into a stoop.

This bird kept making repeated dives from hieght, it must have done this 3 or 4 times in 20 mins, and judging from the crop it had already fed.

Waxwings and Sparrowhawks

7 Waxwings were found again at Silverwood Avenue Pellon.

One of 3 Sparrowhawks seen over the Pellon area today.

1 of 6 or 7 Blackbirds at Silverwood Avenue this PM. Also as well as the Waxings 2 Mistle Thrushes feeding on the berries but no photos.

28th Nov and more Waxwings

c 50 Waxwings at Silverwood Walk Pellon this PM.

Usual walk over dog city this PM, I tested the camera on some common every day birds. Later whilst trying to photograph a Bullfinch I heard Waxwings calling from the next street and found 50+ feeding on berries.

Another Waxwing

Usual walk this pm produced 1 Waxwing at Silver Wood Ave Pellon, 4 Herring Gulls west at Heath Hill Road and a rather odd looking Common Gull at High Road Well Moor.

26th November

Usual walk produced 15 Golden Plovers south at Heath Hill Road, not much else until I got home when c50 Waxwings flew over towards West End Golf Course.

Winter Blues

With younger brother Mick at Estartit Spain, June 1993.

At Niagra Falls Canada with tall Andy, May 1995. Looks like I had a kind of moody Richie Blackmore thing going.

The three amegos looking towards Gibralta Spain April 1999. (Darrell must have taken this picture.)

and with a friend on Lesvos Greece in May 2001. The last birding holiday I had abroad, think its about time for another overseas trip.

With the worst month of the year approaching (December, I hate it) and not many birds about I found my self looking at some old holiday snaps from yester year. The top one was in Estartit Spain were I think I had 18 new species on foot or from the bus, (do not recomend going all the way to Spain on a bus, would not do it again).

The second one was in Canada in 95 when me tall Andy and big Ady had two weeks in and around Point Pelee, 130 lifers on that trip. Over 180 recorded.

The third was on the Srtaits of Gibraltar with Ady, Andy and Darrell, that was probably the most enjoyable as we got plastered every night I think, got around 22 lifers.

Finaly on Lesvos in 2001 where me Andy and Ady recorded over 160 species in a week and Leeds UTD lost 3 0 in the semi final of the European Cup. Around 23 lifers on that trip I think.

23rd November

Went with DJS to look for the late Wheatear and Black Redstart he had found at Cold Edge Road. No sign of the Black Red but the Wheatear showed briefly and distant, also had 2 Stonechats a 1 Little Owl.

22nd November

11 Golden Plover over High Road Well Moor, Mount Tabor today. Only other bird of note was a Sparrowhawk that zoomed through Roils Head and then put all the gulls up at Mount Tabor. Yesterday afternoon was spent searching for harriers with no luck again.

The mysterious wonders of Ryburn !

Phone call from MB mid afternoon that a Ferruginous Duck had been reported on birdguides at 1.00pm. Went with tall Andy and got there at 3.15pm to be greeted by nothing. After walking around the reservoir we finally found a few Tufties 1 cormorant and a couple of Mallard. Two years ago a Common Nighthawk actually came on peoples pages and idiot me actually went looking for it. Dont think Ive ever seen a decent bird here yet ! Anyway on leaving discovered a corvid roost of around 6 or 700 birds mainly Jackdaws.

16th November

Nothing much doing today so went to High Road Well Moor where the gull woman feeds the local Black heads every mid afternoon. Thought Id test the camera out on some flight shots for practice.

15th November more Waxwings

Waxwings at Silverwood Avenue Pellon this PM.

Lapwings at Highroad Well Moor Mount Tabor.

Pied Wagtail at Tower Hill.

Recieved a message from DJS whilst shopping at ASDA that he had just found a Wheatear at Cold Edge Road. I texted him back, is it a Desert, no he replied, so that saved me jumping on the first bus that came along. Instead went my usual walk and found 2 Waxwings just up the road from me. Lots of Blackbirds at Roils Head and the Lapwing flock as increased to 57 birds.

14th November return to Hollingworth Lake

Returned to Hollingworth Lake today with Roy who needed the bird and found it asleep on the nature reserve bit. It soon began feeding and we took the chance of sitting it out in the hide in the hope it would come past as it did on Wednesday. After about an hour it did so but the light was very poor and I had to adjust the camera settings to 200th of a second and put the iso up to 400 just to get enough light in to the camera.

Pied-billed Grebe at Hollingworth Lake

Slipped over the border with Dave this PM for the Pied-billed Grebe at Hollingworth Lake. This was my third individual seen in Britain and 5th sighting in this country. The last one I saw was 13 years ago at Skelton Lake near Leeds. Theres a digi scope shot which gives a good comparison of size compared to the Moorhen. Back to Calderdale for another look for harriers (no luck again) we did however have 3 Woodcocks come out of a plantation.