We had an hour or so at Shibden Park with Abigail and Emma this morning.
It was very cold but bright with the usual birds about.
4 Mute Swan, 4 Coot, 4 Moorhen, Black Headed Gulls, Mallards - no sign of the Heron.
I spotted a raptor high over the Northowram area.
I got a distant picture - it's most probably a Sparrowhawk - I was hoping for a Peregrine Falcon - I'm pretty rubbish at Raptor ID- (well not even pretty, if I'm honest).
Bradshaw - Soil Hill
14:45 - 17:00 (dusk)
A walk up to Soil Hill this aft to drop some bird seed .....
Another Little Owl was spotted, this time it was seen from Bradshaw Lane - pleasing to see that the Little Owls seem to be doing ok.
Taylor Lane also held a Little Owl but the Threshing Machine (I believe this is what it is - not a combined harvester) Little Owl was absent.
Also seen from Taylor Lane a solitary Fieldfare on a power line.
Also along Perseverance Road , 20 Fieldfare flew south.
Soil Hill 15:15 - 16:30
A good hour ( well not so good at all really) was spent on Soil Hill.
I put some birdseed on the main track and had a good scout around including a hike down the north side past the tree line to the bottom wall.
2 birds were on the lower NK pond as I set off down to have a closer look, but they vanished under the south banking as I got bit nearer.
They did emerge, as soon as I had got all the way back up again!
The birds were Moorhen.
There were 2 Meadow Pipit (1 heard and one seen),a calling Pheasant , along with a couple of Large Gulls overhead, which I could not ID and............that was it.
A real poor outing today, on a day when I thought that I might get something special, especially late afternoon.....ah well that's Soil Hill.
On the way back c10 Fieldfare flew over and the Taylor Lane Little Owl was still about, in a different location.
Shibden Park:
Three pictures of my Sparrowhawk - I've cropped them to help with the ID:-
Bradshaw - Soil Hill:
Bradshaw Lane Little Owl
Taylor Lane Little Owl
My Snow Bunt area
Mixi Res.
Sprawk and an LBB John.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that BRI.
ReplyDeleteOne day I'll master raptors and gulls.
To achieve it, I'll have to live to 100 though!
John