Whilst Stuart Tordoff and his son John were watching cricket at Woodlands cricket club on the 4th of May they were distracted by a Common Buzzard which drifted over Toad Holes Beck!
I have seen Common Buzzard several times on migration as they pass ‘near’ to our recording area but this is the first sighting over Toad Holes Beck and now brings the bird species list to 122 for our area.
A calling Osystercatcher flew S/W over Caldene Fields this morning second ever record and both sightings were in May. Lesser Whitethroat still at Raw Nook NR.
I was asked by Stuart Tordoff of ‘ The Friends of Judy Woods ‘ if I would run a Dawn Chorus walk for some ladies belonging to a group called ‘The Hat Ladies’ around Raw Nook NR and Toad Holes Beck.
So at 4.45 am we met at the reserve and we were greeted by an unusual heavy frost! Blackbirds, Robins and Wrens were the first to get under way but then the bird I had been hoping for a Lesser Whitethroat sang as it is still trying to attract a mate on the reserve.
20 different species were recorded either in full song or calling including 5 Warblers Sp (2 phyllos and 3 sylvia). Then at around 6am the chorus was all but over as birds began to move and feed.
After the walk at Caldene Fields there was a lovely flash of yellow near to a feeding horse – a splendid Yellow Wagtail ! an uncommon passage bird to our recording area.
Lesser Whitethroat still in song at Raw Nook NR and a Common Whitethroat at Caldene Fields this morning
An excellent morning despite the cool N/E breeze. I went this morning looking for migrants in particular what is now an uncommon bird in the Bradford area a Lesser Whitethroat which pass through our area and instead of finding one I found 2 !! one at Raw Nook NR and the other at Toad Holes Beck.
Also at the latter site was a male Common Whitethroat but then my attention was drawn to a large rapter coming in from the S/W as the bird got nearer it was clear to see I had a site first for Toad Hole Beck A ‘Red Kite’ which slowly drifted low over the fishman’s pond before moving off to the east.
Then a slow walk to the top end of Caldene Fields to look for yesterday’s Redstart but it had gone. But then I heard a series of brief ‘zip’ notes waited a few minute only to be greeted by a sunning looking ‘ Wood Warbler’ which then burst into full song. Only the 2nd ever record here the last been in 1985.
The visiting Red Kite brings the bird species list for our recording area to 121
Have I any photos of these gems passing through our area, NO the light was so bad I didn’t bother taking the camera- big mistake!
There has been a small influx of Blackcaps to Raw Nook NR with 5 recorded. However the best bit of news is the males who have been singing their little hearts out have attracted 2 females!!! and I observed early signs of courtship this morning.
A walk to Toad Holes Beck and surprise, surprise I found a pair of Tufted Duck although common at Harold Park the ducks are a bit of an uncommon species here.
Then at the top end of Caldene Fields a quick flash of a reddish tail and there feeding was a female Common Redstart a passage bird possibly on it’s way to it’s breeding grounds around the Bolton Abbey area. This is the first record of Redstart for over 5 years!
Following on from the group’s day of action clearing vegetation from the pond it was interesting to note today the count and variety of birds using the pond. These were: 3 Canada Geese, 1 Coot, 4 Mallard, 2 Moorhen and a pair of Grey Wagtails!!. 12 Jackdaws were collecting food from Caldene Fields and flying south to feed their young. A skylark was flushed at the top part of Caldene Fields and a Herring Gull flew N/W also over the fields.
Due to the cold northerly weather system very new few Summer migrants were recorded again, only 4 House Martins flew west and 2 Swallow flew east. Last week no moths were recorded at Caldene Fields!
Found a pair of passage Wheatears this morning at Caldene Fields.
Male Wheatear (MP)
Male Grey Wagtail with female close by (MP)
Also still there are the pair of Grey Wagtails which is a good breeding sign.
Due the low pressure weather system which has been with us for over a week now very few migrants are arriving also I have not caught a single moth during this period. In addition during this period I have only recorded a single butterfly a Green-veined White at Toad Holes Beck on the 21/4.
Our group Low Moor & Oakenshaw Conservation Group set aside the 21st of April for conservation work at Raw Nook NR and 10 members turned up including 2 little (but very strong helpers!). The aim of the day was to remove some of the plants from the pond as it has become over grown, repair the weir, plant wildflowers and litter pick.
The day got off to a great start with the news that Mrs &Mrs Parnaby brought 3 pairs of much needed waders and donated them to the group! so a big thank you to them.
Perhaps the most back breaking job was thinning out the plants in the pond! We were knee high in mud and I spent most of the time trying to get my feet out of the mud! But it was good fun and more importantly we will have created a better habitat for the dragonflies.
Small pools were created in the run off to Toad Holes Beck but we had to be careful as there were a lot of young Toads about.
A welcome break!!
It was a hard but very enjoyable day knowing that we had helped clean up our environment but perhaps more importantly enhanced the environment so our wildlife can flourish.
The recent cold weather appears to have halted the spring moths that had emerged in the warm weather in late March. During the last 4 nights not one single moths has been caught. On a better note 4 Swallows fed over Caldene Fields this morning before moving off west. Three male Blackcaps are now at Toad Holes Beck also there were 2 Grey Herons, a female Sparrow Hawk and a Toad seen crossing the footpath.