WEST YORKSHIRE BIRDING

BRIAN SUMNER.
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KEEPING BIRDING LOCAL.

BLOG UPDATED DAILY AROUND 2000 hrs.

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NOTE !!
No sightings of Roe Deer, Fox, Hare or Badger will be mentioned on this blog throughout the year and links will be removed from other blogs giving the whereabouts of these mammals due to the rising influx of poaching, long dogging and lamping by sick individuals.
BS




Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Whoopers on their way

With reports on Whoopers leaving Iceland and colder weather forecast yellow billed swans should be around our area shortly.
Probably not on the scale that swamped our area in March this year, that really was a one off, and the only time I,ve seen anything like it in 50 years of birding.
With a quiet day today heres my report from 22/3/2015.

   Yes , this really is Mixenden reservoir.










22/03/2015  Sunday.
After an early morning visit to Fly Flatts on a calm , sunny but frosty morning I was ready for leaving when a call from AC stopped me in my tracks.Andy reported 53 Whooper Swans over Northowram heading >N towards Queensbury.
Minutes later DJS reported Whoopers over Lee Mount also heading in my direction.
At 0920 hrs another report from AC via DJS with hundreds of Whoopers heading over Northowram and all heading my way.
                              I alerted HC who was at the Oxenhope end of Fly Flatts scoping from the top road so now it was just a matter of wait and watch.
After 15 minutes I called HC who had just scoped 30 Whoopers out over Bingley but where were the reported swans?
It was obvious that such a large number could not have got past me even if they had gone through the Causeway Foot col to my east so the only other option was that they must have gone down on either Ogden or Mixenden.
With Mixenden being the odds on favourite it was in the car and full speed ahead to Mixenden reservoir.
On arrival I got out of the car to the amazing sound of calling Whoopers coming from the reservoir. After a shuffle over the wall and a climb up the banking a sight met me unlike anything I have ever experienced before in 52 years of birding. The reservoir was white with a count of 244 noisy Whooper Swans.
After alerting the cavalry through a grapevine message and a few phone calls it was down to getting some photos which was difficult getting them all in without a wide angled lens.
The grapevine message created a steady flow of birders throughout the day to view the spectacle before the birds up and left >N at 1620 hrs witnesses by PG.
The flock was later picked up heading >N over Oxenhope at 1640 hrs by RP, JL and Sue.
                                                         This was only half the story with Whooper Swan reports coming in throughout the day from all areas of West Yorkshire.
Here are just some of the reports compiled by DJS and myself.

0915  70 over Ringstone >NW  D.F.
0915   7 On water at Ringstone  DF, A.T.
0915  Skein heard over Boothtown   A & G.
0916  53 over Northowram   AC
0918  6 over Lee Mount    DJS
0920  185 over Northowram   AC
0920  80 over Ogden    BH
0930  30 over Bingley    HC
0937  60+ over Claremount    DB
0945  244 found on Mixenden reservoir  BS
1035  28 West over Oakworth following the Ponden / Watersheddles valley   IH
1040  37 over Cromwell Bottom  MH  SJ
1100  37 over Mytholmroyd   DJP
1620  244 left Mixenden reservoir  PG
1640  180 over Oxenhope   RP  JL  and Sue


23.3.2015   Monday

2 on Watersheddles    JL  and Sue
9 on Ponden    JL and Sue
2 Through Causeway Foot col  NK

Contributors and Viewers

AC   DJS   JS   BV   HC   BS   A & G   RP   DF   HT   BH    JL    N& DP   DP   MH   PG    NO

SB    PS   TT     DB    NK    JL & Sue   VJ

Apologies for any reports or birders missed.
BS