Membership Fees Due

Thank you to all of you for your support, your fees and donations will help us to go forward with our projects for this year. Just quick reminder that the membership fees are now due, we have had to increase the fees due to Public Liability Insurance but we have introduced a family membership to try and offset costs for everyone. The fees are £10 for single and £15 for a family. All fees please to G Haigh,  16 Abbey Walk, Coronation Rd, Halifax HX30AJ.  If paying by cheque could you make it out to Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group please and if you could quote your membership number (if you have one) on the back of your card it will help although not essential. yours Graham

April Flowers at Cromwell

Petasites (Butterbur) were in large numbers by the canal. These were in flower in mid March last year. This year they are several weeks later.

Saturdays Work Party

Shelagh, Mike, Robin, Allan, David, Graham and Bruce finished the sparrow nest box constructions and loaded up the transport. We also put up 7 bat boxes, one of which was donated be Shelagh and John.  Thanks for the reminder Graham.

The precise location was discussed in rather damp conditions.

Three of the bat boxes are below left.

Feeding Station.

14 Redpoll's around this morning including a male with BTO ring on right leg can make out no 104 but no more,and I found a pic taken on 23rd of a female with ring on right leg can make out 633 so it would be worth checking all your shots.

Ring 633

Ring104

Recent Snaps

I am still scratching my head about the Redpolls still being around - All our summer migrants are here now & they are usually gone by then.
But as I love the LBJ's I'll just enjoy the extra time.

A few Lesser Redpolls from recently:

Bullfinches are looking proper smart now:

Blue Tits are building nests & pairing up all over:

& even the Jays have become very active - This one was after complete fatballs to snack on.

Late Addition:

As next week is Bank Holiday Weekend It's getting close to my "Wanna go to Bempton" time of year.

To those who know me, Committee members & others - WHO FANCIES GOING SOMEWHERE?

I will be getting out if the weathers decent anyway but why not have a Cromwell Trip out? & where would you guys want to go?

Theres a good chance I'll be looking at Black Grouse & A Reserve after, this weekend.

Today on the reserve

Had an hour with Mike this morning and had our first Sedge warbler  around Newt corner Black cap , Willow Warbler every where as well as Chiff Chaff , Great Crested Grebe on the fishing lake along with Tufted Duck, reports of a Firecrest in the ivy by the foot bridge but we didnt see it . yours Graham

A request for oversea's visitors to contact us

If you are viewing our site from outside the UK we would love to hear from you, whether you found us by accident or you are formerly from this area of Yorkshire or any reason at all you can send me an e-mail at gwhaigh@blueyonder.co.uk  and if we can improve the web site for you let us know .
 yours Graham

From this morning

I went out early this morning and it was just birds everywhere , i was chased off by a Wren i must have come close to her nest so i backed off and left her to it . A few pics the light wasnot too good 

but i managed a few

wren

.

ditto

ditto

redpoll

ditto

ditto

Blackcap

willow warbler

ditto

Bullfinch

Yours gwh

A few from today

Had a nice quite couple of hours this evening with the golden hour light

Willow Warbler at long distance and high up

Female Bulfinch

Ditto

Redpoll with a yellow cap

Ditto

Ditto

gwh

signs of spring at the reserve

                                           Blue tit making use of the nest box

                                                 trees looking more spring like

                                             Not too sure about the two birds, warblers not my strong point, would
                                             appreciate ID's, thanks

Blackcap from today

Male Blackcap

1st Whitethroat today

Hi all Mike and myself had our first whitethroat along with black cap at least 8 willow warbler 6 redpolls 2 siskin things are warming up after a slow start .  yours gwh

To the victor the spoils

Watched these 2 Redpol's this afternoon

Get rid of him and its all mine

Nice seed here

I'm having this so hop it

He's mad I'm off

 

it's all mine now

Hope you enjoy them. gwh

Membership

Just quick reminder that the mebership fees are now due , we have had to increase the fees due to Public Liability Insurance but we have introduced a family membership also to try and offset costs for everyone the fees are £10 for single and £15 for a family all fees to G Haigh 16 Abbey Walk Coronation rd Halifax HX30AJ if paying by cheque could you make it out to Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group please and if you could quote your membership number on the back of your card it will help although not essential. yours Graham

Hundreds of Swallows and Martins arrive to feed over the reserve

I spent some time walking round the reserve late on Sunday to be treated to the sight of hundreds of Swallows and Sand Martins feeding over the lagoon and Ski-lake area. I followed them around with my binoculars, watching their avian display with wonder before I finally just watched and stood in awe at the wonder of it all. I felt a bit like Dr Dolittle as I kept saying and thinking, "welcome back."

 No matter how many times I witness it, seeing large flocks of birds, especially when they have completed a huge migration, never ceases to leave me amazed. They say that one Swallow doesn't make a summer, but given my experience on Sunday evening, does that mean summer  has truly arrived?

Fungi and plant seen Saturday.

A large number of these unidentified bracket fungi were seen on the edge of lagoon 1 and the opinion was that the plant is water mint. 

Saturday 13/4/2013 Work Party

The pontoon was taken to lagoon 1 and carried over the bund, gravel was put on top and the island was floated out to the middle. A depth gauge was put in place nearby. In the nearby reeds moth posts were erected. The height of the reed is clearly visible as two volunteers almost vanish. 
We were once again blessed with fine weather. Spring has finally arrived at the reserve and we await a big influx of breeding birds. The Volunteers were: Robin, Shelagh, Stuart, Graham H, Alan, Mike, David, Graham B, and yours truly. Many thanks to all for a successful result - well worth the effort.  See previous post for more pictures.