Saturday 31 January 2015

Busy at Cromwell Today 30/01/15

                        Birds seen at the Bird Watching site today 30/01/15-:
                         Lots of Great, Blue and Coal tits
                         4 Chaffinch
                         6 Bullfinch
                         4 Blackbirds
                         2 Robins
                         1 Jay
                         4 Cormorants flying over
                          Flock of Lapwings and flock of geese but too high to see what type
                          1 Wren
                          8 Tufted Duck down on bottom lake
                          4 Moorhen and 3 Little Grebe up by the weir
                          2 Little Grebe by the bottom bridge




Wednesday 28 January 2015

Sunday 25 January 2015

Saturday January 24th

Birdwatch Day with the Brownies.

12 Brownies plus adults from 4th Rastrick Brownies, Brighouse came along to the reserve. At 9:30 it was pouring down, but as the girls arrived at 10:00 am their smiling faces drove away the clouds and the day became bright and sunny. Bruce from the Brighouse Echo came along and took more photos so buy the "Brighouse Echo" later in the week for a report. The girls were ably led by Gail their Brown Owl.

The pictures below should tell their own story.  Lots of birds came down to the feeders the Brownies brought and a  Yellow Brain fungus was found on the nearby fence.








Saturday 24 January 2015

RSPB Take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch 2015

The world's biggest garden wildlife survey is happening again this year on 24th and 25th January

You can just take part for your own enjoyment on Saturday the 24th or Sunday the 25th at Cromwell Bottom Local Nature Reserve and meet like minded people and help each other to identify our resident and winter visitors to the feeders. There will be members of the Wildlife Group to assist and we will be joined by the 4th Rastrick Brownies, on the Saturday. Meet in the car park at 10:00 am


Thursday 22 January 2015

Quiz: Spot the odd-one out

I've not been able to get out with my camera for quite a while, so these are from last year. The quiz isn't difficult - and, sorry, no prizes :(

Enjoy!

Male chaffinch



Great Tit




Female chaffinch




Blue Tit




Who? Me? Stealing the bird food? Must be mistaking me for someone else.


Ric J

Wednesday 21 January 2015

As promised this months Nature article in the Echo

A happy new year to all our members readers and followers
The cold spell we have had has intensified the feeding at the feeding station
and has given photographers   some great winter shots with the snow and frost
but it has made working on the reserve quite difficult.
Seven hardy individuals met on Saturday 13th of December
to complete the planting of the hedgerow we began to plant up in
December 2013. (Other members were completing the first aid course
they had been attending) A big thanks to Allan, David, Ben, Dominic,
Joe, Jane, Alan and Robin. They planted a total of one hundred and fifty
trees which consisted of, Hazel, Blackthorn and Hawthorn and had been
donated by the Woodland Trust. It was a cold and frosty day so thank
you for the hard and productive work
The year ended with the bird count at the Reserve standing at 86
species 4 more than last year, lets hope for 90 species in 2015.
Highlights of the year being Green Sandpiper, Pintail Duck, Lesser-
spotted Woodpecker, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Mandarin Duck and
the elusive Water Rail. Around Calderdale it was a bumper year for
rare species with sightings of an Eider Duck, Hoopoe, Montague's
Harrier, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Wryneck, Woodlark, Richard’s
Pipit, 2 Great Northern Divers, Rough-legged Buzzard and Icelandic
Gull. A total of 167 species recorded, this is a record year for the
keen out in all weather group from the Calderdale Birds, This is
another good web site worth looking at. Four of our group set off at 6
am on the 2nd of January to North Cave nature reserve. With high
winds blowing we thought it may be a wasted trip but at least we
could clear out the Christmas cobwebs but how wrong can you be.
Their were a large variety of Ducks on the lakes, two Little Egrets
and a flock of around eight hundred geese flew in and landed on the
lake. After three hours it was time for coffee and then off to Blacktoft
Sands in search of Marsh Harriers and we were not disappointed
Marsh Harriers flying all over reserve three and four at a time, what a
spectacle but this was not the highlight, suddenly a call of Hen
Harrier came from fellow watchers, what a magnificent bird and
extremely rare, then it was gone. It could not get better than this or
could it? what's that on the tree over the other side all scopes and
cameras turn and focus and the call comes it's a Merlin, yet another
of the rarest birds of prey in Britain it just goes to show you shouldn't
let the weather put you off getting out and about.
Things are now moving towards a small visitor centre and toilet facilities
and we hope to have these in place in the next few months after refurbishment
is completed , then we will be able to offer refreshments and comfort breaks
 to all our visitors

Events for 2015 will include Moth and Bat Nights, Pond
Dipping and an Open Day with displays and refreshments, walks
and talks plus other as yet to be arranged events.Keep an eye on the
web site for details.

 Our first event of the new year is Meet the Birds (the feathered
variety) and will be held at Cromwell Bottom on the 10th of January this coming Saturday
Join members of the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group at the bird
feeding area for a morning watching and learning about the many
visitors to the feeders any time between 10.00 and 12.00.

 Follow the bird signs from the car park opposite the pallet works.
Cromwell Bottom is signed from the main A6025 EllandBrighouse
road, HD6 2RG.

Donations to the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group welcome.


We intend to expand our events program but if you are a member of
an organisation and want to visit or want a presentation, we will be
happy to arrange things for you.

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Monday 19 January 2015

On the Canal

7 of these Goosanders were on the canal this is one of em-:

Sunday 11 January 2015

All Welcome to Halifax Scientific Society Talks

It was very nice to see so many of the CBWG members (and Robin) at our Xmas Social.

This Tuesday, 13th January, 7.15, there is a talk downstairs in the Basement Lecture Rooms.
Free entry with retiring collection.

The Halifax Zoo and Amusement Park was situated at Exley and David Glover, columnist for the Courier, will bring us and illustrate its story, including the time one of the bears escaped into the woods!

Our new routine is to have the business of the Society after the speaker, so visitors don't have to stay, if they wish to leave.


European Brown Bear (Stock picture.)

Saturday 10 January 2015

Birdwatch Day and a great plant find.

I arrived a bit late for the communal birdwatch, sorry, but saw the team hard at work erecting fencing to protect special plants.

I like to keep records of how many bird species I see in half an hour.

This gives a reason for listing EVERY species seen, even the common ones.

Half-hour counts will be different for different habitats, times of year, parts of the country/ planet, but they may be important for future reference, as they show how many species are around, and in what numbers.

Although it is possible that a rare bird might turn up in the half hour, it will usually be the common, representative species that are on the lists.

My count this morning was a particularly rich and varied one, due to the artificial feeding :-

Bullfinch (4)                            Magpie
Blue Tit   (5)                            Blackbird
Robin                                       Dunnock
Great Tit                                  Chaffinch
Coal Tit                                    Reed Bunting 1 male
Siskin 1 female                        Carrion Crow
Redpoll (Lesser) 4                    Jay                            = 14 species in the half hour

Afterwards, around the reserve, there were a Little Grebe, three Goosander, four Mallard, Six Cormorants flying in, two Kingfishers together, and three Moorhens on the grass between the Ski Lake and the canal.
______________________________

The great plant find was the Hard Shield Fern. It is very scarce in Calderdale, and Yorkshire Naturalists Union members recorded it here not realising this, so I just read a report of it without knowing where they had seen it.

There are about ten plants along the side of the Hawthorn Alley, the side away from the canal. It looks like a fairly new colony.

Interestingly, one of Calderdale's few colonies of its close relative, the Soft Shield Fern, is nearby in Park Wood.
 



Friday 9 January 2015

Work Party and Bird Watch

Tomorrow Saturday the 10th

(Today is also a practical day on site).
Meet the Birds at Cromwell Bottom
Join members of the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group at the bird feeding area for a morning passed watching the many visitors to the feeders. Drop in any time between 10.00 and 12.00. Follow the bird signs from the car park opposite the pallet works. Cromwell Bottom is signed from the main A6025 Elland – Brighouse road, HD6 2RG. Donations to the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group welcome.

Volunteers please meet at 09:30 in the car park.

Thursday 8 January 2015

A couple of pics from the bird viewing area on monday-:




Wednesday 7 January 2015

Jay at the hide

With a little help from B. Nield . He saw it first.

One peanut                     
 Two peanuts
Come on! ,  where is it.

Monday 5 January 2015

Cromwell Bottom Today

In a brief visit there were 11 teal and 1 dipper on the river and the juvenile Mute swan on the canal plus lots of the usual passerines on the feeders.

From The Undergrowth

Just a quick reminder to all as i know a lot of you follow us in the paper, our first article of the year will be in the Brighouse Echo this Thursday .
As of this year i will publish it on the blog the week after it has been in the paper so as not to effect the sale's for the Echo. yours Graham 

Sunday 4 January 2015

Winter birds at the viewing area

                                                                     Robin
                                                                         Ditto
Ditto
                                                                       Jay
                                                                       Great Tit
                                                                     Ditto
                                                                    Jay
                                                                               Ditto
                                                                        Coal Tit
                                                                   Bullfinch (M)
                                                                   Ditto
                                                                          Blue Tit

Thursday 1 January 2015

Saturday January 10th 2015. 


 (Today is also a practical day on site).

Meet the Birds at Cromwell Bottom

Join members of the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group at the bird feeding area for a morning passed watching the many visitors to the feeders. Drop in any time between 10.00 and 12.00. Follow the bird signs from the car park opposite the pallet works. Cromwell Bottom is signed from the main A6025 Elland – Brighouse road, HD6 2RG. Donations to the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group welcome.

Volunteers please meet at 09:30 in the car park.


                                                  * * *
Wednesday January 21st

Indoor meeting at Spring Hall Mansions, Halifax. Meet at 19:15