Moth Night 20th April

Yes two weeks have passed & it's that time again. This Saturday is looking good weather-wise, it should be a warm night & we are anticipating the species on the night should be pretty good too.

 

See you there 8.30pm onwards

 

 

Watch your blossoms at night now - It will be one of very few food sources available.

Refreshments at the Cabin

Please note: The Cabin will be open for refreshments on Easter Sunday and Monday 21st and 22nd of April. Pop in for a cuppa and a slice of cake.

Thank You Brighouse Ladies!

Huge THANK YOU!!!

David [vice-chair] and Rosemary [treasurer]went along to Brighouse Ladies Circle recently to receive a cheque for £3150 - another boost to our plans for a viewing platform.
As Chair of BLC for the past year Hayley has been leading her members in some really ingenious fundraising. We're so grateful for all your efforts ladies and the money will be well spent! Hayley is also one of our very active volunteers at CBWG so we benefit from her time as well as her fundraising talents.

[PS - if you're interested in joining BLC have a look at their Facebook page - never a dull moment!]

TESCO Bags of Help

Thanks to all your little blue tokens we have been awarded £4000 from TESCO towards our project “A View for All”. You really pulled out the stops for us and we’re now refining our plans for a viewing area with easy access so that everyone can enjoy the fantastic atmosphere of the reedbed. We’ll probably start work after the birds’ breeding season is over.

Here's how the view looked today in the sunshine

This is the "before" photo -
wonder how the finished project will look?

In the meantime we’d love to hear from any nature loving wheelchair users out there – to make sure we’re doing our best for you to enjoy the reserve. The design of the viewing area isn’t finalised yet, so if you have any particular advice for us or you’d just like to know more about it we’d be grateful if you’d get in touch. Drop us an email, to newsfromcromwellbottom@gmail.com or leave a message on our Facebook page.

Or - of course - you can talk to any of the trustees/volunteers down at the cabin on Sundays.

Thank you!

Bird and Butterfly survey 11/04/2019

Great tit, goldfinch, great spotted woodpecker, common buzzard, carrion crow, grey heron, bullfinch, chiffchaff, robin, mallard, wren, meadow pipit, sparrowhawk, woodpigeon, cormorant, jay, blackbird, dunnock, moorhen, coot, blackcap, chaffinch, reed bunting, nuthatch, coal tit, long tailed tit, little grebe, Canada goose, kingfisher, greenfinch and grey wagtail.

There have also been sightings of shoveler and common sandpiper recently but they were not seen today.

A very good selection of butterflies were seen: orange tip, peacock, brimstone, comma, small tortoiseshell and speckled wood.

Short visit Stock Dove,Nuthatch,Jay,Bullfinch,Reed Bunting.

Moth Night Sat 6th

Yes it's time again - see you Sat night around 7,30-8,00pm.

Spring

A blast from the past down at Cromwell Bottom....


http://www.bbc.co.uk/bradford/content/articles/2007/04/13/cromwell_bottom_springwatch_2007_feature.shtml

Tansy info Required

Last August we trapped this Tansy Plume (moth) by the cabin - a first record for Calderdale. The identity is "beyond reasonable doubt" but it would be nice to find out if there was any of it's foodplant growing on the reserve to tie in with this record.

So, does anybody know of any Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) patches on the reserve or close by?

Orange Underwing

The first of the day flying moths are out at the moment , I saw 8 today at least flitting about the canopy in the lagoon area and in Pixie Wood. If you are patient they occasionally come down from the trees and rest on the path or bramble .

1st Chiffchaffs have arrived

I had a walk around the reserve this afternoon with some of the volunteers and was pleased to hear a reasonable number of chiffchaffs around. These are the first spring migrants I have seen this year.The beauty of this time of year is that we also saw a male siskin which is slowly making its way back to Scotland. There were also at least a pair (probably 2 pairs) of little grebe on the lagoon. A short visit to the bird feeding area yielded a surprisingly large number of bullfinches (at least 10) but few other species? Maybe the other species were checking out all the nest boxes that we have built and erected! A walk around north loop gave us a flock of ~20 linnets which suggests that the wild flowers are starting to attract good numbers of finches. Hopefully some will stay and breed. I know our chairman is hoping for breeding skylark.

There were various reports that there may have been lesser spotted woodpeckers about. If anyone saw/heard this elusive species then please let us know. I'm also on the look out for willow and marsh tit. We seem to have plenty of willow trees about so why are willow tits so hard to find?

Moth Night!

This Saturday 23rd March.

Actual kick off will be around 6.30pm due to getting lighter now, arrivals anytime after 6.00pm.

Usual rules - If cold wear warm clothing, If you fancy wood walking checking the goo, boots or wellies may be useful.

Lets try for even more new ones to the site list - Last time it was an Oak Beauty & this suspected Clouded Drab.

What new ones can we get this time?

Moth Night this Saturday March 9th

Another this Saturday usual place at the Cabin 5.30pm to 6.00pm start time assuming it doesn't lash down. Wear warm clothing & some boots or wellies if joining possible muddy wood patrol.
See if we can record a few more new to our List of species.

Bird sightings 28/02/2019

Had a couple of hours walking around the reserve this afternoon and spotted the following birds:
grey heron, grey wagtail, mallard, teal, goosander, moorhen, cormorant, black headed gull, Canada goose, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, long tailed tit, goldfinch, bullfinch, redpoll (30+), nuthatch, sparrowhawk, wood pigeon, reed bunting, chaffinch, wren, robin, blackbird, dunnock, carrion crow and magpie.

There were also reliable reports that great spotted woodpecker, dipper and kingfisher were present.

No summer migrants yet but shouldn't be long now.

Moth Night update

Well a very successful night was had - shame only 4 turned up on such a warm evening, species recorded this weekend were:
Common Flat-Body (Agonopterix heracliana) 18+
Dotted Border (Agriopis marginaria) 1
The Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) 20+
The Chestnut (Conistra vaccinia) 12
March Moth (Alsophila aescularia) 7
Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi) 10+
Brindled Pug (Eupithecia abbreviate) 1
Black-Headed Birch Leaffolder (Acleris logiana) 1
Beautiful Plume (Amblyptilia acanthadactyla) 1
Red-Letter Flat-Body (Agonopterix ocellana) 1
Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pilosaria) 1

A few pictures of some of the above:

 The Chestnut

 March Moth

 Common Flat-Body

 Common Quaker

 

 Pale Brindled Beauty

 The Satellite

 Brindled Pug

 

 Beautiful Plume

Red-Letter Flat-Body (courtesy AndyC)

& we found this spider - Coelotes atropos - tube web spider

A lot of early moths there from such a warm week which brought them out.

Moth Night!

This Saturday 23rd, start time 5pm onwards - Again should be completed for approx. 9pm.

If cold please wear warm clothing & if you wish to join the wood wandering please wear footwear for muddy conditions. Bring a torch.

See you there Saturday.

Large Midget emerges

Anyone interested in botany will be familiar with the clump of Snowberry growing by the public footpath behind the cabin. Last September I finally found some lepidopterous mines on it which turned out to be those of the Large Midget (Phyllonorycter emberizaepenella). They are not common miners in the UK and are the first of this species I have seen anywhere. They are underside mines which cause the leaves to pucker as shown.

Shortly after collecting a couple of mines the larvae spun these neat, rugby ball shaped cocoons.

After the pupae had over-wintered in my garage they were brought indoors about a month ago and the first adult emerged this morning - all 5mm of it.

The area behind the cabin seems quite rich in leaf mining moths for some reason, it often produces good finds.

Moth night

Well, we had a lovely freezing wind on a nice cold night & absolutely nothing in the trap for the 7 people present. But the goo produced a Satellite & a Chestnut moth, walking round the woods produced 3 Grey Birch Buttons (Acleris logiana) & 2 flightless Female Dotted Borders.

The 3 winter moths not shown on here before:

 The Chestnut

 

 The Satellite

 

Dotted Border

 

Hopefully hauls should start improving as the nights get warmer - they will, wont they?

 

 

Moth night this Saturday

Barry will be running a moth night this Saturday night the 9th of February, start time approx 5pm at the Cromwell Bottom Cabin.  All welcome.

Please wear warm clothing, bring a torch.

Thursday and Second Saturday

Just a reminder that every Thursday there is a volunteers meeting at Cromwell Bottom. Come for a short time or stay the day. Hot drinks in the Cabin.
Every second Saturday is another volunteer meeting. Join Robin from Calderdale Council. Always wear sturdy footwear and warm clothing to these meetings.

Bird Sightings 23/1/2019

I had a couple of hours spare at lunchtime today so managed to fit a walk round the reserve and counted the species I saw/heard;

mute swan, little grebe, mallard, teal, grey heron, moorhen, cormorant, black headed gull, pink footed goose, Canada goose, GS woodpecker, nuthatch, treecreeper, LT tit, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, robin, dunnock, wren, blackbird, goldfinch, chaffinch, bullfinch, C. crow, jay, woodpigeon and reed bunting.

Nothing too unusual but a good selection.

We've recently spent a few volunteer Thursdays servicing the nest boxes and I was pleasantly surprised how many of these were being examined by pairs of birds already. Hopefully we can have a good breeding season this year.

Saturday January 12th

Hi,

Wishing you a Happy New Year! If you fancy the opportunity to blow out the cobwebs, the first Saturday work party of 2019 is coming up this weekend. Turn up at the cabin for 9:30 for a cup of tea (courtesy of the Cromwell Bottom Wildlife Group), before a trip onto the Reserve to tackle the tree felling work which we missed out on in December.

Please bring sturdy footwear, (we will try to keep out of any wetter areas...), and gloves if you have them. Also lunch if you wish to stay on into the afternoon. Hoping to see you on Saturday.

All the Best,

Robin

Tesco Bags of Help...... Use those tokens!

Here we go again......    use those little blue tokens to vote for "A VIEW FOR ALL" in TESCO.

We're in the current round of TESCO Bags of Help, hoping to raise funds towards a viewing platform across the reedbed lagoon. This will be a great viewpoint especially for wheelchair users and your little blue tokens will help to make it happen. We could receive £4000 if we are the overall winner.
So, if you shop at Brighouse TESCO in January and February please remember to pick up a token and drop it in our slot in the voting point as you leave the store.
Four Tesco Express stores are also in this group - at Dalton, Scissett, and Wakefield Road and Leeds Road, Huddersfield.
We know you're all supporting us in lots of ways already and we really are grateful - people power is working for wildlife!
Wish us luck!

PS - later this month we'll hear whether our AVIVA bid has succeeded, so watch this space - and thanks again!

Our Latest Newsletter

Many thanks to Val and the entire Newsletter team for producing another superb publication, not forgetting the Members who submit articles and pictures.

Our latest ... Winter 2018-2019 Newsletter
along with all the others is available on our Website ... https://cromwellbottom.wordpress.com/

Some birds from last week

Little Grebe on the river at Brookfoot Loop slowly moving downstream towards Brighouse.

A nice comparison shot with a Mallard.

A Teal on the river bend above the weir. I had heard reports of a female there so this drake was a nice surprise.

The recent rain seems to have pushed good numbers of Goosander on to the canal where fishing is no doubt easier.

I never tire of seeing Nuthatches at such close quarters at both feeding stations

One of a small flock of Siskins around the cabin feeding station - a first for me here.

I keep hearing that Cromwell's a great place to photograph Kingfishers but I've yet to see one that isn't a distant blur as it shoots along the river - I will keep trying though!