Redpolls Return
As if the Goldfinch and Bullfinch numbers in the garden this month were not impressive enough on the 24th we were visited by six Redpolls. This is our first December record for Redpolls and most of these birds have returned for a daily feed. Two are males and even though we are well away from […]
Starving Barn Owls
The last six weeks weather patterns with heavy and prolonged rain overnight (and sometimes during the day) could not have been worse for our local Barn Owls. In rain their feathers become waterlogged and they are unable to fly. This, together with the fact that most of their prey remains hidden away, forces them to […]
Garden Records
For some reason whenever we have wet weather there are lots of birds feeding in the garden. This week has been exceptional with two garden records being broken after 47 years! Firstly on the 11th seven Bullfinches came to feed together and comprised of five males and two females. The following day, at 9.00am, an […]
Lapwings Gather
Once again Lapwings are gathering for winter on the roof of Industrial units. My local flock has now reached an impressive 280 on the 28th November and may well increase further as winter progresses. November has now proved to be the warmest on record and with seven inches of rain the wettest locally since records […]
Scandinavian Gems
The Holy Grail of Autumn / Winter birdwatching in the Pennines is the finding of migrant Long Eared Owls. I spend many hours searching the hawthorns in remote Pennine valleys in the hope of finding just one magical Owl. Last winter I found none but this winter there has been an influx from across the […]
Autumn Splendour
Snow cover on the ground today has brought to an end a spectacular Autumn. With the exclusion of the last couple of weeks we have had record temperatures and exceptional colours in the hills. This weeks blog photo is of the Strid in Wharfedale where the whole of the river Wharfe enters a spectacular gorge […]
Bedraggled Shortie
This is the time of year when I spend endless hours walking the local hedgerows hoping to find roosting Long Eared Owls. On the 12th I was in for a surprise as I spotted not a Long Eared Owl but a Short Eared Owl staring at me from amongst the ground cover. It made no […]
Islay Surprises
You would have thought that when you visit a place for the 102nd time there would be no surprises awaiting you but you would be wrong. Islay last week was exceptional in what it produced. Firstly we had a fall of Redwings from iceland that was unbelievable in the number of birds involved. This weeks […]
Goose And Swan Spectacular
There is little doubt that one of the greatest bird spectacles in Europe in Autumn is watching thousands of Barnacle Geese coming to roost on the sea-lochs of Islay at the end of the day. As they descend to their own chosen spot on the estuary the noise is deafening. With them will be their […]
Goldcrest Escape
Every Autumn Britain is invaded by millions of Goldcrests from the forests of Scandinavia Some feed in our garden and have to run the gauntlet with our now resident juvenile male Sparrowhawk. He is a clever predator and now knows that after he flies through the garden any bang means a bird has hit our […]