Roe Deer

After I left Bruce and Dave Sutcliffe on Soil Hill, I walked down the N slope and got 3 Roe Deer (last entry on sheet) which on seeing me even at a distance of approx 250 metres away promptly headed back up the hill.
The form which DJS and myself record animal sightings on can be shared by anybody who is interested and viewed at any time.
Should anybody want to share it, please contact me on this link (scroll down to page bottom) and I will arrange it.

New Year Bird Count at North Dean Woods

The walk to commorate Colin Duke, to look for his favourite fungi, and to raise money for Overgate Hospice by counting bird species, took place in varying types of rain !

From hardly raining at all, to a drenching shower with sleet mixed in; it made the greens and browns of a temperate rain forest shine out of the gloom!

The walk was cut down by about half because we were all drenched, there was a youngster with us, and the stream in Norland Clough would have been a raging torrent. The Calder and the Black Brook were well swollen.

BIRDS
Black-headed Gull
Mistle Thrush singing in the rain
Feral Pigeon
Woodpigeon
Kestrel, a female down in the drive at Clay House. Possibly eating an earthworm.
Wren
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Robin
Jay
Bullfinch
Blackbird
Jackdaw
Mallard       = 14   =  Raised so far approximatley £68.50 for Overgate Hospice

FUNGI
Earth ball - warty type Scleroderma
 "         "      smooth
Jelly Ear  Auricularia auricula-judae - great quantities
Pale Oyster - an large colony on a fallen beech
Bonfire Scalycap - Pholiota highlandensis
Poisonpie - Hebeloma crustuliniforme ?
Candlesnuff Fungus (Stag's Horn)
Small Oysters poss. 1. Creditopus luteolus (Young and still white on a fallen branch.)
also    "        "  poss. 2 .C. variabilis (on leaf debris and clinging on a live bramble.)

Very impressive was a mass of jelly fungus encircling the base of a small dead oak. It was the same colour as A. auricula-judae, but stacked up in masses of tightly curled lobes, like a ruffle collar.
Will try and get a photo this week. At first tentatively identified as Tripe Fungus A.mesenterica, I now think it fits more with Beech Jellydisc Neobulgaria pura var. foliacea, which Philips has as "rare". p.371 in the 2006 edition of "Mushrooms".

January Priority Species workshop

Hello all,

To celebrate the new year there will be a priority species workshop on Weds 4th January at 7.15 in the Mytholmroyd Countryside Services Office (above the library). The meeting will include an update on Calderdale's Biodiversity Action Plan and small discussion groups for different species.

It will be a opportunity to discuss actions for priority species in Calderdale for the coming year with Hugh Firman and other interested parties. If you would like to come along and contribute to the meeting please email Hugh to express your interest: hugh.firman@calderdale.gov.uk.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Christine

Earth Flight

Hi All

For those of you who have missed the TV ad then here is the link
Its on Thursday night 29th December.

WALK TO COMMEMORATE COLIN DUKE
And sponsored New Year Bird Count in aid of Overgate Hospice.
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All are welcome to join me for a 4 mile walk round North Dean Wood.
January 1st, 11.45 am for 12.00 start from car park below Clay House at West Vale.

We will be looking at fungi, one of Colin's favourite groups, and keeping tally of all bird species we see or hear, in the tradition of many birders on New Year's Day.

Why not get your friends or family to sponsor you per bird species. (We would be lucky to find 20.)

Bring a snack and hot drink if you like. Paths are muddy with some climbs, but suitable for children who are used to walking and dogs.

Steve Blacksmith (Chair, Halifax Scientific Society.)

To all Bloggers. 

Have a good 2012.

January Meeting at Cromwell Bottom

Robin Dalton has organised a meeting with Chris Tomson from the RSPB to visit Cromwell Bottom on the 12^th January 2012. Click for full details.

British Egg Collector Sentenced to Prison Term

December 13, 2011 - Matthew Gonshaw (49) of Cherrywood Close, Bow in East London, has extended his infamy for being Britain's most imprisoned egg collector by being sentenced to yet another jail term, for six months, following conviction for stealing and possessing wild birds eggs, including those of some of the rarest and most threatened birds in the UK.  Full Story

Christmas Social

Just a reminder that the Christmas Social is tonight at the Central Library, Halifax at 7:30
Sale of books. Free Tea, coffee, cake. Displays. All Welcome.

Colin Duke

The death of a friend is a terrible thing. A friend with the same interests at heart is a rare thing.
Colin could always be relied on to have a view on the identity of a species, or at least the right family to search in. His knowledge made him a favourite with all, from adults to children.

I'll always remember when he invited me to assist him with a stream-dipping session in the centre of Hebden Bridge. A 3-year old girl took her first sweep with the net and brought out a tiny bullhead fish. It was beginners luck, because that species had not been recorded in Calderdale for many decades.
The little girl was not impressed, but Colin was. He said he always enjoyed most working with children.

He had no children of his own but Colin belonged to the wider family of naturalists and countryside volunteers. He took a leading role as chair of various groups, including the Sustainability Forum and for 10 years the Halifax Scientific Society.

He will be a hard act to follow.

Colin Duke

There is a short note about the sad death of Colin on the Bird Blog. Colin died on Saturday at Overgate Hospice. Colin held many posts at the Halifax Scientific Society and was President at the time of his death.
He will be missed by a great many of us to whom he freely gave help and imparted knowledge over many years.


The funeral service will take place at Halifax Chapel of Repose, Clare Road on Monday, December 12th, 2011 at 1.30 p.m. followed by committal and cremation and Park Wood Crematorium, Elland. Family flowers only please by request, but donations if desired to either Overgate Hospice or The World Wild Life Fund and a box will be available at the service. Will friends please accept this as the only intimation and meet at the chapel.

Holdsworth Fields and Soil Hill

The first snow of the season on Monday.

Holdsworth Fields, Monday

                        Snow Bunting on Tuesday - one of six birds.

Snow Bunting. The best picture I could manage!

Soil Hill opposite the mast, Tuesday morning.

Muntjac Deer

In the Todmorden paper it mentions one of our local landowners near Cross Stone, breeding exotic animals such as Wallabies, Ostriches and Nothern Elk. He also has 2 Muntjac Deer. He does this through his work running Live Animal Capture http://www.liveanimalcapture.co.uk/about-us.html

Muntjac Deer are very destructive. They will eat coppice shoots, natural regeneration, bluebell bulbs, primulas etc. In other parts of the country this non-native deer is causing considerable damage and because the female can be pregnant in any month of the year, populations can rise quickly.

There are Muntjac in South Yorkshire and I believe some near Shibden. Let's hope we don't get any breeding populations in the valley.

Cromwell Bottom

There will be a site meeting at Cromwell Bottom this Saturday 26th November at 9:30am to look at various areas with regards to the development of wildlife habitats. Everyone welcome to attend.

Cromwell Bottom Meeting Wednesday November 23rd

The next meeting of the Group will be on Wednesday the 23rd of November at the adult learning centre Chapel Lane, in Brighouse (opposite the bus station) at 7:00pm. ALL WELCOME please come along and show your support.

Map of venue.

North Loop Re-Capping

A reminder that there will be a meeting in Brighouse this Wednesday, November 9th to discuss the capping of the North Loop at Cromwell Bottom L.N.R. This will inevitably affect ground and scrub nesting birds as well as other vertebrates.
Full details here: 

Jelly Fungus

This looks like the remains of a jelly fungus found at Ogden L.N.R.

It was between the roots of a pine tree.

Jelly Fungus. Possibly Tremella lutescens

Octobers Walk - Fungus foray

 10 members and friends + 2 dogs had a foray in Wade Wood. Here are some of the pictures.

Earth Ball - Scleroderma citrinum

A Lichen. Parmelia perlata ?

A Mycena ??

Stags Horn  - Xylaria hypoxlon

Septembers Walk - Rochdale canal

Several Members had a very enjoyable walk along the Rochdale canal

Some of the crew

Shield Bug (anyone I.D. this)

Alder growing in the canal

Royal Fern (a rarity in Calderdale)

Cromwell Bottom Development Group

 Many thanks to those who attended the meeting, we have a new committee member in Mike Henshaw  who's knowledge of the reserve will be invaluable to our group. Thanks to Mike for accepting the invitation.  A special thanks also to Hugh for walking us through the process of setting out a constitution.  We as a group have set out an interim constitution that will be ratified at the next meeting and will be held in place until a full A.G.M.,  where it can then be made permanent  by the full membership. This will give us the means to start a membership list / bank account / fund raising etc without having to wait until March. My thanks to Lisa for taking the minutes and typing this up.  Anyone wanting a copy if you could e-mail me at gwhaigh@blueyonder.co.uk I will endeavour to send you one. A date has been set for the A.G.M. for the 21st of March 2012  venue to be announced at a later date, I hope you will all come along where we are hoping to have a slide show of members pictures and maybe some supper. The next meeting of the group will be on the 23rd of November at the adult learning centre in Brighouse  ALL WELCOME  please come along and show your support.

                                                                                                                                                                 Yours  Graham Haigh

Watercress at Northowram

Hi all finally managed to get some pics of the large Watercress  patch at Northowram aprox grid ref is SE 277117

Badger vaccine project generates 'delight'

Culling may spread TB by perturbing badgers' social groups - but vaccination would not.

The UK's first independent badger vaccination project has proved that the technique is "viable and affordable", according to the charity running it.

The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust vaccinated 35 badgers during the summer against the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB) in cattle. Full story.

Dog control orders consultation

Proposal to introduce five Dog Control Orders to Calderdale.

The document can be viewed in full here:

You can respond to the Consultation here:
and the on-line questionnaire is here:

Original post from Hugh Firman
Conservation Officer
Calderdale Council

To get to grips with Beech versus Birch, The Alder versus Elder, plus many other common trees.

Join this friendly, informal group for short walks specifically to enjoy and learn about trees.

Alternating between rural and urban walks, you will soon become aware of the exotic species and variable garden trees and learn to pick out the native species.

Walk 1: Meet outside Halifax Adult Education Building in Horton Street, at the junction with Union Street, Sunday 23^rd October at 09.00 for 9.15 for a 2 HOUR urban walk around the centre and outskirts of Halifax – an easy walk of approximately 1½ miles. Dogs welcome. Please dress brightly for road safety, and bring a notebook. Fee £6:00 for two walks to the Halifax Scientific Society, Natural History Group. (Members free).

Contact Steve Blacksmith on 01422 348222.

Cromwell Bottom: Meeting in Brighouse Wednesday October 12th at 7:00 pm

Arrowhead at Cromwell Bottom LNR

A date has been set for Wednesday evening 12^th October at 7:00 pm to look at a draft constitution for the group. If you are interested in helping this Local Nature Reserve to achieve its potential then come along to the next meeting at Brighouse Adult Learning Centre, room 13, Church Street, Brighouse.

Map of venue.