Fairy Ring

Marasmius oreades


Seen and photographed at Aachan way, King Cross St, Halifax, today 24/6/2012 by Michael Sykes.





This mushroom is often called the "fairy ring mushroom", since it frequently fruits in rings on lawns, in meadows, and in other grassy places, although other species such as Chlorophyllum molybdites, (which is poisonous and unlikely to be encountered in the UK) and Agaricus campestris, (field mushroom) can also form rings.

MOTH NIGHT CANCELLED TONIGHT SAT 23 06 12.although the Floods have abated rain is expected to come in this evening,with heavy showers predicted .we are hoping to try maybe next Sat,we will keep you posted,regards Brian/Andy and team.

Garden Carpet

Seen in the potting shed this morning, Holmfield.

Garden Carpet, Xanthorhoe fluctuata. Thanks for confirming the ID Brian.

WOOD TIGER MOTH 18 06 12

This superb Wood Tiger Moth emerged today 18 06 12 from a Caterpillar found on Whiteholme Drain on 05 05 12,very few recent records for Calderdale,watch out for these fast day flying   moths,hopefully a few more will be seen.regards Brian Leecy

Orchid ??

Today I was up at batings dam on the road that goes over the res and up over towards Rishworth.In the roadside verge lots of Pignut and one Orchid sp.?never seen one before this high up any one know what it might  be .?..

Hoofstone Heights Walk Invitation

Hoofstone Heights is the highest point in Calderdale.There will be a walk through upper Colden Dale and Noah Dale to Hoofstone Heights on Saturday, unless the rain is very heavy. I think I have worked out why one of the stones is called the Hoofstone. It has an interesting link with another high point just outside the area.

If any naturalists want to get to know some of the footpaths that weave through, they are welcome to join us.

Meet outside New Delight at Jack Bridge, Colden. 10.30 for a 10.45 start. Colden is through Heptonstall, through Slack, but not as far as Blackshaw Head. Map ref. SD963283
Bring packed lunch. No charge.

This is one of the monthly Halifax Scientific Society rambles, but distance and available time means we won't be stopping to look at every blade of grass.

Butter Flower

Soil Hill approx 1015hrs. Here's an easy quiz:
Q1 I know what the Butterfly is and I am positive the experts do but does anyone else?

Q2 I do not know what the plant is and the colours only caught my eye on composing this photo. Does anyone know?

Meanwhile over on the NW edge of Ogden Res while watching the Tree Pipits from 1 metre away on Tussock Grass for 2 seconds, hence no photo - Common Lizard!

Caterpillar id help

Upper Gorple Sunday  id help please

Moth Night 23rd June 2012

Angle-striped Sallow

The annual celebration of moths and moth recording, takes place on the 23rd of June 2012 at Cromwell Bottom. Meet at 9:30pm in the car park.


For more information click here

Small Copper

Seen on Soil Hill this morning at approx 0855 hrs - my first this year. The only other Butterfly fluttered by and I couldn't nail the id. but it looked very much Tortoiseshell ish.

Oats Royd Nature Reserve

 A pleasant summers day (remember them) walk to Oats Royd 28th of May 2012

My usual track to Oats Royd

A field of Buttercups

Stitchwort

Broom in full flower

One of the many Ponds on the Reserve

♂ & ♀ Large Red Damselfly

Amphibious Bistort?

Water Starwort

Pond Skater

A very young frog

Fungus among us

White-nose syndrom (WNS) fungus has been confirmed in endangered grey bats

(Photo: Ann Froschauer/USFWS, creative commons license)

More bad news for bats, I’m afraid—the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed that white-nose syndrome (WNS) has now spread to the endangered grey [more...]

(little brown bat with WNS, Ryan von Linden:NYDEC, ccl)

The Situation in the UK. With the discovery of the fungus in Europe, the issue of WNS is high on BCT's agenda. With [more...]

Blind Rabbit

Ogden - Back Lane. I walked into the plantation to find an immature Rabbit about 4 metres in front of me struggling to get off the footpath and over a small wall. I got very good views of  it and could clearly see both eyes were shut. Myxamatosis strikes again methinks.

Withens Clough Tuesday

Bilberry

Butterwort

Seen today in Withens Clough, Cragg Vale.


                                                           Post from Michael Sykes

Butterwort

Gall on Blackthorn

This was about 3/4 of the way along the hedge beside the River Calder at Cromwell Bottom, today. Each fruit has been affected along this shoot.
I did a search for "Gall on Blackthorn" and Wikipedia informed me that it's Taphrina pruni.  It's sometimes known as Pocket Gall, as the empty, flattened, elongated fruit is pocket-like.(See white object at the bottom of the shoot.)
The same fungi infects other Prunus species, and a similar one infects Alder.

I was looking for Dodder, a parisitic plant, which has just been reported by Portia Fincham, who found the Yellow Birdsnest at Todmorden. It was 6 years ago, she admits, and it was on this hedge near the furthest kissing-gate into Tag Loop. (Nearest the railway.) She did note it in July, so it was unlikely to be visible today, and it wasn't.

Tree tube shelters can be killers

I read that tree tubes can be a hazard for young birds. They get in them for insects etc but then find they cannot get out. Some tubes have been found with many dead birds. I am  not sure whether this problem is recognised in this country but in America tree tubes have to have a 'top' to prevent entry by birds.

With the many thousands of tree tubes in Calderdale, standing for years on end, does anyone know if there is a problem with dead birds locally?

Buzzards not welcome

In the Yorkshire Post, Country Week section, it reports that Defra is to fund £375,000 over the next 3 years in an experiment in Northumberland to harass Buzzards. This will include nest destruction and permanent off-site removal to a falconry centre.

Defra has had complaints from the game shooting business about buzzards taking young pheasants and this is Defra's response. The RSPB are naturally shocked by this venture.

Oats Royd Ponds

I was having a chat with two fisherman yesterday who have permission from the owner to fish the ponds at Oats Royd. When I told them that during my birding forays I used to see big carp on the surface in summer months upto and including 2011, they responded with some dismaying news indeed.
All the big fish and most other fish have now been taken from the ponds by poachers. One of them paid a visit recently and could find only two small fish in a period of hours. I mentioned on March 29 this year that I had seen two very unsavoury characters walking from the ponds upto Bradshaw carrying rods. They responded that it got more industrial than that - on one occasion a small trawling net was discovered submersed!

Two years back there were two domestic white geese happily esconced here and one evening I found the recent remains of one spread out on the bank. One of these guys told me he had actually fished the body of the bird from the water one or two nights before. It bore all the hallmarks of having been given a good stoning, which is what I feel the perpetrators should have done to them. The remaining goose has in the past 6 months or so got a new partner, for how long remains to be seen.
The landowner has declared the reserve is for everybody; obviously everybody is not for the reserve.

Hawthorn and Oak Gall

Hawthorn Blossom and Oak Gall in Sowerby Bridge this week.


Photos Michael Sykes

Stop Spring Hunting in Malta

Maltese birders have organised a petition to ban spring hunting. 

Sign this petition and make a difference. Why this is important

   In Spring-time, birds (Turtle Doves and Quails) are in their best and migrate from Africa to Europe. They cross the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean sea to mainland Europe to breed and raise their young.

Both species are in decline, and shooting them when passing through Malta in Spring is contributing to this decline. Many other protected birds are indiscriminately shot every Spring whilst the hunting season is open.  More information...  

Also for a film made by our own Steve Cummings about the issues out there go to visit this link and check out "Birds Bins and Bullets". 

Thanks Nick for the above link.

Dunlin at Soil Hill

Picture: David Franz

Dawn Chorus Event for any night-owls.

This young tawny owl was in Bankhouse Wood recently.

Any human night-owls who fancy a  DAWN CHORUS event can join the Scientific Society for a listen out in Cragg Vale on Sunday at dawn. This one's unsuitable for dogs.

Meet quietly at the public car park at Russell Dean's Mytholmroyd Showroom. 2.45am for a 3.00am start. SE014260.

 From there we will share lifts if required and park quietly at Dauber Bridge, a little way up Cragg Road. We'll walk up the track towards Broadhead Clough, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Reserve. We'll probably stop before the reserve and sit and wait for dawn, so you might want to bring a  waterproof something to sit on or a camp chair.

If its mild and calm with light cloud or the sun coming up, we will be in for a treat! Then we'll go home at about 4.30 - 5.00 for a lovely Sunday lie-in.

Back Yard Deer

I just had a big surprise when I looked out the kitchen window; two Roe Deer were in the back field staring right back at me! I grabbed my camera and returned, an action that took only 10 seconds but such is their wariness, they had scarpered. A quick dash upstairs into the back bedroom failed to turn them up, still it's a good memory to have.

Now, where did those sparrows go?

 This Sparrowhawk just missed out on a meal at my feeders today.

Tree planting affecting moorland birds?

I notice on the Calderdale bird blog there have been comments made about tree planting up Blackshaw Head and its possible effect on moorland birds. If anyone has access to that blog, perhaps they can post this link to a meeting that is planning where to put all these trees, courtesy of Pennine Prospects. If there isn't input from birders, we may get trees in innapropiate areas.

Mark Turner Mark.Turner@pennineprospects.co.uk
9 May (6 days ago)
to Mark

Dear colleague I’d like to invite you to a workshop to discuss the development and management of woodlands across the South Pennines. This event follows-on from an earlier meeting held in Todmorden in August 2011.  The workshop will take place on Thursday 31st May 2012 at The Media Centre in Huddersfield (http://www.the-media-centre.co.uk/) and will bring together partners from the public, private and voluntary sectors. The workshop will run from 2:00-4:30pm.  The workshop will enable delegates to discuss and update the South Pennines woodland opportunities map currently being produced by consultants with resources provided by the Forestry Commission. So far a number of constraints on woodland creation across the South Pennines National Character Area have been mapped following one-to-one consultation with partner organisations. The workshop will provide an opportunity to ensure that we have correctly recorded the constraints on woodland creation and to begin to identify areas where woodland creation can best be targeted. The event will also provide an opportunity to hear about other potential woodland opportunities across the South Pennines and the development of a proposed South Pennines Local Nature Partnership.  I do hope that you are able to join us on 31st May. If you, or colleagues, would like to come along please can you contact Ann Atkins, Pennine Prospects company secretary (ann.atkins@pennineprospects.co.uk), and confirm attendance by Monday 28th May 2012? Places are limited so please try to book as early as possible. A more detailed agenda and further information about the venue will be circulated to participants ahead of the workshop.  With best wishes