Greetland - Black Brook area

A surprise when I downloaded this pic of a Nuthatch nest: tiny beaks inside the mud-plastered hole.

Newt advice - Halifax

Hello All,

I've received this picture, which I believe to be of a palmate newt. The pond owner would appreciate some advice on managing the pond. Anyone interested? If so, please email me direct on hugh.firman@calderdale.gov.uk and I'll supply details.

Killer Turbines

For those of you who think that wind turbines are not dangerous to birds, take a look at this disturbing video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9srPoOU6_Z4&NR=1

Bogbean - Menyanthes (trifoliata)?

Found at Oats Royd early May. A native plant and not very common in Calderdale.
Thanks To Hugh Firman for the info.

Gorpley Clough (RIGS)

The walk was led by Linda through intermittent light rain and sunny spells up the clough to the reservoir and back.
Very few birds were seen or heard due to the rain and noisy stream. However we did have a dipper near the car park. Others included swallow, swift, pied wag, black bird, wren, robin, meadow pipit, skylark and Canada goose.

An as yet, unidentified fungus was found. Possibly Pholiota sp.

Steve fossil hunting in one of the shale beds.

Problems with Alder trees

Over the last year or two I have noticed that local Alder trees have been looking very thin in leaf area. This year again many are looking nearly dead, with very few leaves showing. There is a phytopthera disease that has been killing Alders throughout the country. Has anyone else noticed any problems?

Walk This Saturday

A reminder that there is a walk this Saturday, May 14th. Meet Linda Kingsnorth at Gorpley Clough car park in Bacup Road, Todmorden for waterfalls, wagtails and dippers.   

Meet at SD919235     Map

This Tuesday's Talk

A reminder that the next talk at the Halifax Scientific Society is this Tuesday May 10th at the Central Library Halifax at 7:15pm. 

Paul Kingsnorth on "The Fall and Rise of Scything". Writer, environmentalist and scything tutor Paul will bring some of his tools along as well as his slides.

All Welcome.

Water Shrew

I saw a Water Shrew Neomys fodiensa calling and then swimming under water a few days ago in Holmfield in a tributary of Strines Beck.
I was surprised how big and loud they are. As far as I know the nearest record is a few mile away in Bradford.

In Calderdale-WN  (Yahoogroups.com)  (messages 1596 to 1602) various members mention water shrew in Calderdale and the possibility of updating the map. The NBN gateway map is still not updated with local records. Perhaps Colin or Hugh could once again badger WYEcology.

My record is at SE 08466 29677 on 21/4/2011

Link to NBN records of local Water Shrew.

Two to look out for..

Mountain Bumble Bee (Bombus (Pyrobombus) monticola) and Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha)are not often seen in Calderdale any sightings in the next couple of Months would be good to hear about.

Not in our area --but

If the area decribed in the website link cannot be saved, it makes you wonder what a site needs in order to be safe from development.

Fly Flatts

Plenty Wheatear still about, and unusually in that area  - 2 Goldfinch.
Full list on Calderdale Birds.















Primrose in full flower on the embankment.

Sign of The (dry) Times

A farmer in Holdsworth waters his field.

Birds near there included:
Blackcap
Willow warbler
ChiffChaff
Green Woodpecker
Little Owl.
Also a Large Red Damselfly by the lakes at Oates Royd.

Moth

Perhaps one for Charlie.

This moth was inside our window, its about 30mm across. Have you any idea re I.D.?

Hornbeam Tree

I was on Station Road at Luddendenfoot today, which I haven't been to recently. I looked for the very large old Hornbeam which was at the entrance to the large house at the end of the road. It has been cut down, probably to widen the entrance to the new estate of houses which have just been built.

Too late to bother now but worth mentioning because it must have been the oldest Hornbeam in the valley and it is a species, even though planted, rarely seen as a tree in our locality.

Toadspawn and Bilberry Bumble Bee at Widdop Resr.

Found my first ever Bilberry Bumble Bees on the Burnley Way footpath south side of Widdop Resr. 17th April. A scarce species, sometimes referred to as Mountain Bumble Bee. Had an expert with me today (Edie) who confirmed my identification. I think they are consistently like this - ginger abdomen, with a black thorax crossed by two yellow bands. We also saw a couple of Green Hairstreak Butterflies, far too flighty to photo.

The toads we have known about for about 10 years but I've seen no evidence except a dried-up roadkill.

Last Sunday 17th, I found spawn in the catchwater drain on the north side of the resr., just before the first pine. Also near the shore of the resr. itself, in the peaty water. The strings of jelly have swelled up, and become covered with sediment or algae, so its not fresh that day. Looking like the intestines of something disembowelled in the water!

Today, 22nd, the tadpoles had all just about left the jelly, just one group still hanging on to it.
We thought it amazing that toads should breed at such an altitude, (about 350m) but I have since come across them at a similar altitude at Gorpley Resr., south of Todmorden.
Good views of Common Sandpipers and Willow Warblers, but no reptiles despite the sun.

Whitethroat, Soil Hill

Our first years Whitethroat singing at Soil hill this morning, 4 very flighty Twite, 1 pair linnet on the bush they bred in last year, 1 Wheatear, lots of mipits, only two Skylarks heard, western side only checked.

Holmfield & Oats Royd

Little owl seen once again after 2 years absence.

Birds included Willow warblers,
1 chiffchaff
greenfinch
goldfinch
goldcrest
chaffinch
blue
great
LTTits and the rest.

A young frog and the web of Tetragnatha sp. over the stream.

Common Lizard

Spotted a common lizard basking near Blake Dean on Tuesday 19th. There were also a few tiger beetles about. No pics unfortunately.

PETITION TO STOP CHANGES TO ENVIRONMENT LAWS

The government is talking about scrapping important laws which protect our planet. But together we can make them stop and think again by making sure they know that tens of thousands of us don't want these plans to go ahead.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/dont-scrap-environment-laws

Thanks
Linda

Bluebells

 A superb show of Bluebells in Freeman's Wood, Brookfoot on Sunday. Also this insect kept pestering me on North Cut. Any ideas re I.D.?

Cuckoo

I would post this in Calderdale Birds blog but I don't know how.

Heard a Cuckoo this afternoon calling for 5 minutes from trees in Hall Wood, Todmorden. This is the first cuckoo I have heard in quite a number of years in Todmorden and the first ever in Hall Wood.

Halifax Scientific Society walk to Rishworth 16.4.11

It seems to have become a fixture that we make this walk in April, partly because of the only known native, unplanted daffodils in Calderdale at one spot.

We were slightly dissapointed in them this year, finding them well gone over, with swelling seed pods. There was some discussion of the ethics of "gardening " them, by spreading the seed along the same wood (There are thankfully no garden daffodils released into the wild there.)

We weren't dissapointed by the very reliable little owl, though, that has been sat on the same wall for three years running!

To go back to the daffs, an article in the turn of the century "Halifax Naturalist" (century before last that is!) lists several places where wild daffodils existed, besides the Rishworth site, there was Severhills Clough -Soyland, Shibden - 2 sites, Coley Hall, Salterhebble, Sowerby Bridge to Ripponden, Jumble Hole Clough -top end - Hippins Clough.

We noticed one of the Rishworth herons had a very young chick in the nest. There are just 2 nests now. (I think the third was in a tree that blew down.)

Quite a few migrants were seen or heard singing. Some discussion was had about what was the name for baby bats. We couldn't think there was one, but some suggestions were batlette, batling, hangling. Then we got onto a collective noun for bats, something not as negative as a swarm or a coven. So we came up with a cave of bats or a flap of bats or, perhaps the best- a belfry of bats.

Find the poison maniac

See Halifax Evening Courier for details on POISON MANIAC, believed to be targeting Peregrines.
Link:  http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/local/find_the_poison_maniac_1_3279512

A Toady Update

Nicky chalks a toad warning at Hebden Hey

Hello all,

Just a quick update on how the Toad Patrols have been getting on across Calderdale over the last couple of weeks. All in all it seems to have been a 'funny season', what with days and days of dry weather and cold nights meaning uncertain toad movements. As ever, nature is doing its best to be unpredictable and volunteers are continuing to check their sites should there be more waves of migration.

- Lumbutts has seen the greatest numbers, with over 600 toads helped by Gordon and Margaret and occasional visitors! This is over 100 more than last year's total, with the most helped in a single night being 117, patrols will continue for a couple of weeks yet. Another observation from Lumbutts is that the frog count is down from last year - have other volunteers noticed this at their sites?

- Todmorden sites have had some excellent helpers this year, with approximately 100 being helped at Woodhouse Road by a dedicated toad team. With up to 37 cars passing in a hour at this site, and up to 3/4 of toads becoming casualties in previous years, this is a promising sign for helping this remnant colony to recover.

- A new site at Todmorden Tennis Pond where toads have not been patrolled before, saw one memorable night where over 160 were helped! Special thanks to Ben Crowther and family for their brilliant toad saving endeavours here.

- Hebble End/Horsehold Road is another colony that has been depleted over years of road casualties. This year volunteers have helped at least 40 toads, and fingers crossed for more in the future.

- Hebden Hey has seen approximately 170 toads helped around weekends when the the road is busy with visitors to the Scout huts. Toads at this site frequently move in the daytime, so with the help of some excellent volunteers, we've managed two visits a day at the busiest times. As an added bonus, we've seen large numbers of Palmate newts crossing the road, and helped 84 of them avoid traffic!

Night-time newt at Hebden Hey

- The population at Washer Lane has seen large declines in recent years, but over 40 toads have been helped by volunteers this year. A new site at Milner Royd had nearly 30 toads and 5 Palmate newts seen over one evening.

Thanks again to everyone who has got involved this year, it's been great to see so many volunteers out and about. Keep fingers crossed for some damp warm nights and it may not be over yet! Good luck on the roads everyone.
Christine.