2003 Report

2004 Report

2005 Report

SKY LARK Alauda arvensis
Resident/migrant breeder and passage migrant.

As in 2005, the bulk of the 135 records came from the south of the area, and nearly 50% of the total from Soil Hill, clearly now the species’ stronghold, and from where birds were reported in every month. Singing males here were right on cue, the first song being heard on 8th February, within two days of the comparable date last year, despite the disturbance by tipping work on the site. Within a month others were heard in nearby Queensbury, and subsequently song was reported from St. Ives, Whetstone Gate, Caldene Fields, Denton Moor, Glovershaw, Middleton Moor and Keighley Moor. Birds were reported to have bred near Howgill Wood, but only Soil Hill provided any other evidence of breeding activity, from the behaviour of several birds in early summer.

Aside from the autumn movements, the biggest numbers were seen in spring and early summer. Predictably, Soil Hill had most of these, with a maximum of 17 birds there on 25th March, and there were 11 at Queensbury at the beginning of the month, 12 at Warley Moor in April, and 20 there in June. Unspecified good numbers were also reported from the Rombald’s Moor complex.

Post-breeding and related movements appeared to start at the end of July, and continued to late October. Once again, Soil Hill predominated, with birds present on over 20 days in this period, providing fluctuating counts of between one and 15 birds, and a possible total for the period of about 100. Elsewhere, numbers were relatively low, with about 75 birds in total for Paul Clough, Denholme Clough and Thornton Moor, and a maximum day total there of 30. Perhaps surprisingly, Ogden Reservoir had nearly as many: 65 birds in all, and an excellent day’s count of 50 on 26th September.

TREE PIPIT Anthus trivialis
Migrant breeder/passage visitor.

As indicated in last year’s Report, there is evidence of some decline of this species in the area, as evidenced by there being only 20 records in 2006, 11 less than in 2005. To put matters further in perspective, seven of these came from one location, and another eight were in respect of autumn migration, so Tree Pipit is by no means widespread.

The first arrivals, three birds on Barden Fell on 15th April, were slightly early, but these were soon followed by a bird at Sandwith Moor Plantation on the 20th, and two in song at Timble Ings nine days later. This latter site had a further six records up to 16th August, including two pairs on 10th May, three singing males on the 27th, and a bird seen carrying food on 30th June, an indication of breeding, no evidence of which came from elsewhere. Other spring and early summer sightings came from John o’ Gaunt’s Reservoir and St. Ives in May, and there was a singing male there on 24th June.

All the remaining records were of relocating birds, and some 22 in all were seen between 30th July and 16th September, at Warley Moor Reservoir, Kex Gill, Paul Clough, Timble, Soil Hill, Doe Park Reservoir and Thornton Moor Reservoir, including notable day totals of five at the last two locations.

MEADOW PIPIT Anthus pratensis

Common resident/migrant breeder and passage visitor.

With this species there is a danger that everything else is overshadowed by the totals seen on migration, and, in particular, by the huge numbers passing Thornton Moor Reservoir. The fact remains, however, that without these records Meadow Pipit receives fairly scant attention, borne out by there being only 23 reports for the whole of May, June and July, and evident under-recording of breeding, although, happily, there was more information this year than in some other recent ones.

A few birds appear to over-winter in the area, principally around Soil Hill and Queensbury, and up to ten birds were reported there in January and December. In addition, an exceptional 50 birds were seen on Middle Hare Fell on 28th January.

Migration was underway by the last week in March, but appeared to have petered out by the middle of April, and passage was fairly light. In all, about 960 birds were seen from a range of locations, and only counts of 195 and 150 at Warley Moor Reservoir in March were notable. Autumn migration was, as is now customary, an entirely different story. Recent Reports, including last year’s, have used the term ‘prodigious’ to describe the totals seen at the main watchpoints, but even that adjective fails to do justice to the record-breaking counts amassed in 2006.

Migration was evident in fairly small measure by late August, and continued to the end of October, with huge numbers being seen passing over the area in the last ten days of September. The seasonal total of 28,780 birds on this autumn movement is comfortably a Group record, and does much credit to the principal observers who devoted a great deal of time and effort in logging this massive figure (DCB, HC, MD, SJ, CK, MVP, RHP, BS, BV). The allocation of this total is:

As can be seen, 25th September was a day of considerable movement throughout, and the total of 7814 birds logged in the Group area comfortably exceeds the previous highest such figure of 6135, seen on exactly the same date seven years earlier. It almost goes without saying that the count at Thornton Moor on that day, and that site’s seasonal total are also Group records (DCB).

It would be nice to think breeding successes received as much attention, but, for a common species, relatively little was forthcoming. Birds appeared to be paired up by early April, when ten pairs were noted between Ogden Reservoir and Stairs Hill, and there were displaying males in evidence in May at Soil Hill and Glovershaw, and even one in song over a residential area of Queensbury in June. Further evidence of breeding at Glovershaw came with birds food-carrying, which was also noted at nearby Sconce Lane and at Warley Moor.

Back to top of page

YELLOW WAGTAIL Motacilla flava
Increasingly uncommon migrant breeder/passage visitor.

Last year’s Report detailed the dramatic decline of Yellow Wagtail in the area, and it is now, at best, an uncommon passage migrant, though, on a slightly brighter note, there were four more records than in 2005.

As last year, there were few spring reports: a single at Thornton Moor Reservoir on 16th April, another at Leeshaw Reservoir a fortnight later, and two birds at Knotford Nook on 7th May.

Autumn passage was noted at five locations, commencing with a single bird at Thornton Moor on 26th August, and another was seen there on 16th September. The other August record was of at least two birds in a mixed wagtail flock at Barden on the 28th, and the remaining reports were all in September, comprising individuals at Knotford on the 2nd, Otley Wetland on the 23rd, and Denholme Clough on the 26th, a fairly late last date for the species.

Back to top of page

GREY WAGTAIL Motacilla cinerea.
Resident migrant breeder and winter visitor.

This species seems to be increasingly well-recorded, and in 2006 there were 140 reports covering no less than 49 locations right across the Group area.

Until the breeding season got underway, most records referred to no more than four birds, but once post-breeding dispersal started there were several reports of five or six birds, and two double-figure counts: 11 birds in total over Denholme Clough on 30th September and 12 at Dowley Gap Sewage Works on 16th December. The Denholme record clearly relates to birds on migration, and the seasonal total from the regular watchpoints between late August and the end of October was about 55 birds.

Birds were apparently paired by the middle of April, and there then followed a healthy body of evidence of successful breeding, either in the form of birds seen carrying food, or sightings of the young birds themselves. Data came from such regular sites as Barden and Leeshaw Reservoir, and also from Lindley Wood Reservoir, Bingley, Strid Wood, Dob Park, Bolton Abbey, Doe Park Reservoir, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Thornton Moor Reservoir, Ogden Reservoir and Menston. On a less positive note, one observer stated breeding seems no longer to take place at three formerly regular sites on the canal at Bingley.

PIED WAGTAIL Motacilla alba.
Resident/migrant breeder, passage migrant, and winter visitor.

In 2006, this bird was considerably better-reported outside the migration periods than it had been in the preceding two years, although there was still a relative scarcity of information for the summer months. There was also more breeding information, and, overall, a much better-balanced picture has emerged.

Records of wintering birds came almost entirely from the south of the area, principally from the sewage works at Dowley Gap and Marley. Up to 15 birds were seen between January and March at the first site, which held a maximum of 30 in late December. Marley recorded the year’s highest count of 125 birds on 21st January, and there were still 55 there at the end of February. Unfortunately, access restrictions prevented any counts in the second winter period. In the same general area, 15 birds were found on Silsden Floods.

The remaining double-figure counts of between 11 and 60 almost certainly referred to dispersing birds or those on migration, though the latter figure merits particular mention, as it relates to a roost in Keighley town centre, the first such record of this since 1999. Similarly, garden records rarely figure for this species; this year there were four in Baildon, Oxenhope and Oakworth. The main migration watchpoints in the south don’t seem to have been covered in spring, but good numbers of birds were seen in autumn as indicated:

Back to top of page