2003 Report

2005 Report

2006 Report

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RED-THROATED DIVER Gavia stellata
Rare winter and passage visitor
The third ever sighting within the Group’s recording area came from Fewston Reservoir on 29th September (GTF).

LITTLE GREBE Tachybaptus ruficollis
Fairly common resident breeder, winter and passage visitor.
Only three breeding records were received, from Dunkirk, Denton Park Lake and a private site in the east of the area. Two pairs nested at Dunkirk but only one pair succeeded in fledging young due to flooding. All three pairs managed to fledge their young at Denton Park, as did the other pair, giving a total of seven young in all.

Elsewhere, there were no double-figure counts, but Knotford Nook had nine birds on several occasions towards the year end. Although recorded throughout the recording area, the number of sites dropped to 22.

GREAT CRESTED GREBE Podiceps cristatus
Common resident breeder, and passage visitor.
Once again, only three locations had successful breeding from the 15 sites from which reports were received. These were Otley Wetland Nature Reserve, Knotford Nook and Lindley Wood Reservoir. None of the breeding records involved more than one immature.

Yeadon Tarn had the highest post-breeding counts, with a maximum of 12 in November. One notable encounter was of an adult at Otley Wetland tackling a well-grown Pike and winning!

SLAVONIAN GREBE Podiceps auritus
Rare winter and passage visitor
A moulting adult was found on Leeming Reservoir, Oxenhope, on 23rd October (BV et al). For many it was quite confiding. This was the Group’s first record since 1998 and only the eighth in all.

GREAT CORMORANT Phalacrocorax carbo
Locally common resident, passage and winter visitor.
The giddy heights of last year’s counts at Lindley Wood were not matched this year, as a total of 50 was reached on only one day, though even this would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. All other numbers were below last year’s average monthly count of 41. Double figures were also recorded from four other sites, and records in the Aire Valley continued to increase.

Various reports were received of birds showing characteristics of the continental race P.c.sinensis, with a maximum count of 10 at Lindley Wood Reservoir on 6th March.

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GREY HERON Ardea cinerea
Common resident and colonial breeder.
Though a well-recorded species, double-figure counts were down to just three sightings away from breeding grounds. Silsden floods, Lindley Wood Reservoir and Shipley Glen were the sites, with 11,12 and 14 birds respectively. Once again, we had breeding records from three sites, where numbers of nests and young were recorded. The site at Askwith had an increase in nests but a small decrease in young, as 42 nests produced 95 young. Dob Park had only five nests, with 16 young counted: half last year’s nest count. At a private site there was also a decrease in nests and young, with 15 nests and about 40 young.

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BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON Nicticorax nicticorax
Rare vagrant
A first-summer bird was found along the River Aire near the Denso Marston Nature Reserve on 7th May, and was seen until at least the 9th (SW et al). This, remarkably, represents the fourth Group record. (Subject to acceptance by the Y.N.U. Records Committee).

WHITE STORK Circonia circonia
Possible rare vagrant, and annual escapee.
Once again, all sightings were in the months of April and May, the first of which was at Elland Gravel Pits when two flew over on 13th April. These transpired to be the birds which attempted to nest at Horbury Wyke later in the spring. There were then two sightings on 19th April, the first at Ellar Ghyll, Menston, and the second, probably the same bird, at Otley Wetland. Elland Gravel Pits had another bird five days later, and a further single was spotted from the Barden Scale watchpoint on 12th May, as it soared around with other birds, before departing to the east.

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