2003 Report

2004 Report

2005 Report

HOUSE SPARROW Passer domesticus
Resident breeder: urban and sub-urban, farms and farmland.

This common species is never likely to attract a great deal of attention and, consequently, records, so it is gratifying to note that the number of reports is more than double last year’s twelve. Moreover, there have been some good counts, and an encouraging batch of reports of breeding, or pre-breeding activity.

Understandably, garden records represent most of the sightings, and these came from Otley, Baildon, Queensbury, Oxenhope, Cononley, Gilstead, Cullingworth and Baildon Green. Breeding was confirmed around those at: Queensbury, Oxenhope, and Cononley, and was also confirmed at two other Queensbury locations. In addition, birds collecting nesting material were seen at two locations in Baildon. At the Cononley site, two broods were raised in a House Martin nest, causing the rightful occupants a frustrating wait, though, as will have been noted, with an eventually successful outcome.

Prior to breeding, counts didn’t exceed nine birds, though comment was made of generally good numbers in, for example, the Queensbury area, but from the end of August there were nine double-figure totals. The best of these comprised between 20 and 50 in Baildon Green, and 43 in a garden in Queensbury. The latter observer commented this was not an unusually high count for the area, and it was stated that in Baildon Green a flock of at least 20 birds was always present.

On the assumption this limited data is representative of the suburbs generally, there is clearly a healthy, if unrecorded, population in the Group area.

TREE SPARROW Passer montanus
Resident breeder: woodland, hedgerows, parkland and farmland

After last year’s reasonably successful breeding report, there was a marked downturn in 2006, both in respect of breeding activity, and, particularly, in the number of records submitted.

Only one breeding area was located: Clifton, though the total of 18 juveniles ringed was slightly up on last year, and it is perhaps ominous that the previously reliable site of Knotford Nook (described in last year’s Report as the species’ main location) produced no records of any sort.

The only other report came from West End, near Lindley, a location included as a result of the 2006 recording area amendments, where four birds were seen on 10th March.

CHAFFINCH Fringilla coelebs
Resident breeder, passage/winter visitor: woodland, parkland, hedgerows, farmland and suburbs.

It is pleasing to note that the species was much better-recorded than in 2005, when only a third of the reports were not related to autumn migration. This year that proportion is nearer 70% so a better balance has been struck. The extended coverage also took in breeding, but there was still a relative sparsity of reporting for the summer months, with only 18 records.

Autumn migration observation typically brought the highest numbers, and up to September the totals reached double figures on as few as seven occasions, and February counts of 20 at Timble Ings and 30 at Lindley Wood Reservoir were comfortably the highest, though there were said to be many birds at Pool Paper Mills in late May. Thirteen birds in January was a good number for an Oakworth garden, which was, surprisingly, one of only four gardens to figure in the records.

Visible migration numbers were well down on last year, and the total number of birds recorded, 1465, was little more than were seen at Thornton Moor Reservoir alone in 2005. Unusually, this location recorded the lowest total this year, and the data for the three principal watchpoints is:

Once migration subsided lower counts again prevailed, and the only significant numbers to the year-end were 30 at Timble Ings and 23 on Otley Chevin, both in November, and 30 at Ogden Reservoir in October.

A bird was heard in song in a Ben Rhydding garden as early as 3rd February, and birds were mating in a garden in Baildon by mid-April. Two weeks later, the first nests had been discovered, in Strid Wood, and breeding was then reported from another Baildon garden and one in Oakworth, and from Hirst Wood, St. Ives, Gallows Hill, Nell Bank and Knotford Nook.

BRAMBLING Fringilla montifringilla
Passage/winter visitor: woodland, parkland and farmland.

A good selection of records included only a few double-figure flocks, and there were nothing like the numbers that were around in 2005.

Garden records predominated in the first winter period, with ten birds in a Silsden garden on New Year’s Day, a maximum of 30 there on 7th January, and one bird, the final record for this period, on 23rd April. Gardens in Gilstead and Burley also hosted the species in the early months.

The first returning birds were seen on 13th October, when there was one at Kex Gill and two at Paul Clough, and the year’s highest total of 52 birds was seen there a fortnight later. Other good counts between then and mid-December included a further 18 birds at Paul Clough in October, up to 25 at Otley Chevin and 30 on Ilkley Moor in November, and, in December, between 16 and 40 birds in the general area of Bolton Abbey and Strid Wood. Numbers otherwise struggled to get beyond six, and included sightings at Ilkley, Queensbury, Timble Ings, St. Ives, Riddlesden, Swinsty Reservoir, Denholme Clough, and Caldene Fields, the last two clearly birds on migration.

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GREENFINCH Carduelis chloris
Resident breeder, passage/winter visitor: woodland, parkland, farmland and gardens.

Whilst better-recorded than in 2005, some 16% of the reports came from gardens, and 40% referred to visible migration, so it is difficult to get a true perspective of the species’ status in the area, especially as very few reports related to the summer months.

All the bigger aggregations in the first three months were birds in gardens, with one in Silsden producing between 18 and 28 birds on five dates, and another in Oxenhope the higher of these figures in January. This same location also produced the next big count, with 25 birds on 1st August, after which the larger numbers referred almost entirely to birds seen on autumn migration. The exceptions were a thirty-strong flock at Golcar Farm in August, and up to 25 birds at Ogden Reservoir in October. Greenfinches seem particularly attracted to garden feeders, and other records came from Otley, Baildon, Keelham, Oakworth and Ben Rhydding.

By early September, dispersal was evident, and on a larger scale than has previously been recorded. During the months of September and October around 2300 birds were seen from the principal watchpoints in the south of the area. Paul Clough lead the way, with a total of 913, and impressive day counts of 228 and 192 on 26th and 29th September. Regular watching at Thornton Moor Reservoir amassed 669 birds, and a maximum of 145 on 8th October, Caldene Fields had 547 birds, and a day’s maximum of 86, whilst Denholme Clough, though the least-watched, still notched up 184, and a day maximum of 43 birds.

After a single breeding report in 2005, it is pleasing to have eight such records this year. Nest-building was noted at Stockbridge at the end of March, and breeding was then proved in an Oxenhope garden, and at Denton and Howgill Wood. Elsewhere, juveniles seen at Oakworth, Ben Rhydding, Baildon and Pool Paper Mills pointed to birds having bred in these vicinities as well.

GOLDFINCH Carduelis carduelis.
Resident breeder/migrant and passage visitor: a wide range of timbered habitats, including suburbs.

The improvement in records noted last year has been maintained in all aspects, providing a much better balanced picture of the species’ status in the area.

The increase in the reports for both winter periods didn’t, however, result in any really significant corresponding increase in the number of birds seen, and, apart from a notable gathering of 45 at Marley Hall Farm in November, there were few parties over 14 birds. In contrast the number of good-sized parties seen in the period from April to August inclusive reflected the increased number of records received, which, at 49, was 70% up on 2005. Notable counts in the period included 20 at Whetstone Gate and Thornton Moor in July, and in the following month 25 at Tong Park Reservoir, 30 at Glovershaw and 42 at Thornton Moor Reservoir.

This latter count probably represented the beginning of post-breeding dispersal and migration, but, as usual, the biggest numbers were seen in September and October, mainly at the now traditional visible migration watchpoints, but with useful data also coming from several other locations. In general, most days produced double figures, and counts at the principal sites were:

Numbers from other locations were 30 at Glovershaw and Eldwick, 37 at Leeshaw, 50 at Stockbridge and 100 at Redcar Tarn, which, with other smaller numbers, produced a total count for the period of about 1700 birds. The Warley Moor day’s maximum above also represents the biggest single flock seen during the year.

Goldfinches are increasingly reported from gardens, and an excellent 26 reports were received this year from ten locations: in Gilstead, Otley, Ben Rhydding, Oxenhope, Oakworth, Queensbury, Silsden and three in Baildon. Up to 17 birds were seen on several occasions, and there was a particularly interesting count of 30 birds in the Otley garden in October.

Evidence of successful breeding was also more forthcoming than in most recent years. Juvenile birds were seen in good numbers at Oakworth, Tong Park Reservoir, and Pool Paper Mills, and breeding was proved at Norwood Bottom and Low Snowden.

SISKIN Carduelis spinus
Scarce resident/possible breeder, common passage and winter visitor: mainly coniferous woodlands.

The reference in last year’s Report to there surprisingly being no garden records seems to have done the trick, as this year 70% of the 56 reports in the first four months were from this source. Previously mentioned gardens in Ben Rhydding and Otley predominated, with 12 and 16 records, and there were others from Oxenhope, Gilstead, Bingley, Baildon and Cononley. Otley regularly had six birds, and seven were seen on 10th April. Not surprisingly, the bigger numbers in this period came from elsewhere. Otley Wetland had two double-figure counts, the best of which was 60 on 2nd January, the same number was at Stockbridge on 12th February, and there was a locally good count of 30 birds at Skipton Sewage Works on 22nd January. There were also said to be many birds, though unspecified in number, near Askwith.

In the second winter period, most of the larger counts came from Stockbridge, where between 15 and 50 birds were seen to the year-end. Otley Wetland had reports of up to 30 birds (though around 80 were said to be present), and 24 were seen at Sunnydale, but the best count came from Dowley Gap, where there were 70 on Boxing Day.

Whilst numbers seen on migration were lower than in 2005, a respectable tally was still produced, with most records coming from the three regular sites in the south:

Paul Clough 129 maximum of 79 on 26th September
Denholme Clough 164 maximum of 37 on 2nd October
Thornton Moor 106 maximum of 48 on 2nd October

About 20 birds were seen in total at a few other locations.

There was no indication of breeding, but a male was in song at Timble Ings in April, a possible juvenile was seen in Ben Rhydding in June, and there was an adult male at Thornton Moor Reservoir in July.

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LINNET Carduelis cannabina.
Resident breeder and passage migrant: farmland, moorland, wasteland and open areas.

Whilst in many respects the pattern of sightings was very similar to 2005, some sizeable flocks were seen in the autumn migration period, and there was a bit more evidence of local breeding.

Last year there were no winter records at all. This year was marginally better, with two reports covering January and March, and 15 for the final two months, with birds on Soil Hill more or less throughout (doubtless attracted by the seed now provided), and between 11 and 30 recorded. Numbers picked up in April, when 50 were seen near Flappit Spring, but the next sizeable count wasn’t until the end of June, when this number was again recorded from Askwith Moor. A flock of about 100 birds seen on Burley Moor on 28th July included many young birds, pointing to relatively local breeding, and there was also welcome evidence of this from other localities. At least two breeding pairs were present on Soil Hill, a pair was seen gathering nest material at Glovershaw, and young birds with parents were observed at Doe Park Reservoir.

Most of the sightings from August to the early part of October were probably attributable to migration, but it is impossible to assess the total numbers involved due to the probability that, at one location at least, a flock of mobile birds visited the site irregularly. This was Soil Hill, which featured on 20 occasions, and produced significant day totals of between 20 and 160, this last on 30th September, and other three-figure counts of 110 and 150 in the same period. Elsewhere, there were good counts of 75 birds at Harecroft in late August, and 168, the year’s highest, near Leeshaw Reservoir on 1st September.

Garden records of Linnet are rather unusual, and this year there were two: in Oxenhope in April, and Baildon in May, where two birds were involved in both cases.

TWITE Carduelis flavirostris
Rather uncommon and local migrant breeder/passage migrant: moorland and adjacent areas.

There were no records in the first winter period, but around 60 reports were then received in every month from April, with nearly half of them originating in October and November. As in other recent years, the key to both the numbers of observations and birds seen is the provision of seed at various feeding stations in the south of the area, although their success is rather variable, as can be seen:

Warley Moor Reservoir : By far the most reliable and prolific site. In the period mentioned, birds were seen in every month but June, but there was no consistent pattern, and numbers were either quite low, or were well into double figures, even within the same period. There were particularly good totals of 28 and 33 birds in August, and 37, the year’s highest, in late October. Between 15 and 22 birds were recorded on 11 other dates, principally in September and October, but also in April, July and August. Otherwise, up to nine birds were present, and, exceptionally, twelve.

Leeshaw Reservoir : This general area was formerly the Group stronghold, and, whilst there were 13 records, the best count was eight birds, and there was nothing after early September, and little from the beginning of June, with nearly all the sightings being in spring.

Soil Hill : Odd birds have been seen with the Linnet flocks here in previous years, but this year there were 12 reports in October and November. Generally, no more than seven birds were seen, but there were up to 14 with particularly mobile Linnets in October.

Unusually, and pleasingly, there was a record this year away from the Pennines : two birds on Sandwith Moor on 8th October, and, also away from the expected sites, five birds were observed in Queensbury on 15th August.

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LESSER REDPOLL Carduelis caberet (formerly known as Common Redpoll: Carduelis flammea caberet, but now given full specific status by the BOU).
Resident breeder, passage/winter visitor: mainly woodland and adjacent areas.

The first seven months of the year produced only 13 records, making the period almost certainly the worst on record. What records there were came almost wholly from Otley Wetland (though there were never more than two birds), and the prevailing gloom was relieved only by a good count of 33 at Toad Holes Beck on 23rd April, and singing males in Timble Ings five days earlier.

Visible migration produced more reports and numbers, but here also the returns were well down on 2005. In all, autumn passage brought records of about 170 birds, which was only slightly more than a single day’s count at one location alone in the previous year. Of the usual watchpoints, Paul Clough did best, with a seasonal total of 46, followed by Denholme Clough on 31, and Thornton Moor on 27, almost all of which were seen on one day. It was reported that there were large numbers (unfortunately, not counted) in Timble Ings in late September, and 60 were seen there on two days in October.

Whilst the second winter period was distinctly better than the first, only four sites had double-figure counts, and, of these, the flock of 35 at Timble in November presumably represented the remnants of October’s congregation. The highest tally was a good count of 50 birds at Fewston on 6th December, and, elsewhere, there were up to 30 at Stockbridge, and 17 at Hirst Wood.

COMMON CROSSBILL Loxia curvirostra
Passage/winter visitor, and occasional summer resident and breeder: mainly in coniferous woodland.

As in 2004, there were no big influxes, and only one record in the first six months: four birds at Timble Ings on 15th January. Several small parties were heard there in August, and 12 birds were seen from the Barden Scale watch-point on 25th July.

Most of the September sightings came from Timble and nearby Beecroft Moor Plantation, and again comprised small parties, but there was a rare record from Beaver Dyke Reservoir, where six birds were seen on 17th. St. Ives also had a bird on the 24th.

The following month had the highest counts, comprising twelve birds at Timble Ings on 22nd, and fifteen there the following day. After that, there were only four records: six birds near Swinsty Reservoir on 9th November, and, at St. Ives, one 17 days later, another on 24th December and three on Boxing Day.

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BULLFINCH Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Resident breeder: woodland, farmland, scrub and gardens.

This attractive finch produced an excellent 150 records, boosted by no less than 60 from gardens, albeit involving only a few locations, and by a good number of reports from two well-watched migration spots.

The pattern was markedly similar to previous years. The early months saw many records of between one and eight birds, but only one party of ten, at Fewston Reservoir on 28th February. Numbers dwindled to twos and threes between March and May, and there was only a handful of reports for June and July, before counts again increased, due to post-breeding dispersal and subsequent migration. This latter activity saw the year’s highest numbers with many counts of eight and nine birds, 12 at Paul Clough in early November, and comfortably the best totals of 20 birds there on 25th September and 13th October. Smaller numbers passed through Denholme Clough. Most of the records for the second winter period came from the south, with a notable count of seven birds from Stockbridge in late December.

Two particularly well-recorded gardens, at Baildon and Ben Rhydding, produced most of the data for this habitat, and up to four birds were seen attending feeders on many occasions. Other garden records came from Silsden, Bingley, Oxenhope, Bolton Woods, and elsewhere in Baildon. What little information there was on breeding was also largely attributable to garden records. Juveniles were at feeders in Ben Rhydding and Bolton Woods, and on at least two occasions were accompanied by adults, suggesting that breeding had occurred nearby, and it was proved to have taken place in an Oxenhope garden. In addition, three young birds were seen with an adult pair in St. Ives.

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