2003 Report

2005 Report

2006 Report

RED KITE Milvus milvus
Scarce, but now annual, passage visitor, and introduced locally.

Reports are now coming from many parts of the area in all months of the year as a result of the expanding and highly successful Harewood re-introduction scheme. Even more encouraging was the recording area’s first breeding attempt that involved a second-year male and a first-year female rearing two chicks to fledging. In addition to this, regular display was observed at various sites during the late winter and early spring, which bodes well for further breeding attempts in future years.

MARSH HARRIER Circus aeruginosus
Scarce, but regular, passage visitor.

A very poor showing this year, with only two authenticated records: one at Thornton Moor Reservoir on 19th April (JM) and another seen from the Barden watchpoint on 20th May (AGG et al).

HEN HARRIER Circus cyaneus
Regular passage/winter visitor.

During January a small but regular roost was discovered near to the one being used in 2002. At least four ringtails, two adult males and a second-winter male were observed in total, although between three and five birds were normally noted on any given evening. Probably one of the same adult males was observed intermittently roosting at another site a few kilometres away. Elsewhere, the usual moorland records were obtained, typically of ones and twos, with birds on passage seen in April and October.
As usual, things went quiet during the breeding season, but a bird seen in Wharfedale in July had been tagged in a nest in Bowland, Lancashire, a few weeks previously.

During the second winter period, the two previously mentioned roost sites held a ringtail and an adult male respectively, while up to five hunting birds were recorded in Wharfedale in November. Only single ringtails were observed in December.
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NORTHERN GOSHAWK Accipiter gentilis
Scarce resident/passage visitor.

Once again, notable by its absence for most of the year, although this was the best year for a while as regards displaying birds in spring. The regular sitting-out bird was visible from January to April at one site but was more erratic than in some years, with only brief display noted.A few miles away at another regular site a few records were received, including a pair on one day and a female being mobbed by two Carrion Crows two days later. A third site provided a record of a pair displaying and, on another occasion, a single being harried by a Peregrine. In a fourth general area, a handful of records included females and pairs together. Only one report, of a male, came from the south of the area (HBC, AGG, AJ, KM).

In line with previous years, there was no indication of breeding despite regular coverage, and the masses of suitable habitat and vast abundance of prey available. One can only assume that persecution and possibly disturbance are playing a part in suppressing the local population.
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EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK Accipiter nisus
Common resident breeder/ passage visitor.

This continues to be an extremely widespread resident in all types of urban and rural habitats.
Displaying birds were noted in the Barden area in early February, with up to five displaying there in May. Indications were that at least two pairs attempted to breed in this area. Elsewhere, breeding was proved at Beamsley, Farnley, Middleton Woods, Denton, St Ives and Otley Chevin. Birds were also seen carrying food at Ben Rhydding, Farnhill and Langbar.

At one location, birds were seen to mob ringtail Hen Harrier and Goshawk, and at another, one tried to kill a young Kestrel.
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COMMON BUZZARD Buteo buteo
Increasingly common resident, and passage migrant/ winter visitor.

This species now seems to be well-established as a breeder, and this was our most successful year to date.

In one part of Wharfedale, five pairs successfully fledged young (PR). No breeding data was received for another section of Wharfedale, but from behavioural observations it is likely that as many as six pairs attempted to nest there. The Washburn Valley had its first breeding success in living memory, with three chicks being fledged (AJ, PR). The young were ringed with the assistance of Yorkshire Water climbers . Display was noted at two further sites in the Washburn, and in April it was possible to see up to 16 birds in the air at one time, whilst in Wharfedale, a heavily-watched part of the recording area, it is not uncommon to receive records of double figures at any time of the year.

Birds were seen only intermittently in the south of the area.
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OSPREY Pandion haliaetus
Uncommon but regular passage visitor.

The Barden watchpoint provided records of single birds on 6th and 12th April, 5th May and 9th June (AGG, BV et al). The only record away from this area concerned a single bird near Timble Ings on 5th September (DFH). Given the increase in the Scottish population, the fact that this species is now breeding in northern England and the trends in recent years, this selection of records is very disappointing
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COMMON KESTREL Falco tinnunculus
Common resident breeder/passage migrant.

This species is still competing with Sparrowhawk as the recording area’s commonest raptor.
Recently-erected nest-boxes in the Wharfe and Washburn Valleys yielded five and six young respectively, with two natural sites giving a further eight young, all of which were ringed (AJ,PR). Elsewhere, family parties were noted at various sites including Burley Woodhead, Kex Gill, Leathley and Luddenden Dean.

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MERLIN Falco columbarius
Resident breeder and passage/winter visitor.

On one moorland, from four nests located, two failed to produce fledged young, while the others yielded three and five young respectively, all of which were ringed (AJ,PR,GT). In another moorland area, seven pairs attempted to breed. From these, six were successful, rearing a total of 18 young (PW per GT).

Most records in the winter months came from the regular breeding sites, but singles were seen in the Norwood Edge area and Trough Lane, near Oxenhope. As expected, small numbers of passage birds were noted in both seasons from several watchpoints, including Denholme Clough and Thornton Moor Reservoir.

HOBBY Falco subbuteo
Uncommon, but regular summer visitor/passage migrant.

The first was the earliest ever recorded in the area, a single at Otley Wetland on 9th April (AJ), and another bird was seen here on 19th July (KM).

Elsewhere in Wharfedale, individuals were recorded on seven dates between 17th May and 28th June (AGG), and in this general area, a bird was seen to successfully rob a Sparrowhawk of a small prey item, which it ate on the wing.
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PEREGRINE FALCON Falco peregrinus
Resident and occasional breeder; passage/winter visitor.

Two pairs successfully bred in the south of the recording area, with one pair rearing a single youngster. No specific data was forthcoming for the second pair. At a third site in the south, breeding was highly suspected but owing to the inaccessibility of the site, no proof was obtained.

Elsewhere, there is now a healthy spread of records across the recording area, but it would be nice to establish breeding in the northern sector, given that there are suitable sites, and no shortage of birds. Sightings can come from all times of the year but are most frequent outside mid-summer. One bird was noted at a feral pigeon roost in Bradford, so perhaps birds might take to breeding in towns, where there will hopefully be less wilful disturbance.

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