HAWFINCH
Coccothraustes coccothraustes Infrequent visitor
1987
- All records of this local rarity came from Meagill Rise, Otley, with six on 25th, one on 26th, two on 29th and one on 31st January. In February, one was present on 5th and two on 7th.
1988
- A secretive and very scarce local species. There was a single seen and heard at Esholt Hall on 30th October.
1990
- A pair was suspected of breeding at Bolton Abbey with birds being reported during both May and June; one was observed feeding at very close range on 8th June was seen carrying food several times. The only other report concerned a pair at the disused children’s home at Menston on 17th April.
1992
- A single bird flying over Red Beck Allotments at Shipley on 30th November.
1994
- One visted a garden in Copley on several dates in early for June and the second was seen at Timble by several observers in the same tree (and same telescope view) as a Rough Legged Buzzard on 29th October.
2001
- A bird seen on 25th January with other finches near the Cavendish Pavilion, Bolton Abbey, was the first Group record for over six year.
2005
- A bird seen at the edge of Timble Ings on 1st, 5th and 21st January was clearly one of the two that had been present there at the end of December, 2004.
2011
- Not recorded since 2005, so one at St. Ives was an excellent find on 30th January (MD). It was much appreciated by many onlookers until last seen on 9th March
2012
- A bird well seen as it flew past Caldene Fields on 5th November provided a record for the second successive year.
2016
- Two birds were seen feeding on the ground in a Baildon garden on 6th February. This was the first record since 2012 and only the 10th year in the last 30 that these scarce birds have been reported.
2017
- It might have been expected that a bird in the lower Washburn Valley on 12th March would have been the year’s only record, but this was changed by a big national influx of the species in autumn. This resulted in an unprecedented number of Group records, which came from seven sites. A bird passing Caldene Fields on 26th October got things going, with another on 1st November, and two on 30th October. Another passage bird was seen at Denholme Clough on the 29th, and three local cemeteries then produced birds. At Ilkley up to four birds were present between 30th October and the year-end, two were at Otley the day after, and a single at Bingley on 13th November. Additional Wharfedale reports came from Strid Wood, where four were seen on 1st November, and two were in Middleton Woods on 28th December.
2018
- Birds were seen in the early months, and comprised those remaining, following the major influx at the end of 2017. At Ilkley Cemetery, up to four birds remained until 3rd March, and Otley Cemetery still had a bird to 5th February, and five were reported from there on 26th January. Away from here, one passed Caldene Fields on 14th November.