Rarities
and Occasional Visitors - Rails, Crakes and Cranes
|
| Spotted Crake |
| Corncrake |
| Crane |
| SPOTTED CRAKE Porzana porzana | Scarce passage visitor | |
2009 |
Undoubtedly the bird of the year, and a first for the Group area, one was discovered at Snaygill on 14th September, and delighted many observers during its ten day stay |
|
| CORNCRAKE Crex crex | Scarce passage visitor | |
1987 |
A bird was heard calling at dusk on Burley Moor on 10th July. | |
1992 |
The Group’s second record was a bird seen calling at Lower Saltonstall in the second week of June. | |
| CRANE Grus grus | Vagrant | |
1993 |
A first for the Group. A single was reported flying east, high over Lady Lane, Bingley on 10th October. It was watched for over a minute and two nearby corvids gave a useful size comparison. |
|
1996 |
The first report was of two birds flying high to the east over Timble on 13th April. The second report was of a single bird that gave brief views as it flew low up the valley at Barden on 8th September. |
|
2001 |
The first bird was watched from Barden on 18th April for almost 15 minutes as it soared over the North Nab area to gain height before finally disappearing over Hazlewood Moor. The second bird was observed as it flew over Silsden on 20th October. It arrived from the north-east and passed directly over the town, dropping down into the flooded ings area of the Aire Valley, but could not be relocated. |
|
2002 |
Two birds were watched over Elland Gravel Pits on 16th March. | |
2010 |
Two reports from the same general area are the first records since 2002, and become the Group’s seventh and eighth. Two birds were watched over Silsden Reservoir on 7th April, and another was seen over Silsden itself on 2nd October. |