Dropping Water levels on the River Calder make feeding for its inhabitants easier but freezing conditions make life more difficult for inland water birds

Whenever the water levels on the river Calder in my part of the Calder Valley are high a lot of birds just disapear in search of easier feeding grounds.However as the water levels on the river go down and feeding on the river becomes easier both numbers and variety of birds increase.

Birds such as Little Grebes of which small numbers annualy spend Winter on the Calder are back on site after disapearing for a about 3 weeks and Kingfishers which also fair much better when water levels are low and the water is clear can be seen again both on the river and also on the nearby canal.

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Widgeon have arrived recently in an area near Saville Town(19 seven days ago now down to 10 birds)and numbers of Shovellers have increased (now up to 25 birds on Dewsbury Sewage Works) and can be seen flying over Mill Bank Thornhill.Also newly arrived 2 Gadwall on the River Calder this morning near Earlsheaton.

All the lagoons on Dewsbury Sewage Works are now frozen so all of the around 180 Teal are spending all of their time sat on the ice.Coot have also increased to 14 on the works along with around 12 Common Snipe(all of the Snipe also spending all of the time sat on the ice.)See photogallery

Apart from 84 Pied Wagtails and 3 Meadow Pipits on the sprinkler beds this morning still very few small birds around.

A single Chiff Chaff is still feeding around the compost heaps below Pildacre Chickenley.A Party of 8 Long tailed tits where feeding in the hedge alonside Kerries Food Factort this morning whilst nearby on the feeders in the Kerries copse 1 Willow Tit,,5 Blue Tits,4 Great Tits,5 Chaffinch,4 Bullfinch,3 Wren,4 Dunnocks,3 Redpolls,4 Blackbirds and 3 Song Thrushes.