Its worth a visit
Lapwings again show in reasonable numbers
22/01/2015 20:43When snow makes a sudden appearence on our landscape and settles one of the first thing that happens is that some local birds move out of the area in search of clearer conditions where they can more easily access their regular food.This is more usual in birds such as skylarks and some Thrushes (Unable to find sufficient bushes with berries) and other ground feeding birds.
One of the advantages of having a local sewage works is that most of the working areas remain clear without ice and snow and so birds cand continue to feed as normal.
Lapwings have become rather uncommon around our neck of the woods recently particulary in Winter so it was good tosee a flock of some 235 birds circling above Dewsbury Sewage Works and settling in variouse parts of the works to feed.
Also the sprinkler beds at the Eastern end of the works with one warm water pool has become the regular feeding spot for a single Green Sandpiper sharing the sprinkler beds with around some 180 Pied Wagtails and 3 Grey Wagtails.
Elsewhere on the works still some 28 Common Snipe more scattered than usual because some of the older lagoons remain frozen.Duck numbers are still good with at the moment some 220 Teal, 2 Shoveller,52 Mallard and 2 Tufted Ducks present.There is some 350 Black Headed gulls on the Sewage Works filter beds at the moment
On the River Calder now there are some 18 Cormorants(some no doubt from surrounding frozen lakes and lagoons) one of the highest local counts for some time,14 Goldeneye and 5 Goosanders all not far from Dewsbury town centre. A Little Grebe is frequenting the Calder near Healy Road Ossett where this afternoon it was seen to catch several small fish.
Nearby on Kerries Foods Reserve the feeders where busier than normal with 8 Robins,single Great spotted Woodpecker,5 Chaffinch,3 Reed Buntings and 5 Blue Tits,4 Dunnocks and 2 Wrens making up the numbers.
Water Rails where active on the reserve this afternoon with 2 birds calling at different areas of the reserve and a single Kestrel was hunting over the reserve.
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