Its worth a visit


Oh for a good spell of typical May weather

28/05/2015 19:51

Another week of predominately Westerly,South Weaterly and North Westerly winds gives the constant impression that Summer hasnt realy arrived this year so far.

Iv never known it take so long forSummer Birds to arrive at our local sites and some even now dont appear to have arrived at all.

The cool unsettled weather has bought good numbers of House Martins and Swallows again to the compost heaps below the fields of Pildacre Ossett with tday some 650 House Martins,250 Swallows,180 Sand martins and some 140 Swifts.Swifts have been moving gradually Westwards all afternoon.

Black Headed gulls have built up on the concrete beds at Dewsbury Sewage Works with some 160 birds all adults there today along with 7 Lesser Black Backed Gulls the latter containing 3 first year birds and 4 2nd year birds.Duck numbers on the sewage works are still good with some 86 Mallard(just 10 females) 18 Tufted Ducks,9 Gadwall,2 Teal and 4 Shoveller.

There is only 1 pair of Reed Buntings breeding on Dewsbury Sewage works compared with 5 last year but both Reed  and Sedge Warblers are just up on last year with 7 pairs of Reed and 6 pairs of Sedge Warblers in territory.4 pairs of Coot and 2 pairs of Little Grebes have hatched young on the sewage works.

A pair of Oyster Catchers have now been sitting on eggs for two weeks in the valley and hopefully will be hatching any time now.

I know of no sightings of Common Sandpipers this Spring in my part of the valley and there is only 1 pair of Little Ringed Plovers which up to press shows no sign of display or intentions to breed.

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