Summer Arrivals continue to increase

A big difference in trhe number of Summer visitor birdsong this morning on my rounds.

At least 12 singing male Blackcaps in lower Pildacre beginingn from the footbridge at Healy Road Ossett right through to the area below Earlsheaton oppositte Saville Town One singing in every area.

Likewise Common Whitethroat heard from the very moment I parked my car.3 singing in the area which includes the security box at Kerries Foods factory and consistantly heard in every area and including the sewage works in lower Earlsheaton(at least 10 individuals plus 3 singing males on the sewage works itself.

5 singing male Reed Warblers on and around the sewage works but as yet no Sedge Warblers but 5 singing Chiff Chaffs and 3 singing Willow Warblers.

2 Mistle Thrushes are gathering food in one field on lower Pildacre and one must assume they are allready feeding nestlings in the nearby area.

Sand Martins around our local colony now number around 50 though this morning most of them where feeding on what must have been an abundance of insects above Mill Bank Thornhill joined by around 32 Swallows and a small number of House Martins As yet no Swifts on my patch or Cuckoos the latter having failed to appear last year at all in spite of a healthy number of breeding Reed Warblers in this part of the valley

Black Headed Gull numbers hav just about halved since a fortnight ago on the Sewage Works down to aroud the 300 mark but the larger gulls(about 95% Herring Gulls) still number around 45.

3 Male Reed Buntings where on the sewage works this morning but very few other small birds.2 Oyster Catchers are present on the central filter beds and one pair of Lapwings are also present.Teal numbers are now down to about 10 with a solitary pair of Grey Lagged Geese.

A single Little Ringed Plover was on the Filter beds on the Eastern end of the works at 09:45.A single Kestrel was hovering below Earlsheaton the whole morning.