Yesterday in our Local Area

This morning was a great deal colder with a moderate NE wind allthoughthere was only a hint of rain with the very lightest of showers on the sites I visited.

As with recent excursions bird numbers in the valley appear to have reduced again with Duck numbers excluding Teal and Mallard very much reduced.

Teal are still numbering some 230 birds with a good party of some 65 mallard on Dewsbury Sewage Works at around 0930.

$ grey herons wereon the Sewage works and one bird was observed to catch and carry off a small rodent being vehementky pursued by 2 Lesser black Gulls as it departed towards Mill Bank.

There are now 5 Goldcrest on the Thornhill Wetlands Reserve and a further 2 birds were on the riverbank area of the Sewage Works.

The first reasonable sized flock of Wood Pigeon (some 134 birds ) were present on the Earlsheaton area .

With the wind coming from the North East there wa small numbers of Thrushes  observed with one party of 22 Redwings and 52 Fieldfares passing to the South West at around 10:15 hours.

2 Sparrow Hawks were hunting in the Millbank area most of the morning (both sexes)

7 Goosanders are still on the Calder about 200 yards from Dewsbury town centre with 2 males and 5 Redheads but Goldeneye numbers ae down to 3.

2 Little grebes are on the Calder near Thornhill Wetlands but still no sightings of the Woodcock which were on the site during the cod weather periiod.

There is a single Green Sandpiper on the Sewage works spending all of its time on the circular holding tanks and on the nearby filter beds the Pied Wagtails are around 72 in number with just 5 Meadow Pipits feeding there at the moment.

The long staying Chiff Chaff appered for a short time at Thornhill Wetlands feeding with Long Tailed Tits around by the sewage farm fence.