Birds in Huddersfield 2008
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% Huddersfield Birdwatchers' Club Birds in Huddersfield 2008 Short-eared Owl 'Birds in Huddersfield 2008' is a publication of Huddersfield Birdwatchers' Club and the latest in an unbroken series of such reports produced annually by the Club since 1966. It is based upon records of bird sightings submitted and a number of systematic surveys undertaken over the year by Club members and other volunteer birdwatchers. Front cover: Short-eared Owl by Stuart Brocklehurst. Huddersfield Birdwatchers' Club is a charity registered in England number 1098296, This publication is copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the Club. © Huddersfield Birdwatchers' Club, 2010. ISSN 0962-5925 Birds in Huddersfield 2008 Written by Chris Abell Brian Armitage Russ Boland Mike Denton AlfKing Dave Pennington Michael Pinder Dave Pogson Hugh Quarterman Illustrations by Russ Boland Stuart Brocklehurst Photography by Nick Mallinson Dave Pennington David Tattersley Produced by Mike Wainman Published by Huddersfield Birdwatchers' Club Registered charity no 1098296 CONTENTS Page List of illustrations & photographs 1 Foreword by the Club President 2 About Huddersfield Birdwatchers' Club 3 2008: The birding year 5 The weather in 2008 8 Notes on the Classified List 9 The Classified List 11 Escaped / introduced species 108 Corrections to Birds in Huddersfield 2007 108 Earliest and latest dates of summer migrants 109 Latest and earliest dates of winter migrants 110 List of contributors 111 Black Stork over Dalton, 20th August 2008 112 Glossy Ibis at Boshaw Whams, 31 st July 2008 113 An American Night Heron in Yorkshire? 115 Kumlien's Gull Description 119 Strange but true - an encounter with a Sparrowhawk 122 Reporting and recording sensitive bird species 124 Grid References of sites 126 The Huddersfield List to 2009 131 Club officers 2009/2010 142 Map of the Huddersfield recording area 143 ILLUSTRATIONS & FIELD SKETCHES Page Short-eared Owl Stuart Brocklehurst Cover Shoveler Stuart Brocklehurst 19 Goldeneye Russ Boland 22 Goosander Stuart Brocklehurst 23 Cormorant Stuart Brocklehurst 29 Night Heron Russ Boland 31 Little Egret Russ Boland 32 Red Kite Stuart Brocklehurst 34 Marsh Harrier Stuart Brocklehurst 35 Peregrine Stuart Brocklehurst 41 Little Ringed Plover Russ Boland 44 Snipe Stuart Brocklehurst 49 Common Sandpiper Russ Boland 52 Kumlien's Gull Russ Boland 59 Barn Owl Stuart Brocklehurst 63 Wheatear Russ Boland 81 Fieldfare Stuart Brocklehurst 84 Goldcrest Stuart Brocklehurst 92 Jackdaws Stuart Brocklehurst 97 PHOTOGRAPHS Wigeon David Pennington 73 Common Scoter David Pennington 73 Gannet Anon. 74 Shag David Lattersley 74 Night Heron David Pennington 75 Little Ringed Plover David Lattersley 75 Jack Snipe David Pennington 76 Short-eared Owl David Pennington 76 Dunnock Nick Mallinson 77 Common Whitethroat David Lattersley 77 Wood Warbler David Lattersley 78 Crossbill David Pennington 78 Stuart Brocklehurst is a wildlife artist and you can see more of his work on his web site: www.wildlifewitlipenandbrush.blogspot.com FOREWORD BY THE CLUB PRESIDENT Once more it is my pleasure to introduce our latest club report, revealing the continuing growth of the "Huddersfield List" together with less welcome news of the continued decline in the populations of certain species, These contrasts bring home the constancy of change, whether we welcome it or not, and the importance of reports such as ours in making their contributions towards the monitoring and measurement of such change. Over the years of formally recording birds in the club area since 1966 this list has grown to 268 with three further species and one sub- species added this year. Indeed the total of 177 species seen in the club area this year is considerable (and considerably more than those that I managed to see), indicating the efforts being put in by the many observers in the field who contribute so willingly to this report. The style and presentation of the report continues to develop and the inclusion of colour plates which began last year has been repeated. One tiling that hasn't changed over many years is the inclusion of numerous black and white illustrations by a number of different contributors. I'm sure that the many who have had illustrations printed by us in recent years will forgive me for bestowing particular praise to the efforts of Stuart Brocklehurst who once more has provided some outstanding images this year. This is in fact the twentieth year that Stuart has contributed illustrations to the club report and I'm sure that those of us with access to previous years' reports can take pleasure in reviewing those earlier illustrations once more. In commemoration of this anniversary Stuart has provided us with a colour plate of a short-eared owl for this year's cover. Once again this breaks new ground for the club and sets us on our mettle to be innovative once more in the upcoming 2009 report. One new development that the club is considering investing in is the digitisation of all of the club reports back to 1966. This will entail the reports being scanned and converted to a digital format that can be easily searched on a PC to unearth whatever details are required within the records. It will also, more importantly in my view, ensure that a permanent record can be created and stored in various systems and consequently ensure that such reports should not succumb to accidental loss. None of this will change the type of reports that are received by members or bought by others, but can enhance the facility available to those who may be interested in more sophisticated methods of data investigation. I've mentioned in earlier forewords the work that goes into these reports behind the scenes, but it would be remiss of me not to repeat this. Data is collected from our contributors (this year only 57 compared with 76 last year - let's have plenty more for 2009) and entered onto spreadsheets by David Butterworth who then distributes these according to groups of species amongst the nine report writers. These set to and pound their keyboards, producing their individual sections in good time, which are then compiled, seemingly effortlessly, by Mike Wainman, who then gathers in illustrations and tables to produce the whole. A series of proof readings later and the full report is off to the printers ready for your delectation. Enjoy reading it; acknowledge the effort that has gone into producing it; and continue to be committed to doing your bit towards future reports. AlfKing ABOUT HUDDERSFIELD BIRDWATCHERS' CLUB Huddersfield Birdwatchers' Club was formed in 1966 and registered as a charity in July of 2003, with the aims of: Studying and recording the wild birds of the area and publishing an annual report: Members and other bird watching supporters are out and about throughout the year observing birds across the area and submitting records for analysis by our Club Recorder. We now have a wealth of data covering over 40 years, an invaluable source for studying the trends in local bird populations. Hie Club is the only organization in the area undertaking and publishing this kind of ornithological research and Birds in Huddersfield 2008 is the latest in an unbroken series of annual reports since the Club was formed. From time to time we also publish more specific, one-off works, including in 2001 anAtlas of the Breeding Birds of the Huddersfield Area, in 2004 Birds of Blackmoorfoot Reservoir 1985-2003 and in 2008 a major new work The Birds of the Huddersfield Area, which reviewed the complete history of every species recorded in the area since records began, right up to modem times. We also publish the Huddersfield List, a checklist of all the species of wild birds and additional races that have been officially accepted as having been recorded in the area. This is now updated annually as a 'tick list' to enable birders to record their own yearly and lifetime sightings around Huddersfield. Our publications are to be found in the Huddersfield Public Library, go to many regional and national ornithological and wildlife conservation bodies. Promoting education of the public about wild birds and their habitats: Our lecture and meeting programme runs between September and May each year, at which visiting experts present on a wide range of birding topics, from local to overseas, with some stunning still and video photography. There are also club nights, with, for instance, members showing photos of their own birding outings, local and further afield, a 'brains trust' of experienced members to answer your question or quiz nights using video footage of birds in the field to test your identification skills - an excellent way of improving them ! Each year, we also hold a number of local 'patch outings' or bird watching walks on which members pass on their knowledge of local sites of particular birding interest. The forum on our web site is open to public view and shows the latest local bird sightings posted by members, often with photos, as is a great way of finding out what is about. Supporting research into conservation of wild birds and their habitats: Readers will be only too well aware of the threat to many of our wild birds, but if conservation is to be effective, it needs to be based upon hard evidence and research. Hiis is where the Club comes in. We have members with substantial experience in bird observation and surveying and there is also a role for less experienced volunteers. The Club has played a major role in many bird life surveys of local, regional and national importance, including over 50 for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), RSPB, National Trust, Natural England, Peak District National Park, Kirklees Metropolitan Council and The Friends of Beaumont Park.