Its worth a visit

Little Crake at Marakissa the highlight of our latest trip

24/02/2012 08:09

In the early evening of the 20th of February after a short walk around the bridge area near the Lodge at marakissa I returned towards the lodge briefly diverting to the right hand side od the bridge to have a quick look on the rice fields.To my surprise there was 5 Black crakes feeding on a small pond as I first came to the rice fields.

Also there ws a small crake buisily feeding away from the Black Crakes which immediately got my attention.The bird was much smaller than either Water rail or spotted crake and had a short bill with a very noticeable dark tip.My initial thoughts were of either Little or Baillons crake both species which I have seen before but not too often.

I knew the lower flanks were of importance in identifying both species and this bird showed no obvious contrasting streaking but had light whitish streaks which I knew was diagnostic of Little crake.

As the time was after 18:00 hours the light was not very good and I tried with a minimal amount of success to get some decent confirming photographs of the bird.

One main problem was that every time the bird cam,e cl;ose to any area of reed the Black crakes would immediately appear and chase my bird away.

The bird was still feeding at 18:45 hours by which time the light was just about dead.However when I searched for the bird early the next morning it had reappeared to the left of the area it was feeding the previous evening.See Photogallery for best results.

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28/04/2021 

Merlin hunting briefly on Dewsbury Sewage Works
5 Swallows Dewsbury Sewage Works Thursday 8th April.
2 Swallows at Asda Dewsbury on Wednesday 7th April
Osprey at Horbury Wyke Saturday 3rd of April
30/04/2020
Common Sandpiper
1 on river banks below Earlsheaton
29/04/20
2 singing Sedge Warblers on the river bank below Earlsheaton.
25/04/2020
First Reed Warbler back on site on Dewsbury Sewage Works
Single Common Whitethroat singing in Hawthorn clump by the public footpath gate in lower Pildacre.
2 Singing Chiff Chaff along the public footpath above Kerries Food factory.
02/05/19
2 Common Swift over Millbank Thornhill at 0925 in overcast skies.
26/04/19

3 singing Willow Warblers on Kerries and 3 singing Whitethroats.Also 4 singing Blackcaps.Much nest building going on round the Pildacre area with Bullfinch,Long Tailed Tit,Chaffinch and Goldfinch all carrying nesting material.Sand Martins almost up to full strength at around 33 pairs.2 singing Reed Warblers on Dewsbury Water Treatment works and 1 singing Sedge Warbler.5 Gadwall,38 Teal on Dewsbury Sewage Works.Barn Owls hunting in Fields below Mill Bank Thornhill and Mitchell Laithes fields.ossett early evenings

 
 
17/03/19
43 Golden Plover came in high from the North East and circled over Dewsbury Sewage Works for 5 minutes before departing to the North West at 0938 hours.10 Goosander,2 Goldeneye,18 Cormorant,3 Little Grebes on Calder between Ossett and Dewsbury.
 
27/02/19
6 Oyster Catcher on Dewsbury Sewage works today>Also 14 Shoveller,6 Gadwall,14 Widgeon,88 Teal,1 Buzzard
26 12 18
Green Woodpecker on hedgerows of Pildacre Fields Ossett this morning also Wintering Chiff Chaff nr Compost heaps
adjacent to Dewsbury Sewage Works Eastern border.8 Goldeneye on river Calder below Earlsheaton(4 males)
18/12/18 Green Sandpiper and 184 Teal on Dewsbury Sewage works
10/12/18
Blackcap female feeding on compost heaps below Pildacre Ossett yesterday.
Over 450 Black Headed Gulls on Dewsbury Sewage Works this morning.
21/10/28
Around 800 Pink Footed Geese over Ossett in 10 minutes this morning at around 11:15 in 4 skeins all flying directly Eastwards
Also 1 party of 52 Fieldfare flying South overPildacre fields Chickenley.
29/08/18
1 Common Sandpiper 1 Green Sandpiper 1 Little Egret 2 Kingfisher and at least 2 flying Buzzard family parties 1 of 5 birds and another of 3 birds all active this morning on or above the river calder between Healy Road Ossett and Earlsheaton.136 Starlings where on the telegraph wires in the fields just adjacent to Kerries Food Factory  at the bottm of Healy Road Ossett at 09:45 also 65 Swallows feeding at the same site at the same time
20/08/18
Juv Kittiwake on Calder near DSF
06/08/18
4 Green Sandpipers,1 Common Sandpiper andd Little Egret on pebble bed West of Iron footbridge at the bottom of Healy Road Ossett and Green Woodpecker present on hedgerows lower Pildacre
 09/06/2018A Lesser Whitethroat has been singing for the last few days outside Dewsbury Rugby League ground at lampost 20 on the housing side of the road
 
 
 
Around 250 House Martins feeding on and around the filter beds for the  last couple of days along with around  130 Swallows.
First Common Whitethroat today 18/04/18
Peregrines mating on Dewsbury Town Hall 11/04/18
Little Owls back at Shaw Cross 11/04/18
1st Local Swallows return with Sand Martins inspecting last years nesting holes.
76 Pink footed Geese over Shaw Cross this afternoon at 14:05  28/02/18
1 Very dark Chiff Chaff near kerries Foods Factory car park this morning 23/01/18142 Teal on Dewsbury Sewage Works this morning 23/01/18
72 Fieldfares on hedge at Pildacre fields at 09:15 this morning 23/01/18
2 Willow Warbler Pildacre5/4/17
2 Shellduck Saville Town 5/4/172 Broods of Goosanderon Calder nr Horbury Bridge .1 pair with 12 chicks and another pair with 8 chicks
07/07/2014
There are now 142 Lapwings on Dewsbury sewage works.
1 little Ringed Plover on Dewsbury sewage Works.Also 2 Green Sandpiper and 2 Common Snipe. 3 new broods of Moorhen(making 7 broods this year)No sign of Cuckoos which appear to have moved on. 2 Oyster Catchers on filter beds.
21/05/14
8 singing Reed Warblers now on Dewsbury sewage works.6 singing Sedge Warblers.Very slow Westerly passage of Swifts this morning.1 brood of Coot with 6 young.4th brood of newly hatched Canada Geese on Calder with 7 young.
17th April 14
240 Swallows hawking over the filter beds on Dewsbury Sewage Works.
16/04/14
c170 Swallows on the filter beds on Dewsbury Sewage works.Also 8 Shoveller,2 Gadwall,8 Tufted ducks,2 Little grebe.Very few small birds.
08/04/14
On Dewsbury Sewage Works 2 Little Grebes on main lagoon.58 Teat 3 Shoveller,1 Gadwall,2 Oyster Catcher.2 Kingfishers displaying on riverbank.2 Water Rails calling from seperate locations,6 Tufted ducks.On Kerries.1 Water Rail calling,8 Great Tits,6 Blue Tits,5 Long tailed Tits,6 Dunnocks,2 Bullfinch,7 Swallows around security box area,7 Sand martins on colony site and 2 Kingfishers,3 Goosanders on river(females) near sewage works fence. 5 Cormorants on river by the new traffic bridge on the sewage works.Windy and showery wind fresh to strong at times westerly'
3rd April 14
7 Swallows on Dewsbury Sewage works this morning.Much quieter otherwise but still 62 Teal,11 Tufted Ducks,1 Shoveller.A pair of Mallards have 13 ducklings on the main lagoon near Hotworks mill..Still 3 singing Chiff Chaffs on kerries reserve Ossett.Rather cold and heavy clouded this morning.
28/03/14
2 Sand Martins over Dewsbury Sewage works at 14:45 slowly working Westwards.3 singing Chiff Chaffs on Kerries Foods Reserve.58 Teal,1 Pochard (drake)58 Teal 9 Tufted Ducks,11 Coot,2 Mute Swans,1 Green Sandpiper on Dewsbury Sewage works.On the Calder near Earlsheaton 6 Cormorant,3 Goosander.A male Sparrow Hawk was hunting for food on Kerries this afternoon.
 
 
19/03/14
78 Teal,3 Shoveller,22 Mallard,8 Coot,8 Tufted Duck, on Dewsbury Sewage Works.1 Green Sandpiper on banks of river calder.4 Kingfishers at 2 seperate sites on the river.48 Pied Wagtails 3 Grey wagtails and 5 Goosander and 6 Cormorants on Calder.2 Kestrels are displaying on the Sewage works.2 Oyster Catchers where on the settling tanks on the works.
17/03/14
92 Teal on Dewsbury Sewage this afternoon 16:00 hours.Also 8 Tufted Ducks 22 Mallard,2 Mute Swans,8 Coot.5 Goosander on river(2 Males).2 Kingfishers,1 Kestrel.1 Sparrow Hawk(devouring Blue Tit in Car Park at Kerries Food Factory.2 Pairs of Canada Geese have taken up territory on banks of River Calder.A party of 8 Common Gulls flew West over the Sewage Works at 15:40
 
14/03/14
 
4 Wigeon feeding on river bank near new road bridge on Dewsbury Sewage Works.A Green Sandpiper is on the river bank near Hotworks Mill.Otherwise as yesterday.Very few Pied Wagtails due to maintenance work being carried out on the Filter beds.2 Kingfishers on the calder between Healy Road and Hotworks Mill.6 Snipe on the Sewage works and a party of 6 Reed Buntings in the largest of the Phragmitese beds.A single Kestrel was hovering on the works.
Nearby on Kerries reserve.1 Chiff Chaff in the large hedge.2 Great spotted woodpeckers chasing each other in the central area and single male Sparrow Hawk from the willow plantation across the river.
11/03/14
 
10 Shoveller,10 Widgeon and 78 Teal on Dewsbury Sewage works today.also 27 Mallard,156 Black Headed Gulls.Also  on River Calder.7 Goosander(2 males).7 Tufted ducks and 2 Kingfishers displaying around a suitable site.
10/03/14
 
2 Common Buzzards circling over Horbury Bridge at 11:15 Also  1 Common Buzzard over Gawthorpe 13:30 and 2 more over Thornhill at 15:00.Also 2 Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies at Thornhill Cricket Club 14:30 and 3 Peacock Butterflies down Gawthorpe Lane Ossett in the morning,
5/03/14
A Curlew flew West up Mill Bank at 10:20.On Dewsbury Sewage Works. 8 Shoveller,78 Teal,24 Mallard.4 Tufted Ducks.1 Goldeneye on river and 2 Goosander.220 Black Headed Gulls on settling tanks,1 ad Lesser Black Backed gull with BHG. 120 Pied Wagtails and 4 Grey Wagtails on filter beds,58 Carrion Crows,Crows on filters.1 Buzzard and single Sparrow Hawk over Kerries copse.
21/02/14
On Dewsbury Sewage Works. No Common Snipe (where have they all gone).122 Teal,8 Shoveller,24 Mallard,c350 Black Headed Gulls,4 Heron.7Goosander(3 Pairs and 1 Redhead) 7 Tufted duck
On Kerries feeders
Female Great Spotted Woodpecker,3 Reed Buntings,8 Great Tits,7 Long Tailed Tits,8 Blue Tits,5 Chaffinch,5 Goldfinch,4 Dunnock,4 Robins.7 Blackbirds,3 Song Thrushes.2 Jay.