Wednesday 30 August 2017

Ogden Fly Flatts Circular

A walk with DM and DW approx 1025 hrs via Foreside, TMR bridleway then FF, Withens back to Ogden Res. A cool mainly overcast session with just one pocket of sunshine and long stretches of birdlessness.
TMR track opposite side to entrance gate: 1 Green Woodpecker, 3 Grey Wagtail, 8 Red-legged Partridge, Swallows and few LBBG. On the hillside appeared to be an HC indulging in vismig.



3 Photos by DW taken at distance.

Not much on the stretch to Fly Flatts where on arrival we bumped into RP, with a Kestrel & Buzzard circling overhead. Things livened up a bit here although there was nothing on the water, however we did espy: 1 each Wheatear Whinchat, 3 Stonechat and a few Canada. The Withens coughed up a bunch of Starling, c50 Meadow Pipit & 4/5 Linnet.

Halfway down the track back to Ogden Res were 3 more Stonechat. A squadron of gulls and a Cormorant were on the water with a pr of drake Tufted Duck preening appropriately on the shore by ducky corner.
DW may have glimpsed a Buzzard briefly over the back of Soil Hill but we definitely stopped for a natter with JL on the top.

Thanks to DM for the lift.

Tuesday 29 August 2017

Wainstalls to Ogden Res

1020 hrs in a W'ly blow. 6 Tufted Duck, pr Teal & Little Grebe on Cold Edge Dams also a few LBBG & Canadas.
Whinchat & 4/5 Stonechat, few Meadow Pipits up the track by the boat hut and farmhouse. A Wheatear was by the Withens but that was it until the stretch from the bottom of Hunter Hill to Brookhouse.



There were scores of Swallows in flight and on the wire fences along with approx a dozen each of Goldfinch & Linnets on the hillside. Once again the golf course rough turned up Stonechats - 3 very nervous birds. A WW was also calling here.


Ogden Res wasn't exactly rocking but did cough up 4/5 Common & a Herring Gull in addition to the usual gang. I couldn't help but think the Herring was a bit on the small side when it was compared with nearby LBBs however it was certainly in adult plumage.
Passerines were thin on the ground but there was a vocal GSW present.

Sunday 27 August 2017

Shibden Head to Swalesmoor

A very pleasant walk in the sunshine even if the SW'ly breeze influenced bird activity in a manner best described as less than athletic.
Shibden: 1 each Buzzard, Kestrel & Jay. A  fair number of House Martins & Swallows, 3 WW, few Jackdaws, Woodpigeon, 1 Stock Dove.


I tried my luck on the now dried up mud  patches on Swalesmoor for flava Wagtails and came up with 6 Pied.
Probably the same Sparrowhawk from my previous trip was once again playing games with a couple of the crows of which were present in not so great numbers.
Also seen were c12 Goldfinch, 7 Linnet, 4 Meadow Pipit, few Swallows, 7 LBBG.

Thursday 24 August 2017

Frampton Marsh Lincs

Courtesy of DW.
Min 20 Yellow Wagtail & 4 Pied. 3 Green & 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Greenshank, 1 Spotted Redshank & several Common. Hundreds of Dunlin similar Black-tailed Godwit but only 3/4 Bar- tailed. Scores of Avocet  and Ruff, 3 Snipe, several Little-ringed Plover fewer Ringed.













Min 45 Little Egret (no Grey Heron!) 1 Spoonbill, c12 Shelduck, several Teal, few Gadwall, numerous Greylag & Canada.
Dave had reason to return to his car and got good views of a Hobby as it put the birds up. The only other raptor seen here  was a Kestrel although we did get a Buzzard on the motorway.

Photo D Wetherell

A surprise sighting was a stand alone Whooper Swan with Mutes spread throughout the reserve. Good numbers of Sand Martin were ever present with a few Swallows. Other birds were seen many Coot, 2 Moorhen several Lapwings, Starling, Goldfinches & Linnets.



Bottom 3 Photos D Wetherell

A bit of a bonus on the way back while stuck in some jam of the traffic variety were 8 Swift overhead.

Wednesday 23 August 2017

Soil Hill to Mixenden

Damp and misty at 1035 hrs clearing up at approx 1120 hrs.
Soil Hill: 3 LBBG, Blackbird, Kestrel, c20 Meadow Pipit. c35 Lapwing over >  E with c60 Goldfinch terrorising Coal Lane, few Swallows.
c80 Canada were grazing at Back Lane where a few Goldfinch were present.
Ogden Res had an extra visitor besides the 2 Cormorant & usual Gulls. A fem/juv Goosander was working the E shoreline grunting occasionally.
Passerines were off the menu but a couple WW did call.






The golf course stretch was quiet but the bottom of Hunter Hill proved interesting with a good mix of Swallows, Goldfinch & Linnet. This was topped by a few Meadow Pipit and a single Pied Wagtail.
Mixenden Res was quiet yet again: 1 each LBBG, Grey Wagtail, House Martin & WW. 4 Dullards & 5 Canada on the drink.

Time To Put Harry In A Pot

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-41015775/has-harry-potter-cursed-indonesia-s-owls

Monday 21 August 2017

Wainstalls to Ogden Res

1025 hrs SE'ly breeze, warm. Very Patchy with sporadic movement mainly of Goldfinch, Linnet, Meadow Pipits in good numbers up at Cold Edge. The dams held 7 Tufted Duck, pr Canada & several BHG. 14 Mistle Thrush were on wires nearby and a GSW in a garden with a few Swallows and 4 WWS throughout.

The stretch from Mixenden Res which appeared birdless produced 4 LBBG, 1 each Kestrel, Green Woodpecker & Juv Curlew. A pr Stonechat were again seen on the rough above Brookhouse and that was it until Ogden.

The Reservoir held 3 Cormorant and the usual LBB & BH Gulls. Just 1 Common Gull was seen. Certainly 1 GSW maybe a pr were by the visitor centre.
Plenty of people and dogs were all around  - I couldn't stand the horrendous  screaming and barking but 15 minutes later after aborting  the lakeside walk I managed to stop it 😆.

Sunday 20 August 2017

Friday 18 August 2017

A Short Outing

1045 hrs Ogden Res in the mainly wet. All went well at first just Gulls barely into double figures and 3 Cormorants. I thought today maybe the day I don't see any more birds. For a while I was happy but then I hit a bad 15 minute patch where bird activity took place. Flitting among the trees hunting for insects were 3 WW, 5 Coal Tit, Blue & Gt Tits, 3 Robin & 2 Blackbirds. To magnify the misery a Nuthatch piped up for 25 seconds or so.

I hastily beat  a retreat and scurried home via Oats Royd which had c30 BHG in a field and nothing else. Half of this site is now Oats Royd Fisheries with trespass notices up but as yet no actual machine gun posts.

Wednesday 16 August 2017

Adel Dam to Eccup Walk


I got the chance to go outside our area today with DW & DM.
2 Buzzard, 6 Red Kite, 4 Mandarin, 2 GSW, 4 Nuthatch, pr Chiffchaff, few WW, possible Willow Tit.


1 Bar-headed Goose with another contender curled up not showing the head. 1 Barnacle Goose & many hundreds of Canadas & Greylags, c16 Tufted Duck. 1 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, c600 Lapwing. 1 Blackbird ditto Stock Dove, many Woodpigeon & Swallows.
Pr Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail. 1 each Jay, Whitethroat.
Thanks to DW for the lift.









Tuesday 15 August 2017

Denholme Clough Doe Park

1050 hrs a very fresh W'ly blow kept passerines under wraps and the action was patchy to say the least. Started off well with Dipper, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and a few LBBG. Then it was a long quiet stretch until the boating end of Doe Park where I was entertained by a mammal rather than any birds. This Weasel kept me occupied for 15 minutes or so.





A Jay and a GSW plus a few Swallows were in this area while c30 Mallard were the only birds on the water. There was a plague of Wrens, 6 WW, 1 each Collared Dove, Blackbird & Robin several Woodpigeon & 2 BHG seen also.

c50 Lapwing > N on the E side of Soil Hill. Old Guy Rd was poor, just 1 Common Gull and 4 Meadow Pipit.
DM reports a Buzzard flying low over head head and a GSW among others in Shibden Valley.

Monday 14 August 2017

Saved By The Rough

"When the South Westerly doth blow I prithee do not go out unless you're happy with finding nowt." These words penned by Montmorency Snert of the Queensbury birding dynasty some 50 years back are just as true now as they ever were.
Raggalds is almost dry again and was bereft of birds.
Soil Hill was heartbreaking just 1 each Goldfinch Meadow Pipit & Swallow. A Song Thrush was in the Ned Hill track conifers which relieved the boredom fleetingly.



Ogden Res was crawling with LBBGs, similar BHGs and the 4CY Herring Gull that cheesed me off last week or thereabouts. Also 2 Cormorant there but not a passerine seen.


The Brookhouse track saved me from tying a length of rope around a tree branch yet again. 3 Stonechat were present 1 each M F & Juv. Also a pr of Whitethroat were on the wires.
I gave Mixenden Res a miss as it was full of er, shall we say non birders. c55 Jackdaw and c45 Canada were in the fields off Stod Fold

Sunday 13 August 2017

Shibden Valley & Swales Moor

Quite an interesting morning all told. 3 Buzzard were very active in the valley with 2 Kestrel in support roles.



A couple of House Martin were showing as well as a few Swallows. 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 GSW ditto Jay & Song Thrush, 3 LBBG.

I went across the frog n toad to inspect the Swales Moor farmers fields. Pity that the mud has almost dried up with just 4 Pied Wagtails present. However I was party to fairly long interaction twixt a Sparrowhawk and a Carrion Crow.



c32 LBB & 2 Herring Gulls were sweeping around the tops often fairly low down. Also seen were plenty of corvids and for the first time in yonks a Fox.

On the way back there were plenty of  phone calls and text msgs flying around between BS, DW and myself regarding an Osprey sighting. So as not to steal his thunder I suggest you refer to BS blog this evening.