Wednesday 29 November 2017

Dire Straits

Except there was nothing strait about today's quick outing from home via the Raggalds upto Soil Hill down Taylor Lane thence back home. Dire it certainly was; amazing that somebody who is obsessed by birds should visit Soil Hill.

Raggalds had a few small gulls present. Persecution Rd had a sizeable number of House Sparrers. The hill from a medieval horror story had no sign of life whatsoever on the top. Down in the bottom field were a large number of Lapwing along with some Starling.

Atop Taylor Lane a Robin was perched in the ancient harvesting machine, needless to say the Little Owl wasn't there. No other birds were seen save a few small gulls.
At least my new boots passed the test.

Monday 27 November 2017

Raggalds Flood Delivers

1030 hrs full to the brim the flood held 2 pr Wigeon and some small gulls. The corner where the Snipe hang is covered in H2O as is the adjacent section over the wall.
Soil Hill had to be abandoned in a wall of water coming down from the sky with not one bird apart from a few caaawvids being seen.
Ogden was the pits 'nuff said.
Mixenden Res had 1 Cormorant present with the 2 f Goldeneye reported previously still there. Also a number of small gulls.

Sunday 26 November 2017

Slippin N Sliding down South

Chronic Birding Land approx 0915 hrs Cold with some ice underfoot. Littlemoor Park was being prepared for a cycle race and although a number of homo sapiens were about I can't blame them for scaring birds away particularly as there were none to scare. 
Psycho Nuthatch was evident along with a couple of Blackbird and a Chaffinch.

The remainder of the walk through High Cross Lane to lanes Corporal & Green produced:
1 Lapwing, 1 Mistle Thrush, mebbe a distant Redwing & 1 Goldfinch. 2 Meadow Pipit, 15 Canada Geese, c25 Common Gull, similar Jackdaw (no Nordics I'm afraid) Starlings Wrens n Robins.

Thursday 23 November 2017

Blown Away

I was wrong in thinking Soil Hell has the monopoly on strong wind. The gale I experienced today took my back to the halcyon days of hurricanes in Belize. When I got back to the hotel I took time out to scoop sand out of my eyes.


I came across this Redshank resting on the beach so sneaked one in with the mobile. It was more of the same species generally but Black-tailed Godwits had shot up to around 220 birds. Oh and the wind had blown the Twite out of sight.

Posting pics from Blogger Mobile is one helluva pain, hopefully I may be able to tidy up on arrival back in Queensbury the home of chronic birding.

PS I did.

Wednesday 22 November 2017

Down Came The Rain

Not too much wet stuff but enough to invoke a half days rest.
I recced an area to south of the pier which is sandhill country. Probably ok for SEO & Harriers when dry. Relocated theTwite flock now at c50 birds.
Pinkies in small groups over the town, I suppose local birders don't bat an eyelid. Same applies to the Oystercatchers that group together on the grass adjacent to a large retail building. This am there were probably 20 of them making a racket.

Tuesday 21 November 2017

Still They Come

A morning start revealed more of the same as yesterday for example Black-tailed Godwit numbered around 80 birds and Pintail were off the scale. Pinkies continued to delight giving good photo opportunities and with the high tide Shelduck were showing well.
Toward the end of the long trek I encountered c20 Twite in the same area as yesterday and they were in camera range as a bonus.
New birds today were 8 Gadwall, numerous Teal, Wigeon & Tufted Duck, several Canada & a few Greylag Geese, pr Stonechat, 1 each Reed Bunting & Kestrel, c10 Skylark, c24 Meadow Pipit, 4 Pied Wagtail. Gulls plentiful and one Herring sneered at me as I got a shot of it with the mobile bone.

Monday 20 November 2017

Birder Outnumbered

What an assault on the senses this afternoon has been; so many Pinkfeet,  they even flew over the town centre. Shelduck were in the highest numbers I've ever encountered pity the tide was out.
A mind blower after just 20 minutes along the beach was a party of c15 Snow Bunting flying around. Shortly after a similar sized group of brown jobs did the same but they were briefer and I really can't bring myself to say they were Twite. I hope to encounter them tomorrow when I take an extended walk along the beach.

Other players: 7/8 Black-tailed Godwit, c45 Oystercatcher, 2 Curlew, c20 Redshank, c12 Little Egret, 6 Little Grebe, ditto Pintail, c400 Coot. Also Lapwings, Cormorants, Mute Swans and other watery fowl.
Some photos to follow whenever.
This location is almost as good as the flood 😆

Sunday 19 November 2017

Quiet Queensbury South

Bright Sunny Calm conditions. A very conspicuous noisy Nuthatch in Littlemoor Park along with a few Blackbird & Chaffinch.
22 Lapwing, 2 Bullfinch, Jay, several Jackdaws and small Gulls, pr Mistle Thrush, 4 Redwing and that's it.

Saturday 18 November 2017

Want Some?

To The Leeds Maggot

You know who you are oh insignificant one. I chose to remove my previous  post myself for reasons you don't need to know. However since you need to play God cop for this one:
If your eyes offend thee pluck them out.
Now get real and run along like a good little Europhile.

Friday 17 November 2017

Saved By Pinkies

Another dour session until I was halfway round Ogden Res. Nowt on the Raggalds Flood at 0955 hrs. Soil Hill produced a singing RLP & a Kestrel on the top with a pr of Moorhen & a possible (distance) Little Grebe on the bottom pond.

Ogden was dire until I was twixt the Ogden and Skirden bridges. There I heard quite clearly a small party of Pink-footed Geese flying over the embankment area heading towards Cold Edge. The trees thwarted any chance of a visual but then fortune smiled in the shape of another birder.

JL was walking up from the lower golf course and he had seen and photographed them so at the time the pair of us guestimated up to 40 birds. No doubt a clearer picture will emerge once John has posted the image.
While we were expostulating a flock of c100 Lapwing were circling above for 10 mins unsure of where to go.

Mixenden Res had a couple off LBBG in with the load of small gulls & 2 f Goldeneye. Nearby fields held Canadas & several Jackdaws.

Wednesday 15 November 2017

Raggalds to Mixenden

The Flood at 0940 hrs. 1 Teal & 1 Lapwing. No Snipe showing but I suspected this could change and sure enough DW got 4/5 in the open at around 1245 hrs. A Blackbird that will never strum guitar again was on the pavement.
Soil Hill top even in very mild conditions was quiet; perhaps the Sparrowhawk & Kestrel I saw were responsible? Somehow I don't think so. Down at the bottom were a large flock of Lapwing c220 birds along with several small gulls and Starling.
6 LTT were in Coal Lane a very scarce sighting.

Ogden produced 3 Redwing ditto Bullfinch, 1 each Mistle Thrush & Kestrel, few Goldfinch and a Herring Gull in a field which didn't stay (the field of course did stay). 5 Blackbird were present and this was the predominant passerine throughout the walk with c23 birds being seen in total.
A drake Goosander was on the water and it seemed to glow Pink though the ropey pic I took doesn't reflect this and ain't worth publishing.




Around a dozen BHG were on the railings and amazingly two of them were sporting leg rings VS20 & X2T6. Both birds are old stagers one from Norway t'other subject to checking from Germany.
Mixenden was still holds the f Goldeneye numerous small gulls and several Canadas.

Tuesday 14 November 2017

Raggalds Snipe Fest

DW rang me at 1225 hrs to say there were at least 8 Snipe probably more feeding in the open in the boggy section of Raggalds Flood.



Photos: DW

This is a good count; I can't recall any number like that being previously recorded.

Littlemoor Park was quiet and so was the rest of the area I covered under the aegis of Queensbury South. 1 Snipe, 8 Lapwing, 4 Blackbird, 3 Pied Wagtail, couple Mipit, 1 Mistle Thrush ditto Goldfinch, 2 Chaffinch, few small gulls, numerous Starling.

Sunday 12 November 2017

Windy Queensbury South

0910-1050 hrs Bright sunshine and cold, birding sparse. Seeing there is a sign up in Foster Park saying Littlemoor Park, that's how it shall be referred to forthwith. 2/3 Bullfinch, 1 each Blackbird & Chaffinch. A Nuthatch stayed perched on a branch for quite a while calling often; I managed these two mediocre shots.



5 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail ditto Dunnock, 2/3 Goldfinch, 1 Mistle Thrush. c12 Redwing at distance over Shibden Head, 8 Lapwing, several Jackdaw and small gull species.

Friday 10 November 2017

Bradshaw Ogden Mixenden

Bradshaw Good - Woodcock flushed from about 3 square metre of track side undergrowth.
Ogden gash as ever. Usual scuzzers, Cor Moron, 3 Blackturds, Dullnock.
Mixenden acceptable - very mobile f Goldeneye, 31 Canada, 2 Lazy Black Backs, Grey Wagtail, mobile party 5 LTT, Blue & Gt Tits 2/3 Goldcrest.

Thursday 9 November 2017

Swalesmoor and Oats Royd

1305-1505 hrs.- Poor returns for a hard slog. Swales had a plague of corvids and a few small dulls otherwise deserted. At the Ploughcroft end were 12 Mipit, Dunnock, few House Sparrows, Blackbird, few Goldfinch, Blue/Gt Tits.
OR - 6 LTT, Blue/Gt Tits, 3 Redwing, Kestrel, Green Woodpecker, plenty Jackdaws, few small dulls. I've seen more action in a smashed up greenhouse at 4 in the morning in December at -6C.😬

Wednesday 8 November 2017

Walsham Dean

Courtesy of DW with DM on a bright day's stroll. Very sporadic birding but it ended with first autumnal winter thrushes for the three of us.

4 Coal Tit, Blue Tits, ditto Chaffinch, 3 Goldcrest, 1 Nuthatch ditto Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel. A Buzzard hung around through the duration both flying and perching.
Lower Gorple had just a f Teal Spotted by DM but nothing else. 3 Meadow Pipit ditto Red Grouse, 1 Bullfinch ditto Blackbird.
Finally the ones we were hoping for: 3 Redwing & c30 Fieldfare.

Monday 6 November 2017

Raggalds to Mixenden

1030 hrs the flood recedeth; it held zip. A flock of c115 Lapwing were in the field on the left hand side at bottom Persecution Rd with an even bigger no. of small Dulls.



Atop the same thorofare there lies a big heap of hoss shit which produced zilch. At the bottom of said pile something fowl was on the pond. Alongside was a flock of c75 Lapwing.

Ogdeeeewwwwn was torpid just more Dulls & Dullards. The plantation did have c12 Goldfinch & 2 Chaffinch present.
Stod Fold and Mixenden finally came up with a few birds including the best of the day. 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail ditto Blackbird & Dunnock. On the drink  among others were 2 LBBG & a female Goldeneye my first of the autumn.

Meanwhile DM went down from Northowram into the valley and got Nuthatch, Greenfinch, Buzzard & 3 Kestrel.

Saturday 4 November 2017

Low Moor Dams

1150 hrs a steward outside BPA football stadium asked me if footbal kit was in my rucksack as they were one short of the game against Blyth Spartans. I bet he's glad I refused to play as they went on to win 4-1.

Meanwhile next door in Harold Park were: 1 Grey Heron ditto Mute Swan, 10 Tufted Duck, 2/3 Goldfinch, 5 Goosander, several Coot, less so Moorhen, 1 each Grey & Pied Wagtail.

Park Dam: 10 Cormorant, 5 Little Grebe & 1 GCG. A pr Tufted Duck, c34 Canada, 1 each Herring & LBB gulls, 1 Blackbird, 6 Coot & 5 Moorhen.
Let's not forget the many small dull sp. & Dullards at both sites.

Friday 3 November 2017

Queensbury South

Bullfinch, 2 Mistle Thrush, 4 Blackbird, 2 Coal Tit, 3 Chaffinch, 4 Goldfinch, 2 Pied Wagtail ditto Snipe, 1 Meadow Pipit. What a bleeding liberty 😦

Thursday 2 November 2017

Queensbury to Ogden

At least 87 Lapwing on Raggalds sports field plus 3 small Gull sp. & 2 flyover Dullards.  The flood is receding at the same rate as my hair and had nowt on it. A Chaffinch was in the bush across the frog.
Soil Hill was gash; 1 each Moorhen, Kestrel & Snipe plus a pr Grey Partridge.
Ogden Res was an aquatic cemetery and not worth the effort. Woodland sp. down to 1 Jay, 2 each Coal Tit & Goldcrest.
A Dunlin seen at Fly Flatts by DP.