Olu Deniz Final Nightmare

It happened again! Is there no justice in this hell hole? (👺 I do apologise Devil).

There I was doing another tour of the rubbish dumps and then after a few minutes walking along a mountain bottom path a squawk and kerfuffle or three halted my perambulation ☹️.

A Blue Rock Thrush was shoving food down the wide open gob of a well grown youngster 🍼.

When no birds are expected nor desired it really is distressing 😩. 

It appears that White Wagtail has bred near my hotel judging by a pr I saw in and out of a bush.

Jays and Swallows doing the rounds 😏.

Olu Deniz Disaster

Quite a satisfying morning of no birds exept a Jay or six and the Swallow crew. That is until I sat down in a lightly wooded area to take a break from being baked ☀️. 

When you have abandoned all thoughts of birding for the rest of your life I suppose an odd call from a Blackbird and a Great Tit won’t be a great upset 🤔.

Then it really got worrisome; a loud call from an unCalderdale type bird started from a nearby tree.

My worst fears materialised; the bird showed itself confirming it was a Blue-Rock Thrush ☹️.

The powers that be have reclassified this sp. from Turdidae 💩 to being a member of the Chat family - riveting eh?

No Thrills Olu Deniz

A Jay posed for me on Tuesday morning and the mix of Swallows were floating around all day and in the evening when I managed a dark medium size raptor at distance by the mountains. Not gonna even try to…

This morning Wednesday 24 I slipped up big time ☹️. A White Wagtail flew over my hotel garden patch and on returning from another non event (apart from the you know whats) A Common Buzzard called twice from above the buildings 😲. Oh if you insist then, I got a Blackbird in a garden 😏.

A nervous breakdown is due any time. While floating in the hotel pool the Buzzard choose to circle high above the streets 3/4 times. Six or seven bird species sightings here is just too much for any mere mortal.

Olu Deniz Day 3

Don’t think I’ll bother birding here again after this mornings misery. I went round the local nature reserve which now charges about £2.50. This is not for nature conservation it’s to support the scores of cafe’s bistros & beer bars that have sprung up since I came here in 2023.

The marsh at the side of the Lagoon (about 3 Ogden Waters in area) didn’t have a single bird there. Nothing on the water apart from hundreds of tourists in it.

Oh I tell a lie; a YLG did fly over it.

I count myself very lucky to see an Icterine Warbler land atop a tree and a Crag Martin actually fly across a very busy street!

No raptors despite the mountains I reckon the hundred of hang gliders have seen them off.

Olu Deniz First 2 Mornings

Saturday 21st after a non existent sleep due flight delayed.

A bit on the warm side at 28c with temperatures forecast to hit the low 30s.

Lousy birding: 2 Jays. 3/4 Swallows, couple House Martin. A House Sparrow and several Collared Doves.

Sunday 22 June. The birding has nosedived since I was here (Turkey) 3 years ago.

I got 1 Gull only! At distance and brief view possible YLG without conviction.

A few Red-rumped Swallow and Barn Swallow were busy gathering mud alongside a main road. I got some fairly decent photos but duck egg here forgot a key cable meaning I can’t transfer from camera 😵‍💫

The darker version of our Jay are in plague  proportions here. I got 14 of them at a conservative count. Also: 1 Crow, 2 Blackbird, 1each Chaffinch & Great Tit. Collared Doves on the cliff ledges. 

Warblers? 😆🤣🤭😢

Mundane Ogden But A Surprise At Mixenden

Actually a correct description pertinent to the final venue would be a Shock 😮.

Ogden provided my first Sand Martin of the year. A pair were flying around the promenade for a couple of minutes before moving on. An Oystercatcher was heard once then the session nose dived.

A Grey Heron and 3 drake Tufted Duck plus 8 Canadas on the water. 7 LBBG dropped in at the final stage of the walk. 

The WWs ChiffChaffs & Blackaps singing.

The golf course coughed up a Skylark and a Raven flew around Hunter Hill.

Mixenden Res was typically quiet until I got to the exit gap in the wall by the main metal gate. Then all hell broke loose 💥💥.  Very loud alarm calls erupted from the shore line and went on for about 25 seconds. A pair of Common Sandpiper then burst into view 👀.

One bird flew close by me into the edge of the trees then immediately went back down to the shore. The other bird flew up the S shoreline.

Half a minute later a Carrion Crew emerged from the same spot leading me to believe it was the culprit of the scenario 👺.

More Ogden In The Rain

Another glorious Summer's day ☔️😢. The Grey Herons have dispersed and I just saw 3 today. Tufted Duck still at 3 birds. 1 each LBB & Herring Gull. Same Warblers singing in 2s and 3s.

1 GSW ditto Mistle Thrush. 2 each of Swallow & Swift. A Buzzard had a Crow almost chewing its tail as it flew towards Stod Fold.

I’d rather not mention Mixenden 😣.