A Quiet Long Slog

The sunny dry morning encouraged me do the local long haul. Not much about really apart from the many humans and dogs at Ogden Water.

2 Curlew, few Skylark & Meadow Pipit. Pair distant Oystercatcher. Pr Pied Wagtail.

A Chiffchaff at Ogden and another at Mixenden Res. Couple Curlew at Hunter Hill.

Tufted Duck pair left Ogden 7 Canadas 2 LBBG & 4 Herring Gull present.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

Thought I’d better get out before the arrival of Dave 💨.

Pr Tufted Duck, 6 Canadas, 2 Common Gull & 4 LBBG.

3 Chiffchaff, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Jay & 6 Blackbird at Ogden.

2 Curlew Hunter Hill. 2 Chiffchaff at Mixenden.

Soil Hill Top

A short afternoon session brought more birds than expected.

6 Lapwing, 3 Curlew, 5/6 Meadow Pipit, 1 Blackbird & a Linnet. 

A Dullard was in one of the shallow scrapes.

Quite a few Butterflies knocking around too.

Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

A cold day with grey skies and a nasty wind but it was rather rewarding.

A Pink-footed Goose was near Haigh Cote Dam busily feeding alongside a couple of Greylags 👍.

2 Oystercatcher 🦪, many Curlew. Pr Tufted Duck. Pr Stonechat, 4 Linnet, 3/4 Meadow Pipit, 1 Kestrel.

A large flock of Starling were busy flying around settling for a couple of minutes then off up into the sky again. I estimated roughly about 800 birds seen.

A Leucistic Greylag had a backup leucistic cow in a field.

A Chiffchaff let a few notes out at Mixenden then packed it in.

Ogden Water To Mixenden Res

Back to my usual haunts on another wintry day. No gulls at all on Ogden but a dozen Herring on Mixenden.

Singing Chiffchaffs: 1 at Ogden lower car park, another at the golf course sheds. 2 in the woods at Mixenden.

A Nuthatch singing at Ogden, 3 Blackbird. 2 Robin.

A Curlew at Stod Fold.

Final Short Session In Tavira

As expected I found myself out in the salinas after breakfast this morning. Fortunately I still have a modicum of common sense left and was able to keep it down to an hours slow stroll.

Because there is a lot of work going on in on of the larger salt pans a lot of birds had no option but to feed on a lake that is covered in green 🤢 algae. To my benefit this included 2 Spoonbill 😁. 5 Little Egret there also.

A Woodchat Shrike posed long enough for some photos as did the Blue-headed Wagtail 👍.

Bye bye birdies 🥲.

Final Long Algarve Trek

Put in the effort to do a long slog today as I have to ready myself for the return home Friday. Of course being obsessed with birds I may try slipping in a Little Stint tomorrow 🤓.

Newbies: 1 each Red-rumped Swallow, Blue-headed Wagtail.

A few more Curlew Sandpiper turned up and a White Stork didn’t appear too bothered about the nearby footfall.

Good to get another Bar-tailed Godwit and a freshly laundered Grey Plover.