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 😣.

A Bit More Action Ogden Water

Another unseasonal wintry start that did improve to early spring standards after 45 minutes or so when blue skies appeared.

An interesting discovery at Ogden was clear evidence on the W end of the promenade of Song Thrush snail bashing behaviour. The small shell fragments I counted suggested 2 Snails 🐌 had been battered while an intact one had been spared probably by someone or something interrupting the bird. The expected Warblers present in low numbers.

4 Grey Heron still present. 15 Canadas. A noisy Curlew flew not too high over the water heading SW. Another one heard at distance.

3 Tufted Duck, 1 Herring & 7 LBB Gulls. The golf course coughed up a Swift, a Swallow and a pair of House Martin.