Ogden Water To MixenDeadEnd

This won’t take too much of your time up reader.

What a superb Summer Day to raise the spirits rain wind and more rain.

3 LBBG on Ogden Water with 4 Grey Heron on the N end shore.

1 GSW, 2 Swallow plus the usual common warblers.

As I was leaving 2 unfamiliar birders I met near the promenade end told me about a Marsh Harrier on the tops. They pointed in the direction of Hunter Hill.

I continued on the usual route along HH bottom and didn’t see anything let alone the MH.

All I have to say about the final destination is: the Whitethroat is a much more positive entity than me. It was still knocking the 🎵 music 🎶 out.

Low Moor Dams

Thankfully it remained dry during the late morning stint. Not too much to shout about however with a noticeable lack of hirundines and Swifts.

I LBBG on HPL along with a Mute Swan, a pair of GC Grebe ditto Tufted Duck. Plus the expected Canadas Coots and Moorhens.

Park Dam had 10 Mute Swan, 3 Tufted Duck and another GCG. A Tawny Owl called once rather feebly from the woods. A few more Coots and Moorhens.

Upon departure a fledgling Great Tit got fed by a parent. 3 LBBG overhead.

Ogden Water

1 each Grey Heron and drake Tufted Duck. 2 GSW heard calling weakly so I presume juvenile birds. 

The expected warblers were a bit louder today as was a Song Thrush. 5 Blackbird.

1 LBBG several Goldfinch couple Swallows and a distant Curlew.

Usual Local Trek Catch Up

Ogden Water on Wednesday was so poor apart from the Pied Flycatcher that it put me into an ultra negative mood and as the Mixenden stretch was equally mind numbing I didn’t see any point in recording whatever it was I saw 😓.

Today Friday, I braved Soil Hill top. The W’ly breeze made its presence felt and all I saw were singles of Swallow, Skylark and Crow! About 10 LBBG and a couple Herring Gull were following the machinery excavating the N slope bottom. Pied Wagtails appear to have bred in Coal Lane.

Ogden coughed up a soaring Buzzard and a distant Curlew. 3 Blackcap were singing loudly but the Piecatcher has Flied 😂. Numbers of LBBG slowly built up during the session. A single Swallow seen.

Mixenden produced 28 Canadas. The ever present Whitethroat and a Pied Wagtail carrying insects. A spirit lifter was a pr House Martin showing strong signs of nesting 👍.

Cold Edge Dams

Only on arrival at Wainstalls did I hear about yesterday’s tragic drowning at Leadbeater Dam via a text message.

On the return leg I was informally interviewed by a couple of BBC reporters who wanted my input on the area in general and how to access the waters edge.

The birding was just about satisfactory given the heat. A Redshank should get itself employed by a reputable Alarm Signals Manufacturer. 5 Curlew heard.

1 male Stonechat wasn’t too happy about my presence.

1 Whitethroat 1 Pied Wagtail ditto Meadow Pipit. A singing Reed Bunting. A Kestrel doing the rounds.

6 WW 1 Chiffchaff couple Greenfinch plenty of Starling and at last pushup I managed 3 Swallows.

Soil Hell To Mixenden Via Ogden

Time I accepted I’m too old for this long haul now. I ran out of energy will and muscle power on completion.

However it had its moments particularly at the first and second venues 😄.

After clocking 5 Lapwing 3 Curlew and a couple Skylark on Soil Hill I heard a stop you in your tracks call. I focussed on the appropriate area and was rewarded with another call a few yards away before seeing a small wader take flight. 

Twas a Little Ringed Plover! 😛. I’m fairly sure the last pair I saw here was back in 2010.

Also a couple of Whitethroat and WW present in the greenery.

At Ogden Water the Pied Flycatcher was in full song once again and this time I got a glimpse of it from the W track 👍. 3 Curlew heard in the distance. 2 drake Tufted Duck on the drink and the Grey Heron laid out full length on the shoreline.

A Grey Wagtail had a beak full of insects at Mixenden. Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff ditto WW and the Whitethroat 🎵.

Abandoned Session At Ogden Water

The winter weather persisted and then I encountered another issue that caused me to abandon the walk.

The gate at the start of the promenade which takes you along the E path is locked.

This is due to hard core material being laid down on the surface and is expected to take at least a week.

To take a circular walk around use the gate at the W side and after turning right around the N end you have to use the woodland path to get back to the Car Parking area.

The birds were almost non existent.