A Disastrous Mixenden To Ogden

What a hellish day with things going awry from the minute I left the hovel. I had to start at Mixenden Res which had a bunch of gulls there but not a squeak from the woods.

The mist helped maintain my misery with a couple of Meadow Pipit being the only birds seen until I started to emerge from the golf course towards Ogden Water.

Then a minor miracle occurred 😳. A WW was calling from the shrubs! It did this 4/5 times as it flitted around before I moved on.

Best we forget about the state of the weather that enveloped Ogden 😢.

Ogden Water Mixenden Route

Was getting ready for Ogden when BS sent me an encouraging text msg. Unfortunately his 3 Whooper Swan had left when I arrived. See West Yorkshire Birding blog.

4 Tufted Duck and 3 Teal still present also 4 Cormorant and the usual mix of gulls. I did have strong suspicions about one being a YLG but the distance factor prevents me from recording with conviction 🤔.

2 Mistle Thrush at Carrs Beck and an overhead Raven. 2 Stonechat and the Green Woodpecker at H Hill bottom. Only a mixed gull collection on Mixenden Res and a casually drumming GSW seen in the wood.

Some Ogden Water Action

Despite the forecast this mornings weather was dry and at times warm.

4 Teal seen and the almost resident Little Grebe was out on the open water.

Bumped into JL on the W path and midway through our chelping we paused to listen to the sound of a party of Pink-footed Geese flying over the trees behind us heading in the direction of Fly Flats 😁.

A Buzzard cried 3/4 times. A Grey Wagtail seen along with c40 Canadas. 2 Cormorant and the large selection of usual gulls.

The bottom of Hunter Hill coughed up the Green Woodpecker and a Stonechat. 

Did someone mention Mixenden? 🤢

Ogden Water To Mixenden

A decent haul this morning at Ogden. Mixenden Res was quiet apart from a good count of gulls.

Ogden: 3 Teal, 1 each Tufted Duck, Goosander & Little Grebe. 3 Cormorant and numerous Gulls both large and small. A Nuthatch called briefly.

A Stonechat was at Carrs Beck and a Green Woodpecker called from Hunter Hill bottom.

Ogden Water

Just time for a circuit then back home. I was really shocked at seeing the water levels still low after being away for two weeks.

1 each f Tufted Duck and f Goosander. Pr of Pied Wagtail. 

Two Buzzard were flying around for about 20 minutes one calling continuously. I wondered if it was a juvenile hunger calling and the parent trying to offload it.

3 Cormorant including the leg ringed critter and a truckloads of the usual gulls.

Last Push-up In Can Picafort

A final look at Les Salinas delivered two new birds rather unexpectedly. A pr Shoveler were feeding busily but the second sighting was also an annual tick. Hard to believe I’ve not had Snipe in my home range but that’s the way it is. A pr of them were also gobbling away at pace.

Also Pr Green Sandpiper. Several Kentish Plover, 5 BW stilt and a solitary Glossy Ibis.

I hear the Calderdale weather is kind and encouraging for my next adventure there 🤣 😖.

A Stroll Along Can Picafort Sea Front

Cooler and cloudy today. 2 Sardinian Warblers in a bush below hotel balcony.

Got a YLG in among 5 Audouins Gulls.

1 Cormorant in flight.

Followed by another YLG 😁👍 .