A Bit More Action At Ogden

A day that brought back memories of January weather and for the first 35 minutes thoughts of nothing doing again! Usual culprits: Blackcap x 2 and WW plus Chiffchaff x 7 + 5. The Grey Heron was in the same area as the last visit.  

15 minutes before I hit the promenade it picked up considerably. The mystery singer was blasting away again so this time I took a sound recording to try and clarify the varmints identity.

I then got a pair of Swift not too high up and a Cuckoo calling from a distance. I stress it wasn’t the song From A Distance it was the location 🤓.

Also a Swallow, Mistle Thrush, Skylark & Whitethroat.

A Curlew and an Oystercatcher were at Hunter Hill.

Ogden To Mixenden Dull Session

A day more like March than May. Ogden Water had just a pair of Greylag Geese and a Grey Heron on the water. The trees held around 7 singing WW, 4 Chiffchaff and a couple of Blackcap. They also sported a loud singer I listened to for about 8 minutes without identifying it. I knew what to eliminate but even after plugging away with Xeno Canto at home I’m still no wiser.

A Whitethroat was singing about 40 yards W of the promenade end. A couple of WW singing by the golf course sheds.

Mixenden was really gash: 2 Chiffchaff and as I departed another Whitethroat belting away from a footpath bush.

A Long Whiteholme Walk

A warm session that, after a below average first half did produce some interesting birds 👍. A bit of surprise to see a drake Teal fly from a patch of heather near the shoreline

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Got my first Common Sandpiper of the year a pair of them.

Curlews limited to two distant birds calling briefly.

Enjoyed fair views of 2 Little-ringed Plover that caused me to speculate 🧐. They were at total opposite ends of the reservoir to each other.

3 Wheater watched for a while. A pair that always flew back to a certain area of rocks and a single male.

Also 2 Pied Wagtail, c22 Meadow Pipit and a good count of around 17 singing Skylark.

Horton Bank Country Park

A warm sunny afternoon where once again I was overlayered. On the other hand I wasn’t overwhelmed with birds e.g not a single hirundine present (there were no Swallows or Sand/House Martins seen either 🤓).

A Mute Swan pair have built their nest in a very vulnerable spot I can’t see it lasting long given the scumsuckers that gravitate there in the later hours 😏.

Singles Moorhen & Coot. 11 Canadas not a single Gull seen nor heard.

1 Whitethroat, 3 WW, 2 Chiffchaff. 

Couple Blackbird ditto Chaffinch & Robin. 

Ogden Wat…Look Away Now!

I praise myself for picking the wrong day again. The brisk wind chill blew my toupee off 3/4 times and ensured birds were minimal 😓.

A Buzzard called 5/6 times which broke the monotony. 2 LBBG were on the drink. Usual common warblers in small numbers. Same applies to expected residents.

Golf course to MixenDeadEnd; 😵‍💫💦 👎.

Rather Warm Cold Edge Dams

Picked the wrong layers of clothing today. Just had enough stamina to do the walk from Wainstalls up to the ruined building and back.

Pr Lapwing ditto 🦪 catcher. Kestrel. 1each Pied Wagtail Reed Bunting & Stonechat. 5 Curlew, 6 Swallow.

5/6 WW ditto Chaffinch. 4 Blackbird. 5 Tufted Duck and the assortment of Geese.

Local Long Route Trek

A warm dry sunny session. Good to have a natter with BS en route.

2 Curlew, 6 Lapwing. 1 Greenfinch ditto Whitethroat.

5/6 Swallow few Chaffinch & Goldfinch. 1 Grey Partridge in flight,1 Skylark.

1 Grey Heron, 4 Greylag Geese pr Tufted Duck. 3 LBBG.

Singing Blackcap besides a couple Chiffchaff & WW.

1 Mistle Thrush. Green Woodpecker & 2 LBBG at last venue.