Soil Hell To Ogden Water

I had a mental siezure this morning and decided to go to the Hill from Hades after an absence of a couple of months or so. It will be my last ever trip until my next breakdown; it was awful.

 

8 Rook at  Raggalds then a House Martin and a Swallow up Perseverance Rd put me in a positive frame of mind which soon disappeared 😩.

7 Grey Partridge, 1 Skylark and 2 Meadow Pipit were the only birds seen on the top.

In Ogden Plantation I managed to get another annual species: 2 Goldcrest 😊.

At Ogden Water there was plenty of screaming although barking was absent. The only notable bird was a Greylag Goose by itself on the W bank. This must have been a truly wild bird as on seeing me it gave an almighty squeal and a honk before flying off to do half a circuit of the reservoir before disappearing.

Cold Edge Dams

A dry calm session that started slowly but ended very satisfactory 😁.

1 f Tufted Duck ditto Pied Wagtail. c22 Goldfinch, 8 Meadow Pipit, 6 Swallows, 3 WW.

On return from the dilapidated building about 50 yards down the path 2 passerines flew into the Hawthorns.

A glimpse of tail and then a good view of back and tail sent me into a paroxysm of delight 😅. My first Common Redstart of the year. 1 adult female and a juvenile. They didn’t come out of the bush but I ain’t bovvered 😊.

Also a big bunch of Canadas and c12 BHGs. A distant faint one off call suggested Buzzard but I won’t record.

Routine Ogden Route

Nothing to raise the heart rate again today. I got very brief views of a couple of hirundines high up but can’t split twixt House or Sand Martin 🤔.

7 Cormorant 3 Grey Heron & the GCG. Both a Buzzard and a Raven called just once. 

The usual Gulls present. A Reed Bunting was the only bird the golf course could offer.

Rained Off At Ogden Water

Water levels should start to rise in the next couple of days

methinks. I copped for a deluge and abandoned the Mixenden half of the trek.

The birding was poor. The Lapwings have moved on and no sign of any other waders.

Cormorants now up to 6. 1 Grey Heron ditto GCG. 4 Pied Wagtails & 1 Grey Wagtail by the promenade plus a Swallow over it. 

Let’s not forget the Gullage and a single calling Nuthatch.

Ogden A Route Of Two Halves

Plenty of visitors this morning but the noise level wasn’t too bad even though a Buzzard did start crying once more.

The GCG showed again as did the long staying Common Sandpiper.

3 Cormorant & 2 Grey Heron and the Gullage on the Ullage. Good to see Lapwing numbers at 23 individuals 😊.

It all came to a jolting finish from the promenade to Mixenden. Not a single bird seen nor heard until the Green Woodpecker laffed at me 🤨.

Breezy Cold Edge Dams

Some evidence of movement due to the NW blow. I got a Whitethroat in the same hedge as a Reed Bunting 3 Stonechat and a Dunnock.

A Lapwing flew across Leadbeater Dam which had 5 BHG on it and nothing else. Haigh Cote was also grim just 3 Canadas ditto Dullards.

7 Swallow, 3 Meadow Pipit, c22 Goldfinch 1 each Kestrel & Blackbird. Also my first Brown Hare in a couple of years.

More About The Ogden Route

Another warm morning session that had a couple of reasonable sightings to savour 😊.

13 Lapwing on Ogden Water. 2 each Grey Heron & Cormorant.

Loads of usual Gull species.Several Canadas. 2 Nuthatch ditto Swallows.

Carrs Beck had at least 6 Stonechat busily flying all over the shop. 

A Green Woodpecker and a Blackbird at Mixenden along with a smattering of Gulls.