Wainstalls to Ogden Res

1025 hrs SE'ly breeze, warm. Very Patchy with sporadic movement mainly of Goldfinch, Linnet, Meadow Pipits in good numbers up at Cold Edge. The dams held 7 Tufted Duck, pr Canada & several BHG. 14 Mistle Thrush were on wires nearby and a GSW in a garden with a few Swallows and 4 WWS throughout.

The stretch from Mixenden Res which appeared birdless produced 4 LBBG, 1 each Kestrel, Green Woodpecker & Juv Curlew. A pr Stonechat were again seen on the rough above Brookhouse and that was it until Ogden.

The Reservoir held 3 Cormorant and the usual LBB & BH Gulls. Just 1 Common Gull was seen. Certainly 1 GSW maybe a pr were by the visitor centre.
Plenty of people and dogs were all around  - I couldn't stand the horrendous  screaming and barking but 15 minutes later after aborting  the lakeside walk I managed to stop it 😆.

Who's A Naughty Boy

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-40986107

A Short Outing

1045 hrs Ogden Res in the mainly wet. All went well at first just Gulls barely into double figures and 3 Cormorants. I thought today maybe the day I don't see any more birds. For a while I was happy but then I hit a bad 15 minute patch where bird activity took place. Flitting among the trees hunting for insects were 3 WW, 5 Coal Tit, Blue & Gt Tits, 3 Robin & 2 Blackbirds. To magnify the misery a Nuthatch piped up for 25 seconds or so.

I hastily beat  a retreat and scurried home via Oats Royd which had c30 BHG in a field and nothing else. Half of this site is now Oats Royd Fisheries with trespass notices up but as yet no actual machine gun posts.

Adel Dam to Eccup Walk

I got the chance to go outside our area today with DW & DM.
2 Buzzard, 6 Red Kite, 4 Mandarin, 2 GSW, 4 Nuthatch, pr Chiffchaff, few WW, possible Willow Tit.

1 Bar-headed Goose with another contender curled up not showing the head. 1 Barnacle Goose & many hundreds of Canadas & Greylags, c16 Tufted Duck. 1 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, c600 Lapwing. 1 Blackbird ditto Stock Dove, many Woodpigeon & Swallows.
Pr Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail. 1 each Jay, Whitethroat.
Thanks to DW for the lift.

Denholme Clough Doe Park

1050 hrs a very fresh W'ly blow kept passerines under wraps and the action was patchy to say the least. Started off well with Dipper, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and a few LBBG. Then it was a long quiet stretch until the boating end of Doe Park where I was entertained by a mammal rather than any birds. This Weasel kept me occupied for 15 minutes or so.

A Jay and a GSW plus a few Swallows were in this area while c30 Mallard were the only birds on the water. There was a plague of Wrens, 6 WW, 1 each Collared Dove, Blackbird & Robin several Woodpigeon & 2 BHG seen also.

c50 Lapwing > N on the E side of Soil Hill. Old Guy Rd was poor, just 1 Common Gull and 4 Meadow Pipit.
DM reports a Buzzard flying low over head head and a GSW among others in Shibden Valley.

Saved By The Rough

"When the South Westerly doth blow I prithee do not go out unless you're happy with finding nowt." These words penned by Montmorency Snert of the Queensbury birding dynasty some 50 years back are just as true now as they ever were.

Raggalds is almost dry again and was bereft of birds.
Soil Hill was heartbreaking just 1 each Goldfinch Meadow Pipit & Swallow. A Song Thrush was in the Ned Hill track conifers which relieved the boredom fleetingly.

Ogden Res was crawling with LBBGs, similar BHGs and the 4CY Herring Gull that cheesed me off last week or thereabouts. Also 2 Cormorant there but not a passerine seen.

The Brookhouse track saved me from tying a length of rope around a tree branch yet again. 3 Stonechat were present 1 each M F & Juv. Also a pr of Whitethroat were on the wires.

I gave Mixenden Res a miss as it was full of er, shall we say non birders. c55 Jackdaw and c45 Canada were in the fields off Stod Fold

Shibden Valley & Swales Moor

Quite an interesting morning all told. 3 Buzzard were very active in the valley with 2 Kestrel in support roles.

A couple of House Martin were showing as well as a few Swallows. 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 GSW ditto Jay & Song Thrush, 3 LBBG.

I went across the frog n toad to inspect the Swales Moor farmers fields. Pity that the mud has almost dried up with just 4 Pied Wagtails present. However I was party to fairly long interaction twixt a Sparrowhawk and a Carrion Crow.

c32 LBB & 2 Herring Gulls were sweeping around the tops often fairly low down. Also seen were plenty of corvids and for the first time in yonks a Fox.

On the way back there were plenty of  phone calls and text msgs flying around between BS, DW and myself regarding an Osprey sighting. So as not to steal his thunder I suggest you refer to BS blog this evening.

Ilkley Moor Grouse Controversy

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-40910811

Shelf Moor & Low Moor Dams

Low Moor Dams 1030-1155 hrs rather cold for August and with a noticeable W'ly blow which may account for the quietest visit I've ever paid.
Harold Park: 1 Herring & 6 LBB gulls plus a few BHGs, 8 Mute Swan, 1 GCG,, ditto Moorhen, Coots, 4 Tufted Duck, 1 GSW.
Park Dam: The Kingfisher was noisy today and gave good views as it bolted acrss the water from one corner to another.

Boy is you ugly but I loves ya honeychile

The GC Grebe pr raised just the one chick, fortunately a few photographs were possible.
Also 1 each Little Grebe & Grey Wagtail, c55 Canada, 6 Tufted, Coots, few Goldfinch & House Sparrows. Only hirundines were 2 each House Martin & Swallow.

Shelf Moor: 5 Swift, few Swallow, 1 Kestrel, 2 Pied Wagtail, small numbers Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, Linnet. 1 LBBG, several BHG, Woodpiggies.

Same Old Route

Raggalds is now a flood again but only had 2 BHG present.
Soil Hill had a Kestrel, few moving BH & LBB gulls over > E. 2 Pied Wagtail, 1 Tree Pipit, 5 Meadow Pipit, few Goldfinch.
Ogden: 8 Cormorant, 20 LBB, similar BHG.

No.8 at top of frame

Pr Kestrel & Grey Partridge were at the golf course rough area with a Green Woody further up the hill. c40 BHG were at Stod Fold, 29 Canada were on Mixenden Res.
WWs still around with House Martins, Swallows.

I had a long pleasant natter with a landowner who passed on some very interesting info about the raptor and such like situation 3 or 4 miles up the road apiece.

Newquay GBBG Ring Info

Click here to see more about the ringed Great Big Bad Gull


Birdbrain: Birding In Newquay

Soil Hill to Mixenden

Starting off at 1035 hrs with a decent downpour but the day turned out to be good for birds.
A transient Owl turned out to be LEO and not the SEO I was hoping for but I'm not complaining. Others here: 2 Kestrel, Whitethroat, 7 Linnet, similar Meadow Pipit, 1 LBBG, 2 Blackbird.

Ogden Res just had the usual Gulls, 1 Cormorant, ditto Grey Wagtail & Nuthatch.
The golf course produced 1 m Stonechat and from there to Mixenden were 1 Wheatear, couple Meadow Pipit, c24 Canada & a few House Martin. Swallows were seen throughout.
The reservoir was busy with kayaks and people.

Queensbury South and Shibden Valley

A long slog from 0820-1105 hrs. Who said Shibden is a difficult place to yomp? It was a cake walk - I got caked in mud 👺.
Qunsbry Sth - just a few Goldfinch & Swallow with 2/3 Greenfinch & Linnet, c7 Meadow Pipit. Sadly no House Martin seen which ties in with the news of a resident having only two nests under his eaves as opposed to 4 last year. 18 Canada over > E, 1 LBB, 2 Common & 8 BH Gulls.

Shibden - A good count of 7 Jay, 5 of them together. 2 each Blackbird, Song Thrush, GSW & Green Woody. 1 each Buzzard, Kestrel & Grey Heron, 5 WW, several Swallows, couple Linnet, few more Goldfinch. Stacks of Woodpiggies.