Olu Deniz First 2 Mornings

Saturday 21st after a non existent sleep due flight delayed.

A bit on the warm side at 28c with temperatures forecast to hit the low 30s.

Lousy birding: 2 Jays. 3/4 Swallows, couple House Martin. A House Sparrow and several Collared Doves.

Sunday 22 June. The birding has nosedived since I was here (Turkey) 3 years ago.

I got 1 Gull only! At distance and brief view possible YLG without conviction.

A few Red-rumped Swallow and Barn Swallow were busy gathering mud alongside a main road. I got some fairly decent photos but duck egg here forgot a key cable meaning I can’t transfer from camera 😵‍💫

The darker version of our Jay are in plague  proportions here. I got 14 of them at a conservative count. Also: 1 Crow, 2 Blackbird, 1each Chaffinch & Great Tit. Collared Doves on the cliff ledges. 

Warblers? 😆🤣🤭😢

Mundane Ogden But A Surprise At Mixenden

Actually a correct description pertinent to the final venue would be a Shock 😮.

Ogden provided my first Sand Martin of the year. A pair were flying around the promenade for a couple of minutes before moving on. An Oystercatcher was heard once then the session nose dived.

A Grey Heron and 3 drake Tufted Duck plus 8 Canadas on the water. 7 LBBG dropped in at the final stage of the walk. 

The WWs ChiffChaffs & Blackaps singing.

The golf course coughed up a Skylark and a Raven flew around Hunter Hill.

Mixenden Res was typically quiet until I got to the exit gap in the wall by the main metal gate. Then all hell broke loose 💥💥.  Very loud alarm calls erupted from the shore line and went on for about 25 seconds. A pair of Common Sandpiper then burst into view 👀.

One bird flew close by me into the edge of the trees then immediately went back down to the shore. The other bird flew up the S shoreline.

Half a minute later a Carrion Crew emerged from the same spot leading me to believe it was the culprit of the scenario 👺.

More Ogden In The Rain

Another glorious Summer's day ☔️😢. The Grey Herons have dispersed and I just saw 3 today. Tufted Duck still at 3 birds. 1 each LBB & Herring Gull. Same Warblers singing in 2s and 3s.

1 GSW ditto Mistle Thrush. 2 each of Swallow & Swift. A Buzzard had a Crow almost chewing its tail as it flew towards Stod Fold.

I’d rather not mention Mixenden 😣.

A Bit More Action Ogden Water

Another unseasonal wintry start that did improve to early spring standards after 45 minutes or so when blue skies appeared.

An interesting discovery at Ogden was clear evidence on the W end of the promenade of Song Thrush snail bashing behaviour. The small shell fragments I counted suggested 2 Snails 🐌 had been battered while an intact one had been spared probably by someone or something interrupting the bird. The expected Warblers present in low numbers.

4 Grey Heron still present. 15 Canadas. A noisy Curlew flew not too high over the water heading SW. Another one heard at distance.

3 Tufted Duck, 1 Herring & 7 LBB Gulls. The golf course coughed up a Swift, a Swallow and a pair of House Martin.

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.