Bad Trip To Brighouse

A nightmare journey from Halifax; roadworks at Brighouse and dodgy temporary traffic lights caused very long vehicle queues 😡.

Cromwell Bottom birding is still very frustrating and I’m sure other birders need no explanation why.

5 Goldeneye  4 Mute Swan. Numerous gulls both large and small common species.

The trees and feeders produced a pandemic of the expected Tits. Couple Blackbird and 5 Robin. One each Cormorant & Raven in flight.

Small Bits And Pieces

3 days ago I chucked a small portion of  leftover chicken curry breast into the back yard. The next morning I noticed it gone but was amazed to see a female Blackbird 🐦‍⬛ polishing off a piece, it was almost licking its lips 👅.

In the evening a male Blackbird was singing.

This morning I saw a Crow in Foxhill playing fields that was so leucistic it looked more like a Magpie. The coverts secondaries and primaries emblazoned white.

Ogden Water was quiet, the Goosanders reported by BS had left and only a few gulls were left including 5 Common. I did get 2 loud hoots from a Tawny Owl and a pair of Bullfinch. No singers today apart from a Blackbirds weak effort. I put this down to the temperature drop.

More Ogden Water To Mixenden

A satisfactory walk around Ogden with reasonable visibility.

A flock of maybe just over a hundred Pink-footed Geese flew over from the E/SE then veered off to the N heading towards Warley Moor.

Not much doing on the water but the E bank was busy with several Tits including 1 LTT & 2 Coal. Also 1 Blackbird. 2 Song Thrush were singing as was a Mistle Thrush. One m Bullfinch ditto Chaffinch.

Mixenden Res was rotten with a couple of hundred plus gulls present. Mainly BHG but also Common & Herring.

6 Continental Blackbirds & a singing Mistle Thrush in the trees.

Ogden To Mixenden In The Murk

I just had to get out of the hovel this morning to save beating the ceiling with my head after 5 days spent staying in.

Saw JL at Ogden so we traipsed around it together with not much seen at all. A Herring Gull perched next to 4 BHG.

I managed a Kestrel which was also fogged off so much so it hung around for a few minutes before drifting off. 

I got a pr Greenfinch in Rocks Lane.

At Mixenden I encountered a Song Thrush that had completely lost the plot - it was 🎶 singing!

The GBBG was on the water as were 3/4 Herring Gull a couple of LBBG and the smaller jobs.

Some Info From Scandinavia

My Cousin lives in Aarhus Denmark. I received this news from him today.

A large group of Fieldfare were feeding on ripe fermented berries from the trees and getting drunk on them 🥃 😅.

Explains why we’re not getting them in good numbers doesn’t it? Why travel further than necessary to party?

Home and Cromwell Bottom

I got out of bed at approximately 0245 to answer a call of nature. Nature responded with a call of its own. A Tawny Owl 🦉 hooted 5 times from the trees 🌲 out back. This is the first time I’ve had one in the past 2 possibly 3 years.

Cromwell Bottom

Could be my last visit here thanks to the limited visibility caused by the dense foliage blocking any good views of the Ski Lake. Ironically while I appreciate the bright dry day the sunshine played its part in prohibiting decent sightings of whatever came into view.

7 Grey Heron atop a couple of trees, one standing over a

nest.

A pr Goldeneye ditto Cormorant. 3 Tufted Duck. Plenty of Gulls large and small.

The lake by the canal that’s almost overgrown with reeds coughed up 6 Teal feeding on a small clear shallow section. A pr Goosander were on the canal.

More Ogden Water And Mixenden

I took a chance and went out as the fog didn’t seem too dense this am.

Ogden wasn’t too scintillating (there’s a surprise) with just a single Tufted Duck and the few expected gulls showing on the drink. Arboreal types were 4 Robin 2 Dunnock and  a Blackbird. As I headed towards Mixenden I heard then saw my first Raven of 2026.

I was somewhat sceptical about Mixenden Res but lo and behold first I got the Shelduck again followed by the GBBG 👍.  Also a single Cormorant and quite  a few gulls present both large and small.

Another year tick was a calling Nuthatch in the woods.