Queensbury to Mixenden Res

Old Guy Road: 2 Common Gull, several Goldfinch & Swallow, few Mipits, Kestrel.
Soil Hill: Several Lapwing, more Goldfinch, Skylark, few Mipits, 1 each Grey Heron & Moorhen.

Ogden Res: 5 Teal, Little Grebe, 8 Cormorant, 4 Herring Gull and the other Gull sp. The golf course was deadly quiet as was Hunter Hill bottom in the main; just 2 jay and a Kestrel seen.

Mixenden Res: c90 Canada, 6 Teal, Goldeneye, 1 each Moorhen and Grey Wagtail, couple Swallow and a very vociferous Nuthatch.

Finally I'd like to thank Google for not letting me post this info until the fourth attempt - you pile of shit.

Stainland

Courtesy of DW; DM also braving the hilly trek.

Passerines very hard come by but raptors kept us smiling: 5 Buzzard, 3 Kestrel.

Below par photos: NK

Also 4 Jay, 2 GSW, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Grey Wagtail, few Swallow & House Martin.

Queensbury to Mixenden Res

A very patchy session without any evidence of migration, enlivened by two sightings of a bird I haven't seen locally in a while.
Fleet Lane: an immature Sparrowhawk following a small party of Meadow Pipit in earnest over a field. Also a crowd of Starling near the cricket pitch. The top of Old Guy Rd produced c30 Goldfinch and a Linnet over.

Soil Hill was grim; one Skylark, few Goldfinch.
Ogden Res: another Sparrowhawk flying around speculating. 1 Little Grebe, 9 Cormorant, c25 Common Gull besides the BHGs and now fewer LBBGs. 7 LTT, couple Coal Tit, 1 each Grey Wagtail, House Martin, 3/4 Swallow.

The golf course was quiet: 1 Mistle Thrush, few Goldfinch. The stretch across Hunter Hill was abysmal.
Mixenden Res: Goldeneye, 1 LBBG, ditto Moorhen, 2 Grey Wagtail. I have never seen the water so birdless. Also GSW & Nuthatch, House Martin.

News From Afar

BBC News: Remains of world's oldest ringed golden eagle found in Sutherland. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-45322932

Swillington Ings

1110-1325 hrs. A quiet day the highlights being Red Kite, Greenshank calling in flight and Common Tern in good numbers.

1 Shelduck, couple Shoveler, numerous Gadwall, even more Tufted but for the first time ever not a Pochard seen.
I managed to pick out 2 Dunlin in among a multitude of Lapwing but thats it finished wader wise.

1 Little Egret, 7 Grey Heron, ditto Little Grebe, several GC Grebe. 1 Kestrel, several Cormorant, 3 Pied Wagtail, very few Gull sp. and another first no Reed Bunting. No Swallow seen but several Sand Martin & a few House Martin thrown in.

Queensbury to Mixenden

Old Guy Rd: 3 Wheatear ditto Mipit & 1 Swallow with a Pied Wagtail in Roper Lane
Soil Hill: 2 Skylark, few Swallow.

Ogden Res was similar to last visit minus the Tufted Duck.
The golf course had a couple House Martin also 1 each WW & Green Woodpecker.

Mixenden Res: just the Goldeneye, Grey Wagtail & Moorhen.

Not great but to be expected in the autumnal type squalls and at least I anticipated the W birds correctly.

Soil Hill to Mixenden

A gusting blow at the start kept things quiet but as it decreased matters avian improved.
SH: c13 Common Gull & 1 LBBG in a farm field on the top. Also 1 each WW, Skylark & BHG along with a couple or three of Mipit.

Ogden Plantation 3 Rook, (not common) few Goldfinch, 1 Kestrel.

The Res had 5 Cormorant, 2 Tufted Duck, 1 Herring Gull and several LBBGs, one of which had me going for YLG for a while. Also the BHGs & c10 Common Gull. A Common Sandpiper was on the E shore but it soon flew off.

The Golf Course proved to be really quiet apart from a couple of Swallow but when I got to the Mixenden Stile I hit pay dirt. A pr Spotted Flycatcher were flying to and from the adjacent hedge as they are wont. The nearby bushes also held 2 WW and similar Linnet.

Mixenden Res: 1 each GSW, Green Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Goldeneye, BHG. 2 Moorhen were seen and a host of Canadas.

A fair old mornings birding methinks.

Fly Flatts & Ogden Res

A WW calling from a bush in Queensbury High Street signified probable movement this morning and it turned out to be the case.

A pr Greenfinch were at Bradshaw, my first local for a while. Even better at Ogden was a chipping Crossbill in flight > SW.
c40 Meadow Pipit were thinly spread around the Withens and on the return leg a similar crowd of Goldfinch appeared as did DW who I hope had a worthwhile trip.

Fly Flatts 1040 hrs: Good views of a SEO quartering the area to the south but disappointment wader wise with the scrapes and shoreline there. This was due to a man wielding a very loud chainsaw and decimating the vegetation by the boathouse.
I was compensated with 1 each of Wheatear & Whinchat before I strode toward the N end mudflats.

The walk was worth it as I scanned the NE shoreline I picked up 3 Ringed Plover my first ever here and I think for 2018 too. The birds really turned it on after about 12 minutes as the flew directly over my head calling while heading W.
There was another "Peep" here but I never got to see it as it was in flight in the light rain. 2 Redshank size types were seen from the E top road but in silhouette so they too go unconfirmed. 2 Kestrel, ditto Curlew, 9 Tufted Duck & 5 BHG also seen plus a reprise from the SEO.

Ogden return leg proved rewarding and frustrating. 1 Green Woodpecker, ditto Tufted Duck, 7 Cormorant & the gull mix.
As I was walking halfway down the track after Boggart Brigg a loud song/subsong emanated from the mature trees which stopped me like a bullet. It went on for 5 minutes plus and I had all on to place it. I got on to Xeno Canto and I'm around 90% sure that Lesser Whitethroat is the nearest culprit but won't be recorded on Birdtrack as the bird didn't reveal itself. 

Fly Flatts Jackpot

4 GREEN SANDPIPER!

Also 5 Teal, 7 Tufted Duck, 1 Raven ditto Wheatear, few Mipit. A fitting note to quit birding on, terrific.

Fly Flatts to Ogden Res

My earliest departure from the hovel in a long while at 0630 hrs courtesy of DW. This proved to be well worthwhile with some good birds seen including my first local area SEO in 3 years. In fact there were 2 different individuals watched, making it a more rewarding experience.

The wind was blowing well at FF resulting in a quiet walk around the N end with just 3 Wheatear & a single Raven being seen, along with a surprising amount of vehicles on the top road.

Ogden Res was more interesting than we anticipated. A Dipper showed reasonably well up by the Ogden Clough bridge.
A pr Tufted Duck were hanging around the middle of the water while at least 8 Curlew noisily circled around overhead for a good 10 minutes before moving on.

The Gull population was minimal, however a few more Common had infiltrated the BHGs & LBBGs. A couple of Cormorant were also present.

Some Of My Favourite Bird Songs

In no particular order:

Jilted John - Gordon Is A Moorhen
Cher - If I Could Tern Back Time
Them - Booby Please Don't Go
Lonnie Donegan - I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kite
Various Artists - It's A Long Way To Tip Canary
Rod Stewart - Mandarin Wind, Maggie May
Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rook
Various Artists - Don't Crow For Me Argentina
Joe Cocker - Crow Me A River
The Byrds - Tern Tern Tern
Otis Redding - My Gull
The Georgia Satellites - Let It Rook
Fleetwood Mac - Drongo In The Night
Buddy Holly - Raven On
Average White Band - Wren Will You Be Mine
Dr Hook - Wren Your In Love With A Beautiful Woman

See Yer later I'm spending a few days in The Swanitorium 🐓😁

TMR Fly Flatts Ogden Res

This was a real hard slog with once again long stretches of avian absenteeism e.g Soil Hill was a write off as was the Foreside stretch - couple Goldfinch & Linnet.
Once again the TMR bridle track saved my sanity with 3 Spotted Flycatcher active in the grounds. Also 2 WW, 1 each Robin and Chaffinch present here. The moors en route produced just 2 Curlew, ditto Kestrel and the Gulls.

I met a guy here who was interested in birds and we had a brief chat. He told me he had just driven down to the reservoir house from the road on the Denholme side and had flushed a Jack Snipe from a pool! I kept my trap shut.

The stretch from there up to Fly Flatts was awful just a Kestrel and 7 Red Grouse.
FF reservoir (1255-1345 hrs) appeared to have almost as much mud as it did water. A NW'ly was blowing and birds were at a premium with nothing showing at the N end. I did manage 5 Tufted Duck out in the middle.

At the Boat House end I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a pr Barnacle Geese as it has been two years since I last got the species here. 3 Wheatear and similar Kestrel were seen along with a bunch of Meadow Pipit.

Crawling across the promenade at Ogden Res I managed to pick out 3 Herring Gull among the large LBBG crowd. A Jay was seen in flight here and Swallows had been seen thinly spread throughout the torture session.

Soi Hill to Mixenden Res

A Good start which tapered out in the main but a reasonable finish.

Ned Hill had a Buzzard giving very good views as it took off from the track and casually flew S. A Kestrel was perched on a wall as was an autumn plumage Wheatear.

I had an interesting chat with the landowner at Ogden Plantation which also produced a Buzzard and a Kestrel flying around Back Lane. I am confident these were the same birds seen some 35 minutes previously.

Photo by STING

Ogden Res was diabolical just 2 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron and the expected gulls.

The golf course had several House Martin only with the Little Owl plonked in the same spot at Hunter Hill bottom.

Mixenden Res was scrote  free which would account for the f Goldeneye being seen once again. Also 2 Grey Wagtail, 3 Moorhen, Nuthatch & GSW.

Is it That Time Already?

https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/yorkshire-water-urge-collaboration-ahead-of-protest-in-hebden-bridge-over-grouse-shooting-1-9292107

Soil Hill FF Cold Edge Trek

Another day of slogging it out with scant reward on the birding front.
Soil Hill: 1 Skylark ditto Whitethroat, few Mipit, several Goldfinch.

The stretch from Foreside to TMR was crucifying; the 6 Wheatear & 2 Whinchat seen by DP yesterday had gone never to be replaced. 1 Curlew, 6 Red Grouse, few Swallow seen.
4 Curlew by TMR and the Gulls.

Fly Flatts a lifetime later just about saved the day. 4 Dunlin, 5 Teal, 9 Tufted Duck, 2 Kestrel, 3 Wheatear, c8 Lapwing, 2 Pied Wagtail.

I helped this Fox Moth Catty Pillar across Cold Edge Rd

I decided to come home via Wainstalls and had a gander at Cold Edge: just 3 Curlew, few Swallow. 

Ogden Res & Fly Flatts

An unscheduled visit courtesy of DP. We checked out the gulls at Ogden for potential YLG but none were present. 3 Common Gull, several LBBG, many BHG.

2 Wheatear and pr Kestrel at Withens and this repeated at the South end Fly Flatts. c14 Lapwing were the only waders. The Tufted Duck were still present but the Teal appeared to have thinned out. A Wheatear was on the N end shoreline.

Soil Hill TMR Fly Flatts Circular

This is one I won't be ever doing again as I also threw in HX golf course and Mixenden Res. Talk about a bridge too far.
Most of the trek was in grey skies and a fresh breeze before becoming warm on the latter stretch. Birds were hard to come by with long stretches of  emptiness.

Soil Hill: A multiplicity of Mipits, 1 Skylark and a gargantuan gathering of finches at Coal Lane. c100 Goldfinch with a few Linnet thrown in.

From Foreside to the end of TMR bridlepath were Swallows, Mipits, 1 airborne Cormorant, 10 Red-legged Partridge on a wall & c17 Curlew either in the air or on the deck..

Bottom line reads Orienteering Ticket 5th August 2018

The path to Fly Flatts even had this sign up but there were none seen there. However anoth 13 RLP were in evidence.

At FF were 6 Lapwing, 10 Tufted Duck and several Teal plus 2 Dunlin. I got better views of the Teal & Dunlin courtesy of the DJS Telescope Loaning Co. 🔭. The scrapes and pool end of FF held only 5/6 BHG & 2 Pied Wagtail - not a wader anywhere. A Kestrel was circulating over the moorland.

HX golf course had a few House Martin and a WW.

I found this russet feather by the Mixenden stile, invoking thoughts of Redstart which were soon dashed as juvenile Robin also permeated my brain cells. A Little Owl and 2 juv Green Woodpecker were at Hunter Hill along with a couple of House Martin.

Mixenden Res was overpopulated but not with birds; all I could manage here was 3 Moorhen, ditto WW, 8/9 BHG, 1 Nuthatch and a couple of Tit types.

Fly Flatts Cracker

After a successful trek from Soil Hill, Foreside (1 Snipe) and TMR bridle path I got to the scrapes and lagoon end of Fly Flatts to see a wader take off showing a dark back with white flanks and ostensibly a white rump. I saw it again in profile on the deck just before it flew a short distance, calling and giving good rump views. A belting Green Sandpiper! 

About 5 minutes later the bird took flight heading diagonally in the direction of the opposite corner. Also here were 10 Tufted Duck, 3 Teal, 4 Lapwing, pr Kestrel & a few assorted gulls. Shortly after leaving a GBBG flew over in company with a LBBG.

Prior to this Ned Hill produced c22 Goldfinch and a Whitethroat while Ogden Plantation had a pr Lesser Redpoll skimming the treetops.

TMR Bridlepath delivered some great goodies: a family of 6 Spotted Flycatcher in and out of the top grounds where the house is.

Also in this area 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Swift, Swallow & 1 Wheatear. 3 Curlew, c68 Lapwing

Ogden Res: Jay, Green Woodpecker, 3 Cormorant, 2 Herring Gull, c60 LBBG, BHGs.

Swillington Ings

Courtesy of DW along with DM. A trip inspired by the variety of birds published on the reserve website over the previous 48 hours. As it happens, most birds failed to materialise so compensation was in the form of a warm pleasant day's walk and a handful of goodies.

Within a short time of arrival we managed the Black Tern in flight over Astley Lake and the 3 Spoonbill that were settled on the mud there. Not too long after this a female/juvenile Marsh Harrier flew around briefly at distance.

Common Terns were showing very well in good numbers and much to the relief of our aural organs the majority of BHGs have dispersed.

2 each of Kestrel & Red Kite were seen as were 1 Swift and a few Sand Martin. A Reed Warbler chuntered and was glimpsed briefly with a calling WW only heard.

4 Little Egret and Grey Heron were seen with a similar no. of Cormorant seen flying. However a larger no. of the latter were present standing on the main lakes islands.
Otherwise it was down to the multitudes of waterfowl and numerous Lapwing, the only wader sp. we got.