Low Moor Dams

1030-1145 hrs SW'ly fresh wind cold but dry. Another satisfactory walk with one particularly rewarding Wildfowl sp.

Harold Park: 10 Tufted Duck, 3 Goosander ditto Herring Gull. Many small gulls, 1 GC Grebe, 2 Pied Wagtail, 1 singing Mistle Thrush. Coots & Moorhens.

Park Dam: 3 Little & 2 GC Grebe, 14 Tufted Duck, 1 Pied Wagtail. Kingfisher, pr Mute Swan, 2 Herring & many small Gull sp. Coots & Moorhens.

A f  Shoveler was feeding in the shallows; this is both a local rarity and a personal site tick.

Starling with white tail - left foreground

The c75 Lapwing flock were in the field above High Cross Lane on the return trip, lending themselves to a few reasonable photos. Also in among them was the white tailed Starling which I first saw some faded brain cells ago.

Park Lane

Hi Nigel,

Further to my previous comment about looking out for rings, this Chaffinch came in with the latest influx. It's Norwegian-ringed and part of a flock of 25 Chaffinches and a single Brambling which we've been seeing for the last few days. I've managed to piece together the ring number from photos and sent the details off this afternoon. The white-headed Blackbird is back again; it's been here each winter since 2014.

Denise

Bretton Country Park Revisited

Courtesy of DW who wanted a second crack at the f Smew which was reported again on Birdguides.
Regretfully once more the bird failed to appear but we saw some other good birds and a fascinating incident involving a Grey Heron and a Perch.
The Heron had siezed the fish which appeared to be of substantial size and after stabbing it a few times picked it up and sent it down it's gullet head first in one gulp. Said bird then drank from the river for lubrication but a minute later said fish was regurgitated and spat back out on to the river bank and abandoned when the Heron flew off.

There were 1 each of Great White Egret and Little Egret present plus another 8 Grey Heron. Waterfowl represented by Shoveler, Teal, Dullard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen, pr Mute Swan.
Further entertainment provided by Kestrel, GSW, Bullfinch, Blackbird, Redwing, Fieldfare, Goldfinch, Nuthatch.

Sunday and Monday Walks

Sunday 25/11 approx 1015-1125 hrs short version of Queensbury South.
Not great (did I say that?). Cold damp with an E'ly breeze. No movement at all other than the Starling flock.
2 Greenfinch, 3 Goldfinch, Mistle Thrush singing, Song Thrush, 3 Blackbird. Down by the trailer park were 2 Snipe, several BHG & the sizeable Lapwing flock.

Monday 26/11 Hard Work throughout. Raggalds Flood 1010 hrs 6 BHG only.
Soil Hell 1 Grey Heron, 8 Goldfinch, 1 Chaffinch.

Ogden plantation and the reservoir a real non event. 1 each Kestrel & Herring Gull. On seeing me arrive the warden, Chris told me I had just missed c80 Lapwing resting on the W shoreline. Of course I did; wouldn't have it any other way.

The stretch to Mixenden was abysmal; nothing seen nor heard. The Res itself was a repeat of my last visit: 1 each Moorhen & Tufted plus the 2 Goldeneye. Roll on Doomsday.

Raggalds to Mixenden

Raggalds Flood was occluded by mist, I could only just see the water.

Soil Hill: 1 Blackbird & 1 Woodcock which was flushed from top field by edge of N slope.

Ogden Res: not much. 4 Blackbird, 5 LTT, 1 GSW.

Mixenden Res: 1 each Moorhen & Tufted Duck. 2 f Goldeneye.
Nearby were a few Chaffinch & Goldfinch, 1 Jay & a pr calling Little Owl.

Re White Crow

Hi Nigel,

Photo DS

It seems to have taken up residence in this area and has been visiting the garden on an almost daily basis for the last couple of years. It likes the softbill that I put down for Blackbirds and now has its personal dish into which I add the odd bit of dog food when it gets cold. I have, in the notebook, details of it coming into the garden since the end of 2014. I don't know how old it is but I remembered seeing a picture you'd taken of it on Birdguides. I checked and it was from April 2013.  My neighbour's son remembers seeing a white Crow-presumably the same bird-when he went to school in Queensbury and he's now 30. It has a distinctive call and seems to be a dominant bird-the three others that come in, presumably family (one has some white feathers), don't argue with it and it gives short shrift to Magpies. It does seem to be showing its age a bit and is sometimes a bit tottery. I assume that's why it doesn't venture so far afield.

 

Photo DS

I still have one Brambling. I hadn't seen any for a few days but heard one when I looked out for the geese  and heard and saw it again this morning.

Denise 18/11/2018

Redcar and South Gare

DW kindly invited me on a trip to Redcar for a crack at the Black-crowned Night Heron seen in Locke Park on Sunday. Several birders present on arrival reported that the bird had not been seen and a subsequent Birdguides report confirmed our fears that a dip was in order.
A watch on the rather rough sea turned up c22 Common Scoter, 4 Oystercatcher, 2 Turnstone, numerous Lapwing and a few Golden Plover present in a nearby field.

At South Gare c50 Twite were watched flying around several times and another sighting of several Common Scoter occurred. Also here were a pr Redshank, 4/5 Oystercatcher and a couple of Shag.
Not forgetting the cormorants and gulls of course.

A Red Kite was seen soaring low above the A1 M edge on the way up and on the return journey. Also in the same vicinity on the homeward trip numerous Greylags were airborne.

Queensbury South

0955-1115 hrs. A walk of two halves both topographical and ornithological. Park Lane and Littlemoor Park was crawling with birds; nothing too beaucoup however, a Nuthatch and White Crow in DS garden coming out tops.
There were plenty of Tits, a Song Thrush, 2 Mistle Thrush, few Goldfinch, Chaffinch and c7 Blackbird seen and heard.

Once I hit open countryside the bird life collapsed like a deck of cards. 1 Kestrel, c72 Lapwing, few BH & Common Gull. I decided to give any Snipe in the Cross Lane field the day off. Lanes Corporal and Green were bereft and just a few Goldfinch were heard by the golf club on the trek home.

So You Think I'm A Bad Boy?

This link is relevant to a former BOG birder from the early days, known to several of us old buggers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-46235130

PS From DS today at 1107 hrs:

I've just heard and caught the tail-end of a group of Pinkfeet. They were just to the south of the garden and heading west.

Denise

Good job Denise glad someone gets Pinkfeet these days, I've forgotten how to identify them 😞

NK

PPS From DM in Shibden Valley - A flock of PFG in V formation seen at 1305 hrs high up heading in direction of Swalesmoor/Ogden. Also 3 Bullfinch & several Redwing seen.

Why did I chose to stay in Today? 😢

Music For Bad Birders - Speakers Up!

Queensbury South

15/11 1500-1510 hrs. A shorter walk through the park up by the golf course then along to Shaw Lane. Quiet again with birds at a premium mainly; buoyed up by one good species count.
Littlemoor Park: 2 Bullfinch, 1 Chaffinch, few Goldfinch, 1 Coal Tit.
Cross Lane: 1 Pied Wagtail, 13 (thirteen) Common Snipe at the roost site. c70 Lapwing & a few BHG in the fields along with several Starling.

Rodley Nature Reserve

Courtesy of DM & DW. A very enjoyable walk in clement weather.

c16 Gadwall, 6 Shoveler, 4 Teal ditto Goosander, several Tufted Duck, 1 Little Grebe.
Few Goldfinch, 1 each GSW & Greenfinch,  2 Jay.

3 Grey Heron,  ditto Cormorant,  pr Kingfisher,  c40 Redwing, 1 Mistle Thrush, 4 Blackbird, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtail.

Photo DW

Queensbury to Mixenden

Another session with long patches of avians in absentia. Around 42 Lapwing were a sheltering from the wind at Mountain. Raggalds field is still driza bone and c20 Sheep at Small Tail Farm surrounded me not for my good lucks I hasten to add, more likely the poor buggers thought my rucksack contained grub.

Soil Hill disappointed just for a change; I thought I'd managed a dip but a Mipit ruined the hour.
Nothing in Ogden plantation except a flyover Kestrel, however a few woodland birds livened the reservoir up.
Green Woodpecker, pr Treecreeper, 1 Bullfinch, 5 Goldfinch, 4 Blackbird a la continent type & few Tit sp. 1 Herring Gull on the drink.

7 Fieldfare were near the now risky Mixenden stile (parts missing) but nothing else was.
Mixenden Res just had 2 Goosander, 1 Cormorant ditto Moorhen and a few gulls.

Catch Up Ogden & Low Moor

Saturday 10/11 0950-1125 hrs Low Moor Dams. Harold Park Lake was the more appealing of the two stretches of H20 for a change. 1 LBBG, 3 Herring Gull & several smaller gull sp.

The highlight was undoubtedly a record count of 17 Goosander, nearly all females and or juveniles.

1 each Grey & Pied Wagtail, 4 Tufted Duck, 1 GSW, many Coot, few Moorhen.

Park Dam: 3 Cormorant, 2 GCG, 4 Little Grebe, pr Mute Swan, 34 Canada, 4 Blackbird, 1 Dunnock, 15 Tufted Duck, c22 Coot, 8 Moorhen, few BHG.

31 Lapwing in corner field High Cross Lane opposite Jackson Hill.

Thursday 8/11 another depressing non event. Soil Hill 1 Common Snipe, 2 Mipit, 2 Dullard.

Ogden plantation was torpid and the reservoir fared only a little better with 5 LBBG among the smaller Gulls. 1 Kestrel ditto 1 Jay, couple LTT same Goldcrest, 5 Chaffinch.

A Pathetic Show

One of those many days in this area where optics are superfluous. Soil Hill was supergash; 4 Meadow Pipit, 1 Kestrel. 2 Dunnock in Persecution Rd.

Ogden Plantation was a non event; I would say the same for the reservoir but c23 Fieldfare flew over from the NE close to mid day. Another Kestrel was present, hopefully not the one seen on the hill. 3 Jay were showing very well instead of flashing then scarpering.

The next publication of Birds Of Queensbury Area is due out in 2020; I've heard it's now down to 4 pages instead of the usual 6.

Bretton Country Park

Courtesy of DW in intermittent fog that took some time to clear giving way to grey skies. A busy interesting bird rich session bringing a couple of annuals to us both.

Photo DW

Great White Egret, several Grey Heron (there is a small Heronry here)  Goosander & Cormorant. Kingfisher, fair numbers of Teal & Tufted Duck, c10 Gadwall similar Shoveler, 2 Pochard.

Brambling showed fairly well with c16 birds being seen both in flight and perched for short spells. Also GSW, LTTs, Grey & Pied Wagtail.

We then went to Fairburn for a crack at the Great Grey Shrike but were informed that the bird has moved on. However a Cattle Egret and another Great White Egret were some compensation. A Cettis Warbler called just once but characteristically very loudly. Other birds include numerous Lapwing and a few Mute Swan.
The Cattle Egret is the first I have ever seen in the UK but Mr W has seen others in his travels.

Email From My Enemies

Hello you English Cochon

I haf just read your latest pathetique headline publication and want you to know I am still active in the cause of stopping migrant birds from reaching votre sad little bit of UK. Unless you rescind votre link diabolical, I shall also cut off your supply of Roquefort cheese, Croissants au Chocolate, Merlot Magnifique et Courvoisier Formidable.
If I ever see vous again in le Dordogne, Je shall attack vous with every gramme of Griffon Vulture merde at moi disposal.

Merdemanger, Pierre. Capitaine deuxieme Regiment de L'Oiseau, L'egion De Honneur Francaise.
Fin

Guten Tag Schweinhund

Ach so! Du still vant nichts to do mit der EU; Ich suggest du think about your position so schnell. Mit immediate effect: no more schwartz Pumpernickel, Bratwurstchen Bayerische, Erdinger Wheatbier Pils, und Jaegermeister Kopfblaster.
Entry to der Black Forest fur Schwarz Woodpecker, Drei-toed Woodpecker, Grau-headed Woodpecker ist verboten!

Wiedenbrucker, Karl. Oberfeldwebel viertel Regiment de Sauerkraut, Deutsche Stadt Polizei.
Fertig

Thanks guys. You've just cut off your supply of Yorkshire Pudding, Pork Pies, London Gin and Tetley Bitter; on second thoughts you can keep the latter.

Kerwin, Jeosophat. Head Toerag, Queensbury's Finest.
End

Queensbury South

Approx 1305-1440 hrs good start, slow middle, good ending.
Park Lane including immediate adjacent area of Littlemoor Park was rotten with birds. 10 plus Blackbird, few Goldfinch, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Greenfinch, 1 m Bullfinch on feeder, Grey Wagtail over E, Tits sp., Woodpigs, Maggot Pies.
Then it pancaked until I got to the trailer park where c75 Lapwing were lurking and a Pied Wagtail. A Grey Heron flew over > SW.

In Green Lane a Buzzard came out to play for almost 15 minutes.
Another Pied Wagtail was hanging around as were a pr Mistle Thrush.

On arrival home a Grey Wagtail flew overhead with a Goldfinch or two out back.