Breezy Soil Hill

The Grey skies and cold E'ly blow didn't make for too much bird song today other than the Skylarks and Meadow Pipits. However there were some interesting moments which when totalled up made the slog worthwhile. 

1 each Snipe, Kestrel, Moorhen, Oystercatcher & Reed Bunting. 2 Curlew & 3 Lapwing. 2 WW, 3 Whitethroat ditto Blackbird & 1 Little Owl. Several Linnet throughout, couple Goldfinch.

1 Swallow & a WW at Roper Lane. This is the first time in 20 Years close to April's end that the Old Guy Rd area as failed to produce a Wheatear or the scarcer Whinchat. Once again it was almost silent.

No Change Soil Hill

Apart from a Swallow it was business as usual this am. 6 WW, 4 Whitethroat, 2 Pied Wagtail, Linnets, Meadow Pipits & Skylarks.

The Wheatear from Friday was still in the same spot so I took the opportunity to video record it.

I had a natter with Daniel who had the effrontery to see a Sand Martin overhead. The bird favoured youth over old age but maybe next time out eh.

Also 2 Blackbird, a Pheasant, 1 Grey Heron ditto Curlew & the Lapwings.
WW in Roper Lane, Swallow by Fleet Lane.

Sunny Soil Hill

1000-1230 hrs.

Minimal breeze this morning and rather warm in the main. Somewhat patchy but rewarding at times. Finally got my first Wheatear which was an accommodating bird, hanging around the same spot for a good 40 minutes.

1 Grey Heron ditto Moorhen. 4 WW, 3 Whitethroat, c11 Linnet. 2 LBBG yelling overhead. Pr Grey Partridge, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Blackbird.

Lapwings, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits & 1 Curlew. 

2 WW ditto Linnet at Roper Lane. The fields around Old Guy Road were poor; 2 Meadow Pipit & a solitary Swallow.

Doe Park Area

Still the despicable E'ly wind doth blow and woe is me for I am undone. Variety of migrant birds was minimal although numbers of one species eg WW was through the roof with 20 birds being counted.

4 Chiffchaff, 1 Curlew flying over. 1 each drumming GSW, Grey Wagtail & Jay.

1 Cormorant ditto Moorhen, 3 Canada, 2 Dullard. 2 Song Thrush, 1 Blackbird, 6 Linnet. Few expected woodland types.

Local Walks

Monday 20/04 down to the old Station at 1350 hrs. Didn't overstay; it was awful with a vile E'ly wind keeping the birds down. 5 WW, 1 each Chiffchaff, Linnet & Kestrel.

Tuesday 21/04 up north to Soil Hell. Not too much happening but better than yesterday. The wind lacked ice while increasing it's punches a bit.

Old Guy Rd had an adult LBBG fly over, couple Meadow Pipit & Skylark.

Soil Hill top was basically unworkable but a few of the usual suspects were hanging on in.

The bottom pond Grey Heron appears to have gobbled up the Dullard ducklings. I saw a singleton swim across the water never to return. 2 minutes later both parents flew toward Ogden Water with the Heron leaving shortly after.

Ned Hill track was sheltered, producing 2 WW, 1 each Blackbird & Pheasant with a couple of Swallow flying over low down.

I got a bird here that I haven't seen at the site for a long while; a male Stonechat.

Also: 1 Kestrel, ditto Pied Wagtail, Curlew, 5/6 Linnet throughout the hill.

Ropey Lane coughed up singles of Swallow & WW.

Soil Hill Goody

Soil Hill 0945-1120 hrs. A Great start, mediocre middle and a reasonable ending.
A female Ring Ouzel was in the farm field on the left halfway up Perspiration Rd. Despite being somewhat distant it's features were clearly recognizable. After 7/8 minutes it flew onto a wall further down and further SW before disappearing.

2 WW, 5 Linnet, 1 Grey Heron, 8 Mall Dullard, 2 Curlew, 5 Lapwing & 3 Blackbird also seen. Not forgetting a fair number of Meadow Pipit & Skylark.

Met DP who reports 9 Fieldfare from a walk in the Pit/Deep Lane area.We went down Taylor Lane and managed to get the Little Owl taking the air again. Also a Mistle Thrush & couple more Linnet.

Several Linnet, couple Meadow Pipit & a Skylark were in the wider area of Roper Lane.

Shibden and Swalesmoor

Kicked off with a Grey Heron over the house back field heading NE.
A few Jackdaw were in Corporal Lane, one of which was sporting exceptional light grey recalling Nordic, I'm certain it ain't one though.

Appears to be more white than the norm with extended pale markings on breast

A couple of Skylark were in this area and a fair number of Linnet which were widespread thoughout.

WWs & Chiffchaffs hit the double figure mark. 2 Blackcap were singing. A Grey Heron circled around once. Pr Pied Wagtail.
A Tawny Owl hooted close to where I stood, this was answered by a more distant bird. Singles of  GSW, Nuthatch & Swallow.

Swalesmoor was being swept by the E'ly wind and therefore wasn't overbusy. c70 Crows, pr Kestrel, 4 Linnet.

DW reports 2 Wheatear in the field formerly known as Raggalds Flood.

Sunny Soil Hill

A very pleasant session 1045-1220 hrs. 4 male Blackbird. 1 Kestrel, 2 Pheasant, 3 Dullard, 5 Lapwing, 4 Curlew.
7 WW and a cracking male Whitethroat singing as if it's life depending on it. This atrocious record shot doesn't do it any justice whatsoever.

Couple Goldfinch ditto Linnet, 6 Skylark, few Meadow Pipits, 1 Coal Tit, 2 Chaffinch.

A Goldcrest was singing at Foxhill, with a Swallow flying over. Ropey Lane plantation produced 1 each of WW & Coal Tit with a couple Linnet nearby. An adult Herring Gull flew overhead.

Around Soil Hill

Difficult to find birds this morning due to an effervescent NE'ly blow.

4 distant large gulls went over SW; no discernable plumage details seen.

A male Blackbird & a WW were in the N slope hedge. 1 Curlew, 2 Lapwing, 1 Canada ditto Dullard & a few Crows were present in the usual area. Also 2 Roe Deer skipping along.

A fairly decent photograph of a wall and fence doncha think?

A couple of Linnet, Meadow Pipit,  Skylark were on the hill top. The S slope coughed up a Little Owl reminding me it's been 3 months since my first sighting of the species. Just 1 Pied Wagtail present also.

Ropey Lane plantation: 1 Stoat. Starling are busy in the fields and I copped a pair mating earlier.

DS strikes again; she nailed a Red Kite high over Queensbury heading N on Sunday afternoon.

Queensbury Old Rlwy Station Environs

By Law you cannot mention Trains or Railways without a Blues song in context and anyway this guy sings better than me (but it's a close run thang y'all).

Nothing too thrilling but I did get 1 mebbe 2 briefly singing Blackcap. WW outnumbered Chiffchaff today with 7/8 of the former v 4 of the latter.

Few Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush ditto Jay, 4/5 Linnet, 4 Chaffinch, 1 Greenfinch, same Collared Dove.

Everything moving or covered by foliage prevented photos but I finally found something static to vent my frustration on:

                                                     No, I don't know what it is either.

A pr Grey Wagtail were in Sandbeds.

Queensbury and Northowram News

Queensbury Sth:
Saturday early am at an hour I didn't know existed a Tawny Owl was rockin n rollin noisily for a couple minutes from the trees over the back yard. It had a nearby companion; a Roe Deer was barking mad and loud with it too.

From DM via Whats App:
Hi Nigel. Shibden park woods, sunny vale and hipperholme and chelsea woods.
6 singing chiffchaff - 2 seen. 2 nuthatch, 3 mistle thrush and a female blackcap (thanks nk for the id).
The fishing pond at Sunny Vale full of Canada geese, dullards and coots until two grey heron flew in. Woods produced several chaffinch, a coal tit, 4 Jays and a gsw. A quick detour to the quarry was rewarded with 2 willow warblers.

Yesterday the back roads of  Northowram produced 3 swallows, a tree creeper, a little owl and 2 willow warblers.

South to Shibden Head

1015-1135 hrs. Corporal Lane area: 2 Meadow Pipit, 7 singing Skylark. Pr Canada ditto Mall Dullard at Green Lane pond.
Shibden: Goldfinches, 1 each Bullfinch, Jay, Song Thrush & GSW. Pr Chaffinch, 2 Nuthatch, c90 Jackdaw.

There were 8 singing Chiffchaff & 4 singing Willow Warbler. The WW pictured above gave me the runaround big style and wouldn't show it's head.
A single raptor was seen - Kestrel and a Curlew flow over Catherine Slack calling loudly (been a while since I seen Cath, hope she's ok).

DW got good views of the Ring Ouzel in Ropey Lane but made a brilliant tactical master stroke and let his camera have some time off 😁.

Good to have a pr Greenfinch singing from the trees over the back yard.

Queensbury to Soil Hill

Old Guy Rd: 2 singing Skylark, 1 Meadow Pipit.

Raggalds Flood (which probably won't be in 36 hours) pr Redshank, 3 Pied Wagtail and my first Swallow of the year nearby. An Oystercatcher flew up high over the road to perdition.

Soil Hill:  my first Willow Warbler of the year, 4 Curlew, pr Oystercatcher, 2 Grey Heron, 8 Lapwing, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Great Tit ditto Robin, 2 Linnet. Busy with Skylarks & Mipits, 9 Crows.

There were another 7 Pied Wagtail at least on and around the hill which I'm sure were all yarelli but it was a reminder to check for alba too from now on.
Another WW was singing from the plantation in Ropey Lane.

Shibden and Northowram

From DM via Whats App:

Hi Nigel. Shibden Valley, whisker lane and back roads of northowram. 2 greenfinch, 2 mistle thrush, 6 singing chiffchaff 1 seen, 3 ltts, 2 coal tits, gsw, and 2 roe deer. 

2 Little owls enjoying the sunshine and got my first Willow warbler of the year in the northowram quarry. Buzzard seen over hipperholme woods after nothing over Shibden Valley and yesterday afternoon two swallows flew over northowram woods.

Queensbury to Soil Hill

Old Guy Rd appalling; 1 Skylark. Raggalds Flood: 2 Redshank also 2 Lapwing.

A Greenfinch up Persecution Rd.

Soil Hell: Several Meadow Pipit, few Skylark. Large gulls moving W; 1 each adult Herring & LBBG. 4/5 2CY/3CY large gulls also  appeared to be LBBG.

1 RLP, pr Grey Partridge, 1 Linnet, 3 Curlew, 7/8 Lapwing, 2 Canada & Crows.

I had the awful experience of seeing a small Gull like bird moving W also. It was a nearly all white job and because I value my sanity more than ever it gets classified as 'binned'.

Queensbury South Short Version

1040-1200 hrs. Full marks to Bradford Council for keeping Littlemoor Park open.

Goldfinches, 2 singing Chiffchaff, GSW, 11 Fieldfare near the golf course, couple Blackbird & a pr Song Thrush.

The fields produced 4 Pied Wagtail, 2 Skylark, 1 Linnet, 5 Meadow Pipit & 2 Snipe. House Sparrows active and Magpies aplenty for some reason.

Queensbury Station Environs

🎵 Well I woke up dis morning wid birdin on my mind, said I woke up dis morning wid birdin on my mind, so I went down to de station to see what I could find 🎵

Several Goldfinch, pr Chaffinch, 3 Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Blue/Gt Tits.
Jay, Kestrel, couple Linnet.

3 singing Chiffchaff.

I had a lifetime first: pair of GSW mating on a tree branch. 1 each Canada & Moorhen.

🎵 I'm glad I went down to dat station some of dem birds wuz very kind. They started showing and a singin and done ease my worried mind 🎵

(Vocals and Rhythm Guitar - Howlin Kerwin. Drums - One Nostril Pete. Lead Guitar - Bull Moose Murphy. Bass Guitar - Big Bellied Kate.
Copywright Dogbreath Music 2020).

A Short Walk Down South

Circumstances and chronic birding curtailed this mornings intentions: I touched upon north Northowram then circled back to civilisation (well almost).

Couple Greenfinch, 1 Pied Wagtail, 3 Skylark, 1 Reed Bunting ditto Blackbird. It were real crap.

DP went down to the old station yesterday 31/03 and managed a few Linnet, 2 Chiffchaff, & a Buzzard.