Saturday & Monday News

Monday 30th. Ogden Res had 7 Teal out of reach in the middle and a few gulls. A mobile flock of arboreal types consisted of 9 LTT, 6 Coal, 2 Great & 1 Blue Tit with a couple of Gold Crest thrown in.

A Treecreeper gave prolonged close up views but my camera was in the hands of a Numpty today (just wait until I find the boundah). Also 2 Blackbird seen and a Bullfinch heard. 14 Goldfinch were at Stod Fold.

Mixenden Res: 3 Goldeneye & many gulls including big 'uns. The woods were silent.

Coming home I came across a small stand of trees with some policemen present. It must have been a Cops 😂😎.

Saturday 28th. Soil Hill was a birding disaster, the only benefit was the exercise and proximity to the farm shop for a compensatory Stand Pie.

c27 Lapwing on S slope field. 1 Grey Wagtail in flight calling then nowt at all down the bottom.

Local Jackdaws

Hi Nigel,

Quite a surprise this lunchtime when the Jackdaws were back on the feeder-for about a minute. They flew off and joined 4 other Jackdaws, I assume they were the locals which have been here all summer. I guess they must have gone to roost with them and have been feeding wherever Jackdaws feed in the area. There hadn't been any sign of them since the last sighting on the 15th.

Denise

A Bit Different Today

I was surprised to get 2 Bullfinch high on open rough ground with only small bushes in immediate sight. In the same area earlier on I had great views of a smokin' Light phase Buzzard in nearby flight (fear ye not; camera secure in rucksack bottom).

A LEO kindly posed, this was left in peace a.s.a.p.

I had a pr Twite as company for 3/4 minutes but these were very flighty birds affording only minimal visuals and a few calls. Also 7 Meadow Pipit and a Skylark.

Gulls included 1 LBBG, 2 Herring, several Common & numerous BHG. One of the latter was wearing silver on its right leg, the left being unadorned.

Other: 2 GSW, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Mistle Thrush, 5 Blackbird, Moorhen, 2 LT & 1 Coal Tit. 3 Roe Deer & brief views of a Butterfly sp. too distant to identify.

Barkisland Pink-footed Geese

D Miller reports c100 Pinkfeet high over Barkisland in two skeins this am.

Well spotted sez I.

Soil Hill to Mixenden Res

Soil Hill: A Grey Heron landed on the track up from the radio mast only to be driven off immediately by a pr of Raven.

A handful of Lapwing along with a few small gulls were on the S slope top. Also 1 each Meadow Pipit & Greenfinch seen.

An Hawkasion took place on Coal Lane; a Sparrowhawk flew over and circled around for a spell.

A Kestrel was seen perched in the Back Lane plantation. Ogden Res was full of Gulls but woodland types were virtually absent until I got to the Lodge House and heard a few calls before getting a brief glimpse of my first Brambling of the year.

A pr Mistle Thrush & 1 Fieldfare plus a load of Crows were at Hunter Hill bottom.

Mixenden Res was rammed with small gulls along with a few larger types incl an adult LBBG. Also present was a pale Grey mantled adult Gull with a brutish head suggesting YLG. Problem is I ran out of time so couldn't determine any further identity features

Queensbury South Short Route

1030-1145 hrs. A strange experience in windy and rainy conditions with short sunny breaks. One field on the perimeter of the park produced 10/11 Meadow Pipit half of them perched in a Sycamore tree before taking flight.

The same area produced 1 Grey Wagtail ditto Pied Wagtail with a Grey Heron flying low > NW. Also 1/2 Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare & Redwing in 3/4s. Few Goldfinch & Starlings.

The main park area had 4 Blackbird, 2 Chaffinch, c11 LTT, 5/6 Gt Tit & Blue Tit, Woodpigeons.

The outlying  fields were sparse: 9 Lapwing, c40 BHG, couple Common Gulls.

Soil Hill To Mixenden

This is what birding is all about: gale force winds driving horizontal rain. Hundreds of people causing both congestion and prevention of seeing what minimal birds are present.

A bunch of Gulls, Lapwings & Starlings were in fields around Raggalds.

A Soil Hill potential blank was ruined by a Snipe which I can live with. Also a couple of Goldfinch & a Dunnock.

Ogden was awash with Homo Sapiens. Even the track from the promenade to Stod Fold had walkers on it.

1 Kingfisher & many gulls incl 2 LBBG.

The weather calmed down as I arrived at Mixenden Res. 2 Cormorant, 1 f Goldeneye & plenty of gulls. Quite a few big ones present incl 2 adult Herring, the majority being sub adult phases.

 

Low Moor Dams

I was peturbed by ideas of the Hellish Hill 

The thought of going there made me slightly ill 

So I went elsewhere to curb my sorrow

Never to return, well maybe tomorrow 😬

On the way down to Low Moor: 2 Pied Wagtail, few small gulls & c25 Lapwing in flight.

Harold Park was teeming with birds, mainly BHGs but also 9/10 Herring less so LBBG & a few Common. 6 Mute Swan, 7 Tufted Duck, 1 Grey Heron, 2 f Goosander plus the usual Coots & Moorhens.

Park Dam was being scoured by a stiff W'ly and was less populous: 7/8 BHG & 1 Common Gull.

Also 3 each of Cormorant and Little Grebe, a pr GC Grebe & 1 Kestrel.

5 Blackbird seen througout & 1 Robin the only arboreal types.

An Abundance Of Not Much

Soil Hill was so bad I started thinking about a complete blank but a crowd of gulls down at the bottom plus 2 Crows & Magpies spoiled it.

Ogden Res had much Gullage on the Ullage incl. 1 LBBG. A very noisy Kingfisher was doing the rounds on the W bank. The woods were comatose with just one Goldcrest giving a good view.

The golf course clanged apart from 1 Jay and 5/6 Goldfinch.

Mixenden area produced a bird I have struggled with this Autumn. A single Redwing in with c50 Fieldfare. A Green Woodpecker and a few Meadow Pipit were also around.

The Res held the usual Gulls only.

The Landowning Scum Win Again

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Today's Fayre

Not much of a Banquet but the main course was delicious.

2 LEO. 

Also c42 Lapwing, numerous small Gull sp. 3/4 Meadow Pipit, 2 GSW ditto Jay, 27 Fieldfare.

1 each Grey Heron, Tufted Duck & Grey Wagtail. 4 Goosander pr Goldeneye.

Queensbury South Short Route

1105-1220 hrs. I checked the garden for Jackdaw but failed. However I did manage a Greenfinch in with a few Goldfinch. Also 1 Stock Dove, 2 Chaffinch & 5 Blackbird.

The park produced 1 male Bullfinch and a few more Goldfinch. A Fieldfare was heard around the perimeter and 1 Rook plus 6 standard issue Jackdaw along with a few Crows.

The muscle strewn wind made it a struggle from there on so it was down to several small gulls and a single Meadow Pipit before arriving home and finding that Denise had the Nordic Jackdaw again!

From Scandinavia To Queensbury

Hi Nigel

I thought you might like to see this bird. Two Jackdaws dropped into the garden-briefly- this morning, just as the mist was clearing. I concentrated on this one which looks like a good Nordic candidate. 

Denise

PS Thanks very much Denise for these crackin photos. I instinctively thought it's a Nordic and it matches all of the confirmed sub-species photos  from the 'net. What a find.

Soil Hell to Mixenden Almost

Soil Hill Won : NK Lost. Had to happen really; trip wire caused me to hit the deck with force. Luckily my head took the brunt of it thereby saving my right shoulder from any serious damage.

42 Lapwing, 1 Grey Wagtail ditto Blackbird, Gulls & Starlings.

Ogden Res wasn't great but I did get a Kingfisher for the first time in aons. Also 1 each Bullfinch, Jay & Sparrowhawk. Usual Gulls of course.

Mixenden Res is out of bounds. The Law is now preventing people from climbing the metal gate at the approach from Stod Fold with both woods and waterside walks prohibited.

An Interesting Session

This LEO and me struck a deal. It said if you don't spill the beans on my hangout I won't pluck your eyes out or rip your nosey nostrils off.

A No Brainer; I shot at it a few times and left pronto.

Also: 1 each Grey Heron & Snipe. 2 Stonechat, c23 Lapwing, a bunch of Meadow Pipit. Numerous small and a handful of large gulls including 1 Herring.

10 Blackbird, 1 Mistle Thrush, c21 Fieldfare. Another Stonechat, 2 Jay, 1 mobile GSW.

6 Goosander, 1 Cormorant & more gulls.

There has been a serious incident at Mixenden. 3 Police Officers were preventing people from walking through the woods. They instructed me to climb the metal gate and walk round the reservoir which wasn't a problem.

Today's Hard Won Birds

A terrible morning. The dense mist seemed well settled but the Sun just had to poke it's nose in on 2/3 occasions for periods of 15 - 20 minutes.

A LEO flying past me at close range did lift the spirits.

1 Snipe and Pied Wagtail also seen at this location.

I managed a personal count of 10 Teal on the verge of a breakdown as they whizzed around the water. Numerous small gulls mainly BHG & 4/5 LBBG. Also 1 GSW.

The final leg of the walk turned up 2 Jay & several Fieldfare.

Wainstalls Circular Slog

Courtesy of DP. A challenging trek but in favourable conditions and one that produced good birds.

Wainstalls to Castle Carr: 1 Little Owl ditto Stonechat, pr Raven.

Approaching Slade Farm a flock of c100 Pink-footed Geese came over from the NE then head SW with the bright sun directly into our eyeballs. I was lucky to get 3 shots off. 

A total of 5 Snipe & 7 more Stonechat were seen throughout the session and a handful of Meadow Pipit. 2 female Tufted Duck were on the smaller Cold Edge Dam with a pr Greylag & Canadas nearby. 

The White phased Buzzard gave satisfactory views as it flew lazily away from 2 Crows.

A Kestrel hovered over Soil Hill on the way back home.

Queensbury South ZZZZZZ

🎵Don't Come On Over Baby, Whole Lotta Nuthin Goin On🎹.

Littlemoor Park: minimal actvity from mostly single birds including Nuthatch.

The fields held 27 Lapwing, c48 small gull sp., 2 Meadow Pipit & c110 Starling. 

Just my luck; Denise got another Brambling which I missed 😬.

Another drop-in Brambling today. It came in when the rain started this afternoon. This one knew about feeders; the earlier one ignored them and went for nettle seeds.

Raggalds To Mixenden Res

c50 Lapwing on Raggalds sports field with a lesser number of small gull sp. & 4/5 larger sub adult phases. The Flood had only 3 small gulls on it with a Skylark and a Pied Wagtail over.

Soil Hill: 1 Skylark over, couple Meadow Pipit same Chaffinch. 1 Fieldfare ditto Great Tit & Blackbird. 3 Stonechat ditto Dunnock. I was surprised to see a Small Tortoiseshell buttering fly fluttering bye.

Not much doing at Ogden other than plenty of Gullage on the Ullage; usual stuff & 4 LBBG.

1 each GSW & Green Woodpecker. 3 Goldcrest, 1 Grey Wagtail, couple Goldfinch similar LTTs.

The golf course coughed up 1 Mistle Thrush, 4 Fieldfare & 3 Stonechat.

Hunter Hill bottom produced 1 Jay & c16 Fieldfare.

Mixenden Res: 1 each Cormorant, Moorhen & Tufted Duck. 2 Goldeneye, 13 Canada. Several small gulls alongside a couple big 'uns.

Also a smattering of LTT, Goldcrests, Blue/Gt Tits.

Swillington Ings

Courtesy of DP. Unbelievable dry sunny weather until the trip back where it could only be described as Queensbury at it's best.

A Green Sandpiper was pointed out to us by a local birder but I feel nothing but guilt when I try to claim it on a 2 second distant view so out it goes.

The place was crawling with Lapwing, hundreds of 'em. Same applies to Canadas & Greylags.

The prize bird in terms of  an annual was Water Pipit which gave good if somewhat distant views. In the same area were several Pied Wagtails & a Grey Wagtail.

The star bird in terms of an event was a female Peregrine Falcon bathing albeit at a considerable distance.

Other performers were: 2 GBBG, Great White Egret in flight nearby. Little Egret. 3 Grey Heron.

3 Cettis Warbler, 1 Goosander, 2 Goldeneye, Kestrel. Cormorants, Gadwall, Pochard, GCG, Tufted Duck, Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon in healthy numbers.

Queensbury South

1110-1240 hrs in a stiff SW/W'ly blow.

The sheltered parts of Littlemoor Park were busy with common species whereas in the open it was extremely quiet.

8 Blackbird, c10 Blue Tit, Gt Tit, c14 Goldfinch, Dunnock, 2 Chaffinch.

High Cross Lane area: 1 LBBG, c46 small gulls mainly BHG. A party of Fieldfare about 20 strong, were in flight a couple of times when not settled in a tree.

I went into the Cross Lane field portion that still is pleasantly boggy but I feel the strong wind had done a thorough scouring job.

The former Lapwing stronghold fields held just 27 birds along with the almost obligatory Starlings. Let's hope the Lapwing numbers don't dwindle further.

From The Garden Reserve

 

Hi Nigel,

Yesterday I said that, based on sightings from the vis-mig sites, I didn't think there was much chance of Brambling in the garden and then today...a single bird.

I noticed a few postings back that you had Coal Tit in your garden. There seems to have been quite a movement of them during September. We had 83 one day and 97 another on our Huddersfield vis-mig site and Harden had an amazing 184 once. I wrote to Clive Mckay on Trek and he suggested that a "massive" spruce crop in the Scottish forests may have led to a particularly good winter survival and breeding season. We have more than usual in the garden with up to 7 at one of the feeders.

A Blackcap has been coming in since mid October. It was here on Friday, taking the last of the elderberries.

Denise

PS Thanks a bunch for this info Denise, great to hear from you again. I am impressed by the Blackcap photo but not for one minute am I envious, me? Nevah! 😭.