Soil Hill to Mixenden

Rather busy in the main with just one quiet  patch. However this was balanced by the Ogden throng.

Soil Hell: at least 28 Skylark and probably more. 2 Meadow Pipit, 4 Pied Wagtail, few Lapwing & Starling. 1 singing Reed Bunting & 3 Blackbird.

A pr Raven flew over low and I got Sparrowhawk no.5 for the year above the Ned Hill rapids. 

Ogden Res: 2 Greylag Geese & a bunch of Canada 2 of which were engaged in courtship behaviour. 1 each GSW & Jay. A fair few Chaffinch were singing. Gull numbers notably reduced but I did espy 1 each adult Herring & LBB.

A pr cavorting Reed Bunting and a laffing Green Woodpecker at the golf course.

8 Curlew took flight from the fields nr Stod Fold.

Mixenden Res was abysmal; gulls but nothing else.

On arrival home got news that a sizeable group of PFG were heard overhead by Denise Shields. (Of course I missed them, wouldn't have it any other way 😭).

More Of The Same

Played a blinder today. I reasoned that there would be no birds on Raggalds Flood and I was right! This allowed one to enjoy the unadulterated view of grass and water - magic.

A Pied Wagtail bottom of Putrefaction Rd

8 Skylark top of Soil Hell plus generous amounts of wind.

Ogden Res: 1 each GSW, Nuthatch. Couple Blackbird, Mistle Thrush & Robin.

Several Gulls including 5 Herring.

Mixenden Res: 1 Cormorant & numerous gulls including 3 Herring. Also 13 dogs including a Great Dane which carried a nasty suck.

Thought for the day; the difference between Nature and Government. Nature chooses to reduce the 7-1/2 billion population on earth employing agent Covid. Government elects to curtail mankind's freedom. Doing a great job too.

Miss and Hit Usual Route

So I got to the Raggalds and decided I couldn't be bothered checking the flood as there wouldn't be anything worthwhile there.

20 minutes later DW kindly rang me to say he was watching a Pink-footed Goose and a Curlew!

Fortunately my spirits were raised back to normal depression by the end of the walk, picking up a couple of annuals en route.

1 LEO, 7 Skylark, 2 Pied Wagtail, Song Thrush, couple Mistle Thrush. 1 each adult Herring & LBB Gull plus several smaller.

Pr Coal & LTT, 1 Dipper - first annual. 2 Meadow Pipit, 1 Curlew & a Green Woodpecker - second annual, 1 Reed Bunting.

I was more rhan happy to see a single Barn Owl in brief flight. Also 1 Cormorant and a hybrid Goose showing white on the base of the bill which appeared orange or pink at distance in sunlight.

Noisy Queensbury South

Some noise from singing birds but the majority from cars with quad bikers taking the first prize as they chewed up Bridge Lane.

Singing Song Thrush, Blackbirds and Robins. A pr of the latter were seen going through a mating ritual. A GSW drummed twice and seemed subdued. 

A few Goldfinch, couple Chaffinch, Blue/Gt Tits. 1 Pied Wagtail, many Crows, c17 small Gull sp.

A key date tomorrow the 22nd. I hope people only expect a few small scraps of hope.

Remember Charles Dickens Great Expectations. Also that Man was born free to spend the rest of his life in chains.

For the first time in many decades the powers that be have been enjoying the flavours of true power, they are not going to relinquish this in a hurry.

So enjoy your limited birding trips throughout 2021 and be grateful, or else.

A Valley Too Far

Bit off more than I could chew today. Went down south then into Shibden thereby experiencing both an arduous walk and the most boring birding in many an episode.

A very fresh S'ly blow decimated the nearby fields - nothing but a handful of airborne gulls.

Shibden was close to dangerous in some parts; the inevitable mud but also stone steps that have dislodged and slid downhill.

So what about the birds? the two readers of my blog may ask. What birds? is my response. Not a single raptor nor woodpecker seen or heard. 2 Bullfinch similar Chaffinch, 1 each Blackbird & Pheasant. Couple Tits, Jackdaws.

There was one brief period of satisfaction which provided an annual for the list. A Tawny Owl called thrice.

Raggalds To Mixenden

RF: 13 Lapwing plus a slightly larger bunch of small gulls mainly BH.

Soil Hill: 6 Skylark incl 3 singers. 1 Blackbird, 2 Rook, few Gulls moving > SE.

Ogden Res: Big reduction in gull numbers. 1 adult LBBG noted.

8 Goldfinch, 2/3 Chaffinch, 1 Nuthatch.

1 each Blackbird & Meadow Pipit on the golf course plus 2 Skylark calling a couple if times.

Usual negative news re rest of the trip apart from a BO.

What a pleasure it is to bird this part of the UK.

Queensbury South

Thanks to BS for information about the Well Heads Iceland Gull. Circumstances dictated a short local walk for me but I hope those who went for the gull were lucky.

Birds were in short supply in and around the park this morning.

3 Blackbird a few Goldfinch and common Tits. 1 singing Mistle Thrush.

The long staying drumming GSW has found a partner. They were busy chasing each other around all over the shop. 

The fields were hard work, perhaps due to the fresh W'ly wind. 1 Pied Wagtail, small bunch of Starling & numerous small gulls. The majority of the latter were BHG with perhaps just 6/7 Common. Also 4 Rook & similar Jackdaw.

Soil Hill to Mixenden

SH: a single Lapwing in the air bottom of Persecution Rd. Also AC who managed a Kestrel and stated it was a good day for gulls. He wasn't wrong; I've never seen as many in the area. I estimate roughly 650+ small and large species throughout.

The hill top produced 2 Meadow Pipit & 3 Skylark, one of them doing choir practice.

2 Curlew went over high > N calling briefly. Not a pair,  they were separated by 20 minutes or so.

The Ogden gulls included fair numbers of Herring and a few LBBG. A Grey Wagtail flew across the embankment. Arboreal species were once again at a premium. A pair Bullfinch, low numbers of Chaffinch and Goldfinch plus the common Tits & 3 Blackbird.

From Ogden to Mixenden refer to any of the previous 6/7 posts.

The Well Trodden Route

Same old format as previous outings so let's cut the rhetoric.

Ogden Res: 3 Herring Gull & a fair few Common too out on the ice.

Passerines  (1st moan) 1 Mistle Thrush ditto Dunnock & Greenfinch. 2 Blackbird & Coal Tit.

Filthy dirty, dirty filthy thieving swine

Trek to Mixenden (2nd moan and a groan).

Mixenden Res: (3rd moan) 1 LBBG & plenty of small gulls.

2 BOs today (smile).

News From Other Queensbury Birders

DS reports that her neighbour saw 5 Swans flying over high > N at 1100 hrs this morning.

I am of the opinion they must have been Whooper but stress this was not specified by both Denise and the neighbour. Well spotted methinks.

DW visited Cromwell Bottom yesterday 10th Feb to try for the Firecrest; he failed but took the following photos in the area the bird had been seen.

Ogden to Mixenden

An exhilarating walk in the main until old age induced tiredness set in at mundane Mixenden.

There was an interlude where some birds permeated the perambulation but hey let's not get too distressed.

Ogden Res: 2/3 Herring Gull in with the smaller gulls.

4 Blackbird, 1 each Nuthatch & Reed Bunting. Single examples of singing Chaffinch, Coal Tit & Robin.

Poor bloke couldn't get a lift from Hunter Hill top

Mixenden Res: 5 Canada, Gulls large & small.

I am still Kestrel less but a single Barn Owl mollifies the misery.

A Garden Fieldfare

DW doesn't have to travel far to get a Fieldfare, there's one that favours his garden on a regular basis.

  

He was able to take these really cool shots through his window. Of course I'm jealous, you got a problem with that? 😁

Blue Monday

Gave Ogden Avian Desertevoir a go and yet again it was of exercise value only. On the upside there was no need to take the bins out of the bag.

Moorhen, Bullfinch, couple Gt & Blue Tit. A male continental Blackbird with black bill.

A few small gulls.

Roll on Spring when the species count may rise by 2/3 percent. OK have it your way, make it 1 percent.

Wibsey Park to Horton Bank

Thought I'd have a crack at the Shoveler featured in the BS blog recently. I have never been a big fan of Wibsey Park and after seeing the masses there this am, I won't be rushing back.

The bird, which I am glad to have seen, was hanging at the back of a bunch of bread gobblers; I hope it doesn't become domiciled. Far better if it gets back to shoveling on a building site or similar.

Also c24 Tufted Duck, Mute Swans, Coot, Moorhen and a few Greylag. 1 each Mistle Thrush & Blackbird.

Horton Bank CP is around 60 percent flooded. 3/4 Common Gull in with the multitude of BHG - 4 of these were sporting summer headgear. Large Gulls incuded 3 adult LBBG and a couple of younger phases also 2/3 Herring.

1 each Grey Heron, Jay, Blackbird & Mistle Thrush. Resident pr Mute Swan etc.

Once Again Down South

What to do I thought, looking out through the window. Decisions, decisions. I could chew through the remaining bit of mantelpiece or I could trudge locally and miss some birds.

Littlemoor Park: less species than the previous visit. 1 Bullfinch ditto Jay. 7 Blackbird, 1 singing Mistle Thrush & usual Tits. 3 Chaffinch but the GSW has finally taken a day off.

The fields turned up a pr Mistle Thrush & a pr Collared Dove. The latter are certainly not as common here as they were in days of yore. 6 Rook, 1 Pied Wagtail & a handful Starling. No gulls today.

Soil Hill to Mixenden

Another one of those good walking at the expense of birds episodes due to the cold clear conditions.

Soil Hill: not quite a blank due to 2 Rook, 3 BHG, 1 each Dunnock & Robin.

Ogden Res: 3 Herring and numerous small sp. Gulls. Kingfisher heard. 1 GSW, singing Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Pheasant. Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch, Blue/Gt Tits & singing Coal Tit.

From the Lodge House across to Mixenden including the reservoir - forget it.