Disaster On Two Fronts

Raggalds had just a couple of Lapwing in among the sports field gulls and starlings. The flood held just a few gulls including a couple of large sub adult phase jobs.

Ogden Res reduced me from Birder to non Birder for the duration. The logic being how can you be a birder when there are no birds around?

I busied myself looking at the results of  Storm Arwen. Quite a few large trees blown down and several branches blocked the circular path.

I slipped up en route to Mixenden; 1 each Dunnock, Mistle Thrush, Grey & Pied Wagtail. The Reservoir just held several gulls.

Access to the reservoir from the NW corner was blocked by a large fallen tree which had snapped a metal power cable in two. Being a public spirited naive simpleton I decided to report this to Northern Power Grid. 2 attempts were made taking up some 47 minutes between them all to no avail. At least I got to hear some music.

Ogden Res to Mixenden

Cold wet and windy so I thought something juicy may have blown in on the usual stretches of H2O I am compelled to visit or ignore, mood depending. 

Ogden Res bombed; just usual gulls & 1 Herring. Blackbirds stood out from the crowd supported by Robins. One offs were Treecreeper & Bullfinch. 3/4 Dunnock creeping around.

Only a Mistle Thrush seen en route to Mixenden Res but I was rewarded with what I believe to be my latest ever Goldeneye. Twas a female and stayed as far away from me as it could, proven by this superb mix of mutilated pixels below.

Nothing else but a mix of gulls present.

Littlemoor and Shelf Moor

A satisfactory walk despite the cold; I finally solved the missing Lapwings mystery. This being the lack of them in the fields near High Cross Lane.

After a slow start in the park (few Blackbird & Robins) I sauntered down 2/3rds of Bridge Lane. Lo and behold a flock took flight near to the top Shelf Moor houses so I walked along the track there and some 250 yards along I located their favoured field.

I estimated c65 birds present which is a conservative count.

Other birds: 8 Canada, 1 Common & c12 BH gulls. The lush garden at Fly Laithe stables was crawling with House Sparrers 👍.

Low Moor Dams

Harold Park Lake. 2 Cormorant, c16 Tufted Duck & 11

Goosander. 1 GC Grebe, 4 Herring, a few Common & several BH Gulls. 3 Mute Swan ditto Blackbird. Coots, Moorhens.

Park Dam. 6 Cormorant, 5 GC & 2 Little Grebe. Small gulls & c28 Canadas. 2 Tufted Duck ditto Coot & Co. 1 Robin, 3 Blackbird and at a nearby garden feeder station 7/8 Collared Dove.

OK what’s happening to our Goldeneyes?

Queensbury Right Place Right Time

I had a spontaneous urge to do the local area this am so I dashed out the door and within a couple of minutes and some 120 yards away I hit paydirt. 

In Park Lane I heard some cackles and grunting; overhead was a bunch of low flying Pink-footed Geese. I saw them fly over my house area and head in the CO-OP direction. My view was partially obscured by the trees and I thought the count to be c80 birds.

Amazingly 2 minutes later I received a Whats App mobile bone photo from SD who was by her car and spotted ‘em overhead.

Things quietened down afterwards; Nuthatch, 3 Blackbird, 1 Kestrel ditto Pied Wagtail & a few BHG.

Raggalds to Mixenden Res

Cold and very bright lending the morning to pleasant walking and minimal birding. The first half was the busiest while the second permitted retina relaxation. 

A few Lapwing in among several small gulls on the Raggalds sports field. 

Soil Hill top was grim so I put on my imbecile head and slopped along the Ned Hill quagmire. This was worthwhile; I startled a male Sparrowhawk which flew off carrying a Blackbird in it’s talons.

Also 12 Pheasant flew off in every direction.

Ogden was moribund. A pr RLP,  c11 LTT, couple Blackbird, 3 Robin & a GSW. Nothing notable among the gullage on the ullage.

A Reed Bunting by the Lodge House and just a Meadow Pipit seen between there and Mixenden.

The Reservoir coughed up 1 each of Cormorant, Grey Heron & Grey Wagtail. Small gulls all over the shop and only 5 dogs 🐶 today.

Soil Hill to Mixenden Res

Heard 3 calls over Perseverance Rd, firmly believe it was a Snow Bunting but bird not seen. Scoured accessible parts of Soil Hill top; nothing doing. 

Ogden Res: 1 GSW. Activity from Tits including several LTT. Also a few Goldcrest & a couple of Siskin. Usual gulls. Also Mr & Mrs AC walking around.

Mixenden Res. 1 Mistle Thrush, 3 Blackbird ditto Redwing. Pied Wagtail & c70 Jackdaw. Only a mix of gulls on the water.

Ogden Res to Mixenden

Quiet again throughout. Only small gull sp. on Ogden water and very limited Passerine activity. Couple Blackbird ditto Robin. 1 Jay & 2 GSW.

The hedgerow at Hunter Hill bottom near Mixenden Res produced 1 Fieldfare, ditto Great Tit, 4 Mistle Thrush & 2 Blackbird.

Mixenden held lots of small gulls including a good portion of Common. The only large Gull present caused me id. problems (again? I hear you snigger 😲). It had the mantle colour and bull head feature of a YLG but at distance I couldn’t convince myself I’d got the primary mirrors right so it won’t get claimed.

Grey Wagtail flying across N Bridge HX.

Queensbury to Horton Bank CP

Only a few BHG in the fields down the road. An adult male Fox, presumably a recent road kill was also seen.

Shelf Moor was busier but no migrants around. 

25 Canada, few Common & several BH gulls. Rooks & Crows, 1 Meadow Pipit ditto Blackbird. House Sparrers n Starlings doing OK here.

Horton Bank CP: exciting is a word I must remember doesn’t apply here (does it apply anywhere?).

Pr Mute Swan, 1 drake Tufted Duck, 3/4 Herring Gulls & the hordes of BHG. A few Common in among. Few Coot, a Moorhen miasma. Passerines passed by save a Blackbird & Robin.

Queensbury and Surrounds

Queensbury Thursday 11/11 1435 hrs a portion of LTT in the Tesco car park trees, bin a while since I’ve had local ones.

Saturday 13/11 Queensbury to Mixenden. A forgettable trek that I don't wish to remember 😒.

A solitary Meadow Pipit atop Soil Hell. The bottom pond was garnished with a few Moorhen, Dullard & a Canada. Only a raving lunatic would walk along the treacherous Ned Hill trek;😉 after I'd finished the task I can report just 3 Crows present.

Ogden Res: numerous BHG on the water but nothing else. 1 

GSW. 5 Redwing 1 Jay, 2/3 Blackbird.

Mixenden Res: 1 Cormorant ditto Mistle Thrush & Grey Wagtail, several Common Gull.

An Uneventful Walk

Ogden 1100 - 1210 hrs. 2 Bullfinch several Blackbird some Chaffinch and tit activity but mainly quiet. Nothing different on the water.

Tried to invent leg rings on these BHG but failed miserably. 

A Moorhen in Hebble Brook. More Blackbirds. 1 Reed Bunting at Carrs Beck 1 Mistle Thrush bottom Hunter Hill.

Mixenden Res was chronic nobbut small gulls.

Environmentally Funny

 

Flamborough Head Visitor

Courtesy of DP on a pleasant dry morning. There wasn't any reports from South Landing of the Taiga Flycatcher but our luck was in with the other migrant. We got onto the Red-flanked Bluetail as soon as arriving at the favoured spot.

These below par photos don't reflect the good views we had as the bird flitted around actively.

Seabirds generally were underperforming but no complaints as we nailed c20 Common Scoter, a couple of  Diver species too far out to determine twixt Black & Red throated & a distant Grebe species.

Also seen in the wider area were: Kestrel, Skylarks, Meadow & Rock Pipits.

Several Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Curlew, Oystercatcher & a Razormot/Guillebill 😁. Not forgetting of course the Gulls.

 Birds picked up on the route included Buzzard & Red Kite.

PFG Hit Queensbury Again

At 1105 hrs today I was stood in Baptist Fold adjacent to the CO-OP when a flock of c42 Pink-footed Geese flew low overhead heading W/NW.

I related this news to a resident who said she was out in her garden yesterday 5/11 and saw about 100 geese fly over. I must say with due respect this has to be taken as a rough estimate.

This is the third report of Pinkies in 4 days and most encouraging as they appear to have resumed visiting us after a 2/3 year relapse at this time of year.

Ogden Res and Cullingworth

Courtesy of DP. Ogden proved busy with movements of Redwing seen a few times. Hard to discern Fieldfare given the poor visibility at times but I don't think any were present.

Woodland birds were active; Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Tits.

Plenty of gulls on the water but no visitors.

Cullingworth had plenty of gulls, mostly in the air until they settled towards the end of our trek. Otherwise it was very patchy apart from one final sighting of Redwing and a couple of Blackbird.

Queensbury and Low Moor

A great day for walking and the birding was alright too. DM alerted me to a few Lapwing in the High Cross Lane area; I managed to count 8. A fair number of BHG were present also.  

At Shelf I got my first Fieldfare of the year; c30 birds flying silently heading W.

Harold Park lake was busy. 2 Cormorant ditto Goosander, 1 GC Grebe. Numerous BH & 1 Common Gull. 6 Tufted Duck and the Coots etc.

Park Dam was quieter but did sport 6 GC Grebe as well as one Little. 1 Cormorant had flown in from HP. 2 Tufted Duck ditto Collared Dove & a few BHG made up the tally.

I got a welcome bonus on the way home via Shelf Moor. A pr Stonechat were flitting up and down from fence posts and vegetation in Bridge Lane. I’m positive this is a personal first for the location 😜.

Queensbury to Horton Bank CP

A generally humdrum walk via Shelf Moor in a moderat wind from the N. There was one welcome highlight at approx 1002 hours when a flock of c46 Pink-footed Geese flew over High Cross Lane heading SW. Also 2 Pied Wagtail & 1 Meadow Pipit here.

Shelf Moor produced just a Blackbird and a few BHG. One large gull was facing me and wouldn’t show a profile.

Horton Bank CP contained the usual suspects incl 1 Common & 4 sun adult phase Herring gull. 1 Jay also.

Raggalds to Mixenden Res

c50 Lapwing on Raggalds sports field along with many small gull species at 0830 hrs. A flock of c120 Woodpigeon flew over > W.

The flood held Canadas, pr Dullard and a few BHG. No sign of the Wigeon seen by BS yesterday.

Soil Hill was throbbing; 1 each Meadow Pipit & Wren.😭 The Ned Hill mud canal is bordering on the dangerous, I elected to go down the road to Ogden. Nothing worth mentioning here.

The trek across Hunter Hill bottom to Mixenden Res was mud stricken and boring.

The reservoir held several gulls both large and small. 1 Cormorant was present as was a Grey Heron. This was strolling along the embankment and appeared bemused giving me an opportunity to wield the camera.

Also 1 Mistle Thrush.