Queensbury and Shelf Moor

A bright sunny morning with a breeze from SE. Spring like atmosphere preceding the meteohorrorlogical 🤓 first day of Spring on Tuesday. Littlemoor Park was fairly noisy with Common species singing including 2 Greenfinch. Also couple Chaffinch & Goldfinch. A Song Thrush was particularly vocal.

The adjacent fields were quiet until I got to Bridge Lane where a party of small gulls were present. Among them was a BHG sporting a full breeding plumaged hoodie 💂🏻‍♀️. 9 Lapwing were seen showing signs of territorial behaviour. Pr Stock Dove in flight.

Skylark are back; 3 singers down at the Shelf Moor track and one nearer to home at Jackson Hill. Caaawvids busy throughout. A Raven was seen and heard heading > E.

Ogden to Mixenden Again

Thought I’d better get one in before the ☠️ 🚀 kicks off. 

A Spring like atmosphere with some 🤗 welcome activity at Ogden Res. Kingfisher, Pr Grey Wagtail, 1 Stock Dove, 2 Mistle Thrush singing. Song from Chaffinch Robins & Tits. 5 Blackbird. 3 Canadas. Small gulls in reduced numbers & an adult LBBG.

10 Curlew were feeding at Stod Fold and nearby a pr Crow were chasing a Kestrel which evaded them with ease. Mixenden was quiet: 1 Cormorant ditto Moorhen. 4 Herring in with the smaller gulls & a pr Canada.

Raggalds to Mixenden Res

Another galloping wind but just a smidgin of rain this morning. Birds very hard to come by; just a few small gulls on the sports field and nothing on the full to the brim flood. Persecution Rd produced a singing Mistle Thrush, a pr Greenfinch, 1 Blackbird ditto Robin. The Ned Hill sludge canal was just that - nothing doing.

Ogden Plantation gave up 7/8 Fieldfare & 1 Redwing. These were in with a party of Woodpigeon and Starling. A Moorhen was strutting around the household. The storms have felled 2/3 trees here, one blocking the path down to the reservoir. Only a few small gulls were out in the middle with nothing else of note. Well, I suppose I did see a couple Coal Tit by the Lodge House.

A Tawny Owl 🦉 howled once at Stod Fold where a few tits were active. Mixenden Res held 3 Moorhen similar LTT and a reduced number of gulls, mostly small uns.

Shelf Moor to Horton Bank CP

I took advantage of the rain stopping and willingly faced the wind so I could get my ageing torso exercised. Hardly no birds present from Queensbury to Shelf Moor just a Rook some Jackdaw and a modicum of mainly small gull species. Had to throw a half mile plus detour in as Bracken Lane is well flooded.

Horton Bank was also up to the 👁 balls with excess water and very busy too but the crowd was bird friendly. 5 Tufted Duck - a lone female plus 2 pair. 1 female Goosander ditto Grey Heron. The Heron got cheesed off with pestering gulls and eventually flew away. Herring Gull in various age phases outnumbered LBBs of which 3 notable adults stood out.

The Mute Swan pair were well fed. Usual crew Canadas, Coot and Moorhen active but it has been a few years since I’ve seen Little Grebe here now.

Sound Instructions For Birders

 

The Juggler

 

A Very Short Wet Walk

What to do next now that I’ve finished eating the bathroom ceiling, I thought on yet another day of wind driven moisture misery 😢. 20 mins later I’m out walking 🚶‍♂️south down the 🐸 frog n toad to view what the fields had to offer. Around 180 BHG and 16 Crows was all. Oddly enough the wicked weather didn’t stop the neighbourhood House 🏠 Sparrers from chirping 🐦.

Ogden Minor Miracle

Having been abandoned by avians other than 7 Blackbird and deafened by dogs, I took the incessant downpour into consideration and decided to abort the mission to Mixenden. 

This appeared to invoke sympathy from the spirit God Cygnus for at 1130 hours I heard a few grunts and honks from above and behind me. Turning around I saw a pr of Whooper Swan flying over the E shore before veering W and heading in the direction of Cold Edge Dams. 

All’s well that ends well (and wet) 😊.

Ogden Mixenden Route

Ogden Res. Nothing stimulating on the water and similar in the trees 🌲 on the whole. There was an exception to the latter; 2 GSW were drumming. One near to me would spin Knock On Wood 🪵 and the distant bird would respond and so it went on. The Dipper had moved downstream to Brookhouse where a few Chaffinch & Goldfinch were present.

Let’s forget about Mixenden shall we? Oh OK I’ll mention the more Gulls than usual and the cruising Moorhen.

Where Eagles Dare

 

Raggalds To Mixenden Res

At 1110 hrs I was amazed to see a Cormorant fly over the Raggalds pub heading west. Just the usual crowd of gulls on the flood and sports field.

Ned Hill was gash but the track would make a suitable training area for Navy Seals.

Two Skylark headed N up Back Lane. The Dipper was showing again in the Ogden Res outlet. Usual gulls on the water.

A GBBG adult was on Mixenden Res but left a couple minutes later leaving the usual crowd behind. Also 1 Cormorant and a few Canada.

Hard Work On Soil Hill

Exercise value mainly, birds almost non existent thanks to an orrible gusting cold SW’ly blow.

c20 Lapwing in the same field as the bottom pond. 2 Gulls over > W, one a LBBG. 5 Roe Deer.

Around 30 Fieldfare in a top field at Taylor Lane in company with hundreds of Starling. Visibility not great so couldn’t distinguish any Redwing.

Raggalds Flood was frozen over. A bunch of small gulls on the sports field.

Ogden Res to Mixenden

A morning of  wind and sleet didn’t enhance the birding opportunities at Ogden. 2 LBB adults in with the many smaller gulls.

The Dipper fed once more in the overflow and although distant, entertained for a while until 3 Crows came down to displace it 😢.

I managed my first annual Stock Dove albeit at distant. Blackbirds and Robins came much closer.

Stod Fold has had about a third of its trees cut down and loggers were busy burning 🔥 piles of branches all in the name of ecological improvement I’m sure 😬.

Mixenden Res had a Cormorant and the usual gulls. Good views of the (closed) fire damaged school didn’t lift the spirits at all.

Queensbury to Horton Bank CP

No Birds seen in the fields around the trailer park and Cross Lane down through Bridge Lane. NB the bottom of Bridge Lane is basically ploughed up mud so leave the Tennis Shoes at home 👟.

Avian action began at Shelf Moor with a Jay and surprisingly a loudly singing Song Thrush. House Sparrows, Blue/Gt Tit & Robins. The fields held 1 each adult Herring & LBB Gulls with several smaller gull sp. alongside.

Horton Bank Country Park was well flooded but interesting enough. Only 2 Coot seen with one showing strong aggression to its counterpart. 1 Grey Heron, pr Mute Swan, 🦆🦆s, Moorhens. 5 Goosander all female, the highest count I’ve experienced here. 21 Canadas.

Most of the large Gulls were 1/2 year jobs with a few older ones thrown in. I didn’t do a scientific examination but I thought nearly all Herring with one obvious immature phase LBB cruising.

Oxfordshire Barn Owl

DP had this video sent to him from a bird ringer who released this Barn Owl in Faringdon.

Ogden to Mixenden

Not so much of a 🦢 Birding trip, more like a journey of self exploration 😬. Struggling through vast volumes of wind to the very end with minimal bird life confirmed what most suspect; I’m not right in the head 😵‍💫.

Ogden: numerous small gulls & 17 Canadas. Only passerine seen was a Wren.

Stod Fold had a number of small gulls in the fields and a handful of Tit sp. in the trees.

Mixenden Res: 1 Grey Wagtail. 3 Herring Gull in with the few smaller sp.