Ogden And Mixenden Reservoirs

I was pondering the hill from hades this am but two factors rescued me from misery. The first was a txt from BS about the Teal on Ogden followed soon after by the sight of mist enveloping the aforementioned hill.

13/14 Teal were out in the middle (of course they were 🥸) when I arrived, along with a pair of GC Grebe. The latter were involved in a mating ritual, fingers crossed, it’s been many years since they’ve built nests here.

I did the circuit and managed some appalling photos of the Teal. JL was also doing the rounds. Also present: 1 Green & 2 GS Woodpeckers, 6 Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail ditto LTT, 3/4 Blackbird.

A Raven flew by Hunter Hill calling. 4 Curlew were at Stod Fold. Mixenden Res sported a pr Redshank, 2 Cormorant ditto Chiffchaff. There were no gulls at all on both stretches of water.

Queensbury South Again

The park produced two drumstick GSW & 4 singing Chiffchaff also 3/4 Blackbird, pr Dunnock.

A pr Linnet, my first of the year were in High Cross Lane.

3 Lapwing were down Bridge Lane as were 4 Skylark & a Meadow Pipit.

Other: 2 singing Mistle Thrush, a few Goldfinch & a very healthy looking Brown Hare.

Home To Soil Hell Ogden Oats Royd and Back

My Legs have stopped communicating with me 😬.  Chuntering started after the climb from Soilage bottom then stopped for the flat section from Ogden to Bradshaw. The climb up the hill at Oats Royd was the last straw, hopefully they’ll see sense come October 🙏. Fleet Lane fields were poor; a single Skylark & a couple Crows. 

SH bottom: 3 Snipe. A single then a pr together which gave forth a few chipping notes 🎵. 10 Lapwing incl. some sitters & a pr Curlew. The Grey Heron still holding a vigil on the pond that had a cruising Moorhen. 4 Skylark, Meadow Pipit, 1 Pied Wagtail.

Ogden Res: 2 GSW & a Green 🪵 Pecker. 2 Goldcrest, 4/5 Chiffchaff. A Phylosc Warbler showed well for 4/5 seconds with plenty of yellow revealed. The legs were not seen and to add to the bad dream it’s 3 calls were Willowish to my ancient ear holes 😏🥸. 3 LBBG were on the drink and with some relief on my part the Oystercatcher pr have split.

Oats Royd: a singing Chiffchaff. If anything else was present my mind has it blotted out.

Queensbury South Another Quiet One

Littlemoor Park: 5 singing Chiffchaff, 1 f  Bullfinch, 4 Blackbird, few Goldfinch. The fields were quiet apart from when a frequently calling distant Buzzard in the Shelf vicinity helped send 6 Lapwing into orbit for a few minutes.

1 each Skylark & Pied Wagtail, 2 Meadow Pipit. Several House Sparrers. The fields in the Cross Lane area were empty and there was a marked absence of gulls throughout.

Cold Edge to Mixenden

A disappointing morning with no migrants to lift the spirits. I met DJS and later on another Calderdale birder who remains unknown. Both had nothing to report beyond the usual which happened, in my case, to be: Greylags, Canadas, Lapwings, 4 Tufted Duck, few Curlew ditto Skylark & Meadow Pipits. 1 Kestrel was the only raptor encountered.

Shall I embark on the episode at the Nolstar site where I thought I’d got a possible P Ochruros? No it was a short affair and the embarrassment may lift the spirits of others 😂.

A stumble down Hunter Hill produced just a couple Meadow Pipit. Mixenden Res still held the GC Grebe & singing Chiffchaff along with 2 Moorhen.

Queensbury to Shelf Moor

Another warm sunny ☀️ day that stifled the birding overall. A lot of noise in Littlemoor Park due to the singers which included a couple of Chiffchaff & Mistle Thrush. A few Goldfinch spread thinly & a Greenfinch.

3 Herring Gull were in a field in Blackshawbeck Lane which isn’t exactly a commonplace occurrence. Bridge Lane was disappointing perhaps due to the SE’ly breeze? A single Lapwing ditto Meadow Pipit & mebbe 4 Skylark. After just 3 Canada on the pond I was inspired to return home.

For you Stats Fans: I’ve known for donkeys years that blogger stats are totally meaningless without going into the myriad details. Today is proof positive; 155 hits at time of posting. All those viewers hooked on a blog about mediocre local birding? Yeah, right 🙄.

Soil Hill to Mixenden

Enjoyable walking in the fine weather at the expense of patchy birding. Soil Hill produced a Pied Wagtail pr, a couple of Stock Dove ditto Meadow Pipit & 3 singing Skylark. A Grey Heron down on the bottom pond. A Greenfinch & 3/4 Goldfinch at bottom Perspicacious Rd.

Two Curlew were by the Ogden plantation. The water was not burdened with anything special just a few gulls on it. Woodland types include 2 Song Thrush ditto Chiffchaff and a drumstick GSW. The Oystercatcher pr are showing signs of being glued down to the overflow wall.

A laughing Green Woodpecker and 13 Curlew were at Stod Fold. The recent Mute Swan is on Mixenden Res along with a GC Grebe and 5 Canada. A single Chiffchaff sang from the trees 🌳.

Elsewhere a pr Barn Owl.

Mixenden Res to Ogden

I couldn’t resist the urge to visit Mixenden after receiving a msg from BS earlier this morning. At 1025hrs, 27 Whooper Swan were settled on the water albeit at a distant not conducive for good photography.

At 1130 hours when I viewed for the final time from near Carrs Beck, the lot of them had hauled out into the north bank. 1 Grey Wagtail also flitting around.

4 Curlew were at Stod Fold along with a couple Meadow Pipit. Ogden Res was a pleasant surprise; a Mute Swan was by the W bank. This species tends to turn up maybe once every 2/3 years.

The Oystercatcher pr were still in the same area and a Curlew flew over bubbling loudly. A couple of drake Tufted Duck were near the dullard feeding area.

Passerines included 4 singing Chiffchaff a singing Song Thrush & a couple Goldcrest.

Soil Hill and Ogden Res

DP and myself walked the walk but found it difficult to bird the birds 🙄. Soil Hill produced a couple Greenfinch ditto Skylark and a Meadow Pipit with a Grey Heron and some Dullards on the bottom pond. A Kestrel was flying around the fields below the Ned Hill track.

Ogden was poor. A pr RLP by the plantation just 3/4 small gull sp. but not a single singing migrant whatsoever 😩. Sanity salvation came with the Oystercatcher duo still hanging around on the overflow wall.

                              

A singing Nuthatch was at Stod Fold. The trek to Mixenden was aborted when the wind picked up and drove the brief rainfall straight into our faces. 

Wales Photos 13/14th March

 

                                     

Little Orme from Penrhyn Bay

Rock Pipit, singing when the wind permitted

Wales Photos 11/12th March

 

Little Orme and Penrhyn Bay

How appropriate that my final day lent itself to subdued birding. Excellent preparation for what lies in store on the return home 🤮. 

Little Orme: 3 Buzzard, pr Raven, a few Greenfinch, pr Mistle Thrush. 3 Curlew & c16 Oystercatcher in a nearby field were, I think, scared 😱 off by me extracting camera from rucksack prior to the ascent. 🙄 Doh! 

Penrhyn Bay: quiet. The only highlight was a pr Eider Duck sheltering by a breakwater. I’m presuming these were the same birds seen previously near Llandudno pier. Managed a couple photos of a 🎵 singing Rock Pipit.

On returning to base I had a quick forage around the pier. Nowt new just the marauding Herrings, 3 GBBG, 1 Redshank & more Oysters 🦪.

Llandudno Deganwy Conwy

The weather was mainly dry but the wind speed and temperature up and down like Covid rules on acid. Top Coat 🧥 on Top Coat off, oops 😬 back on. Of course it was delightful to have ones eyes 👀 sanded down.

Between Llandudno & Deganwy were the usual crowd of Oyster 🦪 Catchers and a great count of 53 Sanderling scurrying for food. Photos out of the question, I may have been able to keep a 🍺pint of beer steady in that wind but not the camera. Priorities, priorities 🤣.

Twixt Deganwy & Conwy I was happy to nail 22 Shelduck with some photos to boot that can only be published after returning home. Around 45 Wigeon & 3 Teal were feeding and in the same vicinity were a dozen or so Redshank plus 4 Curlew.

Usual hordes of Herring Gull, 1 each Cormorant & Stonechat ditto Blackbird and a fair few Dunnock which seem to thrive here.

Birding Around Great Orme

The forecast for today Saturday said rain and it did earlier on but by the time I got mobile it was sunny and dry,  very spring like in fact 😀. The birds acted accordingly especially on N side of Gt Orme then duly fading when I turned the headland into a SW’ly stiff ‘un. 

Kicked off with a pr of large marine Duck and I thought those are eider Eider or not. Eider way I was happy when they turned out as Eider 😎.

Surpassing this delight was a star Caaawvid coughing musically as it headed toward me showing a bright red bill; you got it, a Chough 🥰.

Auks have returned in large numbers to the cliffs; numerous Razormotte & Guillebill 🤓😩. A single Gannet was flying around with a pr of GBBG present and squadrons of Herring Gull. However remaining constant to this location: not a single LBBG seen.

Also: 1 Peregrine ditto Skylark, 2 Raven, 4/5 Stonechat, pr Rock Pipit and several singing Meadow Pipit. Cormorants, few Shag, c25 Oystercatcher. Goldfinch ubiquitous.

Llandudno First Afternoon

A bit grey with some light rain but not enough to dissuade this desperado. I went out for a bit over 50 minutes and got a GC Grebe plus a Cormorant on the ‘oggin. Beyond the pier at the start of the Great Orme trail I managed a bunch of Turnstone with a sneaky Redshank or three. A few Fulmar, 1 Blackbird and the gulls. These were all Herring and they nearly decapitated a schoolboy who shared his chips with them. Returning to the hotel I was gifted a cracking pr of Rock Pipit one of which finally surrendered to my camera & a Pied Wagtail.

Soil Hill to Mixenden Res

A poor start with Ogden being particularly grim, in fact the best way to describe it is with *expletives deleted* 👺.

Soil Hill: couple Greenfinch ditto Chaffinch, a single singing Skylark.

Ogden Res: just small gulls on the water. 4 Goldcrest, 2 LTT & a Coal Tit. A respite from brimming 😭 tears of boredom came when the Kingfisher perched in the embankment basin before flying off, looking somewhat like a rainbow of paint being cast through the ether.

Save your praises for the photos, I'm just naturally gifted😎

A Mistle Thrush was singing at Stod Fold which held about 20 noisy Curlew. Also here was a small flock of finch sized birds that flashed across the track in seconds never to be refound . Linnet sprang to mind but I’ll have to let that one go.

Mixenden Res: 1 GC Grebe ditto Grey Wagtail. 4 Canada & the usual gull crowd.

Elsewhere a pr Barn 🦉 Owl.

Bad Day at Swillington

I’ll be gracious and say the cold breeze from the E didn’t help but this trip was a real downer. Floods were evident with both the Astley Lake and Lemonroyd tracks well covered with H2O.

A Cettis Warbler called briefly as did a Reed Bunting and a Skylark sang a few chords. As I left in a hurry a Kestrel pounced  from a nearby tree onto the main road kerbside grass and took off with a small rodent in its claws!

A few Shoveler, several Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard ditto Goldeneye. Several Lapwing, 4 Oystercatcher, 1 Goosander. Numerous Wigeon & a Teal plus the humdrum usual species.

Mixenden Res To Cold Edge

Mixenden Res: 1 GC Grebe, 3 Canada, 1 Herring and a bunch of smaller gull sp. A couple Goldcrest heard from the woodland.

The wind from the N went straight down my bronchials as I climbed up the steep Hunter Hill slope. I won’t forget that in a hurry especially as there was just a Meadow Pipit heard and nothing except a BHG in the Nolstar fields.

Matters improved on the slope down to the Cold Edge Dams. 3/4 Curlew & 3 Lapwing ditto Greylags seen and heard. A pr Tufted Duck on Haighcote and a most welcome Barnacle Goose in with Canadas on Leadbeater Dam. Also here was PS who led me to a pr Oystercatcher in a field down the track where more Canada and small gulls were present.

Raggalds to Mixenden Res

Raggalds Flood was partly frozen over, just a group of small gulls present. Perseverance up the eponymous Rd produced 4 Greenfinch, couple Chaffinch and 6/7 Fieldfare with a few Starling alongside.

Soil Hill was a let down but 4/5 Skylark were vocal in flight. Ogden Res wasn’t too clever however c31 Canadas found it appealing and a Green Woodpecker was calling.

8 Curlew a pr LTT and a Red-legged Partridge were at Stod Fold. The former took flight and headed W. Mixenden Res had a single Grey Wagtail & Canada on it plus the usual gulls. The highlight here was a Buzzard somewhere upstairs calling loudly (do they ever call quietly? 🤔).