Queensbury South

A walk in bright sunshine that was interrupted by mist halfway through. Once again nothing to shout about.

Littlemoor Park managed a single Fieldfare and 3 Greenfinch besides the usual thinly spread residents. Rather alarmingly I counted 6 very active Grey Tree Undesirables 🐿️.

The stretch down Bridge Lane was where the mist struck but I did have time to slot a load of  gulls in including a Herring.

A single Meadow Pipit was heard.

Walking back up Briggus Rd a car 🚙 stopped in a hurry and when the driver approached me I thought it’s time to ready the two 🤞finger nostril punch.

Turned out he had mistaken me for BS in the murk and went on to say he was a buddy of HC. He was Sooty from Wakefield, er, his name not the colour 🤣.

Soil Hill and Ogden Water

A glorious calm sunny day so I went to Soil Hill to see nothing at all. Wait! I lie, there were 4/5 Pheasant 😢.

Plenty of gulls on the Denholme side of the bottom road.

The Ogden plantation Buzzard was waiting for me and put on a good if short duration glide past.

A single drake Teal was parked in the middle of Ogden water which also held numerous Gulls incl. quite a few large species.

Others: Grey & Pied Wagtail singles, 1 GSW, couple Goldfinch.

Ponder this Calderdale Council Tree 🌳 Planters:

When the trees have grown What are you intending to do with the tons of plastic tubing you have blessed the hillsides with?

Meanwhile Just Down The Road

 https://www.facebook.com/100006664414100/posts/green-parakeet-in-our-garden-again-with-pale-blue-tail-feathers-crake-drive-west/3478146115750835/

Ogden Water & Mixenden Res

Not a lot going on at either location on a dry morning with a S'ly blow.

Ogden: only gulls and dullards on the water. The Chaffinch flock has diminished and split up. c20 birds in the Skirden channel and a handful down on the W shore by the overflow.

2 GSW, 1 Bullfinch, 5/6 Gt Tit stood out.

A Dipper was in the brook at Stod Fold. c22 Canada Geese were in a field nearer to Mixenden Res along with an almost leucistic hybrid with pink bill and legs.

4/5 Herring Gull were on the drink along with a 2/3 LBB, a few Common & several BHG.

Only other bird seen was a Pied Wagtail.

A Queensbury Garden Update

 

Another Nordic type yesterday. The previous one was in 2020 and I think it first appeared on. Once again the only Jackdaw to have come in for food despite there being plenty of them around in the immediate area. It went off south so it'll be interesting to see if it reappears. 

Also >S this morning, about 30 Redwings. A couple of Collared Doves, not seen since May, in the garden but Jays, which have been regular visitors for several years have been missing since the beginning of the year. 

Denise.

Thanks for the great photo and news Denise. 

NK

Soil Hill To Ogden

 

I missed a Wesley Snipes film last night so to make amends I went up the hill this am to look for his relatives 😁. I found 4 Common Snipe, 5 Pheasant, 8/9 Meadow Pipit and one other. 5 Roe Deer also present.

A Buzzard was over Ogden plantation, hanging in the air thanks to the very fresh and cold S'ly wind.

Ogden Water is fully supplied now and if this rain keeps up it may climb onto the pathway. 2 Teal and a few gulls on the drink.

Just a few Tit sp. heard and no sign of the recent large Chaffinch flock.

I did check Raggalds Flood on the trek up, but nothing at all in the field or on the water.

Soil Hill To Ogden

The urge to do it wild and wet was too hard to resist this am so off t’ Ill from Ell I did traipse. In reverse order I sure managed a thorough soaking 💦. The wild bit was ok: 10 Common Snipe on the hill; 9 down the bottom & 1 on top. That was it though apart from a couple Meadow Pipit and a Blackbird. There were masses of Starling on the S slope and a bunch of BHG. Also 5 Roe Deer seen.

Ogden Water is once again just that - levels rising at pace. The gull numbers have dropped dramatically. The Chaffinch flock was in the usual place and still in large numbers. Also 5 m Blackbird, a mixed Tit flock & a very noisy Kestrel.

Weekend Birds

Bit of a misnomer this, there weren't hardly any! Horton Bank CP on Saturday was abandoned; Tufteds & Goosanders all gone leaving just the morass of residents..

Today, Sunday 20th Littlemoor Park was poor. 1 each Mistle Thrush & Nuthatch. A couple Goldfinch ditto Pied Wagtail.

Bridge Lane provided an interesting moment or three. A pr Rook were have a bill fight or at least a trial of strength. It just occurred to me was it a pre nuptial action, in November?

Usual load of small gulls in the fields, mainly BHG.

Quiet Usual Route

Minimal arboreal activity at Ogden Water today. 7 Blackbird stood out.

The Kingfisher posed at a distance but hey I still managed this award winning photo 🤣.

1 Grey Wagtail also down the drain.

Good numbers of gulls, large and small incl. a big un I tried to turn into a 1CY Cachinnans but then I realised I have to sleep at night.

Mixenden Res was very poor again - 1 Pied Wagtail, usual gulls & a couple Blackbird.

Ogden Water Satisfies

An iffy start that picked up positively despite the fluctuating fog and visibility.

At 1115 hrs a large flock of Pink-footed Geese flew up the W shore from the Mixenden direction and carried noisily on N.

The Chaffinch flock were once again on the W shore near to the overflow. c90 birds seen with more scattered nearby. Mixed Tit sp. were here also as were a few Redpoll. Also 3/4 Bullfinch, 1 each Raven & GSW. Let’s not forget the ever present gullage on the ullage.

A Barn Owl was seen en route to Mixenden which was, well

 M

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        eeeeewewwww 🤮.

          

Fun in t’village

https://www.facebook.com/reel/870654590957673?s=chYV2B&fs=e

Ogden Water Usual Route

Hard to believe it’s November given the warm sunshine this morning. The price paid for this around Ogden was the inevitable multitude of loud voices, shouts & shrill screaming. How Dogs 🐕 evolved to become like this I’ll never know 🤣.

While I was on the way I caught about 3 seconds worth of a distant big flock of large birds around Mixenden > W. A couple of minutes later I received a most welcome txt from BS informing me that lots of Pink-footed Geese were moving from E to W. Perhaps I’d seen some 🤓.

Just the usual gulls on the water and Passerines in low numbers. I did get a GSW and a Green Woodpecker laffing it’s head off.

A Dipper was in the Brook near the golf course sheds.

A Buzzard was circling the golf course 👀 looking for carrion. It glanced down and decided I was still functional so gradually moved on.

Just the gull hordes at Mixenden Res.

Ogden and Mixenden Again

Not an enjoyable trek this, with minimal activity at both locations. It’s only with hindsight and remembering faint flight calls then confirming them via Xeno Canto that I can say I had some Lesser Redpoll overhead for a few seconds.

The same principles apply to Siskin but the sounds were even briefer and with fewer calls, so that’s one for the bin.

Just a few Chaffinch & a couple of GSW ditto Blackbird noted. Gulls on the water and nothing else. This was repeated at Mixenden plus a couple Pied Wagtail.

Ogden Water & Mixenden Res

I had the good fortune to be put onto a couple of drake Goldeneye by DJS on arrival at Ogden this morning. Then I demonstrated my exemplary skills by avoiding the Redpolls and Siskins that other poor unfortunate birders have seen 😟. 

The Chaffinch were still in their favoured area along with a few Tit sp. A single GSW called weakly.

A huge Fieldfare flock was at the bottom of Hunter Hill. As soon as they saw me, they all scarpered back up the slope 🧐.

Mixenden Res: c22 Canada, a couple of Pied Wagtail, many mixed Gull sp.

On departure I heard a RNP screech thrice.

I found this recently deceased Pygmy Shrew on Soil Hill yesterday am.

Soil Hill To Ogden

The accursed SW'ly did the mumber on the hellish hill and birds were hard come by. 3 Snipe, 4/5 Meadow Pipit & a Moorhen.

2 Moorhen in Ogden Plantation. A mix of Gulls on the water and a sizeable passerine flock on W bank. Chaffinch, Tits & Goldcrest. Pity I have to let a flashing white rump in with the Chaffinch go but that’s a split second view for you. Also a GSW & a Raven.

Had a good garden tick out back before breakfast a Grey Wagtail. 😛

Queensbury South

On the quiet side. A Nuthatch in the park along with mebbe 3 Redwing & 6 Fieldfare. Small gulls in the adjacent fields as were 4/5 Goldfinch & a couple Meadow Pipit.

14 Lapwing down Brighouse Road and the usual bunch of  BHG.

Soil Hill Satisfies

A pleasant satisfying late morning 80 minutes up and down the hill from hell today.

Only a few small gull species at the bottom but sharing the field were 6 Lapwing & 6/7 Pheasant.

12 Common Snipe, 10 at the bottom and 2 up top.

A pr Buzzard with the inevitable Crow in tow. A Kestrel in a similar situation. The snoozing Tawny Owl 🦉 hard at it.

A single Blackbird, Meadow Pipit & a calling passerine I couldn’t pin down.

On the way back a single Lapwing over Mountain > NW.

Queensbury Shelf Moor Horton Bank CP

Littlemoor Park failed to excite as did Shelf Moor. Things picked up however at Horton Bank Country Park.

The Park: 4 Redwing similar Blackbird & Goldfinch. Several small gulls in the adjacent fields with a couple more Blackbird. Pr Pied Wagtail, couple Meadow Pipit.

c120 Woodpigeon flew over > SW at Shelf Moor where a flock of Starling were seen.

Horton Bank CP: 5 f Goosander & 3 Tufted Duck stood out among the residents incl the Mute Swan pr. 1 Grey Wagtail, several small gulls incl. 3/4 Common. The Moorhen count has got so high it may warrant a vaccination programme 😵‍💫.

Ogden To Mixenden

Ogden Water levels steadily rising, shame about bird levels failing to keep pace 😏. Reduced number of mixed Gulls. Pr Raven, 1 Jay, 1 Grey Wagtail ditto Reed Bunting.

A Buzzard being given short shrift by Crows at Hunter Hill.

Mixenden Res water levels still low as was the bird count. Gulls only.