From Bad To Good Fortune

On extremely wet Thursday I suffered at Ogden: 1 Blackbird and a few gulls 😢.

This mornings start Friday was a discouraging one. I went down to the south end and Shelf Moor where apart from a Pied Wagtail it was all small gulls and Caaawvids.

Almost in desperation I had a crack at Horton Bank CP. There were c40 large gulls, the vast majority being Herring. 2 Common & several BHG. 1 each drake Goosander Grey Heron & Mute Swan. A few Moorhen & a couple of Coot.

On departure I caught sight of a flock of c45 Pink-footed Geese flying low overhead. 🙏😄. They headed in the direction of Clayton.

Raggalds Flood Ogden Water

Raggalds Flood: 4 Lapwing 27 Common Gull.

Ogden was busy with visitors of course but it wasn’t too distressing. 1 Treecreeper pr Bullfinch 5 LTT 3/4 Robin couple Blackbird. Only the expected gulls in good numbers on the water.

I came home via Oats Royd a huge mistake. There were no birds but plenty of water and mud on the tracks. A large branch blocked one pathway and was only passable by crawling under it.

Queensbury South Shelf Moor

So much for giving up the mentally crippling illness of birding; I now realise I don’t control it, it controls me

A Mistle Thrush sang loudly for approx 20 minutes in Littlemoor Park. Also seen here: 2 Blackbird, ditto Great Tit. Blue Tits & 3 Chaffinch.

The fields produced a Kestrel, several small gulls, numerous Caaawvids & a few Starling. A Brown Hare was my first in about a year as were these 2 characters.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

After making an effort to get to Ogden earlier than the norm and finding it made no difference that’s me done with birding.

I’ve decided that Tightrope Walking or Javelin Swallowing would be far more beneficial for my mental wellbeing.

1 Goosander ditto Raven c15 Redwing & the Gullery.

Numerous gulls on Mixenden again and 2 Ring-necked Parakeet screeching away in the trees.

Friday & Saturday Nothing Doing

Hard to believe that a few years ago a trip round Littlemoor Park would have produced Brambling & winter Thrushes and the nearby fields Snipe & Golden Plover.

On Friday I managed 4 Blackbird a Mistle Thrush 5/6 BHG.

Today at Ogden Water. Plenty of Common Gulls. 1 GSW ditto Coal Tit & 10 LTT. Another non event as was Mixenden Res.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

Such a surprise to have yet another session enshrined in mediocrity 😏.

Ogden: 37 Canada which subsequently departed to Mixenden. c18 Common 1 Herring & 5 BH Gull.

The Dipper was in its favoured place. 7 LTT 4 Blackbird.

Mixenden sported numerous gulls of mixed sizes. 1 Cormorant plus said Canadas.

Quick Sortie Down The Road

You two readers are forgiven for not reading any further…

5 Goldfinch 12 Starling 2 Woodpigeon 16 BHG 3/4 Crows

🤮.

Raggalds Flood To Mixenden

19 Lapwing on the Flood and a similar nr of small gulls.

c35 Canada bottom Soil Hill. A m Bullfinch on Ned Hill mud bath.

c14 Fieldfare at Yew Tree Farm. The plantation was quiet - a Moorhen.

Ogden was comatose 5 Common Gull & a f Goosander.

A Cormorant & several mixed size gulls on Mixenden.

Wet Wandering Around Wales

I walked for over an hour around Llandudno to Conwy and boyo it was slow until I approached the latter destination.

Finally nailed waders in fair numbers with Dunlin at last.

Teal & Wigeon were welcome wildfowl as were 9 Shelduck.

https://app.bto.org/birdtrack/pubcon/shared?subId=SUB47753531

The rain nailed me on the return leg but it was a first seeing 8 Blackbird in a tight group using a puddle to bathe in.

Quiet Conwy Estuary

This is the first time here in 4 visits when the tides have been unfavourable so twas hard work getting waders. I’d like to thank dog owners Jack The Lad, Felicity Fudge & Larry The Laff for doing their utmost to frighten Redshank off their feeding areas. The numerous Oystercatchers weren’t too bothered for some unfathomable reason.

https://app.bto.org/birdtrack/pubcon/shared?subId=SUB47751008

A surprise on the beach was a solitary Rook behaving very much like a wader. Got me a couple of reasonable shots of the  7 Curlew I saw.

DW advised me of  a Waxwing flock in the wider area. I’ve noted the place but it may be a bridge to far for tomorrow’s foray.

Welsh Wales

Marginally better than Ogden and Mixenden Boyo. I was lucky to get a dry spell after Gales and heavy rain overnight. Being Winter the Fulmars 🪒 Bills and Guillies are playing away. One Peregrine seen that the Bird Polizei don’t want to publish - copy & paste job below.

https://app.bto.org/birdtrack/pubcon/shared?subId=SUB47748133

Let’s see what the Conwy Estuary coughs up come the morrow 🤔.

Mixenden Provides Last Gasp Goods

Not exactly a fairy tale ending to a couple of sessions of rock bottom birding but by gum it lifted my spirits by a few glasses.

Thursday 30/11 up Soil Hill and Ogden was so poor it didn’t warrant a report. Same story for today’s venture to those venues also - really quiet.

Then as I was about to exit Mixenden Res this lunchtime I heard distant calls that gradually got nearer and louder. Looking up I 👁️ balled a flock of Pink-footed Geese flying high over the school grounds heading towards Cold Edge. I estimate c75 birds were present . 

Raggald To Mixenden Route

This fawn Roe Deer may have died when jumping a wall then hitting a fence at Ogden Plantation. A few Crows and Magpies were showing interest in it.

Long stretches of silence but overall some interesting birds bagged for the bins 😃.

Raggalds Flood: just 11 small gulls.

Soil Hill: c50 Canada & a Kestrel at the N slope bottom.

A good sighting of a f Sparrowhawk that flew low overhead on the top Ogden plantation track.

Ogden Water: a Kingfisher flew across the drink otherwise just the usual gulls.

Twas really pleasing to get good views of a Barn Owl duo glowing in the bright sunshine 😛.

A pr Teal and a squadron of gulls were on Mixenden Reservoir. A Goldcrest was among a small passerine party in the trees 🌲.

Raggalds Ogden Water Mixenden

Just a single Lapwing this morning on Raggalds Flood along with c28 Common Gull and a few BHG.

Soil Hill top had nothing. c60 Canadas were in the bottom fields.

Ogden Plantation coughed up a Buzzard 1 RLP 7 Pheasant & 2 Moorhen. A GSW was very noisy in the woods at Ogden Water which was very busy with numerous Gulls incl. several Common.

A Raven called a few times from Hunter Hill.

A single Cormorant was on Mixenden Res which also held many Gull including a few Herring.

Horton Bank Country Park

A 45 minute saunter around the lake in well flooded pathways at least gave me the opportunity for some OK and some below par photographs.

I didn't or couldn't be bothered to sort out 5 of the 1/2CY gulls there but can safely say there were 7 Herring & 2 LBBG adults present. 5/6 Common gulls & a squadron of BHG.

1 drake Goosander ditto Grey Heron. Only 1 Mute Swan present - leg ring 1Y37. 2 Canada plus several Moorhen, less so Coots.

No Passerines seen nor heard, sadly.

Raggalds Soil Hill Ogden Mixenden

Absolutely no point in reading any further 😓🤮.

Local Walk Queensbury N

Glad to get out even though twas a very quiet session overall.

Raggalds Flood had a large Lapwing flock. I estimate at least 120 birds. Also 14/15 small gull sp.

Roper Lane: just one Blackbird.

Just a Meadow Pipit & 9 Common Gull in the fields at Fleet Lane with another 8/9 Commoners at Foxhill Park.

Queensbury really rock’s don’t it 🤮.

Catch Up Monday @ Wednesday

Monday 13 November. Storm Debi didn’t help I’m sure but can’t be really blamed for an appallingly quiet session.

Raggalds Flood produced c60 Lapwing c100 Starling & several small gull species.

Nothing on Soil Hill other than a brief view of two lark sized jobs that remain anonymous.

Ogden Plantation coughed up 2 Chaffinch & a Blackbird.

That was it, nothing else worth a mention.

A couple hundred small gulls in the fields around Bradshaw.

Wed 15th. Read no further! There was no catchup at Ogden; the bins stayed in the rucksack. Very wet exercise value only.

GC Grebe? I will check

 Bird of Century: Pūteketeke wins NZ poll after campaign by John Oliver

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-67376814

Usual Raggalds Route Improvements

Nothing at Raggalds Flood; didn’t even use Binoculars - no need as JL was there doing the hard work arf arf 😊.

Soil Hill was passage only and the top end of Ogden plantation the same.

Exiting the plantation I managed 4 Grey Partridge & 2 RLP.

At Ogden I bumped into CK then later AT. We each bemoaned the lack of migrant species.

Things got a bit better I got a f Goosander & a drake Tufted Duck. Also 3 Herring Gull plus the BHG contingency.

Peering at Mixenden Res from the golf course I could just make out 5 large White Blobs so I revved up the footwork somewhat.

Sure enough 5 Whooper Swan were taking it easy at the end near the school/adventure centre 😜.

Subsequently I looked at my mobile bone and discovered BS had msgd me earlier in the day about the quintet - appreciated Brian.

Cromwell Bottom

Probably for the lasr time. The Ski lake may as well be walled up about 7 feet high such was the limited visibility.

3 Tufted Duck 1 drake Goosander ditto Herring Gull. 

Good to bump into DM who reports a Grey Heron. We both saw a Kingfisher (albeit at different times) put on a prolonged show of perching then flying and repeating the process over a couple of hundred yards on the canal.

1 Kestrel ditto Jay & Collared Dove. Arboreal types were down to a couple Blue & Great Tits only.

Nothing in the trailer park fields down the frog n toad on the way down bar a few Caaawvids.

Catch Up Wednesday and Thursday

I took advantage of a dry spell Wednesday afternoon at 1400 hrs and had an hour down south at Corporal and Green Lane.

Exercise value only in the main - again.

1 Sparrowhawk ditto Herring Gull. Several BHG & 3/4 Common Gulls. 25 Dullard by the pond at junction of the two lanes. 

Thursday 9/11 Raggalds Flood: 41 Lapwing & several small Gulls.

Ogden area and I do mean the global area was gash. Giants Tooth and Back Lane were all covered, the latter twice. End products were a Kestrel GSW Nuthatch Wren 🐦‍⬛ bird.

Time to call it a draw methinks. In fact let’s get real time to accept birding in this area is finished.

Raggalds To Mixenden Res

Raggalds Flood c35 Lapwing & a few small gulls.

Soil Hill: 3 Greenfinch in a Ned Hill Rd Tree.

The top track at Ogden Plantation proved interesting. A Chiffchaff was flitting about in the hawthorns as were a few Chaffinch. Then a single Brambling showed itself brieflly.

Ogden Water continues to be rubbish. The Dipper was in its favoured spot and a Jay was seen. A Cormorant flew around but didn’t land.

Mixenden Res: 1 Cormorant & plenty of gulls including a Herring & 6/7 LBBG.

A Grey Wagtail at Haley Hill HX.

Disastrous Sunday Saunter

Queensbury South. Awful in Littlemoor Park and beyond; hard to believe the paucity of birds 😥. Nuthatch 7 Fieldfare some Common Gulls.

I  ventured into Horton Bank CP but left immediately. A person discharged a double barrel shotgun twice within 5/6 minutes from the woodland trees. A lady said it could have been fireworks but my instincts told me differently.

I just had time too see the usual suspects on the water. Numerous small gulls and a Herring.

Raggalds Flood Route Again

A big clear out at the Flood but a solitary Wigeon still there at around 1000 hrs. A troop of Common Gull also.

Soil Hill was exercise value only. Down at the Shay were c40 Canada.

Ogden Plantation coughed up 3 RLP & a couple Pheasant. A GSW & a Jay were at Ogden Water (the dry bits) while several small gulls were on it. 

Mixenden Res: 2 Cormorant, a stack of mainly small gulls. 4 Blackbird.

Raggalds Flood To Mixenden

Very Good start, boring middle bit, mediocre ending.

Raggalds Flood full to the brim and extending to adjacent fields. A pr Wigeon 😜. 1 Pied Wagtail 28 Canadas 1 LBBG Several small gulls - Common & BHG. Dullards.

No point in mentioning Soil Hill or Ogden other than to say even the circuit path is flooded at both sides of Ogden. Nothing at Stod Fold.

Mixenden Res provided a dozen LTT - the first I’ve had in a couple months. 10 Fieldfare few small gulls, 1 LBBG.

Not Much Down Queensbury South

Hard to believe how bad this mornings walk was. Littlemoor Park was a write off 😥. The muddy track adjacent to the golf course produced 3 Fieldfare 2 Redwing & 5 Blackbird. The fields around High Cross Lane held c40 Starling a Common & c20 BHG.

Halloween beckons 😵‍💫 Angst and Guilt manifesting themselves. Reckon it’s time to

Shake Hands With Holy Ghost

Ogden Poor Again

Rock bottom birding in the fog at Ogden. Jay Raven Mistle Thrush. A fair count of Common Gull.

c60 Fieldfare at Stod Fold flew over to Mixenden and beyond. Again a fair count of Common Gull. A dark mantled very large gull evoked thoughts of GBBG but I discounted it as desperation.

Raggalds To Mixenden Res

Raggalds Flood: 33 Canadas 6 Common Gull 4/5 BHG.

Soil Hill top only: 1 Common Snipe (not too common these days). Pheasant 2 Meadow Pipit. Grey Heron on the bottom dullard pond.

A great spectacle occurred at Ogden 🌱 tation. A Magpie was being chased by a large Sparrowhawk which I took as a juvenile female. At one point the raptor was inches away from the maggot and both were only 3 yards away from me 😍👍. A few Chaffinch also here.

Ogden Water was really quiet but I did get a brief glimpse of a Little Grebe diving. Just a few gulls present.

Mixenden Res sported c15 Common Gull & a few BHG. A GSW called.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

Mixed Fortunes this morning after a poor start at Fogden 🌫️.

After completing a circuit enough daylight came through to identify 6/7 Common Gull and a count of 5/6 Herring incl. 2/3CY birds. The Dipper was again down in its favoured channel. A Nuthatch called and the usual Blackbirds & Robins put in an appearance as did a pr Dunnock.

7 Redwing showed near Stod Fold. A pr Raven were at bottom of Hunter Hill where I got my first Fieldfare of the year c15 of them.

A mixed party of gulls were on Mixenden Res. A Nuthatch called but that was it.

Some good news from a local lady who told me that maybe 5/6 Ring-necked Parakeets still visit her friends garden there.

Awful Birding Again

Silly me, I thought Bitch Babet might have dropped a morsel in at Ogden this morning. In fact it was barren on the water until 10 minutes before I legged it when 3/4 Common and a similar number of BHG dropped in. They elected not to stay however.

A Dipper was in the embankment channel. Others: 2 Jay 1 Bullfinch 3 Blackbird 🐦‍⬛.

Nothing on Mixenden Res (what a shock that is). A GSW & a Nuthatch heard.

A Barn Owl was seen but it didn’t show for long.

An Abundance Of Nothing

Oh I’ve had some bad spells but today at Ogden and Mixenden was a prize winner 🏆.

Ogden: 1 Cormorant & the usual gull gallery. A small Tit party.

A Stonechat at Carr’s Beck.

A Nuthatch called weakly at Mixenden where a few gulls were wave bouncing.

Elsewhere a Barn Owl just about salvaged my mental wellbeing (Who said Don’t kid yourself? 🥸)

Queensbury To Horton Bank CP

Unbelievably quiet in Littlemoor Park. 1 Great Tit calling a Mistle Thrush seen. The bottom adjacent bottom field has been ploughed up with Crows & BHG feeding there. Also 1 each Grey & Pied Wagtail.

Nothing bar gulls & a couple Rook at Shelf Moor.

Horton Bank CP was busy with the residents plus 3 f Goosander & one I suspect as juvenile f. Pr Mute Swan incl. leg ringed 1Y37. Also 1 Herring Gull & c42 BHG.

A Bad Birding Day

This has got to be the most disapponting session ever up Soil Hill and Ogden Water. Some compensation was sourced by a mammalian experience 😬.

Soil Hill: 1 Common Gull ditto Moorhen. Nothing else down the bottom nor the N slope tree line.

A flock of Tits Chaffinch & a Goldcrest was in Ogden Plantation where I came across a Stoat on a wall heading towards me. It was carrying a Field Mouse in its jaws! 🙀.

Rest assured my camera was safe at the bottom of my rucksack 😓. 5 Roe Deer 🦌 seen throughout.

Ogden Water: plenty of BHG 1 LBBG.

Ogden Water Carr’s Beck

A bright day with a couple of cold rain showers. Got a Buzzard over perhaps with primary problems on R wing. Didn’t show as well as the one I had soaring in Queensbury on Thursday as the photo shows.

3 LBBG 1 Herring & 3 Common Gull along with c25 BHG.

I looked at the prominent ring on the lead gull - of course I tried to turn it into Delawarensis who wouldn’t? 😁.

1 each Cormorant & Jay. A pr Stonechat at Carr’s Beck - that’s yer lot.

Vegan Disaster

The year is 2038 and Professors Henry Flan & Paula Zygote are busy experimenting with how to alter the gene structure in Homo sapiens so that they can only eat authentic vegan foods.

A catastrophe occurs in their Laisterdyke laboratory; an explosion of nuclear proportion that destroys half of Bradford - not all bad then eh?

30 years hence reports come in from India that Elephants are defending their territories against Tigers and Leopards 🐆 trying to eat their bananas and crops.

Birds have been affected badly Bee-Eaters & Flycatchers are seen picking berries and seeds up and ignoring their usual insect 🦟 prey.

A report comes in from Natal that a fisherman with a wooden leg got attacked by a Great White Shark.

The shark spat said fishermen out and chomped greedily on the wooden appendage.

TBC

Wednesday In The Rain

Ogden and Mixenden. Probably the most boring trip ever. 1 Cormorant & 5 BHG on Ogden with about 3 calls heard from the tree dwellers.

I managed to scrape up 2 Blackbird & 3 Redwing near Brookhouse.

I savoured a nice Pizza at Mixenden Res plus a Cormorant.

Soil Hill Ogden Water Then Nothing

During breakfast my thoughts were cast toward a local landmark Radio Mast. So I eagerly left the village and took a walk up to Soil Hillage. Come the hour for returning home the sweat 💦 did hastily and copiously spillage.

A passing Copper did a stopper, saying the preceding verse, in part, may rhyme but it really is poetic crime. Anymore like that and you’ll be doing time 😬.

1 Skylark 2 Moorhen 7 Meadow Pipit 1 Pheasant. The bottom pond was crammed with Dullards. I heard a few calls from a small party of Pink-footed Geese. They appeared to be flying over Thornton W>E 👍.

Ogden plantation and Back Lane: A Buzzard being chased by 2 Crows. 3 Cormorant flying over fairly high up. Another Skylark, 2 Chaffinch 1 Goldcrest.

Ogden Water: 2 Cormorant 6 LBBG c14 BHG. I’m glad I stopped for a break here because I espied a pair of Teal that previously the water did conceal 😁.

From there on...💀

Cold Edge Ogden Mixenden

I was so happy to get out on a dry day I did a big slog; never thought I’d end up with a sweat on in October 😬.

Cold Edge 9 Stonechat 1 Reed Bunting pr not too noisy Raven. c145 Canada 2 Greylag & the aberrant white job.

Owl pellet found near golf course

1 Kestrel being mobbed by 4/5 Crows. 5 Common Gull & 9/10 BHG 3 Goldfinch.

Ogden was best forgotten apart from a Dipper in the embankment channel. 1 Cormorant ditto LBBG & c14 BHG.

The only thing to mention about birdless Mixenden is that a prize Scumsucker was walking in the woodland with an Air Rifle mimicking Corvid calls.

Queensbury To Ogden Water

Raggalds Flood and rhe Sports Field held several small gull sp. plus a large one not clear enough for id. c170 Starling flying around.

8/9 Common Gull & 2 BHG were in a Perseverance Rd field.

The track up to the radio mast on Soil Hill coughed up 5 Stonechat 👍. A couple Meadow Pipit also.

Ogden Plantation produced a couple Goldcrest a small mixed  Tit party 3 Goldfinch couple Blackbird.

Ogden Water had the usual 3 Cormorant & a f Goosander. Just a couple BHG flew over the drink before leaving the place gull-less.

No point in mentioning Carr’s Beck or Mixenden. Oops 😬 

Ogden Water to Mixenden

A slow morale draining start at Ogden with just a lone BHG on the water 😟. It did pick up some 40 minutes later when there were 2 LBBG 4 Common Gull & 9/10 BHG counted.

Also 3 Cormorant 1 each Jay Kestrel Mistle Thrush & Nuthatch.

By the time I reached  Carr’s Beck the Robin count had hit 10. A single Stonechat was flitting along the wire fence.

Lo and behold a Cormorant had the audacity to spoil a Mixenden Reservoir blank, the rotter.

Cold Edge To Mixenden

A real disappointment with minimal bird activity 😢. In reverse order nothing doing from the 🔝 road down to Mixenden desertvoir.

Cold Edge Dams 1 Goosander f ditto LBBG. A f Tufted Duck several BHG & a couple or three Common Gull.

1 Buzzard c30 Goldfinch & c20 Meadow Pipit.

Thanks to D&J Pinder I can shed some light on the Stolen Fish from a neighbouring garden reported on 13 September.

A Mink was seen scuttling around their back garden which is about 9 yards away from the fish pond. Mink are known to predate fish both large and small.

Soil Hill To Mixenden

Soil Hill: c45 Linnet 1 each Kestrel & Goldfinch. The above juv large Gull was a road kill victim just above Coal Lane.

A single Red Crossbill flew off from a conifer in Ogden Plantation calling thrice.

Ogden Water: 1 Cormorant 20 BHG 8 Swallow. 3 Jay around Carr’s Beck. 

Nothing at all on Mixenden Res which has a lot of shoreline.

Elsewhere a Barn Owl.

Minor Movement In The Meltdown

Hard to believe September nears its end in temperatures of 36/37C 🥵. But today and yesterday did bring slight signs of migration 👍.

Saturday 23/09/23 3 Grey Heron over flying low. 2 Crested Lark on the deck. More Jays noted. White Wagtail. An influx of Swallowtail Butterflies to compliment the African Queens.

Usual sp. as previously mentioned.

Sunday 24/09/23 final sweaty day. 1 each Black-eared Wheatear & Scrub Warbler 😂👍. Savi’s & Cettis Warbler. Squadrons of 🐝 Eater & both Swallow sp. RB Shrike x 2. 1 unid phyloscish warbler et al.

Stonkorarious Warbler Confirmed

Just a relatively short walk and a roasting this am due to lack of ambition and avian paucity 🤨. A Wagtail sp. heard briefly. Several Hooded Crow 1 Cormorant. The horde of Micky taking Coots & Little Grebes. A trio of Bulbul 1 Jay.

Ironically once again in the reeds nearest the hotel a bird chose to show itself very well for a couple of minutes.

No doubt this time, twas a Savi’s Warbler 😜👍.

2 Cettis Warbler were singing. I am sure there could be a E  W ssp. split here. W birds have a louder and deeper pitch to their song. These two were lighter pitched and a sweeter tone. I remember noticing this many years ago.

 🐝 Eaters in hotel grounds mid-day 😊

Rewarded Or Was I?

Wednesday 20/09/23 Most of the birds I saw today were in a mile or so radius of the hotel. I got some brief views of a warbler in the reeds and bushes and my instinct said Savi’s 😁 however having slept on it my conscience won’t let me record it as such 

A Cettis Warbler piped up briefly close by. 

I ruined my thighs by walking miles into the wilderness I have visited in aeons gone by. The only positive note to come out of this is that there was no development to blame on the total lack of avian action 😢 not even a House Sparrow present!

1 Little Egret ditto Kingfisher & RB Shrike. Spotted Flycatchers Goldfinches Bulbuls Turtle Dove & usual riffraff 🤣.

Day off today Thursday owing advanced years and screaming lower body muscles. I’ve said previously Druggies and Alcoholics get psychiatric help but not us birders 😭.

More Slogging In Sunshine

Monday 18/09/23 Headed toward an old haunt by the Manavgat River but had to abandon owing excessive heat and building development 😖 Was happy to get a Lesser Whitethroat 🤩. Bee-Eaters busy just above my lugholes.

Spotted Flycatcher Kingfisher RB Shrike Barn Swallow RR Swallow Goldfinch Jay Bulbul Turtle Dove & usual watery critters.

Tuesday 19/08/23 Yet another former haunt explored with again more developments to a slightly lesser degree. The best birds came within 10 minutes of each other including one I’ve not had here previously.

In a hotel manicured grounds were 2 Yellow Wagtail ssp. & a Whinchat on a bush next to a concrete path 😅. A Greater Flamingo was close by flying low over the shoreline 😛. 

Also Turtle Dove dodgy Rock Doves Spotted Flycatchers Swallows Bulbuls.

More Heat and Some Birds

Sat 16/09/23 Barn Swallow outnumbered by Red-rumped

Swallow. Stonechat Whinchat Spotted Flycatcher.

I donated blood to large flies that would give Jaws a rough time.

Bee-Eater distant views of Parakeets that didn’t ring true for Ring-necked so I’m looking at Monk. Usual gang Coot Little Grebe Bulbuls. 1 YLG.

Sun 17/09/23 Total dismay at Hotel development I hardly recognised parts of the area 😭.

1 stonkeronious River Warbler 😁 👍. Wait for it…

It’s been a ⛴️ boatload of years since I had this species

🤣.

Have to check out Bonellis Warbler. Sardinian Warbler RB Shrike RR Swallow Bee-Eater Spotted Flycatcher and the commoners.

Worth mentioning that gulls herons egrets are no longer seen near this hotel due to the tourism industry (yes I plead guilty) and greatly polluted waterways.

Baked In Turkey

I’ve had some poor starts to birding missions but this gets the Golden Orb😭. Ultra jet lag and screaming temperatures (38f) really done me head in. I wandered round like a jellyfish for ages until I found my bearings in an area that formerly produced jewels.

Several Little Grebe loads of Coot & 4/5 Cormorant. 1 YLG 3 Turtle Dove 😛. 3 Common Bulbul a few Hooded Crows.

I heard a calling bird in flight that would inspire some to say “He’s read Aesops Fables too many times”. ‘Twas a Tree Pipit 😁 Oh how the tears had to be supressed. Remember those you two blog readers?

An Opportunist Queensbury Thief

I went out back some 25 minutes ago and realised there was a familiar sound missing. It was the water pump in next door neighbours fish pond that had stopped working. So I had a gander at the pond and saw the inhabitants carp goldfish etc were absent. The protective netting was still intact so I wrongly presumed that the neighbour had sold his stock.

As it happened I bumped into said neighbour and he told me that a suspect Heron had gobbled the lot of them. The bird must have paid a few visits probably at dawn to have silently consumed them all. He mentioned a Grey Heron was knocking around the golf course just down the frog 🐸 n toad.

An Interesting Session Around Ogden

Expired Pygmy Shrew

This late morning walk turned up more variety than I dared hope for 😁. I kicked off on the E side and made a note of two duck on the W that looked decidedly undullardly.

When I reached them it turned out they were Shoveler 👍.

Here are a couple of really grim photos for you two who read this blog.

Prior to this viewing: 1 each Buzzard Chiffchaff Little Grebe & Nuthatch. 2 Cormorant & the Gull selection. A moth identified by DJS was a Silver Y.

A Tawny Owl called several times from trees at Hunter Hill where 4/5 House Martin & 6 Goldfinch were seen.

Elsewhere a Barn Owl.

Mixenden Res continues to be barren.