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 .