Ogden Water To Mixenden Again

Another pleasant summers day at a cost - rock bottom birding. Still it's better than sloppin through mud and sleet innit.

Gulls were the mainstay at Ogden. LBBG outnumbered BHG with c46 of the former and c35 of the latter. 2 Herring Gull were in with the LBBG.

The woods were silent. There were 2 Stonechat on the golf course and around 11 Linnet. Just one Swallow. A pr Raven flew high aboe > NE. Two Barn Owl and 1 Blackbird.

Lets not bother mentioning Mixenden.

Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

Hard work birding in the warm and windy weather. Cold Edge: c125 Canada, 1 LBBG, 17 BHG. The f Tufted Duck has now lost 3 young with just 1 remaining. I got my first Wheatear in 2 months perched briefly on a wall.

Yet again the golf course Stonechats were creating when I staggered past their patch.

c30 Linnet, 2 Goldfinch, 5 Swallow, 1 Meadow Pipit.

Mixenden was birdless other than a WW and had all the trappings of a holiday resort and dog pound.

Soil Hill To Mixenden

I didn’t want to risk injury by going over the extreme overgrown tracks so stuck to the road and went along the Ned Hill path. Not a good day for birds really all told.

A road kill Moorhen in Coal Lane & 3 Stock Dove with a couple large gulls over. A Moorhen on Ogden Water along with c30 LBBG & c25 BHG.

The 3 Stonechat were still making a racket on the golf course. Over the fence at Carrs Beck I got 5/6 Linnet & 10 Swallow. There was a large flock of finches up Hunter Hill but too distant for Id.

5 LBBG, 1 Swallow & a GSW at Mixenden. Good news about Barn Owls - 3 birds seen.

Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

A satisfactory slog right up until the finish where there was nothing doing at Mixenden.

Cold Edge Dams: pr Oystercatcher. The Tufted Duck female has lost a duckling so now has 3 to look after. 10 Greylag, 9 Canada, 12 BHG.

The Grasshopper Warbler was still reeling but less often and loud. 2 Pied Wagtail ditto Goldfinch. 1 each Reed Bunting, WW, Blackbird & Linnet.

The golf course Stonechat trio were still at the same spot calling loudly in agitation.

c30 Goldfinch, c20 Swallow & 4/5 Meadow Pipit.

Monday Ogden Tuesday Horton Bank

Monday was almost identical to my previous visit at Ogden with a good gull count. 2 Grey Heron 3 Swallow. A Moorhen was bathing. This species is uncommon on the water.

A Treecreeper was my first in quite a while.

Today Tuesday at Horton Bank CP was the shorted ever due to the short supply of different bird species 😏. Really was exercise value only.

9 BHG pr Mute Swan Coots Moorhens Cana…oh forget it.

Disastrous Friday Acceptable Saturday

A very warm Friday from Cold Edge Dams to Mixenden and birds notable by their absence. F Tufted Duck with 4 ducklings. Couple Goldfinch, 5 Swallow, 10 BHG. 1

Kestrel ditto Reed Bunting & WW.

Got my first Brown Hare in ages down Hunter Hill.

I think Swift are breeding nr Mixenden Res, I got a couple over the houses.

Today Saturday Ogden: Gulls are back big time. 42 LBBG & a couple Herring. c25 BHG. 1 Common Sandpiper ditto Buzzard. 2 Blackcap 1 each Nuthatch WW & Chiffchaff. 4 Meadow Pipit. 2 Barn Owl. 1 Grey Heron.

16 LBBG on Mixenden and Swift calling again.

Queensbury South After Soil Hill

Another rare opportunity to sit in the back yard this evening where I have been serenaded by a Song Thrush for the past hour. It did take a break for 15 minutes but I ain’t moaning. Contrast this morning when I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at the roadkill Hedgehog I found in the road just a foot away from kerb safety.

Soil Hill was really poor for birds and it is a safety hazard with the dense vegetation covering the many ruts and gulleys that abound.

The highlight in fact was a moth a Lattice Heath. I saw this beauty a first for me but could only conclude the species after contacting DJS who sent photos - much appreciated Dave.

Birds were down to 3 Stock Stock Dove & a tetchy Whitethroat.

Gulls have increased at Ogden Water: 17 LBBG & 15 BHG. A Grey Heron on the W shore.

Mixenden had only 4 Swallow over the water but nothing on it.

I got lucky with the Barn Owls; one perched and one in flight.

Grand finale to the evening a Kestrel noisy and loud from t’mill roof.

Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

The long route again in pleasant summer weather for a change but with patchy birding. Cold Edge Dams: 3 Tufted Duck, c40 Canada, 10 BHG, couple Goldfinch ditto Swallow, 4 Blackbird & 3 Meadow Pipit.

The Grasshopper Warbler was reeling again from the same place as my previous sighting near the ruined farmhouse 👍.

A Chiffchaff was singing close by.

I inadvertently cheesed off a trio of Stonechat on the golf course. My progress was monitored with much alarm calling and tut tutting. A pr noisy Raven circling overhead.

Nothing doing on the walk to and including Mixenden Res. A Blackcap sang in the woods and a Swift flew around the houses.

Horton Bank CP Saviour

Just like the previous session this was a very quiet one, however I got a bird that made the trip worthwhile 😁. My first Garden Warbler of the year, if not two years, was singing from a nearby bush. 

1 Grey Heron, 1 Song Thrush ditto Blackbird. 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap.

A Coot family, c21 Canadas. 2 BHG ditto LBBG & the pr Mute Swan.

Ogden Water

Managed to stay dry apart from a 5 minute shower on this cool overcast atypical July summer day 😏. I did go onto Mixenden but nothing to report.

Ogden: 1 Buzzard flying low overhead chastised briefly by a Raven. The Buzzard was carrying an item in its beak.

2 LBBG & 8 BHG. 1 f Tufted Duck. 2 Blackap 8 Swallow 3

Meadow Pipit.

Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

4/5 Interesting spells among the longer walk than usual.

A Grasshopper Warbler reeled quietly a few times from the vegetation near Leadbeater Dam which held just 1 Grey Heron.

24 Greylag & 29 Canadas were on Haigh Cote Dam. Across the track in the pasture fields an Oystercatcher was having a kip.

7 Meadow Pipit including one carrying nesting material. 1 Linnet ditto juvenile Pied Wagtail. 4 Swallow.

In the large field adjacent to the ruined farmhouse a Grasshopper Warbler was reeling but this time very loud and frequent. Could this be the same bird as earlier? Well the distance is just over 1000 yards guess I’ll never know.

I chose to walk down the boring Roman road route. An Oystercatcher flew over calling 5/6 times. I’m clocking this as the sleeper seen earlier. 3 Meadow Pipit were the only other birds seen (Oh sorry Crows).

The final good sighting before reaching Mixenden took place on the golf course. A male Stonechat perched on a post was carrying a beak full of insects.

Large Raptor Over Soil Hill

just as I started walking over the top fields a large raptor flew overhead generally heading WNW. It looked like a Marsh Harrier or a Red Kite without binoculars. It had moved further afield by the time I binned it but the flight pattern and colouring suggested adult female Marsh Harrier 😊.

Fret Ye Not Birding Police As I am only 90% sure I won’t be reporting on Bird Guides.

1 Pied Wagtail ditto Goldfinch, distant Curlew, 2 Swift, several Swallow, 2 Skylark & a few Meadow Pipit. Just 1 large gull over high up.

Ogden Water was poor. 2 Grey Heron & 7 BHG.

Barn Owl seen again 👍.

Horton Bank CP Inertia

Oh boy was this a quiet one; has to be the lowest bird count I've ever had here. 1 Grey Heron, pr Mute Swan, 24 Canadas.

7 Coot, incl. 4 juveniles.

5 Moorhen incl. juveniles.

No gulls on the drink, just 1 each LBBG & BHG overhead. 2 Blackbird, 1 each Blackcap, Robin & Wren.

Cold Edge To Mixenden

Pre Hurricane wind speeds at Wainstalls and birds almost non existent. Things did improve as I dropped down Hunter Hill.

5 Lapwing, 1 Skylark, 3 Swift, 4 Swallow, 3 Meadow Pipit.

Nothing on the dams.

HH 1 LBBG over > W. 2 Meadow Pipit, 3 Swift, 4 Swallow, 1 Kestrel.

Signs of migration preparation at the bottom of the hill. Several Swallows on fences including 4 juveniles. More Swallows on wires at the reservoir and flying over.

2 LBBG on the drink and the 2 House Martin in action once more. 1 each Blackcap, Chiffxhaff & Whitethroat. 2 Goldfimch. Good to see a Barn Owl in situ again 👍.

A Rubbish Day At Ogden

Looks like the Scuzzers Bros and Sid Scumsuck teamed up either last night or early this morning. The bottom track leading to the promenade from the main road was almost blocked by a big lorry. It was there because the a/m rectal swabs had dumped half of Halifax’s rubbish on it and two guys were busy doing removals.

5 LBBG & 1 BHG. 2 each Blackcap & Chiffchaff. 1 each Raven Swallow & Reed Bunting.

Nothing doing on Mixenden Res other than a couple Swallows but some compensation from this little cracker.

PS The two of you that read this literary disaster pse note my mobile bone is wrecked so I can’t inform on the lack of birds for another 3 days at least.