A Good Day Until I Left Home

An absolute downer. Ogden had 1 f Goosander and the usual gull mix. The trees coughed up a Greenfinch.

Mixenden also had a f Goosander plus 11 BHG.

One Barn Owl seen elsewhere.

Some Improvement Around Ogden

Another poor start at Ogden but it did improve as I went from there to Carrs Beck 😊. Just the gullage on the ullage and limited calls from the woodland.

At Brookhouse Farm I got my first Autumn batch of Redwings about 20 of them and my latest ever record. They were very flighty as I followed them up the track. This was a good move as I then picked up 4 Fieldfare 👏🏼 and a Mistle Thrush. A Kestrel flew low across the fields.

I had to give up on a couple of small finches owing to distance and brief viewing but Siskin sprang to mind.

One Barn Owl seen.

I’m sure you won’t mind if I don’t say anything about Mix…

Shelf Moor and Low Moor Dams

After a trip on Friday to Ogden and Mixenden that left me close to a breakdown 😢 I decided to avoid desolation row (1 Nuthatch & Gulls) and head down south today.

Shelf Moor produced only 17/18 small gulls and 4/5 Blackbird. The days of Lapwings appear to be over.

Harold Park lake was rotten with Coot & Moorhen. Must have been 20-24 birds of both species. 6 Mute Swan and loads of small gull species with a few larger sp. thrown in.

I managed to spy a solitary Little Grebe at a distance.

Park Dam held 11 Tufted Duck all in eclipse/female plumage. 2 GCG kept themselves around the middle of the water. Plenty of small gulls again with just a handful of big uns. 1 Jay.

Queensbury Soil Hell Ogden Route

A bright sunny morning at the expense of birds; in fact I’m trying to remember what they look 👀 like 🤔.

13 Common Gull at Foxhill and a Rook a bit further down the road.

A Good start at Soil Hill: 10 Meadow Pipit were being hunted by a Sparrowhawk. I think my intrusion probably caused the raptor to miss its breakfast. Thereafter nothing.

Ogden was a depression session 😢. The gulls and a f Goosander. The trees might as well not be there.

At least Mixenden was up to standard - nothing at all in vast amounts.

Horton Bank Country Park

A 35 minutes session around mid afternoon. Not much different from the previous visit except the GC Grebe has gone.

Nothing heard from the trees so it was down to the gulls to keep me focused. Many BHG, 3 Common Gull, couple Herring ditto LBBG.

Mute Swan pr, Coots and Moorhens in small numbers. A very active Cormorant only showed a couple of times.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

Ogden: uneventful again, what a surprise 😮. 1 f Goosander, 4 Canadas and the gulls in somewhat reduced numbers.

Went to Stod Fold en route to Mixenden Res. Couple Blackbird ditto Great Tit. Received a shock at Mixenden; some birds were present! 😳. A party off LTT maybe 9 birds and long overdue for me. Also a dozen BHG & a pr Blackbird.

A Barn Owl elsewhere.

Friday Soil Hell Saturday Ogden

I cant believe how skilled I am at not seeing any of the Redwing and Fieldfare everybody else is getting it must be a gift.

Soil Hill Friday. The sun in my eyes 👀 prevented me from identifying 9 small finch types flitting along the bushes n trees.

2 Blackbird, c60 Lapwing at the bottom along with a stack of gulls. 1 Reed Bunting, 7/8 Meadow Pipit. 1 Kestrel ditto Bullfinch.

Today Ogden nothing much other than the Little Grebe & Gulls. A bit more noise from the trees but nothing of note. 1 Bullfinch.

Nothing Much At Ogden

A warm bright morning. Only movement observed was that of 7 Mistle Thrush on arrival.

The LBBG with a wrecked left wing is still hanging in. The Little Grebe stayed still long enough for photos but they were poor quality. (Who said No change there then 🥸).

A f Goosander also present.

Otherwise down to the gullage on the ullage and a single Barn Owl.

I simply could not face traipsing to Mixenden.

Ogden Water To That Barren Place

A bright sunny day. Ogden was loaded up with gulls including one immature phase large species (LBBG?) with a damaged left wing and a brown mottled job that wouldn’t show its head.

A Little Grebe viewed at distance and a crying Buzzard. Arboreal types were almost non existent a Dunnock & 3 Robin oh mustn’t forget a Chaffinch.

Nothing at the golf course and Carrs Beck but the elsewhere Barn Owl pair were enjoying the sun.

I went to Mixenden Res confident I would get nothing and was proud to be proved correct (smug aint I?).

Queensbury Sth and Shelf Moor

A session of depression; birds notable by their absence 😢.

A Raven over Littlemoor Park which held a Bullfinch and 6 Blackbird.

The fields were appalling; no sign of Lapwing or winter thrushes. Plenty of small gulls mainly BHG & 10 Rook. 1 dead Fox and a settee 🧐.

Horton Bank Country Park

After another disappointment at Ogden yesterday I decided to try another stretch of water. Didn't turn out too grim all things considered in what was just a 30 minute stint. 

1 each GCG  & Cormorant both not being common here. Just one large gull; gonna stick my neck out and go for 1/2CY Herring. Several BHG. Pr Mute Swan ditto Coot, 5/6 Moorhen & 1 Canada. Not a squeak from any arboreal avians at all.

Recent Ogden Water Birds

o4 Oct 2024

07 Oct 2024

Ogden Water To Mixenden

Not much to say except there was a notable absence of birds. The Goosanders have gone from Ogden. One Cormorant on the W shore. Usual gulls 3 Robin & a small party Goldfinch.

Only notables were 12 Mistle Thrush at Carrs Beck and a single Barn Owl. 

Dunno why I bothered to include Mixenden in the title 🤔.

Friday Soil Hill Saturday Cold Edge

Friday 4 October. A warm dry sunny day lending itself to below par birding in the main. It was good to have a prolonged chat with DJS who had a more productive session than me.

I did manage a wind blown Whinchat halfway down the slope to the Ned Hill track. 2 Blackbird, 2/3 Meadow Pipit, gulls and Canadas.

Prior to this some 5 minutes after a chat with BS at Fox Hill a Kestrel flew over.

Today at Cold Edge was a real downer. The SSW’ly blow killed it. One Tufted Duck, 2 Stonechat ditto Meadow Pipit and Blackbird.

Ogden water was similar to previous visit Gulls and Goosanders.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

I was surprised to see the still low water levels at Ogden after all the rain people have been mentioning.

Usual crowd of gulls. 1 Cormorant & 2 f Goosander. Plenty of shouts and screaming from 5 Buzzard flying over the top end of the W shore and Skirden Clough.

1 Nuthatch, 2 Blackbird, 4 Meadow Pipit, 2 Stonechat & the Barn Owl pr.

Here’s a surprise: there was nothing in on or at Mixenden.