Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

Via Ogden which we will not mention any more. Yet another not too exciting experience. Cold Edge produced a Buzzard and a Kestrel. A Reed Bunting was carrying food. 5 Tufted Duck 2 Meadow Pipit couple Goldfinch Blackbird & Linnet.

A Nuthatch family were at Hunter Hill bottom where once again it was busy with Swallows & Linnets.

Canadas and a few mixed Gulls on Mixenden Res. A WW sang in the woods for a short spell.

An Ogden Water Goody

Real run of the mill stuff at Ogden this morning until I got about two thirds of the circuit completed. Matters improved big time as I saw a pair of very busy Spotted Flycatcher fly across from one side of the track and back again a couple of times. It’s been a long wait for them.

3 Cormorant present and the usual suspects on the water. I got lucky and found some free fruit even if it did come with a sting in the tail

 

 c20 Linnet flying just beyond Carrs Beck as were a similar number of Swallows.

Too Windy Blackstone And Whiteholme

Picked a wrong un today (so whats new?). The W'ly blow kept everthing down including me 🥲.

Whiteholme was appalling just a pr of noisy Common Sandpiper at the far channel and a Meadow Pipit.

Blackstone Edge was marginally better but the birds seen were at distance. 2 Little Ringed Plover 1 Common Sandpiper 1 m Stonechat 5 Pied Wagtail 1 Herring Gull across the water. 4 Meadow Pipit.

3/4 Swallow seen on the road home and a perched bird on a rock ledge did look like a Peregrine if a 2.5 second view can be trusted 😏.

Catch Up On Not Much Doing

Third time out this week to Cold Edge Dams Ogden & Soil Hell Mixenden. Wednesday at Cold Edge was mediocrity enshrined nothing worth a mention.

Friday I went up to Soil Hell and just got a few Meadow Pipits. The digging seems to be over and done with but what a grim scene it is. I half worked out that potentially there is a chance of one scrape being formed when the maxi moisture descends.

Ogden just had the usual gulls plus 2 Common on the W shoreline. 

Today Saturday saw me at Cold Edge again where the only thing worth a mention is a group of c40 Goldfinch.

I saw a wader species at Ogden Water while I was on the W side. Problem is the bird was on the far E side. It appeared to be a Common Sandpiper but I couldn’t trace it again. Plenty large gulls again.

Forget Mixenden .

Be warned about Soil Hell. From the Perseverance Road entrance after you have gone through the two subsequent holes/gates you come to the gate that runs parallel to the quarry. A gang of Cows have partially wrecked this gate and it is extremely difficult to get through it without a struggle.

Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

Again via Ogden which was mundane. Leadbeater Dam had a single Lapwing and 7 BHG on it. Haigh Cote had 37 Greylags including 3 white variants. Also the Tufted Duck family and a bunch of Canadas.

A Raven was calling. A Pied Wagtail seen along with a fair few Meadow Pipits. Swallows were into low double figures. 3 WW & 4 Linnet.

HX Golf course turned up a Curlew and a pr Buzzard 👍. Mixenden Res had a f Goosander on the drink but nothing else. A Chiffchaff & a Green Woodpecker were breaking the silence in the trees.

Belated Photos Cold Edge Mixenden

 

Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

Ogden Res was included but not much doing.

Cold Edge was rather interesting and showed quite a bit of movement activity. 7 Lapwing & a Grey Heron were on Leadbeater Dam. A Kesrel was hovering close by it.

Haigh Cote sported female Tufted Duck with 4 young. A Pied Wagtail was seen as were the expected Canadas & Greylags. Several Linnet & Meadow Pipit were on the track along with a few Goldfinch.

A real pleasant surprise came as I rounded the track to walk past the large farmhouse to the right of Haigh Cote. On the large manicured lawn sitting or standing without a by your leave or a beg your pardon were 4 Oystercather 😅😁.

A pr Kestrel were hovering near the old Withens Pub and I got one by the golf course later.

Another pleasant encounter took place at Mixenden Res. 11 BHG were loafing on the W shoreline but in with them was a cracking adult Common Gull my first returner of the year.

No time to publish photos today so you two viewers can have a laugh later on.

Cold Edge Ogden And Mixenden

After an appalling session at Cold Edge on Saturday I risked it again today. It was marginally better but nowt to shout about.

1 Oystercatcher Greylags & Canadas. 1 Swift 3 Swallow 2 Reed Bunting 4/5 Meadow Pipit one with a Moth/Butterfly in it's beak. Tufted Duck family.

Ogden Water more or less same as last couple visits with Herons now down to 3. A Cormorant still showing. Usual gulls and an Oystercatcher also 2 WW. A GSW called weakly once.

The Garden warbler sang again at Mixenden as did a couple Chiffchaff in short bursts. An Oystercatcher was here too and I can’t help but think it’s the one individual doing the circuit. Just a few gulls on the W Shore.

Ogden Water To Mixenden Res

Nothing to shout about at Ogden. BHG are now well established and large gulls still in high numbers. Still a Cormorant and 4 Grey Heron present. A pair of Greylags paid a visit.

A single Oystercatcher proved interesting. It took off and flew very high in a couple of circular sweeps over Mixenden calling throughout. It then returned to Ogden W shore presumably where I first picked it up.

This photo show that state Mixenden Res is in but at least gulls have returned. About 8 BHG & 5 LBBG.

Bird of my day has to be Garden Warbler singing loudly from the Hawthorn edge on the N end 👍.

Soil Hill Ogden And Mixenden

I think the flames from hell were following me today, what a scorcher 🌞.

The top of Soil Hill now has nearly 75% excavation and plant/shrub removal completed. Birds were almost non existent 1 Whitethroat ditto WW Blackbird 🐦‍⬛ Dunnock.

The Herons at Ogden Water were down to 4 birds.

1 Cormorant still present and a pr of very noisy Oystercatcher. 

BHG are now in double figures. I have to double check my photos for a possible Common Gull.

The central gull in the above photo has me puzzled it appears to be an adult but is slender in comparison to the two LBBGs either side of it 😮

Herrings stood at c8 and the LBBGs into the hundreds. A Nuthatch heard.

Carrs Beck coughed up 7/8 Linnet 1 WW ditto Robin and one sp. that was just too quick to identify.

Got lucky at Mixenden Res a pr Oystercatcher on the W shoreline despite it being busy with people. Two Chiffchaff in the 🌳.

Photos will wait until tomorrow you lucky viewer or are there still two of you?

Cold Edge Dams To Mixenden

The long trek via Ogden. Not much to shout about at Cold Edge. Haigh Cote had a f Tufted Duck with 3 young on it. Also there were 20 Greylag & c32 Canada.

1 Pied Wagtail 11 Linnet 2/3 Goldfinch. 2 Skylark & a few Meadow Pipit.

Still 8 Grey Heron at Ogden and a pr Oystercatcher. A Buzzard was very noisy as it constantly called throughout the duration. A second bird joined in a couple of times.

1 each singing Blackcap & Chiffchaff.

Numerous LBBG present again and a couple of Herring. I did suspect one large gull of being michahellis but it would not come into the open for confirmation.

Mixenden was really frustrating but while standing by Clough Lane I did get fair views of 3 very swift Swift.

Quiet Ogden Water

8 Grey Heron & 1 Cormorant. A Curlew flew over calling. 7/8 BHG 2 Herring & many LBB Gulls.

2 Blackcap 3 Chiffchaff 1 Reed Bunting.

3/4 Meadow Pipit en route to Mixenden Res which was boredom enshrined. OK go on then a couple Chiffchaff.

Ogden Water Takes Away Visitors

As expected when I arrived at Ogden this morning both yesterday’s star performers were absent. It’s great to be right, right? 😢.

Grey Heron had increased to 7 birds. The Cormorant was still present as were the Oystercatchers. Large gull numbers well down. BHG at 12. 2 Tufted Duck.

Arboreal types: 1 Nuthatch 2 Blackcap 1 Chiffchaff.

Carrs Beck had a Reed Bunting Whitethroat & WW.

Ogden Water Delivers Big Time

After a mind numbing trek over Soil Hell I was totally amazed by what transpired at Ogden 🤪.

A Little Egret was working the W shoreline, it the flew to the E but returned a short time later. 

3 Oystercatchers were both noisy and mobile. One was sporting a metaI ring on the right leg. Almost by accident I caught sight of a large distant wader with an almost glowing orange neck/head. A Black-tailed Godwit!

6 Grey Heron 1 Cormorant ditto Tufted Duck plus the many LBBG added to a spectacular day at a local spot.

Pity I can’t take decent distant photos ain’t it.