Two Days Of Bad Birding

Based on the non events of Friday and today Saturday I have no right to call myself a birdwatcher. How can I when there were virtually none to be seen?

Friday: a nightmare on Soil Hill followed by utter boredom at Ogden Water. So bad I couldn’t face Mixenden and went home.

Today playing the nutcase I went to Cold Edge again. This time it was mild and calm and even less birds than the previous visit! I suppose one Lapwing is worth a mention?

Ogden was rammed with the usual gulls and Cormorants were upto 5 birds.

Carrs Beck held a dozen or so Goldfinch. I noticed a bird flitting around the top of the fence. Eventually it showed itself to be a Chiffchaff.

Cold Edge Dams Abandoned

What a downer this was. Apart from Canadas and 3 Tufted Duck on the two dams what can barely be described as avian activity took place around the farm buildings below Leadbeater ☹️.

1 WW 2 Pied Wagtail 9/10 Meadow Pipit similar Swallow & Goldfinch 1 Greenfinch. 

Nothing doing on the track above Haigh Cote dam so I about turned and let the flood of boredom tears carry me back to Wainstalls (sounds like there could be a song 🎵 in the making).

Soil Hill To Mixenden

Had a crack at the Hill from Hades this morning and I wish I hadn’t. It was appalling thanks to the present layout on the top. Oh wait! I got a Meadow Pipit and a Crow.

The gull numbers are down at Ogden but still a fair few there. 4 Swallow and c15 Goldfinch. 1 Grey Heron & 4 Cormorant.

Numerous Swallows at Hunter Hill bottom lets say c55.

2 Common Gull in with a dozen BHG on Mixenden Res.

The latest vandal created huge hole in the wall is being repaired by builders but not to worry folks as about 150  yards away the locals have started with another project.

Low Moor Birds

After a horrific trip on Friday from Mixenden (2 Nuthatch) to Ogden where I abandoned the session I needed a different venue today.

Harold Park Lake: 7 Mute Swan 3 Tufted Duck lots of Coots & Moorhens 3 LBBG numerous BHG.

Park Dam was busier and it provided me with another annual believe it or not a Sand Martin! What a crapshoot year for hirundines.

Good for GC Grebe here with 7 being seen. 9 Tufted Duck 1 Grey Heron. Several LBBG & a couple Herring besides the BHGs 1 Blackbird more Moorhens & Coots.

An Unexpected Visitor To Horton Bank

My spirits sank on arrival at the park lake as it looked devoid of anything worth while pursuing until i turned a corner.

A Black Swan was preening itself not far from the resident pr Mute Swan and calmly swam nearer towards a small group of people.

It maybe a tame escapee but I don't care; its a striking looking bird and made the otherwise depressing trip worthwhile.

1 Coot 2 Moorhen c14 BHG were the only others present.

Cold? Edge More Like Equatorial

Pushed myself too hard in today’s heat so if I want to reach my 45th birthday I must slow down and decrease the distances walked.

The birding was rank until I got to the final 15 minutes when I got the Stonechat again at Carrs Beck followed by a f plumage Redstart at the top of the fence 👍.

The dams produced just a Pied Wagtail c8 Meadow Pipit 1 WW & 5/6 Swallows. A pr Kestrel near Withens where I had a good natter with DJS 😁.

The water level at Ogden is now the lowest I’ve ever known it. This didn’t deter the gull’s however it was crawling with em. The bunch that had visited Mixenden had returned.

Also 2 Cormorants present.

After processing the below par photos I now have an inkling I may have had a YLG Dammit 😕

Chapel Lane Surprise Visitors

Today was a non birding day and in the afternoon I was sat out with my lady friend guzzling wine and gobbling grub in the very pleasant sunshine.

The day was made even more magical when a pair of Common Gull chose to perch atop a nearby chimney and stay rooted for a good 20 minutes! Thankfully I was sober enough to capture this photo of a scarce visitor with my mobile bone 😁.

Cold Edge Ogden And Mixenden

Nothing special doing as is the norm. Cold Edge Dams: 2 Lapwing 1 Cormorant 5/6 Swallows numerous Meadow Pipit. Canadas 4 BHG a few Goldfinch 2 Pied Wagtail.

Ogden was down in gull numbers. I found out later a lot of them had moved over to Mixenden. 2 Cormorant seen. A female/juvenile Stonechat was at Carrs Beck. 

Blogger now searches posts for links and inserts them if you allow it. I deleted a few but left a couple in just for the hell of it.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

A worrying spectacle at Ogden; despite the much vaunted storm earlier in the week the water levels are shrinking.

1 Cormorant pr Tufted Duck 4/5 Common Gull and the other hordes. The woods were silent.

A large Gulp of Swallows 🤓 at Hunter Hill bottom & solitary Goldfinch.

18 BHG at Mixenden Res. I got reasonable views of a juvenile Phylloscopus Warbler in with a few tit sp. but couldn’t define it precisely.

On a bright note this morning in Queensbury I got 2 House Martin over the top end of the High Street. I think that brings my local total this year to 5 🤨.

Cold Edge To Mixenden Via Ogden

We can forget Ogden for starters 🤨. Oh I just remembered a Buzzard sounding like a juvenile called 5/6 times. Suppose I should say I noticed 12 Herrings stood out from the usual crowd of gulls.

Cold Edge dams had 2 Lapwing 1 Tufted Duck c60 Canadas. 1 Reed Bunting ditto f Stonechat 7 Linnet c23 Meadow Pipit. 4 Swallows 1 Goldfinch 1 Blackbird.

7 Swallows were at Hunter Hill bottom. A GSW & a Green Woodpecker were in the Mixenden Woods. Nothing on the water. 5 BHG snoozing on the W shoreline.

Nothing Monday Even Less Tuesday

The title reflects my knowledge of oxymoorhens; couldn’t even manage one of them today at Horton Bank CP 🤓.

It was dire just 1 Coot ditto BHG pr Mute Swan and mebbe a dozen Canadas.

I went out for a soaking on Monday and got one big time. Ogden Water was wet windy and dull.  Just the expected gull horde and a Cormorant. I did reacquaint myself with a species I’ve not had for a while a pr Bullfinch. A single Swallow flew low overhead as I abandoned the session.

Low Moor Dams

Harold Park Lake has really changed since my last visit. The inner channel of the island is now dry and covered with rose bay willow herb and suchlike

Not much doing 5 Mute Swan 3 Tufted Duck Coots Moorhens BHGs.

Park Dam was busier. A party of 3/4 House Martin & 5 Swallow zipped around for c15 minutes. 5 GC Grebes 8 Tufted Duck 1 Grey Heron 2 LBBG ditto BHG & Coots Moorhens.

Suppose I should mention Canadas on both sites.

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?