Some Changes At Low Moor

Harold Park lake had plenty of gulls including LBB & Herring. BH numbers were through the roof.

Only one m Tufted Duck seen and no Mute Swans at all. Moorhen & Coots all over the place as is the norm.

Park Dam was missing the Mute Swans & had just a single f Tufted Duck present.

10 Goosander were really active and showed courtship behaviour with males chasing their rivals frequently.

6 Cormorant, 2 GC Grebe, 1 Grey Heron ditto Grey Wagtail. Moorhens & Coots.

Cold Edge To Mixenden

Clear Blue skies and sunshine did nothing to improve the number of bird species and another poor day was experienced.

23 Greylag Geese & 19 Canada were on Haigh Cote Dam.

That was it apart from Caaawvids.

9 Canada were on Mixenden Res along with a horde of mixed gull species. My Camera was ready and of course this guaranteed there wasn’t any outstanding gull present as there was on the previous visit.

A Possible Caspian Gull at Mixenden

After a horrific session at Ogden I went round Mixenden Res to find several mixed gulls on the water. As I got to the departure point I noticed one large gull that stood out like a sore thumb.

I had a schedule to meet and had no time to get my camera out of the rucksack 😔. However I have spent some time on gull Id websites and conclude that this 2CY bird had the characteristics of a Caspian Gull. Not being more than 80% certain it won’t be recorded on BirdTrack.

A few LBBG present couple Herring many BHG & Common.

Ogden just had a  dozen gulls a Buzzard & a Cormorant which flew off.

Friday and Saturday

Ventured out in the storm on Friday but decided it was too risky to go far as both my teeth and toupee may get blown away by the wind.  Opted for Horton Bank Country Park but gave up after 20 minutes or so as there were hardly any birds and the wind here was still rushing about. Pr Mute Swan, a dozen Canada small number Coot & Moorhen. One large immature phase Gull that didn't hang around & mebbe 16 BHG.

Saturday 25th Low Moor.

 The water level at Harold Park is now back to its lower levels. Apart from the plethora of mixed Gulls (many BHG) just a male Tufted Duck caught the eye.

Park Dam held 8 Goosander but only 2 Tufted Duck. 8 Mute Swan, 2 GC Grebe, 1 Grey Heron. The field had c100 Canadas & 3/4 distant Greylag. Usual Coot & Moorhen at both sites.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

I didn’t want to chance being disappointed at Low Moor today so I visited Ogden where disappointment is guaranteed 🤮. Plenty of nothingness so I moved to Mixenden.

3 Roe Deer near Carrs Beck.

A Green Woodpecker was laffing its head off at Hunter Hill bottom and a Buzzard called thrice.

Plenty of mixed Gull species on Mixenden Res but no sign  of the GBBG which had moved off earlier thanks to disturbances (DJS).

A Kestrel was hovering over Windy Bank.

Cromwell Bottom Again

Grey overcast skies and a drop of rain meant that I could view whatever there was present without being sun blinded today.

Pr Scaup still showing. A Pochard & 5/6 of the Goldeneye seen at distance. Loads of Tufted Duck and the mixed Gulls in lesser numbers than previously. No chance of photographs however.

Nuthatch, 4 Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Tit sp, Dunnocks, Robins.

Couple Cormorant & 3 Grey Heron.

Low Moor Dams

A cold day with good visibility. Harold Park lake is now full of water again and 10 Mute Swan have returned there. 4 Greylag, 6 Canada.

1 Cormorant ditto Tufted Duck. The usual high numbers of mixed Gull species, 1 Blackbird.

A bunch of Jackdaw were busy turning over leaves.

Park Dam: good to see another Pochard in with 10 Tufted Duck.

  

1 each Grey Heron, Mute Swan & GC Grebe. 4 Cormorant on the highest power cables.

Cromwell Bottom

Cold in very bright sunshine which at times prevented the viewing of distant wildfowl in the mainly obscured ski lake.

I managed to get average views of the Scaup pr. together with a drake Tufted but the Goldeneye were almost indecipherable. Two Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant and squadrons of gulls. The feeders were busy with Blue, Coal & Great Tits. I got brief views of a disappearing m Bullfinch.

9 poxy Grey Squirrel were also at the feeders and 4 of the imported scum have grown so used to being fed by people they came within a metre of myself and another birder. This gentleman informed me that 9 Goldeneye were visible yesterday.

Ogden Water To Mixenden

Pleasant walking conditions apart from the W bank of Ogden which is still under large patches of ice and snow.

Absolute rock bottom birding. 1 each Cormorant & f Goosander and the gullage on the ullage.

Nothing on the stretch to Mixenden which had a m Goosander & a Cormorant with plenty more gulls.

Looks like 2025 is gonna be just as scintillating as 2024 was 😢.

Low Moor Dams

Some patches of white filth around but predominantly it was thawing at a pace.

Harold Park lake was mebbe 50% frozen over and had plenty of gulls on the ice.

Not much else going on so I legged it over to Park Dam.

About the same amount of ice here but far fewer gulls around. However there were 14 Tufted Duck & a pr Goosander swimming around. There were far more Coot here than on previous visits.

10 Mute Swan, 1 GC Grebe & a Grey Heron half hidden perched in a tree.

I trust the GW Egret has found a place to feed now that it has departed.

Horton Bank CP

I finally got tired of smashing my skull against the walls and decided to have a walk in the white filth. There was a large patch of sheet ice on the last 60 yards or so of the path down to the waterside so I opted out and walked the safer 🌳 tree circuit.

All the avians were forced to mingle in one corner of the lake as the majority of it was frozen 🥶 over. No visitors at all just the usual suspects: pr Mute Swan, c12 Canada, Coots & Moorhens.

4 species of gull: BHG in high numbers, few Common, fewer Herring & LBBG.

A Robin sang briefly but no other arboreal avian’s other than a probable Chaffinch.

Queensbury Weather

Eee it’s reet cold innit. I staggered in the snow across road to Tesco. Half way there I sneezed well hard and my choppers flew out my mouth and disappeared int white muck.

I had to use sign language with the store check out lass as my gums had shrunk.

On way back near a telegraph pole I could hear a loud chattering sound. It was my teeth so I opened my gob best as I could and mumbled Come to Daddy. My choppers ran up the pole and jumped straight back into my cakehole. Talk about lucky 😀.

Low Moor In Dodgy Conditions

Didn’t expect Black Ice to be a threat anywhere below the dizzy heights of Queensbury. Silly me. I nearly went for a 3 hour ambulance wait down Cemetery Rd and a good portion of Harold Park was coated too.

Just Gulls, Coots & Moorhens on the lake so I almost crawled along to Park Dam where the going underfoot was considerably safer.

The Great White Egret was the first bird I saw 😛. It flew across to forage among the bank below the gardens where a Grey Heron was lurking.

 4 Cormorant, 10 Mute Swan, more Coot & 1 GC Grebe.

22 Tufted Duck were spotted but not a single Goosander.

3 Greylag & c80 Canada were in their favoured field.

Ogden Water NLFFB

A really bright cold day. After a most disappointing start to 2025 I hereby declare this venue as No Longer Fit For Birdwatching ☹️.

Mixenden Res held hundred of gulls. The majority were the usual smaller species but a fair few LBBG & Herring were knocking around.

As I left a Cormorant with huge white thigh patches, a white neck and large white breast and belly flew over.