The Breeding Season

As from now until the end of the breeding season birds of a sensitive nature will be omitted from this blog due to a small percentage of undesirables who take their pleasure from egg collecting, nest destroying and the killing and trapping of birds.
Reports of non breeding birds moving through the area will still be published. BS
WELCOME TO ( WEST YORKSHIRE BIRDING )

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Howling gales and Alba Wags

Darkness setting over Ovenden Moor from Ned Hill.


A blustery day with near gale force SW>7 gusting >9 with some sunshine and fine drizzle showers.
Had a small window in my commitments tonight just before last light so headed up to Ned Hill to check out the western hillside of Soil Hill and see if anything was moving in the darkening sky,( a good time for Osprey).
The SW wind was howling up there and as expected in the conditions the sky was quiet other than 5 Goosander heading for the Oxenhope roost, 1 Kestrel struggling to hover in the wind and a few Meadow Pipits moving from field to field.
An influx of Alba Wagtails was apparent with up to 11 in and around the goose field, this sighting coinciding with 5 seen whilst driving through Bradshaw earlier in the evening and 4 at the bottom of Perseverence Road.
No Wheatears showing but as DJS said, the second wave will be on us shortly.
BS.

2 comments:

DJSutcliffe said...

On the look out for ssp alba as well Bri. 1 report from Martyn H of one in Luddenden last week. I see there are some Yellow Wags in the country already - well, down south that is!!

Brian Sumner said...

Yellows are always a problem in our area other than fly overs in the autumn. Checked the Soil Hill wags for whites yesterday but none showing.