Ogden buzzing.

 

                                Ogden early morn below the fog.

                                Song and Mistle Thrushes

                                    Fieldfare and Redwings

                                As good as I could get on Redpoll

                                        Bullfinch

                                    Redpoll

                                    West Bank

                                Mediterranean gull east bank

         Dense fog on the tops this morning with, once again, Ogden below the cloud with just some mist patches then broken cloud and short bursts of sun on a light NE>2 at a cool 4 degrees.

    Still a shortage of wildfowl on the water with just the Mallards as well as 2 Cormorant with around 150 post roost gulls coming in from the direction of the TMR roost. The gulls were spread between the north, west and east shores but very mobile between the shores and the water.

     The Lodge House trees held a single Song Thrush and several Mistle Thrush as well as Fieldfares and Redwings whilst the west bank waterside trees and Alders were alive.

    The Chaffinch flock were sticking to the Beech trees this morning ,to avoid disturbance on the track, with at least 1 pair of Brambling among them, but still too many leaves on the trees as yet to get decent views of them.

  The Alder trees held a mixed flock of Siskin, Redpoll, Bullfinch and Goldfinch, whilst a good size tit flock was moving through the waterside trees comprising of  the 4 common Tit species, Goldcrests and Treecreepers whilst Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens and Dunnocks were raking through the fallen leaves on the track along with 2 Jays.

    Back round on the east bank the Med gull was in with Commons and Black Headed, once again, spending most of its time sleeping. It was reported by an Oxenhope birder to be asleep on the west bank at 1300 hrs.

    Tomorrows forecast is as todays with cloudy sunshine on a light NE at 4 degrees and early hill fog. The good news is that tomorrow should be the last day of the easterlies for a while so hopefully the last of the fog.

BS

     

A rewarding morning at Ogden.

 

                                    Adult Mediterranean gull

                                    Found yesterday by JJL, Bradshaw Birds blog.

                                    Yellow leg ring, from Sweden.

                                    Jay enjoying beech nuts.

Dense fog on the tops this morning but Ogden was hazy then clearing to a spring like morning with clear skies and sunshine on a very light NNE>1 at 6 degrees.

     The water at Ogden was void of wildfowl other than the Mallards, as far as I could see, along with 2 Cormorant whilst around 150 gulls were on the west bank but none on the nearer east bank. The gulls were very hard to sort through with the low sun lighting them up so it was a matter of checking them each time a cloud blanked the sun out.

     The adult leg ringed Mediterranean gull, which was ringed in Sweden, sighted yesterday by JJL, was present but spent most of the time sleeping, which I suppose you would if you'd just flown from Sweden. Most of the Black Headed gulls I've seen with rings at Ogden were ringed in Sweden or Norway.

    Plenty Chaffinch around but very flighty with the usual disturbance whilst a good sized tit flock was in the same area along with 4 Bullfinch and at least 3 Siskin plus Blackbirds and a Jay. By the time I'd finished along the west bank it was knocking off time so never got along the east bank. 

     A mix of cloud and sunshine tomorrow starting at 4 degrees but still the dreaded fog fetching light E turning NE.

BS

      

Dodging the fog banks, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Fog creeping up out of the valley

                                    Mirror reflective still water

                                    Low tide

                                3 Pheasant in the boat viewing area

    3 Meadow Pipit present                                                              

                                Few Herring gulls >SE

                                    1 of 5 Reed Buntings

                                    3 Greylags >NW in the fog

                                    1 of 2 Stonechat

                                    Rare find for this site, Robin.

                                        Probably continental.

Full cloud with light mist and occasional fog banks moving through on a calm NNE>1 at 5 degrees.

Dense fog lower down in the valleys.

    Luckily for me the fog hung low leaving Fly Flatts with reasonable visibility so I was able to avoid the Ogden Sunday morning running track and head for the solitude of the hills.

    Nothing special but more than I expected and enough to keep the interest flowing. Just 8 Canadas on the water with 7 LBB gulls on the north shore and a steady trickle of Herring gulls >SE. A Buzzard headed towards Castle Carr but was soon lost in the low cloud.

   Small passerines were livelier with 5 Reed Buntings, 1 Meadow Pipit and a rare sighting for this site of a Robin which looked slim and pale enough to be a continental. Otherwise 3 Pheasants, 2 Red Grouse and the usual Carrion Crows.

    Due to very little breeze todays sailing had to be cancelled.

Another day of the same tomorrow with fog on a very light NE turning E at 6 degrees then cloudy with a chance of some outbreaks of sunshine.

BS

Glutton for punishment, Ogden.

 

                                    Good count of gulls, west bank.

A dull dry morning at Ogden with full cloud on a light NE>2 at 6 degrees.

    I had hoped to avoid the weekend Ogden today but with yet more fog on the tops I was stuck for choice so ended up there again after a mega quiet morning yesterday.

  A bit livelier this morning  with around 150 gulls on the west bank but no specials to be found whilst the water just held 2 Cormorant and the Mallards with again, no sign of the Teals or Wigeon, though I didn't do a full circuit.

    A group of 6 Bullfinch were in the Alders with a small tit flock nearby with several Long Tailed Tits mixed in as well as a Nuthatch and 3 Goldcrest. 

    A flock of around 50 Chaffinch flew in from behind the lodge house and landed on the beginning of the west bank but were immediately flushed before I could go through them by a constant procession of the public and runners. After several attempts of them landing on the weeds they finally gave up and  moved on, the same as I did.

    A cloudy day tomorrow with early morning mist and fog and low risk of showers on a light W turning NW at 6 degrees.

BS

    

   

On a hiding to nothing. Ogden.

    Birding was at its worst this morning with nothing on the water other than a few gulls and Mallards whilst around 50 gulls were on the shore. A few small break away flocks of Chaffinch were flitting about as well as Goldfinch whilst 2 Bullfinch were in a Beech tree.

    A Raven flew overhead but otherwise empty skies although HC was getting a massive Fieldfare movement over Haworth but they all managed to avoid local air space.

       A probable foggy start for morning with light drizzle on a very light NE at 5 degrees. Chance of light showers after midday.

                                    Sun setting over Foxhill park yesterday.

BS.

Plot Neet morn at Ogden

 

                                Ogden early morn looking south.

                                    Looking north.

                                    Around 80 gulls present

                                        Usual Wigeon

                                    Several Chaffinch

A pleasant enough morning at Ogden with broken cloud on a light SE>2 at 5 degrees.

   Nothing unusual this morning with a good sized Tit flock including 2 Nuthatch and around 30 Chaffinch but no sign of Brambling today though a load of disturbance along the west track preventing them from feeding on the track. Several were in the open on the banking weeds which would have been ideal for a Brambling photo but not to be.

     A few Redwing and Mistle Thrush over >SW with around 80 gulls present but nothing on the water other than the long staying Wigeon, 2 Cormorant and the usual Mallards.

    A dry day given for tomorrow with cloud and some sunshine on a light ENE at 5 degrees. Rain due by early evening.

BS