With winter almost upon us its time to start a bit of gull watching checking through the increasing flocks around our reservoirs ,tips and fields looking for that white winged job which seldom occur around our area.
Gulls are something you either love or hate and can be the hardest of all species when it comes to i.d. Its not just the type of gull thats the problem, its when you start sifting through the juvs and then the 1st , 2nd, 3rd and 4th year birds when it starts to get mind blowing.
Ideally you need to find a roost such as B.O.G.s Oxenhope where you can have around 6000 gulls together but it gives you time to scope through the congregation comparing and counting the species.
I,ve always enjoyed gull watching and served my time at household landfill sites which have now long gone , such as Elland Gravel pits,
Sugden tip, Denholme, Manywells tip, Denholme and Blackley tip Huddersfield.
It takes many years studying to get to the Dave Barker standard but it can be enjoyable and the more you watch the easier it gets.
Ringby Top is one of the best places for the Queensbury area to see fly overs in winter with regular sightings of Herring and Great Black Backed heading west, and water wise Ogden and Mixenden pick up small numbers of gulls. Strangely some reservoirs such as Fly Flatts rarely attract gulls for reasons unknown yet Oxenhope over the hill gets the largest roost around. Strange birds gulls, but give it a go, looked what happened to DJS scanning gulls at Mixenden and picked out a Little gull. Good Gulling
BS
