Ogden, evening visit.

 42 BHGs in various stages of moult.

        These 4 young bumblies are so far avoiding the Heron.

Near perfect moving conditions today for waders and water fowl with grey skies, light east>3 and damp with light drizzle. Waited all day to get to Ogden to see if anything had dropped in but arrived the same time as the heavy rain followed by fog.
42 BHGs were on the water around the usual west bank area but no shoreline available so they soon moved on along with 3 LBBs.
The highlight was a single Teal which seemed as if it had been flushed from the northern end rocketing over me to disappear over the trees >W.
A Grey Heron was in the NW corner but otherwise all quiet.
On the way home near the Ned Hill watchpoint 2 Roe Deer lept over the wall in front of me into the road and disappeared over the opposite wall and up onto Soil Hill top.
BS

More pics from yesterday

                                           1 of the 3 juv Stonechats

                                         The youngest of the 3

                                                   Male ad.

                                       Eldest of the 3.

                                       1 of 2 juv Wheatear

Strangely there was no sign of the female Stonechat yesterday, this was also remarked on by DJS.

A quiet day over the village today with just a few BHGs over mainly >W.
BS

Man on a Mission, Stonechats.

                                   Stonechats at last

          Hovering gave the game away

                                       Whitethroat as a bonus

                                     Still Willow Warblers about.

DJS kindly text me this evening telling me of a family of Stonechats that he,d found in the Ogden area knowing that it would be a first for me this year.
After a lot of phone calls for directions I briefly got onto the birds in the middle of a heavy shower. They went to ground and it was 1 hour later I re located them about 100yds away in the bracken. The game was given away when I saw a bird in the distance hovering over the reeds and knew that had to be Stonechat.
I got a good photo session and was well hidden nearly up to my neck in bracken with an appearance of a Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Reed Buntings.
Thanks a lot Dave.

1m Stonechat
2f juvs
1 very young juv
3 Reed Buntings
1 Willow Warbler
1 Whitethroat
No Tufted on the reservoir.
BS

Fly Flatts, A reet gud dowsing.

                                Scraggy juv Wheatear

                                             Didnt mind the rain

                                  Flight feathers always develop first.

                                  Worst Twite photo ever

                                          In to land.

Fly Flatts  0730-1000 hrs
A deteriorating morning starting with showers of drizzle and rain brought across the moor on a W>4.
By 0930hrs the rain became torrential and visibility down to a few yards by the time I got back to the car where I had to wring the dogs out.
Despite that it was well worth it for the Wheatear pics with 3 juvs showing and a distant adult in autumn plumage.
Swifts were still moving >S in small numbers and 4 Twite were briefly on the seed but very flighty disappearing across the moor.
A single Redshank headed >W very high and calling but no sign of gull movement.

4 Wheatear ......1ad....3 juv
4 Twite
1 Kestrel
1 Snipe
1 Redshank........................>W
19 Swift............................>S
4 Swallow........................>S
+ usual sp.
BS

Ogden evening visit

                                   1m 2f Tufted in eclipse.

                Wonder if this is the Scaupy looking Ringstone bird.

                         

             Sparrowhawk off with an unfortunate Chaffinch.

                                          Few common gulls present

              2 pics for Tracy and Brittany.  2 of 5 Bumblies AHHHHHH.

Bright and sunny this evening at Ogden with 1 heavy shower and a SW>4 blowing.
1m and 2f Tufted were present in eclipse whilst gull numbers were building with 38 BHGs, 4 Commons and
2 LBBs. A single Sparrowhawk went over quickly carrying what looked like a Chaffinch and a female Mallard had 5 very late bumblies following her around.
See what Fly Flatts can provide me with in the morning.
BS

Birds and Sun Dogs.

                Green Lane Little Owl.  2 Photos courtesy Ken Jarvis.

                                     Sun Dog over Foxhill this evening. BS

Thanks to Ken Jarvis for the Little Owl photos he kindly sent in, a nice close up there Ken.

Make the best of this site for it is soon to become a detached house and garage.

A much quieter day than yesterday with too much sunshine and blue skies with only a steady trickle of LBBs and BHGs >W and >SW.
A passing visit to Corporal Hill/ Green Lane 1845hrs found no gulls in the fields with just 3 Common, 4 BHGs and 1 LBB over >W with very little else other than linnets showing.
A dog walk up Foxhill found the same with a smidging of gull movement and 1 Pied Wagtail >W.
Tesco , Buttershaw this evening held c 40 BH gulls.
Looks like a good day tomorrow and rain for Sunday but I suppose its better being out in the rain than being bombarded with the Olympics.
BS.

What a Find Nigel !!!

Shoveler at Ogden found by Nigel Kerwin this afternoon, see Queensburybirder.

Sharp eyed Nigel found these 5 beautys today at Ogden and thanks to his call I could get over there this evening in time to see them after a marathon dash round Morrisons.
As soon as I arrived I could see the 5 out in the middle in poor light, hence the poor pics but even then I had to study them to make them out as Shoveler as they were all in eclipse with their heads tucked in. These 5 could easily have been dismissed as Mallard so well spotted NK.
A site first for me .

Other news,  when walking to work today gulls were going over in good numbers >SW along with 4 Heron >N, and on route this evening to Morrisons the fields from the Raggalds down through Bradshaw were alive with BHGs.
BS