It all starts to happen in May Birds of May 2011/12/13

                    Very distant Bar Tailed Godwit, Fly Flatts

                                      Dunlin Fly Flatts

  Sanderling and Ringed Plover, Fly Flatts

               A good May for Fly Flatts Ringed Plovers

      Pink Footed Goose, Ogden

                        Ringed Plover, Soil Hill

                  Dunlin, Soil Hill

                     Buzzards moving >N

                     Common Sandpiper, Fly Flatts

                                Red Kite, Ogden

             Dunlin and Redshank, Raggalds Flood

 Distant small camera pics, Yellow Wagtail, Raggalds Flood.

A dull hazy day with limited visibility at lunch time and a heavy thunderstorm early evening.
Raggalds Flood had no water and no birds at 0700hrs and midday up Foxhill found just the usual active residents, Goldfinch, Collared Dove, Tits and Chaffinches.

With May upon us, above are some records from previous Mays, 2011/12/13
BS

Celebration Day

Not bird wise but the last of Lyndas 6 week run of radiation at Leeds. A slow process now recovering from the horrific side effects but at least its a big step forward.

A check of Raggalds Flood for Yellow Wag at 0630hrs proved wasted with the fog so thick I could,nt see across the field. Otherwise the rest of the day was spoken for with Leeds and work so very little to report.
LBB gulls were flowing steady over the village midday all >NW and Swallows were showing in good numbers but no House Martins as yet.
Almost May now so more or less everything that,s coming back should be back so all we have to do is find them. Last years Raggalds Flood Yellow Wagtail arrived on the 17th of May so hopefully we,ll be getting one dropping in anytime.
BS

An active Raggalds Flood

                Not much water  but still drawing the birds

                                          1 of 4 female Wheatears

A quick after work check of Raggalds Flood in hope of Yellow Wagtail which did,nt materialize but although there was very little water it still attracted the birds with ;-
4 f Wheatear
2 Pied Wagtails
3 Woodpigeons
6 Meadow Pipit
8 Swallows overhead.

Ironically as I got back I got a text from DJS with a Yellow Wagtail at Ringstone so I got right date, wrong location.
BS

Leeshaw Reservoir, in hope of Terns

                                        Oystercatcher

                                                Local Heron

                                   Plenty Curlews

                                           Redshanks

              Golden Plover down to about 90 now

Did,nt get out today until late afternoon when I thought it was worth a trip to one of the local reservoirs to see if any Terns were passing through.
As I arrived the clouds came down and the heavens opened but thats the stuff Terns prefer, if not me.
After a while it brightened but although plenty LBB gulls were moving through there were no Terns.
The usual sp. were around the area with the addition of 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Ringed Plover, all on the distant far shore, and a Cuckoo calling throughout giving teasing glances as it flicked from the trees at the far side of the res and into the field and back.
A check of Upper Marsh found most of the Golden Plovers already gone leaving around 90 in the sheep field.
Then the excitement started..... driving home through an undisclosed area a large light raptor type bird was flying in front of the car about building height but I could only see it tail on and this happened in a couple of minutes when suddenly 3 raptors flew at it making it veer to the side showing it to be a Barn Owl. I slammed on as it was disappearing through the trees and fired shots through the windscreen but got nothing but blurrs and bushes.
Whether escaped, released or wild remains a mystery until I put some feelers out for that area but a real surprise of a bird to see around these parts.
BS

Todays News

            Buzzards not wanting to get up in the cold SSE>4

                                     Keeping low and very distant

With very little birding time left today by late afternoon it was a check of Tracys Wheatear field , which just held 2 m Wheatear, 3 Pied Wagtail and a few Meadow Pipit.
Old Guy Rd had the grass cutters in so no birds then down to a  few Buzzard shots but very distant and keeping low in the cold wind.
BS

Tracys pics

                       South Queensbury Little Owl ,

        Shelf Moor trailer park field .  Wheatear in the morning dew

                 All 3 photos courtesy Tracy Collier.

Thanks to Tracy for the above photos which she took on her way to work.
Wheatears have been poor in this location this year after Tracys find of 21 in the same field, 15/4/2012.

A hopeless day up here on the top of this hill with thick fog from start to finish with heavy rain late p.m. which will hopefully be some benefit to Raggalds Flood.
Still plenty LBB gulls over Leeds whilst a Heron flew over the hospital.
Not a good birding weekend with Leeds , work and shopping taking up most of tomorrow and another visit to B.R.I. on Sunday morning but no doubt I,ll squeeze some in at some point, if this fog ever lifts.
BS

Old Guy Road cricket pitch

               More females than males about this morning

                                    Several Pied Wagtails

With no dinner hour and an afternoon to early evening at Leeds it was an early doors visit to Old Guy Rd cricket pitch on the way to work to check the Wheatears.
At least 9 birds were present around the pitch area, 7 of these being females with the males moved on.
A single Skylark was feeding on the pitch along with 4 Pied Wagtails  and around 30 Starling.
Again several LBB gulls were soaring over the Elland Rd area of Leeds, perhaps none breeders from Eccup reservoir.
A text today from C.K. ( B.O.G. ) reporting a cuckoo back at Leeshaw reservoir.
BS

Fall of Willow Warblers

Some of last summers Willow Warblers.

A real overnight fall of Willow Warblers around the village today with birds singing in several gardens, in the conifers by the garage car park and up to 4 birds in the grounds of the Willows medical centre.
Another 2 were heard in gardens by Foxhill park this evening.
Coming back from Leeds at tea time around 30 LBB gulls were circling over Elland Road football pitch and again a Buzzard was high above the M62.
BS