Queensbury Today.

This mornings early heavy rain got things moving a bit although it was short lived and cleared up by 0830hrs.
A good number of Swifts came over during the morning all >SW as well as several big gulls, mainly LBBs but up to 6 Herrings all >W.
The first sign of Meadow Pipit movement showed today with 11 over the garage heading >W which is the common direction for them to move before later in the autumn moving >SW and finally >S when the big push begins.

Lynda still making steady progress despite a few set backs although struggling to eat as yet but hopefully in Sept she can have an operation to insert her lower teeth and lessen her new tongue to try make it somewhat manageable as the way it is now its neither use nor ornament .

The waders have got to start coming this weekend, says he hopefully.
BS

Disappointing dinner time dash, Ogden

   Inviting shoreline but no takers

 
With the strong WNW>5 and a bank of drizzle moving over, a rushed dinner followed by a dash to Ogden seemed like a good idea but turned out to be a bad one.
Hopes of big gulls and a wader or two were soon dashed on arrival with nothing but Black Headeds on the shoreline and Canadas and Mallard on the water.
No time to walk round for a closer inspection but a good scan from the prom told me what I wanted to know, Oh well, back to work.
No sign today of yesterdays Willow Warblers in the park so obviously moved straight through as expected.
BS

Signs of dispersion. Willow Warblers

    Resident Woodpigeon outside the garage waiting for seed

 This juv House Sparrow called in the garage today .

   Fall of Willow Warblers

Slightly cooler today but still far too warm for me and the birds.
A good sign of dispersion today with at least a dozen Willow Warblers working their way along the edge of Foxhill Park at lunchtime, an area where they are seldom found. Also present were several juv Blue Tits and 2 Coal Tits.  By the evening dog walk all had gone.
Plenty small gulls are congregating in the park early morning and Herring gulls are moving through with birds at Ogden, see NKs blog, and Nigel rang me today to say plenty gull activity was taking place this afternoon on a building site near his home and this included Herrings.
Hopefully by the weekend the first August wader sightings will be flooding in.
BS

Views of Fly Flatts from yesterday

                               Plenty shoreline at the north end

                                     All we need now are the waders

                                       The north end spit

  Even with all the warning signs around the moor you still
              get nuggets lighting fires.

                                        The north shoreline

                       Canadas coming in early morn

                                        The Nab

                        From the south end

Another hot sticky day after some early morning mist.
Up to 80 Black Headed and Common gulls in Foxhill Park at 0530hrs this morning before the dog walkers came along, Common gulls now becoming a regular sight.
Still Swifts moving over with 8 at midday in migration mode >SW.
A Sparrowhawk ploughed into next doors conservatory  window yesterday evening with a juv Starling in its talons killing the Starling on impact but the Sparrowhawk dropped its prey and flew off uninjured. Although the Starling still died it escaped the nasty ordeal of being plucked alive.
A report today of an injured small raptor at the side of the road in Clayton with a droopy wing  but as he went to pick it up it managed to fly into some bushes, probably Kestrel or Sparrowhawk.
BS

A 2nd weekend check of Oxenhope

          A new comer from yesterday, Oystercatcher

                                              Less LBBs than yesterday

                                       This was a real dark LBB, Intermedius.

Oxenhope p.m. visit. B.O.G.members only.

A 2nd weekend check of Oxenhope found little change from yesterday  although an Oystercatcher had dropped in overnight and there was a lower count in gull numbers.
A strong WNW>6 was blowing at Windy Corner but once again the hot clear blue skies kept any movement at bay.

c200 LBBs
c 300 BHGs
12 Lapwing
1 Oystercatcher
38 Canadas
Lots of Red Legged Partridge appearing strangely , something to do with Sad Mans day next month.
BS

Fly Flatts

                                      Barnacle Goose at home with Canadas

                                            1 of 4 juv Wheatear

Fly Flatts  0645-1000hrs
A much better fresher morning wish low cloud and light drizzle early on with a strong WNW>6 easing >4.
Plenty inviting shoreline but no wader movement as yet with just 2 Common Sandpipers reluctant to move on. Several Lapwing around the shore and an increase in Canadas with the Barnacle still present.
Wheatears are well on the move now with 4 adults and 4 juvs present along with several juv Pied Wagtails.
2 noisy Ravens flew over in the distance and a family of 4 Kestrels were in the air together.

280 Canadas on the water with sev move on the shore
1 Barnacle goose
4 ad , 4 juv Wheatear
2 Common Sandpiper
5 juv, 2 ad Pied Wagtails
18 Lapwing
2 Raven
4 Swifts >SW
+ usual Mipits, Swallows BH gulls etc.
BS

Oxenhope, p.m. visit.

                                        Gulls on the nw shore

                  Local helicopter goes over

         

              BH gull still in full summer plumage

                 Gulls starting to build in the se corner

             Plenty squadrons of Starlings around

 Coming to the water then back on the moor for Bilberries
             Thats if DJS and Jen have,nt picked them all

                                                          LBB coming in

Oxenhope 1600-1700hrs  Steaming hot, strong W>5
B.O.G. members only

Plenty shoreline showing now at the nw corner but understandably, in this heat, no waders.
Gull numbers are on the up as well as Lapwing but no Curlew today.
Only wildfowl were Mallard, Canada and 1pr Teal scoped in the far sw corner.
Overhead the skies were birdless courtesy of this endless heatwave.

c 600 Lesser Black Backed
c 400 Black Headed
7 Common gull
4 Herring gull but no Yellow Legged.
c 200 Starling
28 Lapwing
44 Canadas
6 Mallard + 8 young chicks.
+ usual Mipits and Corvids.
BS

Ogden pm

  Laughing Gull, or rather Common gull laughing

    Good to get summer plumaged Commons back

                                   Juv Cormorant

An extended dog walk to Ogden this evening to check for Scoters and see if NKs big gull was still present, see Nigels blog for report.
Plenty small gulls present but no big gulls or Scoters on the water.
Good to get the smart summer plumaged Common gulls back from their breeding grounds after a few months absence.
Tons of shoreline now, if only we could get rid of this horrible hot stuff. I can hear all the sun worshippers saying, "who is this nutter ".
Hope you all have a good weekend whatever the weather.
BS.

Queensbury south

    A misty Shibden Valley this morning

       Little Owl with its eye on something

              A bit of a shy bird.

A quick circuit of Queensbury south before work this morning found 3 Little Owl in the usual area with a 4th on a distant dead tree nearby.
Around 150 Jackdaws were in the new mown fields along with several BH gulls.
15 Greenfinch were very mobile as well as 4 Linnets, a bird thats been rare this year.
Up on the main road 14 Lapwing were in the horse field where about 30 were reported yesterday by TC.
Well spotted to DJS for yet another Common Scoter at Ogden today, female this time , as well as a Yellow Legged Herring gull, see Daves report on Calderbirds,
When is this hot stuff going to end ?
BS