First Redwing for Queensbury

         October 2013, The Oxenhope boys, DCB.  HC.

        DCB eating pears from a tin till he discovered
            that midges had beaten him to them.

         Giving them the pleasure of my company.

A good report today from CK of the first Redwing over Oats Royd, well spotted Chris. Hopefully by the weekend winter thrushes will be piling in.

Vis Mig this morning was steady with Chaffinch being the bird of the day with 38 counted >S on a 30 minute pre work watch.
Meadow Pipits are now down to a trickle but a second wave from further afield should soon be on its way.
7 Lapwing headed>SE and dinner time produced 73 moving Jackdaws high and >S.
BS

Queensbury Today

A steady flow of Meadow Pipits >S from first light until around 0830hrs when the skies brightened.
Two Swallows headed >S, a scarce bird now with most gone, whilst Jays were the bird of the day with 9 seperate birds counted >NW and probably several missed through work.
Thanks to HC at Oxenhope this morning for the text of Pinkies passing to the West of me but could,nt be seen from work with buildings in the way.
Also a report today at work from customer Roy M of a skein of Pinkies yesterday over the Shelf Hipperholme area.
BS

Old Guy Rd to Roper Lane, pm

Just a brief dog walk this tea time with the kitchen still in need of more emulsion but hopefully the job will be complete by the weekend.
Old Guy Rd held a few blogging Meadow Pipits but players on the cricket pitch stopped the chance of any birds there.
A single Wheatear was by Micklemoss farm on a distant wall as well as a few Linnets.
Up to 100 small gulls were in the fields between Roper and Bradshaw whilst several LBB gulls headed over >E towards the Eccup roost.
14 Chaffinch high and >W was interesting as was 2 noisy Jays in the new plantation, probably movers.
BS

Fly Flatts

                              More shoreline than Morecambe Bay

                                   Distant Lapwings >SE

An amazingly quiet morning for the end of September in perfect weather conditions and ample shoreline but the whole area was dead.
Mipits were moving >S in small numbers, c 300, along with 5 Alba Wagtails >W and one group of 10 Lapwings high and >SE.
11 Lapwings were on the shoreline along with 9 BH Gulls but the water was void of any wildfowl.
The moor at the south end of the reservoir was alive with Red Grouse driven there by yesterdays sad gun men and a few blogging Mipits were present.

The Oxenhope lads were finding it quiet also with Mipits and Alba Wags although the shoreline there was heaving with birds including a record number of Lapwings. Just shows how the shorebirds prefer a sand and mud shoreline as opposed to the peat at Fly Flatts.
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Mipit Madness

             Sunset over Withins from Fleet Lane

An amazing morning for Meadow Pipits over Foxhill with 480 counted >S between 0630-0830hrs in between getting ready for and at work.
All was quiet after 0845hrs when according to the Oxenhope lads, who clocked over 5000 this morning, the birds dropped low so will have missed the village.
Plenty other movement besides but work got in the way.
No birding at tea time due to heavy work load and a kitchen to finish decorating.

Vis Mig

480 Meadow Pipit...............................>S
18 Alba Wagtails................................>W
21 Chaffinch......................................>W
4 Jays.................................................>W
18 Lapwing.......................................>SE
BS

Queensbury Vis Mig, More Fieldfare

Fieldfares invasion 19/10/2013. Oxenhope

                       Autumn Fieldfares moving in, October 2013

With October almost here and Fieldfares trickling in above are some shots of what to expect in the next couple of weeks when Fieldfares will pile in looking for berry trees over the winter closly followed by Redwings then hopefully Waxwings.

             Roper Lane watchpoint this a.m.

A brief migration watch before work this morning produced

14 Mistle Thrush..............................>W
2 Fieldfare........................................>NW
31 Meadow Pipits...........................>S
2 Swallow.......................................>S
18 Linnet.......................................Blogging

Plenty Pipestrelle bats over Foxhill park this evening.
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Fieldfare for Queensbury

A 15 minute watch on Roper Lane this morning produced very little other that 18 LBB gulls >NW.
19 Meadow Pipits >S and 2 Swallows >S.
Old Guy Rd cricket pitch was deserted apart from the usual Starling flock of around 50 with a few corvids mixed in.
Stopped off at the Coop on the way to work and a single noisy Fieldfare came over heading >SE over Sourheads.
A few more reports of Pinkies today around the area and DJS says passerine alley at Ogden is hotting up with crests and tits.
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Pink Footed on the move and a new grand daughter

                    A vis mig sky early doors

      Daughter Belinda with hubby Mickey and new edition

A bright start to the morning with Mipits and Swallows moving >S  but only in small numbers, but the bright skies got the Pink Footed Geese moving with several reports from all regions of Skeins heading mainly >W and >NW. Watched for a while at lunch time from Foxhill but nothing in the immediate area.

Bit bleary eyed today as the second of my twin daughters Belinda decided to present us with a third Grand Daughter at 1.00 am this morning, the other 2 Grand Daughters are to Rachel, Belindas twin sister.
This job is going to cost me a fortune. !
BS

Queensbury Today

An early morning check of Old Guy Rd found it quiet on the cricket pitch and low cloud above so no sky movement visible.
Later at work a few Mipits and Swallows headed >S but only low numbers.
A quieter day today after yesterdays excitement of Vals White Stork but an interesting text from Bradshaw John from up in the dales where Pink Footed Geese were going over the Grassington area.
HC texted me from Oxenhope where he had Fieldfare over his house>NW and NK reported 7 House Martin and c 40 Mipits at Queensbury south. Nigel also found Old Guy Rd quiet later in the day.
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White Stork , Heaton to Cottingly area

                   Photos from mobile phone

               Can see black wing tips on this shot

Customer Val Thornton and daughter rang me around lunch time today saying there was a large Crane like bird in a tree by the Heaton to Cottingley road by the Stoney Ridge traffic lights and they,d taken some distant shots on a mobile.
A phone call to DCB got him out on the case but the bird had gone after he did a thorough check of the area.
From the photos its obviously a White Stork, either wild or a Harewood bird but a great find and a good record for Bradford.

Thanks a million Val and daughter for the call and pics, really well spotted.
Thanks to Dave Barker for trying to re locate the bird.
BS

Few views from Fly Flatts

               Looking across to the Nab

                                                     SW corner

                                         SE corner

            Islands appearing at the south end

                              1 lonely Wheatear

No birding this tea time due to kitchen work so just a few snaps showing the water level condition at Fly Flatts this morning. No more Pink Footed sightings today while we,ve been out and about so thanks to HC, DCB for pointing me in the right direction as at that distance they,d have gone past me undetected.
BS

Pinkies right on time. Fly Flatts

                                  3 Tufted, unusual for this site

                                          Female Common Scoter

                                        Teal left            Common Scoter right

                     Kestrel patrolling the shoreline

                                    1 of 2 Teal passing at distance

A calm morning with blue skies and wind increasing NE>4 cutting down vis mig.

Another visit from Common Scoter with a female present but keeping well out in the water along with a single Teal. Three Tufted on the water which was unusual and 2 Teal flew >S at distance.
No waders present but 3 Kestrel were patrolling the shoreline.
Whilst talking on the phone to DCB at the Oxenhope watch point HC there scoped 34 Pink Footed Geese well out to the east and heading east which Dave directed me onto looking over the Whetstone Gate area.

Vis Mig

4 Alba Wagtails...........................>W
37 Meadow Pipits........................>S
5 Swallows..................................>S
15 LBB gulls................................>SE
2 Teal...........................................>W
34 Pink Footed Geese .................>E

Present
1f Common Scoter
2m 1f Tufted
1 Teal
1 Wheatear
3 Kestrel
1 Grey Wagtail
Few blogging Mipits
BS

Watch those skies, Pinkies and winter thrushes on the way

Pink Footed Geese will be showing anytime now, below are a few previous years skeins.

With the first report of Fieldfare over today, 3 past the Oxenhope watch point this morning, HC. DCB, thanks for the text Howard, things are really getting moving with Pink Footed geese the next thing to look out for in the skies.
A report today at work from a roofer who was working in Luddenden Foot Friday said he got 2 skeins of noisy plain geese over low with about 30 in each skein and said they were,nt Canadas,
Possibly Pinkies but could have been Greylag although unusual in those numbers unless its a regular site in that area, anyone know ?

No birding for Bri today as been having a new kitchen put in during the week , something Lyndas wanted a while so thought it would cheer her up and give her something to look forward to.
Its in and working now but plenty straightening up and decorating to do but I,ll be out there in the morning.
The kitchen seemed to work as it put a big smile on her face but no doubt it will knock the smile off mine when I get the bill.
BS