Cormorants on the move, Ogden

                  1 of 3 juv Cormorants

                                           Busy on the still water

                              and on the shore

                                            juv LBB

A late evening check on Ogden before the gates locked found 3 juv Cormorants present, 1 on the depth gauge float and 2 on shore up in the NE corner, a good sign of movement.
Most gulls had left to roost but around 50 BH gulls were mainly on the water and 9 LBBs were present.
The 2 adult and 1 juv Gt Crested Grebe were diving well whilst a Curlew flew over the wind turbines , very high and >NW.
Thousands of Midges attracted plenty Swallows but no Swifts.
IH, B.O.G. got his hat trick today at Keighley Moor reservoir after Common Scoter and Sanderling earlier in the week and capping it today with a Green Sandpiper, well done to Ian for slogging it out at his local patch again proving keeping it local pays off.
Have a good weekend all.
BS

An evening visit to Ogden

              A decent supply of gulls at Ogden

                                        LBB

                          juv LBB and BHG

                                 juv Gt Crested Grebe

                                   The only Common gull present

                 Love on the beach, Carrion Crows

                                           Pleasing to watch the gulls

Ever the optimist it was off for a quick evening visit to Ogden to check the water and shoreline for now is the time that anything can happen though tonight it did,nt.
Gulls were on good supply with 100 + Black Headed, 16 Lesser Black Backed and 1 Common.
I must have checked through 50 flying BHGs with the hope of Terns but no good Tern for Bri tonight.
11 Canadas were on the water along with the usual 2 Gt Crested Grebe + 1 juv.
With local reports this week of Common Tern (DB), Sanderling and Common Scoter (IH) and Black Tailed Godwit (JB) we could be in for a decent weekend start to August as long as the sun behaves itself and keeps away to make way for the drizzly stuff. Ignore that if you,re setting off on hoilday.
BS

Common gulls back in force

                 Common Gulls return to Foxhill

A day of heavy showers meaning another day of gull movement over the area.
LBBs were moving over throughout the day all  >NW whilst at least 9 Herring gulls headed >SW.
The first Common gulls returned to Foxhill park this evening with 18 present along with 8 Black Headed.
This sighting made me dash around and check the local gull fields returning with 108 Commons and 134 Black Headed from the Raggalds, Roper L:ane and Old Guy Rd.
LBBs were heading >E towards the Eccup roost.

An unconfirmed report today of 2 Otters swimming across Ogden on Sunday and assuring me they were,nt Mink.
According to a customer angler Otter are now everywhere around rivers and fishing ponds, so much so that several angling clubs are fitting nets around ponds to keep them out.
He says he has caught several fish with claw marks scrapped down their sides.
My last local Otter sighting must have been 10 year since.

A report this evening from IH, BOG from his patch at Keighley Moor reservoir of firstly a Common Scoter yesterday and an ad Sanderling today. Well done to Ian for keeping regular checks on a local patch.
BS

Tern Patrol. Ogden

                                 Distant rainy shots of Goosander

                                   2 Ad female + 1 juv

                                             juv

                                         Peering through the rain

                                                 juv showing white fade markings

An evening visit to Ogden in the hope of history repeating itself and producing Terns but the only thing the same was the weather with rain lashing down in stair rods on a brisk W>4.
The weather did me a favour with bringing down 2 adult and 1 juv Goosander which were very hard to get to grips with straining to peer through the rain.
Surprisingly in the good maritime conditions gull numbers were down with 6 LBBs and  11 BHGs although the hour was getting late and several will have already moved on to roost.
BS

Ideal Tern movement weather

   My last local Tern sighting at Ogden 12/08/2012

                                                Quickly moved on by gulls

        Same heavy drizzly weather hence poor photos

After a weekend of perfect drizzly conditions and plenty Tern watching at Ogden and Fly Flatts I managed to dip, then lo and behold, sharp eyed Daniel Branch clocked one today heading >N over Soil Hill along with a bonus of snapping it. Well done to Daniel, see Daniels and Calderbirds blog for his report.
My last Tern sighting was in the same , or worse, conditions with 2 Commons over Ogden 12/08/2012 but rapidly moved on by the resident gulls.
Previous to that, again at Ogden and in atrocious conditions, an Arctic along with a Common were on the west shoreline at last light. The date escapes me but I remember DJS there at the time along with a few more hardy birders.
BS

Ogden, late afternoon

           Just the 2 ad Gt Crested Grebe, no juv

  Little and Large,       LBB                                               BHG

                                   Juv LBB

             Swallow invasion

          Tufted coming out of eclipse

                                        2nd summer LBB

A late afternoon visit to Ogden in horrendous conditions with the wind eased to SE>3 bringing heavy rain and drizzle with a low cloud base obscuring the tree tops.
Having said that it was just the sort of conditions where half a dozen Black Terns fly through although they did,nt today and if they did I missed them.
Gull numbers were down with 9 LBBs and 31 Black Headed , no Commons or Herring were present.
2 Gt Crested Grebe were on the water along with 9 Canadas and the usual mallards and single m Tufted.
A Grey Wagtail was near the overflow but no signs of the fall of Willow Warblers down passerine alley.
The area near the car park gate was alive with feeding Swallows and House Martins .
BS

Return to Fly Flatts Sunday Morn.

                    Plenty juv Swallows about

                                         Lapwing out on the spit, southern end

                                      Wheatears moving through

                                                   Juvs among them

           Barnacle Goose sticking with the Canadea

          Unusual visitor, Tufted Duck

                   Thought I,d got a Scoter but the above Tufted

                                 More juv Wheatear

                 Swifts piling through >S

Fly Flatts, 0615-1000 hrs
At last, a fine clear Sunday morning with a cool SE>5 blowing.
Much livelier than yesterday evening with several Lapwings scattered around the shoreline and a flock of 80+ coming in from the east and landing in the long grass on the east bank.
Most activity was at the southern end with 6 Common Sandpipers making use of the adequate shoreline and 7 Wheatear including 3 juvs.
A single Tufted was on the nw banking then kept popping up on the water making me think it was a Scoter.
A second wave of Swifts were heading >S with around 200 passing low over the water.
Put down the last lot of Nyjer today and had to admit defeat with no Twite for a second year running around the Fly Flatts area. A big thank you to Dave Sutcliffe for sharing the task of feeding throughout the season with me.

200+ Swift
6  Common Sandpiper
7 Wheareat inc 3 juvs
1 Tufted
1 Barnacle
3 BH gull
Sev Lapwings + a flock of c80
+ usual sp.
BS