With conditions ideal and a cold NE>4 blowing I felt sure to meet my 3 target birds on Soil Hill but how wrong can you be. My aim was Snow Bunting, Pink Footed Geese and Whooper swans.
1430 hrs so a good early start to do a thorough check of the hill for Snow Bunt but the hill was,nt playing and I drew a complete birding blank other than a single Carrion Crow.
With that dip accepted I stood on the NW summit and concentrated on 1 hours sky watch which amazingly produced not one moving bird.
With excellent visibility I watched 360 degrees with Ingleborough to the north, the White Horse on the North Yorkshire moors to the east, beyond Saddleworth moor to the south and beyond Studley Pike to the west and still no birds.
I could see several gulls on the Oxenhope roost but nothing at all flying.
With an empty camera and notebook and head held low I sloped back to the car when suddenly I doubled my bird sightings when the Carrion crow flew past with its mate making that 2 birds I,d seen all the watch.
Just to add salt to the wounds I then got a grapevine message reporting 1 Snow Bunting at Green Withins.
At least I was looking for the right bird but at the wrong location the same as this mornings Whoopers.
BS
WEST YORKSHIRE BIRDING. BRIAN SUMNER. I am based at Queensbury and bird a patch within a 10 mile range of home incorporating 16 stretches of water, several plantations, a belt of woodland, stretches of river and canal and good areas of moorland. I specialize in upland birds, reservoir and sky watching. My local patch is Fly Flatts reservoir. Any reports can be sent by text or call to 07771 705024 or see profile for e mail address. All images on this blog are copyright.(2024).