Yet another day of sun and blue skies in the morning whilst I,m working then drizzle and low cloud by lunch time.
With a call from HC early morn reporting the Black Redstart still present at Oxenhope, decent weather a.m. and me with a free afternoon my plan was to go to Oxenhope to get the Black Red and a few photos then on to Fly Flatts and pick up a second Black Red getting me 2 in the day.
You,d think I,d have learnt not to make birding plans by now as by lunch time the black clouds were moving in and a hint of drizzle was in the air.
I arrived at Sentry Hill at 1315 hrs getting about 30 minutes of dryish weather but no sign of the bird.
After one and a half hour searching and scanning still no sign and by now the wind was blowing, the rain was coming down and the cloud lowering cutting down visibility.
Good to meet 2 B.O.G. members up there searching the area, one being Gordon from Skipton who I used to meet at Barden watch point every Sunday morning some 20 years ago.
Looking across, Fly Flatts was in the fog so I decided to drop down to Ogden to try save the day but as I neared Ogden the sky brightened and the fog seemed to be lifting off the hills so it was continue on to Fly Flatts. That was until a text from DJS saying
conditions poor and no bird so after a quick phone conversation with him it was a turn about and back to Ogden.
Amazingly , as I arrived at Ogden so did the rain so it was a quick check of the water and passerine alley them home with a third dip under my belt.
Ironically as I got home a text from DJS saying he had re located the Fly Flatts Black Redstart, oh well, thats birding.
Ogden
3 Jay
13 Chaffinch
18 Goldfinch
+ usual sp.
BS