Thick fog in Queensbury this a.m. but on arrival at Ogden it was surprisingly clear and calm being just below the cloud base but within 15 minutes the fog came in thick and fast cutting visibility down to a few yards so the watch had to be aborted.
Luckily through the day the wind increased to W>4 clearing the fog leaving a decent afternoon with the mist hanging on the horizons.
1430 hrs and up to Soil Hill in pleasant conditions and about 10 miles visibility.
Doing my usual circuit a Reed Bunting was my first bird on the nyjer seed on the east summit then as I got to my 3rd feeding area a small bird dashed between two tufts of grass making me believe it would be the second Reed Bunting which is usually in the area.
The first rule of birding is never take anything for granted which I broke by lifting my bins to find a Snow Bunting. If only I,d have lifted my camera instead I would have got a shot at it and no second chance with this bird. It immediately flushed gaining height heading >NW but then started to turn making me think it was doing a circuit to return to the area but instead it continued to head off >W gaining height all the time and flying high over the head of Dan Branch who was on the west summit. As I watched it flying towards the Causeway Foot col a second bird joined it but by now it was too great a distance to i.d. the second bird but they flew together over the col and towards the wind farm. Snow Buntings are usually more confining and stay in the area but this, or these, were well on their way.
After the excitement of this I went on to get the usual 2 Stock Doves plus 3 Meadow Pipit, 1 Skylark, 1 Kestrel on the mast, 110 Lapwing >W and 4 Herring gull >SW as well as a variety of LBB and small gulls heading for the Oxenhope roost.
At least this proves that Snow Buntings are about and the hill still has the attraction to pull them in.
BS