the better of me and the camera
Click on this pic, their plumage is amazing.
At last , a bright afternoon with wall to wall sunshine on a light SW>3.
1500 hrs and down to Littlemoor Park to check on the reported Brambling flock there and within minutes of entering the park I was surrounded with Brambling with an estimated count of over 40 birds. The hedges were alive with Tits, Greenfinch and a low number of Chaffinch but the dominant bird by far was Brambling.
I counted 23 in one bush with at least 20 in another whilst several were flying back and forth overhead all busy feeding.
This is the largest flock of Brambling that I,ve seen for many years and only beaten by a winter colony that used to be at a site near Whetstone Gate, Bingley back in the 80s.
The birds stuck to 2 groups about 50 yds apart and both had several young amongst them.
On then to Ringby Top where the fields are looking well with plenty potential , the Shore Lark field has some good pools and short grassed areas whilst the Yellow Wagtail field has been fenced off and filled with grazing sheep keeping the grass low with plenty gravel areas.
Its real boggy on the track up there now even though its a public footpath with deep tractor trenches along the Queensbury side so if you visit get booted up..
Just 1 Snipe flushed from the Lark field whilst the Wagtail field held 11 Pieds and about a dozen Meadow Pipits. Around 50 Common gulls were present along with 5 LBBs whilst 9 Herring gulls headed >SW. Otherwise it was down to the usual large flocks of Starling and corvids.
Many thanks to DS and NK for Brambling updates.