and over Mixenden reservoir
1600 hrs and back to the Withins, after yesterdays mega count of Wheatear, to walk down the track towards Ogden. This is a route that every time I walk down I come away saying never again due to the lack of birds and today was no exception although I have to say its a pleasant walk with amazing views.
The cold E>4 seemed to have pushed everything down into the valleys with yesterdays count of 7 Wheatear around the Withins down to 2 and none what so ever down the track. Mistle Thrush and Blackbird were in good numbers with 3 of each, the Blackbirds checked for Ouzels but not to be. Several Mipits were on the moor along with 4 Linnet whilst a few Swallows flew over low up the valley from Mixenden.
The highlight of the walk was a fleeting glimpse of a Whinchat which dropped off a fence wire and into a series of Gorse bushes down on the golf course and with golfers present I was unable to try and re locate it.
The track is one of those walks where you keep thinking I,ll just go a bit further and then you get to the Ogden plantation and turn around where the Withins is a dot on the top of the hill which you have to walk back to.
This was one of our main local birding routes back in the 60s on Sunday morning when we would walk from Queensbury to Ogden then up the track to Withins to bird Fly Flatts and Cold Edge dams with a rucksack of pop, crisps and egg sandwiches on our backs and the Observers Book of Birds in our pocket . Access to Ogden plantation and the reservoir was all private at that time so you had to see where the warden from the lodge house was and snook over the wall but it was much better for birds in those days with no disturbance. Happy days.
BS