Leeshaw a.m./Ogden p.m.

 

OGDEN     Plenty Long Tailed Tits in passerine alley

                                Moorhen at the north end below Parakeet pond.

          2 oddball geese  Hybrids,  Canada x Greylag ?

                                        2nd winter Herring, argentatus.

                                   1st winter  and 2nd winter Herring

A slightly improved morning but still low cloud and light drizzle on a moderate S>5-6 at 10 degrees.

                                                                          The sky over Leeshaw was very lively with 2 large flocks of Woodpigs over along with a large group of Fieldfare and small gulls everywhere.

An improvement on big gulls,compared to previous days , all slowly heading >W but geese once again sticking to the distant fields.

                                            Late afternoon and where to go? with windsurfing at Fly Flatts and 2 previous afternoon watches at Mixenden I decided it was the time of year to give Ogden some attention

and working on the assumption that it should be quiet due to the heavy drizzle showers and people preparing their Halloween parties I thought it was worth a go which worked out well with very few there until it later cleared up and started to get busy as I left.

                                          A group of 24 Canadas on the water was unusual with 2 of the geese looking like Canada x Greylag hybrids whilst around 50 small gulls and 3 Herring gulls were present.

                                         Passerine alley was buzzing with Long Tailed Tits, Goldcrests and Coal Tits

all very active in the winds. A few continental looking Robins were present along with Dunnocks, Wrens and Blackbirds whilst the Chaffinch roost only held around 8 birds so far.

                                       Up at the north end, below what I call Parakeet pond, after a sighting there many years ago, a single Moorhen was in the murky water.

A pleasing hour at Ogden and good to meet up with my local informant Nick Small.

Leeshaw

825 Woodpigs..............>SE

49 Fieldfare.................>NW

18 Herring gull

c 300 small gull

1 Cormorant

19 Greylag

14 Canada

+ usual sp.

Ogden

24 Canada inc 2 hybrid

3 Herring gull 

c 50 small gull

1 Moorhen

sev Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Lt Tit.

+ usual sp.

BS

A day with the gulls, Leeshaw a.m./ Mixenden p.m.

 

LEESHAW                     Plenty small gulls to look at.

                                                   1st winter Herring, argentatus.

                                              2nd year Herring, argentatus.

MIXENDEN                              2f  1m Goldeneye

                                    Male in eclipse or 1st year male.

                                             female

                                     more Commons than Black Headed

                                                             Herring

                                                        Pinks over Ogden.

                                                              Common.

Atrocious conditions yet again this morning at Leeshaw with low cloud and seriously heavy drizzle turning to rain on a W>4 at 6 degrees. By 0900 hrs the sky had cleared with just light drizzle but good reservoir watching conditions.

                                               Small gulls were very active with around 400 present around the reservoir and surrounding fields but only 2 Herring gulls dropped in briefly.

A single female Goosander was on the water  along with a small count of geese and Mallards. No Dippers today with the beck well in flood.

                                                By late afternoon the weather at Mixenden was quite pleasant with a bright grey clouded sky and odd breaks of sunshine and very calm. It felt strange birding with no rain.

                                                The 3 Goldeneye were again present along with a single Moorhen and 3 Mallard but very few gulls. Common gulls outnumbered the Black Headeds and again only 2 Herrings.

                                               A small skein of Pinks were well in the distance over Ogden heading >W, otherwise just the usual species.

Leeshaw

c 400 Black Headed gull

2 Herring gull

23 Canada

12 Greylag

16 Mallard

1f Goosander

+ usual sp.

Mixenden

3 Goldeneye

1 Moorhen

3 Mallard

38 Common gull

2 Herring gull

22  BH gull

31 Pinkies....>W

+ usual sp.

BS

                                               

Leeshaw a.m. / Ogden p.m.

 

   LEESHAW            Nice group of 6 Red Legged Partridge.

Leeshaw a.m. was again below the cloud base giving reasonable visibility on a very light SW>2 increasing SW>4 by mid morning. The early drizzle soon increased turning to rain at 7 degrees.

                                On arrival 6 Red Legged Partridge were on the track before flying into the field. These were probably birds flushed to this site away from the guns at Oxenhope reservoir where birds are released for shoots!!!

                               Plenty small gulls present and moving around but just the one Herring gull through >W. No sign of the Greylags and Pinkie this morning with just 16 Canadas in the field and a few Mallard on the water. A single Teal flew in but dropped down into the conduit out of sight.

                        With still low cloud late afternoon I plumped for Ogden where the rain lashed down torrentially as I walked , or rather swam, a circuit of the water. The track was completely flooded in places and the 2 ponds were full to overflowing with water gushing into the reservoir. Luckily I didnt have the dogs with me.

                        The only passerines seen, other than Jay, was typical water birds with Grey Wagtail, Kingfisher and Dipper whilst a few small gulls were on the water as well as 2 LBBs.

                        A single female Goldeneye was actively diving at the north end with otherwise, just the usual Mallards. Interestingly NKs blog reports 2 Goldeneye at Mixenden so the Ogden bird is probably the third bird which was there yesterday.

                       On the way back a check of a well topped up Raggalds Flood produced Canadas, Lapwing and Mallard.

Leeshaw

6 Red Legged Partridge

1 Herring gull

1 Teal

c 200 small gulls

+ usual sp.

Ogden

1 f Goldeneye

1 Kingfisher

2 Dipper

1 Grey Wagtail

3 Jays

+ usual sp.

Raggalds Flood

8 Lapwing

12 BH gull

2 pr Mallard

5 Canadas.

BS

Ogden a.m. and a reet good soaking at Mixenden p.m.

 

Ogden                                     Lesser Black Backed gull, intermedius.

MIXENDEN                          3 Goldeneye present

                                  2 ad Herring gulls, argentatus

Typically, the first clear morning for a week lands on the day when I was snagged up at home so no time to get to Fly Flatts but just time for a quick check of the water at Ogden.

A cold SW 4 was blowing at 7 degrees but clear skies and some sunshine.

                                 Not many gulls on the water with just Black Headed and Common plus 1 large gull which looked interesting, a Lesser Black Backed intermedius with very black mantle and wings. Unfortunately it did,nt fly so was unable to check the mirrors, or lack of, on P9 and P10.

                               A small tight group of 3 Crossbills flew over the water in the direction of the Giants Tooth whilst a Nuthatch flew into the plantation from the lodge house trees.

                              Late afternoon and avoiding the canoes at Fly Flatts it was back to Mixenden where half way along the west bank the heavens opened with the heaviest rain I,ve seen for some time. At one point I thought of walking in the reservoir where it would have been drier but luckily I,d prepared for rain so was geared up ready for it.

                                Luckily , after 15 minutes it cleared up leaving broken cloud with bright skies and some sunshine and once I could see the water again 3 Goldeneye were present along with the drake Tufted. The Goldeneye were very mobile moving continuously from one end of the water to the other

 but very busy diving once back on the water.

                              More gulls today with Herring and LBB plus the usual BHGs and Commons, though none of the Herrings were michahellis to my knowledge but with 4 being 1st winter birds they would be out of my depth at that distance and probably even close up.

                           Other things of note was a Buzzard being mobbed by gulls in the distance over Ogden plantation and a Raven being mobbed by corvids over the Mixenden plantation.

Despite the drowned rat effect it turned out to be a very pleasing hours birding.

                          And finally, a text from Keighley Moor reservoir birder Andrew Oakworth reporting a large skein of Pinkies over the Keighley area at 1700 hrs today moving east to west, possibly a start of a trans Pennine move.

Ogden

8 Common gulls

15 Black Headed gulls

1 LBB intermedius gull

1 Nuthatch

3 Crossbill

+ usual sp.

Mixenden

3 Goldeneye

1 m Tufted

2 ad Herring gull

4 1st winter Herring gull

8 LBB gull

c 50 small gulls, mostly BH gull

1 f Mallard

1 Sparrowhawk

1 Buzzard

1 Raven

1 Cormorant

+ usual sp.

BS