Fly Flatts / Mixenden

 

FLY FLATTS                               Rough waters

                                                          South Shore

                                          Floating jetty snaking

                                                 Lucky its flexible

MIXENDEN                                 Distant Barn Owl.

                                                  Herring gull showing off

                                                        5 ad Herring gulls present,  sev Common

A wild and bird less morning at Fly Flatts in a howling near gale NW>7 gusting 8 but beautiful clear blue skies and sunshine at 0 degree. Far too windy to walk the west bank but worth a visit to check for an odd Diver or maritime species being blown in.

                                          Much less windy mid afternoon at Mixenden but another quiet visit with just around 50 small gulls on the water as well as 5 Herrings, 1 LBB and a single Canada goose.

Nothing in the trees on the west bank other than Blue Tits and a Robin. I thought something could have been blown in today but the winds seem to have had the reverse effect and blown everything out.

                                       At least January is out of the way now though it looks like we,re in for a windy week.

BS

Fly Flatts

 

                                       Reflections of the Nab.

                                       Fly Flatts weather station with still water

                                                             The clubhouse. 

An amazingly still, clear morning at Fly Flatts after yesterdays gales. Full blue cloudless sky and sunshine at 0 degrees but feeling warmer in the sun. A very icy drive up there early morn even thought the lower roads had been gritted. By knocking off time,1000 hrs, the sky was grey and dark Nimbus clouds coming over the moor from the west with the wind picked up to SW>3.

                                               A cracking morning to be back up on the tops and walk the west bank.

Very little about as to be expected at this location late January but a feeling of life coming back to the area with Canada geese returning to the water as well as Mallard, all very vocal , breaking the silence of winter up there.

                        A single Raven flew over being mobbed by 3 Crows whilst 2 distant Stonechat were up on the top walls below the road. Very few gulls with the usual early morning post roost Herrings heading >NE along with a few Black Headed and 2 Commons.

                      Heavy rain at the moment,1930 hrs, and the wind increasing to reach storm force through the night but easing slightly tomorrow.

BS

Another of those none birding days

 Another full days working today but luckily I got the job finished on a day of none bird able weather up here of the tops with some light drizzle showers but wind being the feature with the westerly getting up to severe gale force W>9 gusting storm force 10, peaking at midday.

                                                 Shed building in the daughters garden was a bit of a breezy job but job finished and hopefully back to birding tomorrow before the wind increases mid afternoon heading back to gale force through the night.

                                            A shopping trip midday was a case of dodge the wheelie bins and tree branches with a full tree down by the Bank Top country park. We always get these gales annually, usually during February , although to Queensbury folk they are known as ' Nobbut a stiff breeze'.

BS

Bank Top C.P.

 

                                        1 of 5 Female Goosander

                                                 12 Herring gulls

                                            Several Commons

                                                Loadsa Coot

                                                            and Moorhen

                                                   Still no Med gull in the Black Headed

                             The Mute Swan with no plastic leg ring  ZY 8295

                             BTO Natural History Museum ring.

A very grey and dark drizzly mid afternoon on a light W>3 at 10 degrees.

                    Another busy day so just snatched 1 hour at Bank Top country park,close to where I,m working, with hopes of something special.

                       Unfortunately this never happened but a nice selection of gulls with Herring, Common and Black Headed but no LBBs today.

                   The 5 female Goosander were still present but no sign of the male today and still no Tufted.

 The two Mute Swans are pairing up which is not good news at this site as the last time a pair bred here the swans got protective of their cygnets so one ended up getting beaten to death with a tree branch and some of the cygnets either killed or injured.

                      It was hoped that this pair would move on but both have been attacked by dogs and it is believed they are unable to fly now. Its the sort of place that they search you at the gate for weapons and if you have none they,ll loan you a baseball bat.

                    Gale force winds forecast by midday tomorrow.

BS

                           

February in years gone by.

No birding today with an ongoing project at the daughters so, as we are all looking forward to February, I,ve put some of the more outstanding birds that have turned up during February in previous years :-

                                        Twitching a Snow Bunting on Ringby Top.  2017

                                        Kittiwake, Shibden Park     2014

                                         Soil Hill Snow Buntings

                                        Northowram Tree Sparrows        2015

                                          Invasion of Goldeneye, Mixenden

                                      Cormorants trout fishing,  Leeshaw.

                                             Pink Footed Goose,  Leeshaw

                                              Good month for Pinkies heading home.

                                                              Pinkie

                                        Whoopers, Cold Edge Dams

                                                             Barn Owl, Fly Flatts

                                                Siskin, Ogden

                                                   Iceland gull  Redcar Tarn

                                              Same Iceland

                                                         Caspian Gull,  Redcar Tarn

                                          Iceland reappeared Redcar Tarn

                                                              Whoopers, Mixenden

                                      Stonechat numbers growing, Fly Flatts.

                                                          Early breeding Raven

                                                 Short Eared Owl, Fly Flatts.

                                            Kingfisher, Ogden

                                        Usually a good month for Siskin, Ogden

                                       Something we don,t want, Fly Flatts snow and frozen water.

                                         Thornton, 1st winter Med gull

                                              Thornton 1st winter Iceland gull

                                          Oystercatchers arriving back at Leeshaw

                                                                  Fieldfare in fields, Fly Flatts

                                           Another February, another Caspian gull,  Redcar Tarn

                                                       and another Iceland gull

                                           Curlews returning to Leeshaw.

                                              Whoopers, Fly Flatts                                                                                                      

                                                       Shelduck, Fly Flatts.

                                                Waxwings   Brighouse                                                                  

                                         Great Black Backed gull, Mixenden                                                                                                                              

                                         Ringby Top Snow Bunting                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

                                     1st Ringed plovers back at Fly Flatts.     

So plenty to look forward to during the month of February.

BS