Last of the month, Fly Flatts/Ogden.

 

Fly Flatts                    2 Herring gull in the Crossroads Inn field

                                    2 Common

                                1 pr Ringed Plover present

                                Blackbird in the compound

                                1 pr Stonechat present

                                Canada geese up to 48

Another decent mild morning at Fly Flatts with a low cloud base on a N>3 at 2 degrees but feeling much warmer in the light wind. Some bright skies and sunshine near the end of the watch.

            The pair of Ringed Plover were present but had to move from their favourite area with Bentleys back on the scene doing some work with the shoreline whilst 2 Oystercatchers were on the east bank.

           Lapwings are now pairing up on the Flat Moor but no signs of Golden Plover after very low numbers last year. A pair of Stonechat were working their way along the fence line beyond the lagoon but otherwise very quiet with empty skies.

            A mid afternoon check on Ogden was, as yesterday, wet and windy as well as bird less with just 14 Black Headed and 3 Common gull on the water and not a bird on the west bank.

            Hopefully March will brighten what has been a dull February with March being a peak month for Whoopers moving and showing on local reservoirs as well as returning Redshank, Wheatear, Skylark and Linnet whilst Goldeneye should show on local waters.

BS

One of those boring days, 'warna workin'

 

LEESHAW               Line up of Oystercatchers

                                Group of 18 present. all social distancing.

                                Single Pied Wagtail

                                Lapwings everywhere

                            Oyks heading for the Reindeer field.

                                    Very few small gulls

Another grey, full cloud morning with a NE>3 at 3 degrees but feeling milder in the light wind.

           Plenty bird life present but nothing other than the usual Curlew, Lapwing, Oystercatchers etc whilst the water held Canadas, Greylags, Mallards and 2 pair of Teal. 

            Again nothing moving skyward whilst gulls were extremely poor with around 50 small gulls and no big gulls to be found. What makes the gulls tick, with some mornings several Herrings and other mornings, in the same weather conditions, nothing?

           Mid afternoon and a check on Ogden turned out to be an 'arf baked idea' with just a handful of small gulls on the water, along with a Moorhen, whilst the west bank was bird less, though it did,nt help with a shotgun being blasted very close by, either in the plantation or somewhere above it. This shooting had been going on earlier during NKs visit.

      Hopefully something good will turn up tomorrow to end the month on. I think this is the first February on record not to have snow in Queensbury.

BS

Leeshaw/ Old Guy Road.

 

OLD GUY ROAD     Several Common gulls

                                    as well as Black Headed

                                    1 of 2 Herring gulls

                                 Common

Reasonable weather at Leeshaw early morn with full cloud cover on a cold NE>3 at 3 degrees.

          A disappointing morning with just the usual species around and nothing on the move overhead.

                Plenty small passerines in the Alders with 6 Redwing and several Gold and Chaffinch but no sign of Fieldfare now with most seemingly to have left the area.

                The area is still alive with Lapwing as well as 15 Oystercatchers but only 2 remaining Curlew after the large flock seems to have dispersed.

                  Just Canadas, Greylags, Mallards and 2 Cormorant on the water whilst around 80 small gulls present but no big gulls at all which dashed the idea of picking up CKs Iceland gull which was present at a nearby roost last night.

                Sunday afternoon is a no go for Ogden so I just walked through the fields to Old Guy Road to see if any Skylark had returned, which they had,nt, To spice the walk up a bit I put on a Canon fixed

300 mm 1.4 L  IS, a lens I seldom use and was getting out of practice with it.

           Very little through the fields with just 2 Herring gull along with Black Headed and Common gull whilst a large flock of Starling were moving field to field.

            Just 2 Pied Wagtail on the cricket pitch along with 3 Meadow Pipits, another 3 weeks and I,ll be checking for Wheatear here.

BS 

Fly Flatts in a snow shower

 

                                    2 Oystercatchers present

                               Resident Barnacle back

                                  Single Curlew

                                Back to Cold Edge with its mate

                                Herring gulls over

                                The Mallard that kids me its a Shelduck

A dark cloudy start to the morning with a light snow shower on a NNE>3 at 1 degree brightening as the watch went on but bitterly cold.

                   As expected , the 3 Barnacle geese that dropped in yesterday had moved on with just the resident Cold Edge Barnacle present, which is again paired up to a Canada. The 3 Barnacles yesterday are a good record for Fly Flatts.

                 Just the original pair of Ringed Plover today with no signs of yesterdays second male whilst the 2 Oystercatchers were still present on the east shore. A single Curlew was over the wind turbines whilst 8 Herring gull headed >NE.

               A count of 28 Mallard on the water, one of which has tricked me for the last 4 years with the body plumage of a Shelduck from a distance.

             A report today from Oakworth birder Andrew with a skein of 65 Pinks >N over his area at 1500 hrs. Thanks for that Andrew.

BS

                  

Two surprises at Fly Flatts.

 

                                A third Ringed Plover now at Fly Flatts

                                  2m 1f , plenty aggression.

                                Distant Raven

                                2nd surprise, 3 Barnacle geese

Some very dark clouds at Fly Flatts early doors but these moved over with some cloudy but brighter sky brought in on the NW>3. An odd sharp sight of the sun at 6 degrees.

               Work is stopped up at Fly Flatts for the moment for some reason so I managed to get in this morning and have a good check around.

              Another male Ringed Plover has joined the pair, which is exactly what happened last year on the 26th, before the first arriving male finally moved the other male on. This morning I thought it was displaying to the female but it was actually showing aggression towards the other male.

            A walk of the west bank found very little other than 2 Herring gulls >NE and a distant Raven on a fence post. The water just held the usual Canadas and Mallard whilst a single Curlew was heard but not seen, which is just in contrast to the large count at Leeshaw, though 2 Oyks were present.

               Back at the compound 4 Reed Bunting were very mobile and whilst I was watching these 3 geese came high over the Nab from the east to drop down in the NE corner. A surprise to see 3 Barnacle geese which I believe to be movers rather than the usual 1 and sometimes 2 from Cold Edge. These 3 were very aggressive towards the Canadas, something that the resident Barnacle never shows. It was January 2013 when 44 dropped into Leeshaw causing quite a stir with the local Bradford birders.

              A good count of small gulls at Wainstalls but nothing unusual among them.

BS