Match abandoned due to fog. March Highlights.

 Some of  my local highlights from March.

MARCH HIGHLIGHTS .     26th/27th Big Whooper Swan move

                                    Redshanks back at Fly Flatts and Leeshaw

                                1st Wheatear arrivals, Fly Flatts

                                    Male Ring Ouzel , Fly Flatts

                                    Kingfisher, Leeshaw

                                Drake Common Scoter, Mixenden

                            Teal, Mixenden, uncommon at this site.

                                    Plenty Curlew on the moor

                                    Whoopers on the move.

                                    A peak of 7 Ringed Plover, Fly Flatts.

                                Star of the month. 3 Pale Bellied Brent Geese Fly Flatts.

                                Golden Plover numbers building at Fly Flatts

                                    Leeshaw

                                2 drake Wigeon, Leeshaw

                                    Oystercatchers peaked at 37, Leeshaw

                            Uncommon now, Grey Partridge, Leeshaw

                                    Song Thrushes back at Ogden

                                Fly Flatts Stonechat in the snow.

Theres no better place to be locally than Queensbury and the uplands when the visibility is clear with views to the east overlooking York Minster, the North Yorkshire moors White Horse and beyond to the Humber Bridge. Views north show Malham Cove and beyond, the 3 peaks, with Ingleborough standing out on the horizon. West gives views into Lancashire showing Pendle Hill and well beyond to Southport with the view coast to coast on an exceptionally clear day. Then finally, south beyond the Emley Moor mast,M62, and beyond Saddleworth Moor.

            But, come the mild temperatures, light rain and a light wind with anything east in it, we,re the first to get fogged off ,as I predicted for today, with a real pea souper.

         March has been a reasonable month weather wise with just a few days low cloud making me drop down to Leeshaw, with just 3 days non birding due to snow and today with fog.

            A reasonable month for birds with the undoubtable highlight of 3 pale bellied Brent geese in with Canadas at Fly Flatts and stopping all day giving plenty birders chance to see these mega rare geese for this area. The 26th and 27th saw a big move of Whooper Swans with 110 on Mixenden followed by 14 and then 6 whilst around 50 were on Ogden. Several moving skeins were sighted from Fly Flatts, Northowram, Soil Hill, Bradshaw and Queensbury whilst 6 remaining Whoopers were on Lower Laithe, Oxenhope yesterday, 30th, by BV. A drake Common Scoter and 2 Teal were also present on Mixenden.

         A flock of 27 Curlew and 37 Oystercatchers were at Leeshaw along with 2 drake Wigeon and 2 Grey Partridge plus Dipper and Kingfisher, both scarce at this site whilst a single Swallow headed over the water.

        Fly Flatts produced a single Sand Martin, a good bird for here, whilst Ringed Plovers peaked at 5m and 2f  as well as 3 Redshank and several Golden Plover.

   The last skein of Pink Footed geese went over >NW on the 2nd of the month and later in the month a Red Kite headed >SW over the western ridge.

            The 30th provided a male Ring Ouzel and 2 Wheatear  plus a pair of Stonechat.

Ogden failed to provide, other than 2 Oystercatchers as well as returning Chiffchaffs and Song Thrush.

           April should prove to be the big one !!!

BS.

              

Ring Ouzel for Fly Flatts

 

                            1 of 2 distant Wheatear

                                Star bird male Ring Ouzel

                                    also very distant

                                    1 of 2 Redshank

                                    2 noisy Raven

                                    Sparrowhawk on patrol

                                    Crow attack

A half decent morning at Fly Flatts weather wise with a mild WSW>4 at 6 degrees with full cloud and a low cloud base covering the tops of the wind turbines. Some light drizzle showers.

                A stonking start to the morning with, what I thought was the resident male Blackbird in the compound tree, that was until it flew and I got the silver panels on its wings. Luckily it dropped down in the top field briefly before I lost sight of it, not to be re-located. Also on the same bit of wall were 2 Wheatear and a single Stonechat.

                  A small group of 9 Herring gull headed over >NE but the cloud base was too low for any serious sky watching. A nice show of waders with 4 Oystercatchers, 2 Redshank, 1 pair of Ringed Plover, plus the usual Curlews, Lapwings and Golden Plovers.

                   A Sparrowhawk and 2 Raven were harassing the Mipits along the east ridge whilst 2 Pied Wagtail were busy tending their nest with a Reed Bunting close by.

                       Just the usual Canadas and Greylags on the water along with 5 drake Mallard hanging around like expectant fathers whilst the females were sitting their eggs.

        Back to the dreaded >E and >NE light wind tomorrow with light rain which is a good recipe for fog on the tops.

BS

Leeshaw Reservoir

 

                              Just when I thought the gull scene was over.

                                    43 Herring gull through >W

                                    Still a good count of Oystercatchers

                                1 of 2 Little Owl

                                Herring gulls

                                    2nd Little Owl

                                Good to see one actually moving

                                    Herring

                                A good year for Curlew

                                    1 of 8 Redshank

                                More Herrings

                                Several Lapwings now sitting eggs

                                Dipper in the beck

                                    As well as Kingfisher

With thick fog up on the tops this morning it was head for Leeshaw which usually manages to keep below the cloud base, which this morning was no exception with clag on the top of the moor but decent visibility below with a mild SW>3 at 7 degrees in full cloud.

          Just as I thought the winter gull season was about over, Herring gulls were coming through in force, stopping off briefly on the water, before moving on >W. As always , with this venue, the area was alive with sounds of the uplands with Curlew, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Lapwing, several of the latter are now sitting eggs with the partner bird busy seeing off Crows, Magpies and other rival Lapwings.

         The water was disappointing for wildfowl with just Mallard, Greylag and Canadas, and a word with BV up there informed me that there had been no sign of Whoopers during the big push north over the last few days.

          The resident 2 Little Owls were present with one actually flying across the field which was an unusual sight for what I find as a very boring bird which just sit in one position day long.

         A first Swallow over very high and >NW was the earliest sighting that I have had with no other March sightings over the years, whilst down in the beck a Dipper and Kingfisher were showing well.

LEESHAW

1 Swallow......................>NW

43 Herring gull..............>W

5 Common gull.............>W

2 BH gull......................present

8 Redshank

19 Oystercatchers

15 Curlew

sev Lapwing

2 m Pied Wagtail

2 Little Owl

1 Cormorant

1 Dipper

1 Kingfisher

sev Greylag and Canadas

+ usual sp.

BS