Match Cancelled,

 With heavy rain and dense fog throughout the day birding had to go on hold with just 3 very wet dog walks and a count of 23 Common gull in Foxhill Park.

   A disappointing end to the month but hopefully October will bring better weather and better birds, although both weather and bird wise it has nothing to beat. September brought 19 mornings of hill fog which seriously disrupted any chance of a good vis mig count this year with the bulk of the summer birds gone and the wintering birds already arriving.

    Not a single wader at Fly Flatts throughout September even though the amount of shore is the best it has been for several years. Still  glimmer of hope for an October wader though I'm not holding my breath.

     Attention now will be focused on the water with hopes of Fly Flatts, Leeshaw, Mixenden and Ogden providing wildfowl with chances of Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, Goldeneye, Scaup and Pintail, with divers possible nearer the end of the month.

   Overhead its a matter of hoping to salvage some vis mig, which is weather dependent , with Redwing, Fieldfare and Whooper Swan imminent. Gull numbers should also start to increase.

    A real down to earth experience for NK arriving home today to these conditions after his birding adventures abroad. Welcome back to West Yorkshire Nigel !!!

   Looking drier and cloudy for morning on a moderate to strong northerly giving visibility at moderate.

BS

    

A bit busier Fly Flatts, and a decent dip for Y.L.Warbler, Soil Hill.

                                    LBB gulls >SE
 

                                    2 of 7 distant Stonechat

Luckily the fog was stuck down in the valleys this morning leaving it clear with good visibility. A cold SE>3 at 4 degrees with full cloud cover but light cloud making a perfect background for a bird count.

     A much better vis mig morning with activity throughout and a better variety of species. I expected more geese over but just one skein well to the north of me heading >W.

   A group of 7 Stonechat were on the Flat Moor fencing but keeping at distance. No waders and nothing on the water.

  A text  from DJS and then Dan Branch at 0830 hrs reporting Dan had found a Yellow Browed Warbler on Soil Hill, which coincidentally is exactly 12 years to the day that one showed well at Ogden.

   Early afternoon and despite the sensible voice in my head saying don;t go, the urge got to me to head to Soil Hill, despite my terrible record of dipping on other peoples sightings. Good to bump into DJS on the hill giving me exact directions where he had seen it 15 minutes previous so me and 2 other hearty birders scrambled down the north slope to the very bottom to the explained location.

    After 30 minutes staring into bushes it was obvious that there was nothing to be seen with no sightings of the target bird or the 2 Chiffchaff it was with. The only bird seen throughout was a Great Tit.

   Back at the top of the north slope, well out of breath and bleeding from bramble scratchers, I swore again, never to twitch another bird but if I had;nt have gone I would have been nattered all evening.

   Thanks to Dave and Dan for the calls on an excellent find.

Showing rain all day tomorrow on a light easterly.

VIS MIG

262 Mipits.................................>SE

8 Reed Buntings.......................S

1 Peregrine...............................>SW

4 Alba Wagtails........................>S

29 LBB gull............................>SE

57 Woodpigs..........................>S

8 Chaffinch.............................>W

6 Greylag goose.....................>SE

2 Jay.......................................>W

42 Pink Footed Geese...........>W

PRESENT

2 Red Grouse

c50 Mipits

21 Goldfinch

2 LBB gull

1 Canada goose

7 Stonechat

+ usual sp.

BS

     

Back to the birds, Leeshaw

 

                                            1 of 3 Herring gull

                                    Record count of Greylags

                                    Plenty Canadas

                                    Large flock of Lapwing

A bright and frosty morning with the first temperature reading showing 3 degrees then holding at 5 degrees by 0830 hrs. A light WNW>3 with partial cloud and sunshine.

     Amazing why Leeshaw supplies so many birds just 3 mile away from Fly Flatts which is void of bird life. This morning was heaving with geese, gulls and Lapwings plus a steady vis mig movement.

   Disappointing that a wader slipped through the net heading very high and distant, >W as I got it in the bins but then failed to locate it in the scope. Dunlin/ Sandpiper size but failed to get anything on it.

   Very difficult to keep up this morning with the sky full of Gulls, Lapwings and Geese moving around which was very distracting for a vis mig count.

Redwing and Whooper now being seen locally on vis mig.

    Back to a light to moderate SSE in the morning so hopefully the wind will be enough to clear the fog.

VIS MIG

72 Mipits.......................>SW

108 Woodpigs...............>S

36 LBB.........................>W

9 Swallow.....................>S

7 Mistle Thrush............>SW

21 Linnet......................>S

1 unid Wader...............>W

PRESENT

c 80 Lapwing

c 250 Greylag geese

c150 Canada geese

3 Cormorant

sev Mipits

1 Pied Wagtail

c 200 Black Headed gull

42 LBB gull

3 Herring gull

21 Common gull

1 Robin 

+ usual sp.

BS

Fly Flatts a.m./ Ogden p.m.

 

OGDEN                    SE corner

                                    1 of 2 Herring gull present

                                        Single Goosander

                                    Distant Little Grebe

Fly Flatts this morning was another disappointment with a low cloud base, mist and heavy rain turning to drizzle on a moderate to strong N>5 gusting 6 at a cold 5 degrees. 

     The weather improved mid watch but too late for vis mig and very poor for birds, which seems the norm at this site recently. 

    Just 2 Swallows >N, 2 LBB gulls, 3 Mipits and a single Mallard plus a dozen Crows and that was it.

 By 0930 hrs I was 'frozzen daft' and wet through, and any enthusiasm of birds well gone. Whatever has happened to this site !

    To make amends my afternoon dog walk was at Ogden which restored my fading interest slightly with nothing special but plenty birds present.

    Best of the bunch was a Little Grebe diving constantly way out in the middle of the water, showing how shallow it is at the moment, whilst a single Goosander was present.

     Just 2 Herring gull along with 7 Common, 18 LBBs and around 50 Black Headed but nothing in the waterside trees other than a few Tits and a single Goldcrest. This site must be due for a Yellow Browed Warbler by now, the last one seen being 29th and 30th September 2012.

      As long as the weather forecast does'nt mess up like it did today, morning looks good with clear skies and sunshine on alight westerly but down to 2 degrees.

BS

Fly Flatts, fog for a change !!!! Thursday September 26th 2024

 Once again a foggy start which soon cleared to mist with a few fog patches and low cloud base. A very light NE>1 at 9 degrees.

    A very poor morning with just a few Mipits over, vis mig wise, whilst several Mipits and Goldfinch were grounded as well as 2 very flighty Wheatear and a single Stonechat. A small group of 5 LBBs were on the north shore but a walk the full length of the west bank and a thorough scope of all the muddy shore failed to find a single wader. 

     With September nearly out its looking highly unlikely that I'll have any waders up there this autumn even though conditions, shore wise, could'nt be better though This is the norm in autumn, for some reason Fly Flatts does'nt attract waders over this period with only a Common Sand and Dunlin in the past 4 years

though I get more than my share usually in the spring.

  Looking back at this months weather I've had 17 mornings of fog since Sept 1st.

Chances of it being drier and brighter tomorrow but a moderate to strong NNW.

BS 

Fly Flatts, dodging the fog patches

 

                                 Several Pied Wags moving through

                                LBBs and Canadas in the murk

                                Drake Tufted in with Mallards

As the norm, thick fog early doors at Fly Flatts but soon cleared to dense patches spread around the area giving me decent visibility over the water and even some breaks in the sky revealing bits of blue sky. A very light SE>1 at 6 degrees .

     A very lively first half hour with Mipits, Goldfinch, Linnet and Wagtails coming through, low over the water below the cloud base all >S. Several Pied Wagtails stopped off briefly with one very smart looking White wagtail but immediately moved on again.

     The shore and verges were alive with Mipits and Goldfinch, several ground hopping through whilst 4 Wrens were in the compound.

   Just a few LBBs on the far north shore in the mist but scoping these produced a single Snipe and one Teal on the mud just behind the gulls. Nothing on the water other than Canada geese until 3 Mallard and a drake Tufted duck dropped in.

   A wet morning forecast for tomorrow with a moderate NNE wind and visibility poor, meaning fog of course. Possibly 3 dry days over the weekend and the wind moving away from the east.

VIS MIG

108 Mipits...........................>S

6 Linnet...............................>S

27 Goldfinch........................>S

8 Alba Wagtail.....................>S

1 White Wagtail..................>S

PRESENT

1 Snipe

1 Teal

1 m Tufted

3 Mallard

5 Canada

48 Goldfinch

Sev Mipits

4 Wren

9 LBB gull

+ usual sp.

BS

     

Fly Flatts

 

                                    Delayed start with access blocked

                                    Wasted shore, no waders

Thick fog to start but soon cleared to leave 60% cloud on a cool W>3 at 10 degrees.

     A delayed start with a car down the ditch at Fly Flatts and an ambulance blocking the entrance gate to the sailing club. Luckily the driver was only walking wounded otherwise they would have had to disconnect him from the life support machine for me to get past. As I got to the water a massive bank of fog settled over the water but very soon cleared.

     A flood of Mipits headed >S when the fog bank lifted all to the west of me following the western ridge along with Reed Bunting, Alba Wagtail and Linnet. A small group of 6 Snipe headed >SW down the Calder valley whilst a Peregrine was also heading >SW, very high over the Flat Moor.

    Only birds present were LBB gulls, Stonechats ,Mipits and Ravens.

Last night I alerted BV about Richards Common Scoters on Ponden reservoir so he shot up there just in time before they were flushed by a canoeist. He got some flight shots with a total count of 65.

Back to the dreaded light easterly for morning with light rain, and though it gives visibility as good, this is Fly Flatts we,'re talking about?

VIS MIG

139 Mipits.......................>S

7 Reed Bunting...............>S

12 Linnet........................>S

6 Snipe...........................>SW

1 Peregrine....................>SW

7 Alba Wagtails.............>SW

PRESENT

4 Stonechat

5 LBB gull

sev Mipits

2 Raven

+ usual sp.

BS

     

Below the fog but in the rain, Ogden

 

The fog was thicker than ever this morning so down to Ogden which was dark and misty but a dry start on a light NE>3 at 10 degrees. After the first 15 minutes the heavens opened with heavy rain and diminishing visibility forcing an early finish.

      The time I had was pleasing with a fall of migrants confined to one area, a Spotted Flycatcher being the best of the bunch but all very flighty ,plus with the dark an wet, so no chance of decent photos.

     Movement wise, Swallows, House Martins, Mipits and Wagtails plus a single skein of Pink Footed Geese very noisy and just showing briefly before disappearing back into the clouds.

      A low count of gulls on and by the water with a single drake Tufted in with the Mallards.

A days reprieve tomorrow with part cloud on a light westerly before more easterlies and fog on Wednesday.

Scoters on the move. Received a text and photo from Richard, Oxenhope birder, reporting 51 Common Scoter on Ponden Reservoir at 1700 hrs tonight.

VIS MIG

32 Pink Footed Goose..........................>SE

5 Swallow.............................................>S

3 House Martin.....................................>S

19 Mipit................................................>S

PRESENT

11 Blackbird

2 Mistle Thrush

1 Spotted Flycatcher

2 Willow Warbler

4 Robin

1pr Bullfinch

6 Chaffinch

7 LBB gull

36 BH gull

3 Common gull

1 Tufted duck

35 Mallard

BS

      

More fog, another dabble at Leeshaw. Autumn Equinox.

 

                                    Good numbers of gulls

                                    Greylags moving >NE

Dense fog as expected yet again so another trip to Leeshaw which was below the cloud base but remained dark and misty throughout on a light NE>3 at 10 degrees.

      The 3 keys on my laptop, F,O,G, are nearly worn bare with the use they have had lately with the amount of fog I,ve had up on the tops in the last couple of months and still it continues.

     A morning similar to yesterday with a good count of gulls but very little in the way of movement under the low cloud base.

    A good move >NE of Greylags with 1 Pink Footed in with them although its possible that these were locals moving fields and the Pinkie was the one that over summered here, last seen in June this year.

      A group of 18 Mallard had appeared since yesterday whilst 9 Lapwing were on the shore along with 2 Heron and 2 Cormorant with 4 Cormorant over >NE.

     Wind still NNE tomorrow bringing , you guessed it, more fog, plus the added bonus of rain, just to put another nail in the coffin. Possibly a chance of visibility on Tuesday as the wind turns westerly, but before you get excited, its back to the east on Wednesday.

VIS MIG

4 Cormorant .................>NE

14 Mipits.......................>S

2 Swallow.....................>S

83 Greylag...................>NE,    possibly locals ?

1 Pink Footed Goose...>NE      possibly over- summered bird ?

PRESENT

9 Lapwing

4 Herring gull

c 60 LBB gull

5 Common Gull

c 200 BH ull

18 Mallard

c 40 Canada geese

15 Greylag geese

2 Cormorant

2 Heron

+ usual sp.

BS