Tame Birding, Wibsey Park/ Bank Top C.P.

 

WIBSEY PARK                female Tufted

                                    drake Tufted

                                    drake in eclipse

                                        drake after eclipse.

                                        several Greylag

                                        as well as Canadas

                                    2 of Judy Hoggs swans.

                                Effects of a bag full of  chapatis 

                                    Herring gull,   1 of 3.

Bank Top C.P.             Good count of gulls

                                    LBB and Herring

Unsurprisingly a morning of dense fog which makes the 19th foggy morning up here on the tops this month.

   Lower down at Wibsey it was very overcast but clear with light drizzle on a SW>3 at 10 degrees.

The idea of the exercise was to get away from the everlasting fog of the uplands and do a gull check of the park area followed by a visit to Bank Top country park.

   Wibsey park lake held around 80 Black Headed, 4 Common and 3 Herring gull but nothing stood out among them. Otherwise it was down to the usual duck pond species with several Tufted, Canadas, Greylags, Coots and Moorhens along with 2 Mute Swan. No sign of the annual wintering drake Shoveler at yet but usually into November before it appears, staying through the winter until around March.

    The trees were quiet with just Collared Dove and Wood Pigeon as well as a few Redwing in the tree canopy.

Bank Top country park held a good count of 18 Herring, 4 LBB, 1 Common and around 100 Black Headed gull. Other species include, Coot, Moorhen, Tufted duck, Mallard and 2 Mute Swan along with a Heron and Cormorant, the latter being a rare visitor here, but as NK had it on a previous visit, the water must hold some fish.

     A good to get away from the fog morning with as many, or more, species than I have had on the tops all month. September and October have been ruined with the fog, birding wise, with these suppose to be the best months on the birding calendar. Even visible migration has been pointless this year with so many days and birds missed.

    It looks like today could have been a big Fieldfare day with  several birds over the village midday and still continuing mid afternoon over Foxhill, all >S and low down in the heavy mist!

    With easterlies about its looking nailed on for a week of fog for this area, no change there then.

BS

    

Ogden Reservoir.

 

                                            A murky grey morn, Ogden.

                                    1 of 2 female Goosander

                                    Great Spotted Woodpecker

                                        Several Long Tailed Tits.

                                    Alders full of Redpoll, Siskin and Goldfinch

                                    plenty BH gull

                                    Winter plumaged Black Headed.

                                    1cy Herring gull

                                    Few Herrings

                                    Commons and Black Headed

                                        Common gull

A murky dark morning at Ogden with fog on the tops but decent visibility below with low full cloud but enough to see some sky movement. A light WNW>2 at 10 degrees and light drizzle.

     A good count of gulls though all the big gulls remained out on the water whilst the Black Headed and Common were scattered around the edges.

    Some early vis mig movement but mainly dried up by 0915 hrs apart from Woodpigeons which were still moving over Foxhill at midday. Some Fieldfare showing but still no big move day which is late, if it is going to happen , or possibly missed with all the foggy conditions.

     The waterside trees were very lively, once I had caught up to the tit lock, with all the usual woodland species for this time of year, plus a good count of Redpoll and Siskin in the Alders.

     A single Gt Spotted Woodpecker seen but its now over 2 years since I have seen or heard a Green Woodpecker at this site, which was once a common area for them.

    Green seems an unlucky colour for me this year with no Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Greenshank or Green Sandpiper!

     Another dark cloudy day tomorrow with a slightly stronger westerly.

VIS MIG

189 Woodpigs.............................>SW

44 Redwing................................>SW

68 Starling.................................>NW

41 Fieldfare...............................>NE

2 Mipit......................................>S

PRESENT

c 200 BH gull

10 LBB gull

8 Herring gull

9 Common gull

1 Gt Spotted Wdpecker

4 Treecreeper

3 Goldcrest

12 Lt Tits

6 Coal Tit

Sev Blue Tit

Sev Gt Tit

10 Siskin

8 Redpoll

6 Goldfinch

2 f Goosander

+ usual sp.

BS

Fogged off at Fly Flatts.

 Bright clear skies when I left Queensbury early morn until I hit the fog at Fly Flatts. By 0815 hrs the fog lifted giving horizontal visibility but very low cloud above. By 0900 hrs the fog rolled back in cutting visibility down to a few yards with a light W>3 at 10 degrees.

     Even when there was visibility the place was near void of birds with 2 Mipits, 2 Reed Bunting, 4 Herring gull and a Pied Wagtail.

     With the worst autumn on record for this site, even though the shore was excellent for waders, just a single juv Ringed Plover and very few migrants, its time to put Fly Flatts on hold until the spring which is the only time it seems to produce now, as long as the water is down. I seem to be rapidly running out of venues lately. There has been 17 mornings of fog at Fly Flatts so far this October.

    A light WNW for morning with full cloud.

BS

     

    

Not one for the record books. Mixenden/Ogden.

 As expected, dense fog on the tops early morn with mist and drizzle at both the venues though visibility was good enough, but not for sky watching, on a light SW>2 at 10 degrees.

      Mixenden reservoir was void of bird life other than 4 Common and 6 Black Headed gulls on the water and nothing else. I was about to head to the west bank to check the alders for Siskin and Redpoll, that was until a woman started walking towards me on the east bank with an evil looking XL Bully cross type off the lead and pounding about. I could see she could'nt handle it, and not wanting my two dogs eaten alive I got out of there sharpish.  Another venue off the list.

     On then to Ogden to try and save the morning but just 3 Herring and a dozen small gulls on the water along with the resident female Goosander. Once again I aimed to check the west bank alders but workmen were on the banking with a quad and other equipment, so, with cars rolling in by now, I put my third plan into action which was, forget it and go home.

     With overnight fog suppose to be clearing by 0700 hrs in the morning leaving it cloudy on a light WNW giving visibility as good, which I dont believe for a minute.

BS 

Leeshaw Reservoir

 

                                    Fields full of Greylag geese

                                            North shore

                                        Greylags moving fields

                                    Good count of LBB and Herring gull

A bright clear morning at Leeshaw but heavy cloud to the west. Blue sky and sunshine on a light SW>2 at a cold and frosty 3 degrees. By 0945 hrs the mist was rolling in from the west shrouding the moorland tops.

    Very little sky movement with just Woodpigeons, Jackdaws and a few Starling but drying up by 0900 hrs. Fieldfares are still holding back after I expected a move today. Previous years big move days have always been between the 14th and the 25th of October, although the big moving days of all species  has dropped dramatically from the early nineties when Fieldfare, Redwing, Woodpig and Mipits came over in uncountable numbers.

     Gulls and Greylags were on good form this morning with excess of 250 Greylags  and a count of 46 LBB, 23 Herring, 28 Common and c 150 Black Headed. I,ve yet to go through the distant photos  to make sure I did'nt miss anything special through the scope.

     Otherwise it was down to 3 Lapwing, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Dipper, plus the usual species.

Looks grim for tomorrow with cloud and light rain throughout on a moderate sou'westerly. Visibility is given as very poor. I,m snookered now when its foggy with Leeshaw out of the running for the next 3 weeks with 2 lots of road closures and long, busy, diversions, so it will be a case of sticking to the lower sites.

BS