Icy cold Ogden.

 

                                    4 Bullfinch enjoying the Alder fruit.

A gorgeous morning at Ogden despite the icy cold NW>3 blowing across the promenade. Much milder around the track in the shelter of the trees but bad visibility with the low blinding sun. Very little cloud with a temp of one degree.

    Although I found the conditions pleasant, the birds obviously thought otherwise with very little about. The highlight once again were the Bullfinch with 3 males and 1 female putting on a good show high up in the west bank Alders, busy feeding off the ample fruit cones.

   Otherwise down to 3 Long Tailed Tits, 1 Goldcrest and 1 Treecreeper along with the woodland regulars. A Kingfisher and 2 Dippers were down in the sluice gate area but, yet again, the water remained void of wildfowl other than the Mallards which seems strange as the Manchester reservoirs are heaving with Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Pochard and Shoveler. Only a few small gulls present.

    On the way home, 4 Grey Partridge were in the Ned Hill fields.

A mostly cloudy day tomorrow on a light SW starting off at 1 degree.

BS

    

     

Leeshaw Reservoir

                                Water gushing down the overflow
 

                                        Several Canadas

                                    Low count of gulls

                                    12 Herring gull present

As promised, a terrible wet morning with heavy rain, clearing by 0900 hrs before mist and drizzle came in for the last 15 minutes. A cold NNW>3 at 3 degrees.

  Far too wet for Ogden so a dabble at Leeshaw with birds to see but nothing other than the norm. The water was disappointing with just a single Cormorant, 8 Mallard and around 50 small gulls plus 12 Herring. Several of the gulls moved into the top muddy field along with 84 Canada Geese with just a single Greylag on the water.

    Around 8 Meadow Pipits were moving around the fields along with a Pied Wagtail whilst 6 Blackbirds were taking the berries from a Hawthorn bush.

   Nothing moving skyward other than a single Kestrel whilst 2 Buzzard were over the south ridge. I was told later by a dog walker, who had just walked the moor top, that the 2 Buzzards were feeding on a sheep carcass.

   Promising a brighter day tomorrow with plenty sunshine on a cold moderate NW kicking off at 1 degree.

BS

     

    

    

Sunshine and showers, Ogden.

 

                                    Several Long Tailed Tits

                                    Only 4 Bullfinch

                                        Great Tits along with Blue and Coal.

                                    Very few Goldcrest.

A mixed grill of weather this morning at Ogden with heavy showers throughout. One minute it was blue sky and sunshine, the next, torrential rain showers, on a WSW>3 at 5 degrees. The day deteriorated as it went on giving me two good soakings when dog walking over Foxhill, mid and late afternoon.

     Though once again, nothing special and only a handful of small gulls on the water, the waterside and carpark trees were enough to keep the interest going.

    Plenty of the 4 common Tit species with Long Tailed being the dominant bird, both in the car park and along the west bank. Good to get a flock of around 10 Chaffinch in the car park area restoring the hopes of another Brambling sighting , or even a northern Chaffinch, 'coelebs', which have features making them identifiable in the field, though I don't recall any local reports of them in the last few years but a species that will easily be overlooked. 

    Northern Robins and Blackbirds are easy to identify as well as Northern Long Tailed Tits, with the latter being  due for a sighting, as its several years now since the Castle Carr birds. Well you have got to have a dream have'nt you !

    Only 4 Bullfinch found this morning along with 3 Goldcrest and the usual woodland species.

All sailing cancelled today at Fly Flatts due to extreme conditions.

With tonights forecast of overnight fog probably lingering into the morning its showing to be a cloudy day with a chance of rain and snow on a cold N3-4 at 3 degrees.

BS

BS

     

Ogden, Milder but misty and damp.

 

                                    1 of 2 Dippers in the darkness

Most of the snow had gone by this morning with a milder temperature of 3 degrees but as usual, when the temperature rises, in comes the fog. Ogden was very dark and misty with drizzle throughout on a moderate SW>3.

   A much quieter circuit of the water this morning with once again, nothing down the west bank and nothing on the water, other than a few small gulls and 2 Herring gull.

    The highlight was 2 Dippers by the 'Parakeet Pond', which I named after having a Ring Necked Parakeet there back in the 1990s. The next area of shale and water, named by me around the same time, is Dipper Dyke where Dippers were a common feature but it is now sadly overgrown. If I get a Ringed Neck Parakeet at Dipper Dyke now I'll just have to swop the names over. The only other 2 areas I have named are, 'Passerine Alley' on the east bank of Ogden, which was always a hot spot for moving passerines and where I re-located a Yellow Browed Warbler, back in August 2012. This bird was first found by Denise Shields earlier in the day on the west bank. The bird stayed into a second day.

    The other area I named, many moons ago, is 'NK pond' at Soil Hill. A small area of water brought into use by Nigel K. at the bottom of the north slope. This small pond has attracted several wildfowl species including Wigeon and Teal and the surrounding shrub attracts several interesting passerines as well as Jack Snipe.

    Back to Ogden, with around a dozen Long Tailed Tits moving rapidly through the waterside trees plus a couple of Goldcrest, whilst a Kingfisher flew from the NW corner towards the east bank giving me just a flash of blue as it disappeared over the water.

    Another dark wet day forecast for tomorrow with light rain and mist on a light SW at 4 degrees.

BS

  

Another try at Ogden.

 

                                        Plenty Robins, no continentals.

                                        1 of at least 3 Goldcrest.

A beautiful morning at Ogden with full sun and a very light W>2 at minus 1 degree.

   The east and north bank trees were much busier, being in the sun, whilst there was nothing in the west bank Alders, which were very dark in the shade.

      Although lively there was nothing untoward with several Long Tailed, Coal and Blue Tits as well as the common woodland stuff. At least 3 Goldcrests were very active in the overhanging waterside trees.

    A handful of small gulls on the water as well as the resident Mallards.

Good to bump into Pete Grba, who I have'nt seen for many years, so a good talk about back in the good old days when birding was at it peak, plenty good birders and plenty good birds.

    Chance of some rain and snow for morning on a moderate SW at 3 degrees.

BS

   

    

Sub zero temperatures, Ogden reservoir.

 

                                    Sunrise over t' Black Dyke Mill.

                                    Just 5 Bullfinch today

An icy cold morning at Ogden with the temp down to minus 2 degrees on a bitter NNW>3 with part cloud and sunshine.

    A very quite lap and a half of the water with just a few small gulls and the usual Mallards present whilst the Alders held 5 Bullfinch and a few Blue Tits. The east bank was in the sunshine so was a bit livelier with several Blackbirds, one of which being a continental, along with 3 Goldcrest and the usual Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks and Tits.

    Nothing overhead other than a few Herring gulls >NE and a single Raven over the plantation.

Another icy cold morning forecast for tomorrow at minus2 degrees on a light NW with cloudy sunshine.

BS

Winter at Ogden

 

                                    Wintery scenes, Ogden

                                    Bullfinch flock up to 9.

                                    Few Blue Tits joining in.

                                    This male was larger with much more white

                                     on rump and much deeper red,

                                  possible Northern ?

A wintery morning with overnight snow giving an inch covering at Queensbury with icy roads at zero degrees on a freezing cold NNE>4. Full cloud with sun trying, but failing, to break through.

    Very little at Ogden with just a few small gulls on the water as well as the Mallards with no big gulls present and still waiting for the first Goldeneye.

   The Bullfinch flock was up to 9 birds with one male standing out as a larger, bulkier bird, much deeper red and a white rump extending higher up the body making it a good contender for a Northern 'pyrrhula'.

      A few Blue Tits were in the Alders whilst 3 Goldcrest were very mobile.

A strange happening as I was tackling up in the car park when, whilst I was looking through the bins at a distant Gt Spotted Woodpecker, a Robin came fluttering by my face then landed briefly on my shoulder before landing at my feet pecking at the gravel.

   I crumbled up a dog treat which it  ate up quickly before disappearing back into the undergrowth.

Mark Murray had 2 Brambling in his Queensbury garden yesterday afternoon, thanks for that Mark.

                                Brambling photos courtesy M.M.  Copyright 2025.

Showing a cloudy sunshine day for tomorrow with a moderate NW, kicking off at minus 3 degrees.

BS