A washout at Ogden

1pr Goldeneye still present

A few Black Headed gulls, no Commons

1 Dancing Duck

OGDEN 0830-0930 hrs Heavy rain , sleet and snow throughout.
As expected very quiet both in the skies and on the water. A small number of BH Gulls were on and around the water but nothing else other than the long staying Goldeneye pair. Several Coal, Blue and Great tits were on the new peanut feeders by the info centre and 2 Chaffinch were up in full song.
Passed a very wet NK as he headed for Soil Hill, you,d think he,d know by now not to venture out on Sunday morning, it always rains.

2 Pied Wagtail
1pr Goldeneye
8 BH Gull
2 Chaffinch
4 Lapwing on west banking
+ usual sp.
BS

Shelf Moor

A calmer day with a slight westerly >3 with drizzle showers p.m.
Limited time today but as I passed through Shelf Moor late afternoon the pond held 9 Canadas, 3 of which flew >SE at last light. 6 Golden Plover were very mobile in the nearby fields but the Lapwing flock seems to have broken up. Two Mistle Thrush were in the hawthorn field and a Jay flew in the direction of the golf course.
BS.

The Dailies Today

Trees full of Magpies

                                Something a bit tropical about Magpies in breeding plumage

A visitor to the garden tonight

A bright morning with the westerly dropped to W>4-5. Rain from 1500hrs onwards.
A straight forward lunch break with no holdups so off to the Dailies for 10 minutes scanning. Even take a pair of bins now as well as the camera although I find compacts not the best of optics but better than the naked eye.
A few Common gulls were drifting >NW but very little else in the sky other than Woodpigeons, Starlings and Corvids. A total of 22 Magpies were present which could be a problem for the Linnets when they get back to the nest area although they nest deep down in the gorse so I suppose they,re relatively safe.
Grey Partridge were in a distant field with 4 showing and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew towards the station, its undulating flight giving it away when it flew alongside a small group of Starlings.
BS

Another Dailies Dash

Bank of cloud heading my way

Same bank heading over Bradford

Clear skies following on.

An attrocious day with near gale force W>6 gusting 7 bringing heavy squally rain showers with some sunny periods.

The midday Dailies watch was spoilt when a heavy rain cloud arrived at nearly the same time as me although it was interesting to watch it quickly move past and down the valley across Bradford followed by clear blue skies .
A single Curlew was the highlight moving very high and direct >NW but other than that all was quiet.
My theory is that if I get 15mins once or twice a week skywatching at lunchtime from the top of the Dailies Im sure to get rewarded with something over the spring migration period. An Osprey would do nicely but Im not a fussy sort so anything decent will do.
Ive already had a Buzzard so thats gee,d me up a bit. One must live in hopes must,nt one!
BS

Dinnertime Dailies Dash

Brownbird as they are called by elderly Queensbury folk.

Starling, stunning birds which get ignored.

Common gull getting summer plumage

Dailies, the big wall, ideal shelter from the westerlies.

Early morning hail sleet and snow on a cold WSW>4 increasing to >6 after dark but dry p.m.
Very quiet skies over the Dailie fields looking east at mid day with expectations of moving yellow billed swans
and raptors soon dashed by the icy cold westerly wind although it did manage to remain dry.
Grey Partridge were calling as was a Green Woodpecker down near the station and a fox made a brief appearence before disappearing back into the undergrowth.
A small Chaffinch flock was very mobile and 4 Stock doves were with 12 Woodpigeons close to the farm.
I hope this blip in the weather sorts itself out by the weekend.
BS

Trouble int village

Scene of the armed raid, Yorkshire Bank, High St Qby.

Burnt out get away car, Chapel Lane

The pursuers, bears in the air.

Mayhem in Queensbury village this morning when an armed raid took place at the Yorkshire Bank with someone wanting a quick withdrawal. Their getaway car was dumped up Chapel Lane and torched which caused even more mayhem for the fire brigade as it was close to houses and the helicopter came so close overhead that I thought it was coming in for an M.O.T.
I havent heard the details yet as to the result but one customer remarked," Its a miracle they found a parking place outside the bank, I never can", typical Queensbury wit.

Birdwise all quiet in a very cold WSW>5 although I hear a Red Kite has been drifting to the west of the area,(calderbirds).
Hopefully will get time for a dash to the Dailies tomorrow lunch time.
BS

Quiet skies over Queensbury

More Robins

Murky skies to the east from the top of the Dailies.

An icy cold start with temperatures down to zero in the garage and only rising to 2 deg in the day.
Blue clear skies still with the cold SE>4 keeping the birds at bay.
Fifteen minutes sky watch from the top of the Dailies midday found the sky to be near empty other than a single distant flock of Fieldfare heading >N up the Aire valley plus the usual corvids and Magpies.
A few Gt tits and Blue tits were in the Hawthorns but otherwise that was it.
Robins and Dunnocks are still having a singing contest in the garage car park conifers but the Greenfinches seemed to have moved on.
BS

Oxenhope

Curlew coming in to roost

Sheep Herders

Oxenhope 1600-1715hrs Icy cold SE>4 Bright but hazy visibility

The cold SE wind ,as this morning, kept the birds down with very little sky movement and no signs of a gull roost.
The Curlews were just starting to move onto the moorland roost as we left being reluctant to leave the nearby field due to the lenghtening daylight.
We waited as long as we could hoping for an overhead photo but at last the cold got the better of us so we called it a do.

32 + Curlew
2 Golden Plover + some seen earlier by DCB
6 Mallard
5 Goosander
5 Canadas
1 Blackbird
1 Chaffinch
BS. DCB. CK.

West of Queensbury

Mixenden res from Hunter Hill

Signs of yesteryear Hunter Hill

Dull start brightening mid am. Cold SE>4

A good trek around the moor this morning found it to be quiet with very little sign of moorland birds returning yet, not a Curlew to be found. Searched for Dave and Jens Snow Bunting but no joy.

Fly Flatts
1f Goldeneye
4 Golden Plover
1 Reed Bunting
2 Skylark

Cold Edge Dams
34 Canadas
5 Greylag
6 Lapwing on shoreline
2 Common Gulls
1pr Tufted Duck

Hunter Hill
15 Common Gull >NE
2 Herring Gull >W
usual corvids

Mixenden Res
1 f Goldeneye
Mallards
100+ mixed small gulls, majority being Commons.

Cold Edge Rd walk from cattery to Withins and back
7 Skylark
4 Meadow Pipit
11 Golden Plover
1 Mistle Thrush singing
3 Common Gull.
BS

Eck Im a Grandad

Baby LUCY EVE.

Mum passing the word

Dad wondering what to do next.

Lynda , proud Grandma

A hectic 2 days with our first grandchild with afterbirth complications which saw Rachel rapidly transferred hospitals in a blue light ambulance and into theatre but alls well that ends well and 24hrs later shes on her way home. The women up here in Queensbury are made of tough stuff and all have strong calf muscles with pushing the pram up the hills.
Its said that the men of Queensbury walk at 45% and fall over when they get off the bus in town because there,s no wind!
Anyway, panic over and its back to birding in the morning if the dreaded fog keeps away. Bet I get a better nights sleep than Rachel and Stuart do with baby Lucy.
Thanks to other daughter Aunty Belinda for all shes done during the crisis.

Another foggy day

A bad start to the morning

Heavy frost and thick fog started the day off continued with a murky dull day with a slight outbreak of sun but mist to the east throughout the day.
Despite the weather birds seemed to be moving with reports of Whooper Swan and Snow Bunting from Calderbirds and here in Foxhill park at mid day 4 Skylarks were on the top pitch along with 2 Pied Wagtails.
A quick dash to the top of the Dailies proved fruitless with mist hanging over the fields and no visibility looking east due to fog.
BS.

Dailies at lunch time

Plenty corvids about

Looking >NE over Yews Green

A dull morning with poor visibility to the east. Some weak sunshine in the afternoon. Cold SE>4.
A lunchtime dash to the Dailies found it quiet with a biting SE wind blowing up the fields and limited vision to the east.
Two grey Partridge were flushed from the small hawthorns which held several Blue and Great tits whilst 4 Chaffinch were around the gorse bushes but no sign of Linnet. Plenty corvids were feeding in the fields but the winter Thrushes appear to have gone.
A very high soaring bird following the Buzzard flight path had me panicing until I saw it was a LBB gull closely followed by a second bird >SW. As I was leaving 2 Meadow Pipits flew over >N.
BS

Queensbury Today

Foxhill Common Gull

A brighter day with spring like skies and sunshine but still the cool NE >3 turning SE>3.

Common gulls are still hanging on in the park with 7 there today along with 5 Black Headed.
The skies were quieter than yesterday with no sightings of any moving Redwings or anything else for that matter but I suppose if you got a Buzzard every day you,d soon get bored of them, I think?
A single Heron flew over the garage during the morning mobbed by 2 gulls, this was reported by garage neighbour Dave.
A Skylark was again half heartedly singing from the direction of Old Guy Rd this lunchtime and 2 Pied Wagtails were on the top pitch.
Hoping for a mid day dash to the dailies tomorrow if everything goes according to plan and the customers behave themselves.
BS

Redwings and Buzzard on the move

A dull ,grey day with slight drizzle and an odd fine snow flurry or two with a cool NE>3-4.

Another Buzzard past Queensbury at lunchtime seen from Foxhill park but this was very distant and very high over Baildon heading >N up the Worth valley. A continuation from yesterdays raptor movement.
A flock of 38 Redwings came over in migration mode >N whilst I was still up the park and 2 more smaller groups were seen in the afternoon over work heading in the same direction.
With these sightings and yesterdays Oxenhope Curlews things look to be moving early.
Amazing Curlew photos on DCBs vis mig blog from yesterday, well worth a viewing.
BS

Oxenhope

Curlews arriving

Peering through a snow storm

Small gulls touching down

Oxenhope, pm visit. Strong NE>5-6 Heavy showers. Some Snow and Hail

Atrocious weather but good birding with Curlews coming in to roost along with Lapwings, Goosanders and a low count of small gulls.
A nice fly past of a Sparrowhawk followed by a Kestrel and just the one LBB gull keeping going >N. For action shots of this afternoons birds see DCBs vis mig blog when he updates it.

33 Curlew
5 Goosander
160+ Lapwings
150+Starlings in fields
1pr Goldeneye
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
4 Red Grouse
1 LBB gull >N
BS, DCB, CK, KM.