Tracys Little Owl

Photo courtesy Tracy Collier.

  Thanks to Tracy for this cracking Little Owl photo with the morning sun lighting up its eyes.
BS

What makes the difference ?

                                               Common Gull

Did the same area this evening around Corporal Hill/ Green Lane at the same time 1800hrs in near enough the same weather conditions except tonight had a sharp shower of light drizzle. Last night the whole area was alive with birds and tonight there was next to none?
A scan of a 1sq mile area of fields tonight from the snicket at the top of Corporal Hill  found no Gulls, Goldies or Lapwings with just 5 Black Headed, 2 Commons and a single LBB over >NW.
The Little Owls were in hiding and even the wires were empty of Swallows, plus the usual Kestrels were missing.
I dont know what it is that affects the whole area but the birds seem to know.
BS

Green Lane/ Corporal Hill

                                         Little Owl showing briefly

                                   Plenty LBBs over

                                         Commons moving through

                                  2 Kestrels in the air together

                           Lapwings and Goldies in a distant field

By early evening the nasty blue and yellow hot stuff had gone from the sky leaving more sensible grey clouds and a slight W>3 so a visit to Corporal Hill and Green Lane was in order.
Only a scattering of gulls were in the fields but several Commons and LBBs were moving over >NW.
Around 120 Lapwings and at least 7 Golden Plover were in a new cut field beyond the gull field but very distant, whilst 2 Kestrels were in the air together going up very high and nearly out of sight.
One of the Little Owls showed briefly and several Swallows along with 2 Swifts headed >S.
BS

Ogden, pm visit

                                    Canada geese now resident

                                       Gull stopping off station

A hot clammy day though fortunately the skies remained grey, unless you,re a sun lover, until this evening when blue skies and that horrible hot stuff appeared.
A once around Ogden provided very little but interesting to see gulls using it as a dropping off station to freshen up before moving on >W.
Only 3 Black Headed were present on arrival until 11 LBBs , 4 Commons and 14 BHGs dropped in but by the time I had walked around most had gone.
Missed a cracking shot of a Sparrowhawk soaring overhead due to the fact that yesterday I put a strap on the camera and tonight as I grabbed it out of the bag the strap was wrapped around the lens and shutter button and by the time Id freed it the Sprawk was well gone. Needless to say, the strap is now back in the drawer.
BS

Soil Hill/ Corporal Hill/ Green Lane.

                                  Top of Corporal Hill >SW over Shibden

                                   Top of Corporal Hill >SSW

                                 Top of Corporal Hill >NW towards Shibden Head

                                                 >WSW towards Swalesmoor.

                       The Gull field , top of Corporal Hill. Emley Moor in the distance.

Soil Hill- 1630-1730hrs
A full check of the hill was disappointing with no Sedge Warbler or Whitethroat showing and very little bird life at all. The vegetation has now taken over blanking out most of the scrapes giving little chance of waders this autumn and the northern slope is so badly dug up now its nearly impassable. Think the hill will have to drop down the list of places to visit, this was my third no bird experience in as many weeks although the west slope and col watchpoint always produce the goods.
2 Linnet
1 Blackbird
1 Grey Partridge
+ usual corvids and Magpies.

Corporal Hill/ Green Lane- 1735-1800hrs.
Only 3 BHGs in the gull field but several of the usual 3 sp moving over >W.  Most of the gulls were across the valley below Brewery Lane where silage was being collected in the field there.
The juv Little Owl was peering from behind the fence on the building but keeping almost out of sight and has now most of its speckles making it hard to distinguish from the adults.
The above photos were taken through the snicket near the top of Corporal Hill showing that it will make a good autumn vis mig watch point.
BS

Fly Flatts

                                          Oystercatchers bred 1 .

                                        Still 2 Common Sandpipers left.

                                  Grey Wagtails bred successfully

                                          Grub up

                                     Waiting for more food

                                          Here it comes

                                       Juv Meadow Pipit with caterpillar

A good grey morning with a real moving sky though very little on their way yet.  W>4  0715-1000hrs.
A reeling Gropper was a good start but failed to break cover along with a tight flock of Goldies in the far north heading east.
Otherwise it was just local stuff but a decent birdie morning. Swift numbers were well down.

1 Grasshopper Warbler
2 Oystercatchers
2 Common Sandpiper
1pr Grey Wagtail + juv
500+ Canadas
Several Meadow Pipits congregating
1 Snipe
15 Golden Plover.......................>E
3 Swifts....................................>S
4 Swallow...............................>S
BS

Gulls Galore

                         Lesser Black Backed

                                          Common

                                         

                                                            BHG

                                        BHG versus Jackdaw

A bright warm day with some cloud remaining calm.

A quick visit to the Keelham end of Soil Hill failed to turn up NKs Sedge Warbler so it was back to gull watch at Corporal Hill where 17 Black Headed were in the field along with 6 Commons.
Gulls were continuously moving over with 9 LBBs, 15 Commons and 38 Black Headed all >SW.
One Little Owl showed briefly then disappeared whilst several swallows were on the wires.
Plenty Linnets and Goldfinch were about.
Forecast looks good so I,ll see what Fly Flatts produces in the morning.
BS

Green Lane gull watch

                                             Local Canadas

                                        Plenty juv Swallows about

                                                2 little Owl showing

                                  Fields full of Woodpigeons

                                        The gull field

1 hour this evening checking fields around Green Lane/ Corporal Hill for NKs Med gull, see Queensburybirder),  proved fruitless but the whole area was heaving with birds. The 2 Little Owl were showing briefly but the juv seems to have dispersed, or as Tracy put it in technical terms " It might have buggered off ".
Several gulls were in the Med gull field with a steady flow of  gulls overhead >SW whilst young Swallows were everywhere lining up on the wires.
16 Canada geese came over low and >SE which were probably NKs that he saw earlier at the top of Shibden.

12 Canadas...........................>SE
17 Black Headed gulls...........>SW
5 Common gulls.....................>SW
5 LBB gulls...........................>SW
11 Common gulls in field
9 BH gulls in field
2 Little Owls
23 Swallows around wires, mostly juvs
4 Goldfinch
27 Linnet
1 Kestrel
5 Woodpigeons
2 Stock Doves
+ usual corvids.
BS

Green Lane Goldies

                                  Flock of Golden Plover over.

                                           Thick undergrowth

         Two budding photographers in the distance, Shereen and Diane.
         Seemed to get side tracked talking.

                 Looking down the valley

A quick dog walk at 1900hrs after Morrisons along Green Lane found quiet skies with no gull movement although a flock of 20 Golden Plover flew over in the distance heading towards the Lapwing fields but could,nt  be re located later.
Otherwise it was just Swallows, Jackdaws and corvids plus about 12 Linnet.
BS  

Green Lane pm visit

                                                        Goldfinch. Green Lane

                                                    Steady flow of LBBs over

A dull wet morning but brightened up by midday to leave sunny blue skies with a W>4.
A quick visit this evening to Green Lane on the way back from Shelf Moor found it once again proving to be on a flight path with several LBBs over >SW along with a smaller number of Common and Black Headed whilst elsewhere the skies were quiet.
Small charms of Goldfinch were after the thistle tops and although I tried to beat Tracys previous photo of one for clarity I failed miserably. The blue sky background didnt help but thats my excuse.
Nice to bump into Tracy and Brittany tonight armed with cameras hoping for snaps.
Good Swallow movement throughout the day with birds heading >S in real migration mode, head down skimming the buildings.
Report from Tracy of a Wren by her work which has just got a late batch of fledglings.
BS