Photos to be proud of

                                 Kestrel photos by Brittany Collier

       Sparrowhawk photo by mum Tracy C.

Tracys daughter Brittany has been trying for months to get a decent Kestrel photo round Green Lane and her patience has paid off with these two belters, well done Brittany.
This garden visitor suprised Tracy but managed to grab her number 2 camera and snap it through the window, nice one Tracy.
Thanks for the photos girls , keep em coming.
BS

Busy skies early doors.

                                               Thrushes >NW

                                             Woodpigs >S

                               

                                                 Thrushes >NW

                                                 Early sun.

A sky full of birds this morning with Woodpigeons heading >S and Fieldfare and Redwing heading >NW whilst several tight ball squadrons of Starlings headed >S but these were moving well to the south of the garage.
What looked like a mega day on the make fizzled out by 0930hrs with empty skies by midday.
Several Fieldfare are waiting in the wings to move so tomorrows a possible but if the forecast is right westerly winds and heavy rain are promised for Sunday, Yuk.
BS.

Something near clear at last

                       Unusually high number of Starlings about

                Found this sp. in the park midday heading >S.

Luckily Tracy was right as always and the fog slowly cleared leaving low clouds but better visibility with busy skies over the garage although failed to connect onto any of the thrush movement reported today.
Armed with camera at lunchtime I headed up the park but only the usual small gulls and high numbers of Starlings plus the above sp.  heading south from Soil Hill.
Denise called at the garage today to pick up her trophy and managed to hide her excitement well although after getting 3 Brambling in her garden the trophy was a bit of an anti climax.
We usually get a famous celebrity to hand over the prize but unfortunately NK was up Soil Hill at the time.
Hopefully the cold spell due will liven things up a bit over the weekend.
BS

Fog, A Hat Trick.

                                         Gulls in the murk of Foxhill Park

                                               As good as it got.

Three days and nights now of dense fog in Queensbury without a single clear period. At least when the cold spell arrives later in the week we,ll be able to see something,thats if our eyes can re adjust to the light.
Sounds like a good day was missed due to the cloud with reports around the region of good numbers of winter thrushes moving over, mainly Redwings but several Fieldfare and Blackbird sightings. DCB rang today to say it was alive overhead in the fog with winter thrushes including Blackbirds being picked up on sound only.
Here,s hoping for some form of clarity tomorrow.
BS

The Golden Bollocks Award

Local birders will know of this but for the benefit  of others this birding trophy was started up several years ago by Halifax Birdwatching Club, now known as Calderbirds and is presented to the birder finding the best or rarest bird in the area . The proud nominee then places it in pride of place on the mantlepiece until another birder turns up an equally good or better bird where the trophy is then passed on.
I have had the pleasure of this trophy 3 times in passed years for
Dotterel,  Soil Hill.
Purple Sandpiper, Soil Hill
and  Little Egret , EGP
but have not managed to come up to the mark for some years now so the space on the fireplace has been filled with a vase but not for long hopefully.
The current holder of the trophy, Andy Cockroft ,dropped it in at the garage today with the name of the new winner.
Without a doubt the best bird found in our area for a long time was the Yellow Browed Warbler discovered at Ogden 29/09/2012 so the Golden Bollocks award is to be presented to
                                         DENISE SHIELDS !!!!!!  Congratulations on behalf of all local birders Denise.

So Denise, if you clear a space in a prominent place in your living room and call in at the garage you can proudly receive your just reward. I only hope you are not overcome with emotion with this unique event.
Only one rule with the trophy is, as I was told by Gordon Denison, The balls must be polished daily.
BS

                                  The award winning bird                               Photo BS

                                   The award winning lady .                       Photo BS

Another day of thick fog up here in the gods so yet again, birdless.
BS

Fog, Fog , then more fog.

A terrible day today in Queensbury with dense fog the day long with no let up, hence nothing of interest to report. The only birds seen through the murk were 15 Common Gulls in Foxhill Park at lunch time.
An interesting phone call this evening from a lady in Harrogate, that got my number from the blog, reporting the sighting of a White Crow seen today by the car wash at Morrisons supermarket, Harrogate. As always with white crow sightings it took her a while to suss out exactly what it was and rang me to see how rare they are.
Thanks very much for the call, Im sorry I never got your name.
BS

Images of Fly Flatts this a.m.

                                                  First light

                                          Mist on the moor

                                          Up comes the sun

                                          Burning through the clouds

                                          Full up

No Soil Hill visit late afternoon, fogged off.
BS

Ogden/ Ned Hill Watchpoint

                                           Usual boring Ogden photos

                                           West across Causeway Foot Col

A good start to the morning with Woodpigeons moving >S as the sun rose and keeping going till 0900hrs. Things quietened after that apart from a call fromm DCB clocking over 1000, Pinkies in various directions but none for Queensbury.
A tea time visit to Ogden was quiet with just the 3 Cormorants and usual sp.
One thing that amused me was , as I was taking photos of the Cormorant a couple walked past and she said to her husband, " Look, hes taking photos of the Penguin",  That may happen on Soil Hill but not Ogden.

The Ned Hill watchpoint was lively with small gulls in various directions and a distant Raven was passing the wind turbines, otherwise all quiet.
Thick fog forecast for morning but if not surely the Fieldfares will be arriving on mass.
BS

Pinkies for Queensbury

                                    Pinkies snucking past the chimney pots.

                                  Early morn moving skies

                                 Last few Woodpigs in the clearing sky

                                    Vis Miggers dream sky

A good early morning with perfect conditions for movement finding a good supply of Meadow Pipits moving over >S as well as Woodpigeons in the same direction. This movement continued until 0900hrs when the sky cleared. This concurred with the same at Oxenhope after a phone call to HC.
Just as I thought it was all over mid morning HC rang saying he and DCB were watching a  Skein of c 200 Pinkies near the Victoria Hall Qby just behind the garage heading >W . I was dealing with a customer at the time but grabbed the camera and dashed out into the car park shouting Pinkies, to which he thought I was having some sort of fit.
It ended up with me and the customer dashing round the car park like headless chickens trying to find the geese, when suddenly I got a 5second glance of them and a quick pic as they passed low over the mill and to the built up side of me just showing between the chimney pots.
Thanks a lot for the call Howard, theres no way Id have picked those up without your tip off.
By midday all was quiet.
BS

Moving skies

                                     Ideal moving sky

                                  Clouds breaking, clear sky showing

                                      Clear blue skies over,t mill.

A good start to the morning with ideal skies but this was short lived as the clouds quickly dispersed to leave the clear blue stuff.
A steady flow of Woodpigeons was apparent for the first hour of daylight along with a single Mistle Thrush and 2 Jays all >S whilst another small wave of Meadow Pipits were coming over in the same direction, these probable being from the far North. We used to be able to tell these birds at TMR as, if I remember rightly ,they were a darker greener colour than our own Mipits. If Im wrong on this I,m sure DCB/HC will correct me.
Midday was poor with the clear skies and by tea time it was bucketing it down.
BS

Foxhill early evening

                                        A bright calm sky

                                            Light fading through the Alder

                                 Night clouds spiralling in . Weather vane >SW

                                                     Lights out

An atrocious morning with fog, a strong SW>5 and heavy rain but soon clearing by mid morning to leave a bright ,calm ,mild day.
Thirty minutes gardening and skywatching ,(  more of the latter,) till last light produced
 c200 Jackdaws >N heading for the Cullingworth/ Wilsden roost.
c 50 Jackdaws  >SE heading for the green Lane roost.
5 Redwing along with a chakking Fieldfare >S
28 LBBs  >E
c60 mixed small gulls >E
1 Goosander >NW
Good forecast for Thurs, Fri, Sat then strong NE winds and heavy rain Sunday, now theres a suprise.
BS

Ogden early evening

                                     Ogden last light.

                          Had to get the flash out for these.

The last after work evening birding session till March with light running out nearly as quick as I arrived at Ogden and next weekend the lights go out altogether when we put the clocks back, sorry Tracy, I know thats a touchy subject for you.
1 female Wigeon was out in the centre of the water and the Dipper and Grey Wagtail were down in the overflow, otherwise all quiet with all the gulls and Cormorants moved on to roost.
A group of 5 Goosander flew over >N in almost darkness showing that the TMR winter roost has started.
Nothing to report during the day today with near gale force westerley winds and driving rain showers.
BS

Queensbury today

                 Dont use the footpaths after dark in Queensbury

                                         Waiting for the match.

Very little to report today around the village with quiet skies looking as if most of this years movement is over  unless we get the thrushes, although most seemed to have by passed us this time and come in down the coastlines.
A tight flock of 18 Redwing came over the garage >SW mid afternoon and there seems to have been a fall of Magpies with an unusually high number of 14 down Chapel Lane on the way back to work.
The worst part of today was customers coming in or ringing from Shelf, Northowram, Hipperholme and Birstall as well as Queensbury asking if Id seen all the geese over yesterday . I had to smile and say no ,I was in the fog, smiling and thanking them politely, well they are customers!
BS