Early Christmas present for Bri.

            Worlds worst ever Jack Snipe photos but who cares!
             Its taken me years to nail this little bugger,

Got finished at work for 1400hrs so it was a choice of a christmas drink in a nice warm pub or a trudge around Soil Hill in the fog, rain and mud, no contest, heres my Soil Hill report.
The hill was well waterlogged and treacherous to walk on without sinking in but despite the rain and swirling fog it was calm with not a breath of wind.
Before I go any further I,ll just say that NK had searched the hill late morning and seen Jack Snipe and 2 small birds on the mounds, one being a Skylark and the other avoiding I.D. See Queensburybirder report.
About 30 minutes of me trudging around found nothing until I approached the back of the mounds where ,presumably the 2 birds of Nigels, took off, both being Skylarks.
After covering the whole of the 2 summits ,only to find 1 Meadow Pipit and a few small gulls heading for Ogden, I decided to do a sweep of the long grass in an area that I had walked past previously. This was an unpleasant job, up to the knees in soaking grass, I can see why Nigel wears spats now, but half way along whilst I was looking over the wall into the next field I heard a wing flapping which immediately stopped a few yards away , the bird had come out of hiding and dropped down again a short distance away in true Jack Snipe fashion.
I started to get the camera out as I walked towards the position when up it came, Jack Snipe. It was all panic then to get the camera on and find it in the lens as it flew low over the mounds and into the mist and all I ended up with was a few blurs in the low light and mist but at last Id conquered a bogey bird .
Its years since Ive managed Jack Snipe up there even though NK gets yearly sightings and this winter  period he,s broke his all time record with 10 sightings, I think it must be his aftershave attracting them.
Merry Christmas all.
BS

A look back

       Sparrowhawk visiting Tracys garden       Photo Tracy Collier

                                     Red Kite high over Shelf Moor  . BS

 The YBW twitch is on.  Finder DS and a man in thought NK.   BS.

                                          SEO, Soil Hill. Finder  NK,       BS

                                             1 of 9 Snow Buntings Soil Hill.    BS

         DJS, Only seeing a YBW could create that smile.           BS

Ogden YBW                     BS

                              Soil Hill Twite              BS

                               Fly Flatts Cuckoo     BS.

                      Soil Hill Ringed Plover   BS

        Common Sandpiper, breeding success Fly Flatts      BS

         Grey Wagtail, breeding success, Fly Flatts.     BS

                      Shoveler Ogden, finder NK.     BS

       Wheatear, breeding success, Fly Flatts.      BS

         Whitethroat, several bred in area             BS

              Stonechat, another local breeder.                 BS

                                  Common Terns for Ogden                  BS

                Up and coming young photographer, Kestrel.  Photo Brittany Collier.

                                      Tracys first Waxwing,   Photo Tracy Collier.

No second birding session today due to family commitments so it gives me chance to say a big thank you to all that have joined me on the blog throughout 2012.  Some of you I know and most I dont know but you,ve stuck with me through the active times and the boring times when birds were scarce so I just hope you,ve enjoyed viewing as much as Ive enjoyed editing.
A special thank you to Nigel Kerwin for his tireless efforts in the area plus the many calls and for sorting out my computer problems that I encounter from time to time.
Also a big thank you to Tracy and Brittany Collier for supplying me with a good number of splendid photos and reports through the year.
Thanks to Dave and Jen Sutcliffe for their service through the grapevine and beyond, and to locals, Eric Langford, Ken Jarvis, Roy Morris,Peter Turner and sisters Diane and Shereen for keeping me informed of sightings, not forgetting the Oxenhope vis mig team, Dave Barker and Howard Creber for their alert calls.
So its thanks again to all watchers of West Yorkshire Birding and I hope you all stick with me as we make the birding journey through 2013.
Keep those photos and reports coming in.

All the best for Christmas and a healthy and birdie New Year.
Brian.
BS.

Breezy Ogden and Raggalds Flood

                                        Ogden 1st light

                                              Chaffinch

  Best I could get on this Siskin

                                    Raggalds Flood

                                           Teal on the flood

Gale force winds and heavy drizzle made me decide against Fly Flatts so it was back to Ogden again to find a strong NW>6 with early light drizzle. A real photographers nightmare with it no really coming light until I was leaving at 1000hrs.
Very little about with the same small gulls on the water and a few Tit flocks around but no sign of Long Tailed.
Managed to find one Siskin skulking in the bottom of Alders and refusing to have its picture taken
A count of 140 Mallard which is over 100 down on this time last year probably due to the mild weather.
Strangely no Fieldfares around the Syke Lane fields.
BS

Photos in the fog, Ogden.

                                           Waterlogged footpaths

                                                Gloom over the water

                A ray of sunshine, a Charm of Goldfinch appear

                                   Circling overhead.

                                      Dropping down

                                       Landing in the tree top

                        An amazing sight.

                                         Settled down

                                          Ready for roost.

         Sorry for photo quality but peering through the fog at last light.

Got back from town early with not having to call at Sainsburys due to Christmas shopping reschedule so due to another day of dense fog at Queensbury I went down to Ogden at 1430 for the last hour.The fog was nearly as thick there with visibility half way across the water and heavy drizzle but one of those perfect days for picking up a raft of Scoters or some Yellow billed swans. This was not to be and things were quiet with about 40 small gulls on the water, 75% BHG, one of which was still sporting a full summer black hood.
Passerines skulking around the edges were the usual Wrens, Dunnocks and Robins with the small flocks of Tits and bits.
Back near the visiting centre with an empty camera and gloomy face the birding god felt sorry for me and sent over a charm of around 70 Goldfinch circling overhead before coming down in a tree top ready to roost, once again the day was saved.
BS

The Shortest Day, Queensbury.

                                The weather vane on Foxhill School

                          The Pineberry, Websters Brewery black cat.

A decent day once the fog and damp had cleared mid morning bringing the sky alive with birds after a 2 day grounding. Large flocks of Starlings moved around the village as did small gulls going from one feeding area to another.
Foxhill park held 6 Blue Tits and 3 Greenfinch midday and on the walk back to work a fast tight flock of Golden Plover flew from the direction of the Dailie fields towards Shelf Moor. Thanks to NK for following it up and walking down to check the fields out but it seems the Lapwing flock is still lower down nearer Northowram.
You may wonder what the 2 photos above have to do with owt, well the answer is nowt, it was just something to take so I had,nt carried the camera around the park at lunchtime for nothing.
BS

Grim day at Queensbury.

The least said about today the better with thick fog swirling about all day and a mixture of light, heavy and torrential rain.
Walking to work this morning at 0745hrs I thought Id set the alarm clock wrong and got up at midnight it was so dark and the rest of the day wasnt much brighter. Luckily we had a mad rush of repairs so managed to get through the day, head down and no time to look out and get depressed.
At least its the shortest day tomorrow although the crackpots say the world is going to end at 1100hrs so lets hope its fit for NK to get up on that hill and find some Snow Bunts before it happens. Problem is on Soil Hill its like the world has come to an end sometimes.
BS

Blast from the past, Ogden

A day of fog and heavy rain throughout in Queensbury so heres some pics of past birds on the water at Ogden just to give you hope.

                                    Little Grebe  Aug 2011

                                           9 Wigeon       Oct 2011

                                  Single female Wigeon  Oct 2010

                                   Single male Wigeon   Dec 2010

                                   Pair Goldeneye   Feb 2011

                                      Single Pink Footed Goose   May 2011

BS.