Leeshaw Reservoir/ Raggalds Flood

                                                Plenty LBBs moving through

                                     Meadow Pipits still feeding young

                      Belinda the blushing bride yesterday

A early evening trip to check the water at Leeshaw reservoir found the same or worse conditions than this morning at Ogden with the NNW >6-7 and heavy drizzle throughout.
Only birds on the move were LBB gulls with a constant supply heading >N and low being mobbed if they got too close to the Lapwings areas,
Otherwise it was the usual stuff but mostly hogging the shore line out of the wind.

4 Curlew
2 Oystercatcher
1 Redshank
1 Little Ringed Plover
4 Golden Plover
+ usual sp.

Raggalds flood on the way back still had the Redshank showing  which I failed to see for 15 minutes due to the camouflage effect of the mud, then 6 young calfs started chasing each other round flushing the bird which headed towards Thornton.
BS
                                      

Testing the water, Ogden

                                                Under the shelter of the trees

                                     Grey and wet

Some post wedding running about to do this morning but thought Id better check the water at Ogden first in perfect Scoter/ Tern conditions spurred along by local reports of Common Scoter on the move.
Conditions were atrocious with driving rain coming horizontal over the water driven on by a strong NW>6.
As yesterday all was quiet and even the Canadas were taking shelter under the banking in the NW corner.
Only thing of note was several LBB gulls moving over NW into the wind.
Back to normal now so should get out somewhere this tea time.
BS

Early morn at Ogden

                                                 Empty waters

                                   Canadas seem to be resident here now

Sunshine and showers with a brisk S>5 at Ogden early doors when I arrived for a quick walk round before the wedding.
The water was void of any bird life with just 7 Canadas and a few Mallard around the edges. One female Mallard still had 3 very young ducklings whilst a Heron watched on nearby.
A pair of Bullfinch were the best birds I could find with several Willow Warblers and the usual common stuff.
Still no Blackcap or Garden Warbler.

The Raggalds Flood looked a little better for the rain and held 1 Redshank, 2 Woodpigs and a Lapwing.

Well, Ive to go get donned up now and take the daughter down the aisle but the weddings near Wainhouse Tower so I,ll be watching out for Peregrines.
BS.

Visitor to the garage

                            Young Blue tit fresh out of the nest box

                                       Spent 1hour in the garage

A mixed day with heavy overnight rain and thunderstorms leaving a day of sunshine followed by grey skies.

The Blue Tit nest box near the garage car park  has produce 3 young which came out of the box yesterday and one ended up spending 1 hour in the garage before it finally worked out how to fly downwards to get through the open doors.
Plenty LBBs about today in various directions but otherwise quiet.
A bad birding weekend with the second daughters wedding tomorrow but hopefully will get an hour early morning then back to normal Sunday tea.
BS

Leeshaw Cuckoo and Raggalds Flood.

         Leeshaw Cuckoo, photos courtesy Michael Whitelock,

Thanks to blog watcher Michael Whitelock for sending me these cracking photos of a Cuckoo taken at Leeshaw reservoir.
Ive been watching this bird at Leeshaw for a few weeks but only across the far side of the reservoir and never managed to get within this distance, well done Michael and thanks for sharing the experience with us.

A grey damp day at Queensbury today with a slight S>3-4 with outbreaks of rain.
Nothing moving at the moment other than 2 LBB gulls over >S early morning and a second day of Swifts heading >N.
A quick visit to the flood this evening after Morrisons found it very disappointing with the area fully dried up and the mud starting to crust over. The only bird present was a Pied Wagtail with 3 more over the Raggalds towards the football field. Hopefully this weekends rain will revive it slightly.
BS

Dailies Dash

A hot day with black clouds around midday threatening rain but never materialized other than a few specks before blowing over leaving clear blue skies and sunshine again.
A quick look at the top of the Dailies at lunchtime found only 3 Linnets which is a disappointment after last years flock there of c 80, but with the Gorse bushes dead they have obviously had to move on elsewhere.
At least 2 Willow Warblers were present and 1 Whitethroat in the new Hawthorns whilst Swifts piled over >N which they have done from early morning probably keeping ahead of the weather front moving up from the south.
BS

Looking back, July 2012

                                     Breeding success for Grey Wagtails

   A surprise visit of Shoveler at Ogden , found by NK

                                             Local Wheatear bred

                                   A good supply of Whitethroat

                 Unlike this year, young Stonechat

                                 watched over by the male.

With the longest day on Friday and June nearly gone its time to start looking forward to July when things slowly start happening. With breeding time over the first sign of movement is dispersion as birds start to spread out across the country and away from their breeding grounds.
Gulls will become more apparent with July being the best month for Yellow Legged Herring gull whilst wader passage gets into gear with hopefully some shoreline showing at the local reservoirs to tempt them down.
Mixed feelings on the weather at the moment as want it dry for the reservoir levels to drop but need rain to top up the Raggalds flood.
BS

Fleet Lane to Old Guy Rd

                  A visitor to the bird feeders.  Wood mouse I think ?

A grey day with temperatures up remaining dry.

A busy gardening program but managed a dog walk through the fields from Fleet Lane to Old Guy Rd hoping for Whinchat in last years area.
Skylarks are back on the up with 4 seen around the cricket field , 2 of which were carrying food, whilst 2 Meadow Pipits were doing the same.
A distant female Wheatear was on the wall below the cricket field with plenty Swallows and Swifts high overhead.
No returning gulls in the fields yet and just one Kestrel over Bradshaw.
A good feeding party of c 60 Swifts went high over Chapel Lane early a.m. >SE.
BS

Causeway Foot col

                           Well camouflaged Skylark

                Very few Linnets, note the dead Gorse bush

                                    Plenty nesting Meadow Pipits

                                              Blackbird in full voice

Due to the lateness of the hour when I got free this tea time I decided against going after NK/ DJSs Whinchat above Ogden and I also thought about the number of times Ive trekked up that path without a bird so I decided on the Causeway Foot col.
The Ned Hill track which is usually heaving with Goldfinch, Linnet and Whitethroat was very quiet with just 2 Linnets and several Meadow Pipits. The reason for this soon became apparent when I found that as with the Dailie fields nearly all the gorse bushes are dead along with most of the broom.
Just the usual Skylarks, Mipits and corvids about wit about 15 LBB gulls >S through the col.
Again no Stonechat but the shortage this year will probably be linked with the mystery gorse bush disease.
Raggalds Flood
2 Pied Wag
3 Lapwing
3 Woodpigeon
1 singing Blackbird.
BS

Leeshaw Reservoir

                                           Plenty Curlew present

                                          3 Resident Oystercatchers

                                    Distant shots of Little Ringed Plover

Despite the weather forecast saying dry all day and no wind it drizzled and rained all morning blown on by a stiff SW>4.
Leeshaw was , as always, lively with the usual Curlews Lapwings and geese'
The ploughed field is now regrown green again but still holding Lapwings so most of the action was in a stubble field at the north end.
This field had Curlew, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Stock Dove and Woodpigeon.
A Cuckoo was calling from over the moor whilst a Cormorant flew over >S.
BS

Checking out the upland birds

                                        4 Dunlin counted

                                                 

                                           9 Golden Plover

                                           2 Oystercatchers

                                               Several Curlew

                                          3 Noisy Redshank

                                          Loadsa Lapwing

                                             3 Common Sandpiper

Sunshine with a couple of torrential showers and a strong SW>5

A  2 hour moorland check this evening to see whats happening on the upland bird scene proved fruitful with most of the common breeders holding territory.
On the negative side, no sign of any raptors at all.
4 Dunlin
9 Golden Plover
3 Redshank
2 Oystercatchers
2 pr Reed Bunting
3 Common Sandpiper
Plenty Curlew and Lapwing
Continuous flow >SW of Swifts and Swallows.

Redshank still on Raggalds flood this evening.

A report of a rare bird in a tree at Shelf Moor riding stables earlier this week turned out to be a Cockatiel when the the reported showed me a photo on his phone today. Thanks to Derek Wood for that.
BS