Queensbury Today

Early morn vis mig today before work found a good bit of movement going on with a few small passerines and several Swallows. LBB and Herring gulls were also on the move along with 2 very high Cormorant.
1 Cuckoo showing this morning at Taylor Lane, thanks to Angela and Gary for that report, otherwise a quiet daytypical of the blue skies and sunshine.
No time for birding tonight as did,nt get clear until 1945 hrs by which time now most birds are off to roost.

Vis Mig  30 mins, Foxhill early a.m.

38 Swallows .............................>S
3 Meadow Pipit........................>SW
4 Alba Wagtail.........................>W
2 Cormorant.............................>W
14 LBB gull............................>SW
3 Herring gull.........................>SW
BS

Then there was two.

                      The cuckoos favourite hiding place, Nettles.

Yesterday lunchtime when I was watching the Taylor Lane Cuckoo it was on a distant wall to the left of the road then in a matter of seconds it appeared on a distant post to the right of the road but when I looked the left hand bird had gone. I was puzzled how it had got from A to B so quick and without me seeing it.
I dismissed it until this morning when I checked my blog to find comments from DB and JL suspecting 2 birds, then the penny dropped, there had to be 2.
Another rushed dinner and dog walk then off to Taylor lane. I made the mistake of spending time checking the Spotted Fly area first then driving down the lane to the cuckoo area which left me with 5 minutes spare before back to work.
As soon as I got to the spot 2 Cuckoos were on the wires together then squabbling for the top of the lamp post. A quick check through the bins to make sure I was,nt looking at a Kestrel to find the juv and alongside it an adult.
By the time I jumped out of the car with the camera, why does the camera strap always wrap around the gear lever when you,re in a rush, both birds dropped simultaneously down into the large nettle patch  just over the wall, shown above, not to be seen again.
Well done to John Little and Dave Brotherton for picking up on the fact that there were 2 birds present.
Back up there late evening at 1925 hrs but all quiet and probably gone down to roost.
NK and DW picked up the adult Cuckoo this p.m. at the top of Taylor Lane.

PS  The horse field by the Spotted Flycatcher trees looks a dead cert for passing Yellow Wagtail
BS

Going Cuckoo

      The Taylor Lane juv Cuckoo, a great find by Daniel Branch.

                     Very mobile around the area and keeping at distance

                   These 4 shots very distant with 50x Bridge

With 3 calls this morning followed by 4 this afternoon reporting the Taylor Lane Cuckoo still in the area I thought it worth a dinner time dash for my 4th attempt at the bird.
On arrival with just 10 minutes to spare things looked grim but a bit of patience and standing watching suddenly got the bird flying over the road to a gate post. it was very mobile moving around the walls and fence posts but seemed quiet happy in amongst a Cuckoos favourite habitat, nettles.
A few photos and back to work with a smile on my face.

A visit to Ogden this evening was poor with just 39 BHGs, 3 Common gulls and 2 juv LBBs as well as a single Gt Crested Grebe whilst in the sky a few Swallows headed suoth.
A Green Woodpecker flew across the promenade disappearing into trees.
BS

Upland scenes from yesterday, Buzzard

 Nothing more pleasing than to see a buzzard appear
           over the hillside

 Just some of the more distant shots from
Sunday morning

A late get out tonight so it was 1930 hrs before I arrived to check Ogden which was poor with around 80 BHGs, 6 Commons and 7 LBB juvs. The skies were empty.
A quick check down Taylor lane failed to produce DBs cuckoo so not the best of results for Monday.

After mentioning DBs Gropper on Soil Hill yesterday I,ve since had several enquiries as to what is a Gropper.
Gropper is birding slang for Grasshopper Warbler, sorry for the confusion.
BS

Another tea time session, another storm. Taylor Lane

                                Kestrel on the Spotted Flycatcher post

                                          Mistle Thrush

                                                  In for the kill, a worm

                                                         Got it.

Tea time again and up to Taylor Lane to try get some decent Spotted Flycatcher pics when a grapevine text saying Hawkeye Daniel Branch had struck again with a Gropper on Soil Hill as well as Teal, he, also had the Spotted Fly earlier.
So the next plan was snap the Spotted Flycatcher then up to Soil Hill for the Gropper. wrong,
after 20 minutes wait no sign of the Flycatcher, just a Kestrel hanging around the area plus a single Mistle thrush on the wires.
Then when I was ready to move to Soil Hill the familiar rumble started and black rain clouds were moving through the Calder valley heading my way, fast!.
Back at the car and the heavens opened so it was abandon Soil Hill and home.
BS

Wheatear and Buzzards on the move, Fly Flatts

                        A fall of Wheatear early a.m.

                  All in smart autumn plumage

                 1 of 3 Buzzards moving through

                                                               wow

As expected, a foggy start which cleared to hazy sunshine on a brisk SE>4 making visibility limited for vis mig.
Fly Flatts was alive with Wheatear with 15 on the south shore, 7 by the feeding station and 6 below the west bank, 28 in all without checking the northern area.
All quiet on the water other than 2 Canadas and very little shoreline left now.
Swallows were moving through well along with 2 Swifts and then a treat as 3 seperate Buzzards came through the area all >S, 2 distant over the moor and one close by.
A trickle of Meadow Pipits and a few bloggers on the vis mig side and that was it.
Got plenty seed down in the new area with a mix of Sunflower centres, Nyjer and wild bird seed which should attract something down.
A drive on to Paul Clough to check the top fringes for migrants found it the same as yesterdays Slaughter Gap, quiet.
Apologies to grapeviners that got this mornings text twice but a poor signal at Fly Flatts sometimes stops sending part way through then when you press re try it starts over again.

Vis Mig
3 Buzzard...............................>S
28 Wheatear..........................blogging
32 Swallows..........................>S
2 Swift...................................>S
15 Meadow Pipit...................>SW
9 Meadow Pipit.....................blogging
Linnet..............................sev large flocks between Mixenden and Fly Flatts.
BS

Mixed luck

                                  Mixture of gulls at Ogden

                                    Impressive gull count

                                         Cormorants moving through

         Distant quick snap of Taylor Lane Spotted Flycatcher

1530 hrs and with the weather just what I did,nt want with blue skies and scorching sunshine I thought it worth a try at Hunter Hill to see if any migrants were down in Slaughter Gap after DJSs Redstarts there.
After nearly 2 hour of trekking up and down the gap I came away with 1 LBB gull, 1 Woodpig and 1 Sparrowhawk with not a single bird down in the valley. By the time I got back to the car I was as red as a Turkey Cock and feeling to have lead boots on.
The depression soon lifted as a Grapevine message arrived from DB via DJS of 2 Spotted Flycatchers and a juv Cuckoo down Taylor Lane, Soil Hill.
" I,ll be back in 15 minutes" I shouted to Lynda as I shot out of the door, camera in hand.
After a few minutes looking I got the 2 Spotted Flycatchers briefly from a distance , one on a pole, the other on a wire but then the rain came down and the birds dived down for cover not to be seen again.
Back home and the weather brightening it was throw the dogs in the car and head for Ogden where the gull count was very impressive with 31 LBB, 19 Common and over 200 BHGs.
The 2 Great Crested Grebe were present on the water and a bit of sky watching produced 5 Cormorant over >W.
By now dark clouds were appearing and wondering whether to walk round the water or not was decided when a clap of thunder spooked Ollie who dragged the other 2 dogs and me sharpish back to the car.
On the way home the rain was that heavy over Soil Hill I had to pull in until it eased slightly so I could see where I was going.
Not the best of Saturday sessions but thanks to Hawkeye Branch the day was saved with the 2 Spotted Flycatchers on the doorstep.

Vis Mig
5 Cormorant...........................>W
2 Spotted Flycatchers...........> blogging
8 Swallows...........................>S
BS

Old Guy Rd ,early a.m. Ogden late p.m.

             Common gulls returning to Old Guy Rd

                                  Several Pied Wagtails on the cricket pitch

                                  Still and muggy at Ogden

                                               Low light by 1930 hrs

An early morning check on Old Guy Rd cricket pitch was worthwhile with 19 Common gulls returned as well as 9 Pied Wagtails, mainly juvs, 2  Skylark and a single distant Wheatear.

A last minute dash to Ogden at 1930 hrs found it near void of birds with around 30 BHGs , 2 Gt Crested Grebe and the usual Mallards with some hirundine movement overhead.
Looks like evening birding is getting near to a close now with darkness creeping in by 2000hrs.
hope you all have a birdy weekend.

Vis Mig
9 Pied Wagtail..........................blogging
2 Skylark..................................blogging
1 Wheatear...............................blogging
1 Grey Wagtail........................>W
4 Swallows..............................>S
1 House Martin.......................>S
8 Linnet..................................>SW
BS

Return from Ogden with an empty camera. pm visit

An evening check on Ogden found it very quiet around the water front with only 5 LBB gulls and around 50 BHGs.
Nothing else on the water other than Mallards with the Gt Crested Grebes and Canadas not present.
A short vis mig watch from the top car park showed slight signs of movement but the same amount of time watching from the Ned Hill watch point clocked nothing other than gulls heading to Oxenhope.

Vis Mig

15 Swallows.......................>S
4 House Martin..................>S
2 Grey Wagtail..................>W
1 Alba Wagtail..................>W

Gary, from the Angela and Gary team clocked 2 Swifts over the North bridge area of Halifax this evening, Thanks Gary and thanks for the text Angela.
BS

Early morning vis mig on a deteriorating day

A decent cloudy sky first light with passerines moving over for the first hour before the blue skies appeared . From mid afternoon the rain slowly moved in turning to heavy drizzle mid evening.
Good Tern/ gull weather tonight but by the time I,d got clear it was 1930 hrs and rapidly coming dark so no reservoir check for me.
Early a.m. vis mig

12 Meadow Pipit.........................>SW
5 Swallow..................................>S
1 House Martin..........................>S
2 Skylark...................................>W
4 Greenfinch............................>W   High up looking like movers
BS

Old Guy Road midday, Corporal Hill watchpoint , evening.

                                      Old Guy Road cricket pitch

                                       Plenty Linnets around

A check around Old Guy Road at lunch time found the cricket pitch empty apart from 2 Pied Wagtails and 4 Meadow Pipits but the green was littered with white gull feathers showing several gulls had been preening there.
A single Wheatear was flitting around a distant wall whilst several Linnets were grouping on the wires. Several Swallows were moving through >S.

Shelf Moor this evening produced the usual Canadas over on the way to roost in the pond field but just 4 this evening.
A short watch from the top of Corporal Hill found several blogging Swallows over the new mown fields and 8 Lapwing in a field full of corvids.
Four Pied Wagtails were along the roadside along with 3 Greenfinch and again more Linnets were on the wires.

Vis Mig
39 Swallows..............................>S
Sev Swallows...........................blogging
1 Wheatear ..............................blogging
Sev Linnet...............................grouping ready to move.

A reliable customer report today of 2 ringtail Hen Harriers moving through >S last Thursday low over a local moor.
No time to check Ogden tonight as had to pick Ollie up from the vets after having some teeth removed. He came away less 4 teeth and I came away less £300, very painful for us both.
BS