Last of the Fieldfares

A day of sunshine and showers of snow, hail and sleet with an icy cold N>5 veering NW>4 this evening.
Surprising today how many LBB gulls were about moving around over the village in no certain direction, possibly the non breeders or birds from yesterdays gull movement. Several stop around fields and moorland with the hopes of an egg or two from Lapwings and Geese.
Dinnertime dog walk up Foxhill produced 5 Fieldfare over high and fast in migration mode >N which will probably be my last sighting this spring.
A check looking east from the Daily fields for any more movement just found 1 single Mistle Thrush >E and 2 Swallows >N.
BS.

Soil Hill Dotterel search. pm

1500 hrs on Soil Hill and an icy cold N>5 with light hail showers but good visibility.
Thought a Dotterel would be nice before the working week starts but not to be, in fact the hill was very quiet in the conditions.
The tree line produced 1 f Blackbird and 2 Wrens whilst Ring Ouzel clough was out of use due to the farmer working the land.
A search of both summits found the usual Skylarks, Mipits and Lapwings whilst 15 minutes sky watch from the mounds in the eye watering wind produced, 2 Carrion Crow, 1 Buzzard over Baildon,
2 Herring gulls and 3 LBBs all >N , 3 Swallows and 2 Kestrels.
BS

Fly Flatts a.m.

             Swallows getting established

     More male than female Wheatears

                           Unusual for Herring gulls here.

                                    2nd winter Herring

                                                                LBB

Fly Flatts  0700- 0945 hrs
A cold start to the morning after an overnight light covering of snow with a cool N>4 but warming slightly when the sun finally broke through.
Nothing out of the ordinary until gulls started moving through >N with a mix of Herring and Lesser Black Backed with several landing on the water briefly.
Several Wheatear along the west banking along with Common Sandpipers but no raptor activity.
No sign of the Golden Plover flock in any of the usual fields.

7 Curlew
9 Wheatear
15 Herring gull
13 LBB gull
6 Common Sandpiper
2 Lapwing
1 Snipe
2 Red Grouse
5 Swallows

Better keep an eye on Soil Hill for Dotterel now . See Daniel Branch blog for a Derbyshire bird.
Last recording for Soil Hill was 17/04/2008 BS et al.
BS

Also today at Fly Flatts. late p.m.

                                     Rough water

            Dark clouds and a long walk back to the car

                                 1 of 4 Common Sandpipers

                                        1 of 7 Wheatear

           DJSs Golden Plovers still present

A bleak late afternoon visit to Fly Flatts to get some seed down in case the morning is written off.
A strong N>5 was blowing with heavy hail and snow showers but good visibility.
The rough water was void of bird life, not even a Canada goose showing.
Common Sandpiper numbers are slowly building with 4 along the south banking.
7 Wheatears were present but very flighty whilst 6 Swallows flew >N low over the water looking strange in the snow showers.
7 Golden Plover found by DJS were still in the field near the farm but none showing in the other usual fields.
BS

One for the I.D . books ?

 Fly Flatts late afternoon , flew from the roadside

       Dunlin, Green Sandpiper size

           

                                   No white rump in flight

           Pure brown mantle, pure white underside
                                         Down curved bill

                                          Did,nt call

BS

More Teal on the move

A cold E>4 blowing today but remaining bright until mid afternoon when dark clouds moved in bringing a few specks of rain.
A quick shopping spree to Sainsburys  after work before decorating proved lucky when 2 Teal flew over the end of Swalesmoor heading >NW. A good week for Teal since the 23 at Fly Flatts last weekend and 2 on Soil Hill during the week. Not an easy duck to get onto in this area.
Nice to hear Brighouse had the first Swifts through today, my earliest in previous years has been 25th April and some years none until May but it will have to warm up a bit before we start getting them on the top of this hill.
Hope the weekends good to you.
BS

Queensbury Today

A late quick blog tonight with an harassing hour of the finer points of decorating at the nursery site fitting a curtain pole trying to drill and plug a wall made of plaster and black lime. Anyway, after a lot of blood , sweat and tears , not to mention the swearing, its up and secure.
Another stonking day with the first signs of local Swallow movement over lunch time with 14 over Foxhill in ones and twos along with 4 Alba Wagtails.
A large corvid over work this morning very high and >NE had the jizz of a Raven but impossible to say at that height without optics.
Nearing the weekend now so the weather looks set to change, a customer at work today told me snow is forecast ?.
BS

Soil Hill p.m.

                   Alive with Meadow Pipits

        Ring Ouzel clough, not living up to its name.

                         First summer Lesser Black Backed

                            Skylark up in the sun.

Using up a bit of my parole this evening I headed up to Soil Hill to check the situation.
Actually in shirt sleeves tonight which has got to be a one off and the sun was still burning down with wall to wall blue sky .
Real raptor looking skies but surprisingly void of movers other than a couple of LBB gulls.
The hill itself was buzzing with the resident birds counting at least 12 Skylark and 40+ Meadow Pipits.
The Shay fields were full of Corvids and Lapwings after a days muck spreading although the 2 resident pair of Lapwings were doing a good job of seeing everything off.
The pair of Oystercatchers were nowhere to be seen, possibly due to the Lapwings, although a single Curlew was still present.
A Snipe was up drumming briefly whilst a pair of Pheasant and 3 Grey Partridge kept low in the long grass.
A good check on the tree line and Ring Ouzel clough failed in producing but I managed to scrape up 5 female Wheatear , 3 around the north slope, 1 at the bottom of the clough and 1 briefly by the mast.
BS

Shelf Moor

A quick look on passing tonight found  1 pr Wheatear in the gorse field along with 3 Lapwing and a female Pied Wagtail.
The trailer park field produced 4 Skylark and around 50 Starling whilst a Heron dropped into the juncus field.
2 Swallows were on wires near Corporal Hill and 13 Greenfinch flew into conifers at the bottom of the hill.
4 Canadas were by the Green Lane pond and 11 Magpies were in the roost bush.
BS

Old Guy Road

A quick visit to Old Guy Road on the way to the decorating job found very little in the strong W>5 and heavy drizzle showers.
1 male Wheatear was knocking about on the far wall whilst 3 Skylark and 4 Meadow Pipits were on the cricket pitch.
A single male Pied Wagtail was in the manure pile field along with around 100 Starling.
4 LBB gulls were soaring over Bradshaw pond probably on the hunt for Canada goose eggs.
The wind had dropped when I took the dogs out tonight so hopefully we,ll get a better day tomorrow.
No reports or grapevine messages today so sounds like a poor do all round.
BS

Soil Hill. p.m.

                                          A wind blown Skylark

A early evening visit to Soil Hill gave me one species I went to check on, that being 2 Teal on the NK pond which I half expected after this mornings sighting at Fly Flatts and a report from IH with 6 arriving at Keighley Moor reservoir showing that they were moving on a broad front.
A thorough check of the tree line, Ring Ouzel clough , the mounds and the summits failed to produce any Ring Ouzel but did find a pair of Wheatear at the bottom of the clough. Even the Skylarks and Mipits were keeping their heads down in the cold W>5.

1 Oystercatcher
7 Lapwing
2 Teal
2 LBB gulls
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
11 Woodpigeons
3 Stock Doves
+ usual sp.
BS

Fly Flatts Sunday a.m.

                                   23 Teal taking the morning sun

              Mallard being entertained with a Common Sandpiper

                       1 of 4 returning Common Sandpipers

                               Teal keeping at distance

                                Greylag goose numbers building

                                          Very mobile Teal

            Moving from one end of res to the other

Fly Flatts   0630-0930 hrs
Cool N>3 increasing and turning to SW>4 by 0800 hrs Blue skies and sunshine  ,  NO FOG !!

A real lively session this morning with wall to wall birds making me wonder which to check out next.
Curlews are suddenly over running the area as well as Lapwings and Meadow Pipits.
Walking down by the boat house first thing I could see several Teal on the banking new in from last nights visit but very mobile when they clocked me from some distance away. A count of 23 was good when they landed on the water but at the far NE corner before moving back to the centre near the east banking.
Last nights Nyjer seed remained untouched so at least I know the geese are,nt taking it.

23 Teal
4 Redshank
4 Common Sandpiper
2 Swallow
8 Wheatear
4 Buzzard, very distant
2 LBB gulls
15 + Curlew
12 Lapwing
10 Greylag
18 Canadas with several on moors
+ usual sp.
BS