Swifts Galore

Just a quick blog tonight as just got in covered in paint and silicone sealer, lovely, but the job is all but finished now so a reprieve over the long weekend.
An after work dog walk at 1745 hrs produced Swifts piling over >NE with around 60 + in 15 minutes which were probably a feeding party on the move, possibly ahead of a weather front.
4 LBB gulls headed > NW towards Fly Flatts and 5 Chaffinch were in the park trees which is unusual for this area.
Hope everyone has a good Bank Holiday and plenty to report, reservoirs are the place to watch over the weekend for waders and Terns and check those Herring gulls for Yellow Legged as we get near the peak time of July.
BS

A grey day

A full day of low cloud and heavy drizzle which is poor for birders but ideal weather for Tern movement if anyone had chance to get out reservoir watching. Seems unlikely as the grapevine has gone into shutdown mode this week with only 2 texts throughout the week and not a decent bird reported at work either.
On the good side the weather dried up by 1900 hrs letting me get some outside painting done on the daughters house renovation project so hopefully I,m still on track to knock it off by the weekend if tomorrow evening is fine so it will leave the Bank holiday weekend clear.
Still chance for some straggling waders through over the weekend and of course Terns which gave us a miss last year for some reason.
We then have to get through the worst of the birding months,June, which is the quietest time due to breeding but can be known for turning up a rarity or two.
Foxhill park at the moment is alive with noisy young Starlings being fed by the adult birds on the football pitches.
BS

Local Owls

A few years ago , other than Tawny and Little, owls were hard to come by around the Queensbury area but with reports coming in regular now we can be proud to say we hold hold all 5 of the British owl species. Even though Queensbury weather is bad I think we,ll have to forget the sixth owl, the Snowy.

      Record distant shots last light, Barn Owl

                                               Pair Tawny Owl

                                    Juv Long eared Owl

                                   Adult Long Eared Owls

                                                          Juv LEO

                                             Little Owl

                                       Short Eared Owl

As you,ll have gathered its been a quiet day around the village today.
Thanks to Nigel Kerwin for his time and interest in identifying yesterdays raptor with me.
BS

Another Queensbury raptor

With bright clear skies and light wind the skies seemed ideal for raptors today but after a full day of sky watching when ever chance nothing.
That was until walking home at 1715 hrs when I heard corvid commotion high over Chapel Lane and saw several Jackdaws and Crows mobbing a raptor. By the time Id clocked  it was well on its way heading east away from me so only managed 3 very distant poor shots with the pocket camera.
It looked strange for a Buzzard seeming to have longer narrow wings turned well up at the ends and its white rump or tail feathers stood out even at that distance.
Going through the books tonight I think it will have to go down as Buzzard , the wings and slimmish body looking odd because of the angle I was viewing it from.

                                            Best I could get.

BS

Swifts moving ahead of the showers.

Very little spare time today but lunch break was interesting over Foxhill with large feeding parties of Swifts over moving in front of the showers. This continued throughout the afternoon with empty skies then a rush of Swifts moving through as the black clouds followed by rain appeared.
Otherwise it was down to LBB gulls heading >NW and a group of 9 Canadas >NE over Foxhill at 0830 hrs spotted by Lynda was interesting.
BS

Oxenhope revisited, Members Only.

                                       9 Herring gulls on the shoreline

                                             LBB over

                                      Herring gull bathing

        Very distant pics across the water. The Herring gull far right
        has a yellow leg ring but out of zoom range

                                                   Cropped
1600-1715 hrs
With heavy rain showers and sunshine with a W>4 it was back on reservoir watch expecting Terns or large waders through but neither happened.
It was in fact the reverse with most of yesterdays waders moved on leaving just 2 Ringed Plover but an increase to 5 Redshank and 4 Common Sandpipers.
As I was leaving 2 Dunlin flew in low over the water but were lost from view on the far shoreline.
Gulls were plentiful with 118 LBB, 9 Herring and 2 BH gulls.
Hopefully by the end of June into July we,ll get a visit from a Yellow Legged gull.
The last 15 minutes of the watch were spent on Sentry Hill watching the spectacle of hundreds of Swifts passing through >N.
No sign from there of ACs Sandwich Tern so it must have veered more west over Fly Flatts way.
BS

Leeshaw/ Fly Flatts.

                Distant Leeshaw Little Owl

  Leeshaw, plenty colourful Lapwings with chicks

                                         Fly Flatts , Grey Wagtail

All in all a poor morning marred by a run of events to start off with.
Leeshaw was shrouded in fog wasting the first hour by not clearing  until 0800 hrs and then the farmer decided to discharge his 12 bore for 30 minutes in nearby fields spooking the dogs to death.
Then just as I thought I was clear the fishermen arrived walking the full circumference of the water flushing everything in sight.
Waders were poor, unsurprisingly, with water up to the top again and no sign of shoreline so just the usual Oyks etc.
With little of interest it was on to Fly Flatts and once again finding a full reservoir and all shoreline submerged.
A good scoping from the top provided at least 4 Common Sandpiper on the west bank cobbles and otherwise the usual Canadas and Greylags.

Withins Gap farm field held 2 mobile Golden Plover and a single Grey Wagtail.

Leeshaw

Redshank
Golden Plover
Common Sandpiper
Oystercatcher
Little Owl
Pied Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Lapwing + sev chicks
Curlew
+ usual sp

Fly Flatts

Grey Wagtail
Golden Plover
Common Sandpiper
+ usual sp.
BS