Bombers Moon

Just been out with dogs over Foxhill under a clear starry sky and a bright bombers moon with several Redwing calls overhead.
As I got to the top of Fleet Lane a wader called as it went unseen over the top of me >NW and kept calling until out of earshot.
At a guess I would say Redshank but I,ll have to do a bit of disc listening to confirm it.
BS

Shelf Moor

A good count of Canadas at the pond

Autumn at the Lion Gates
A poor start to the morning then by 0800hrs a bit of blue started to show through before clouds rapidly filled over bringing heavy rain showers for the rest of the day until early evening when the skies cleared just before dark.
No signs of vis mig over the garage this morning even before the rain started.
Shelf Moor late afternoon found 35 Canadas around the pond area, 15 Fieldfare and around 30 Redwing in trees near the lion gates and a very mobile Goldfinch flock of around 30.
Hopefully these clear skies will last until the morning to get a decent watch in.
BS

Saved by the Woodpigs

If it wasnt for an early morning move of Woodpigeons >S my day would have been birdless. Up to 150 came over reasonably high between 0700 and 0800hrs but after that the skies were deserted. Midday saw a few small gulls moving around but with no definate direction and 2 Pied Wagtails were on the football pitch at Foxhill.
A reliable customer rang this morning reporting seeing a single Swallow over her garden at Uplands yesterday afternoon heading slowly >S. Dont think we,ll get many more sightings this year now although I once had 2 over EGP on the26th November but that was a one off and many moons ago.
Nice one on the Crossbills today at Ogden, see Queensburybirders for NKs report. Theres a bird thats declined drastically in numbers around this area over the last few years.
BS

What Fieldfares ?

Strangely today I had no Fieldfare sightings at all over Queensbury even though a call from HC/DCB and a text from DJS reported heavy movements. Obviously the birds were coming in from a different area on a different flight path which took them to the north of the village unlike yesterdays birds which came through on a broader front.
A flock of 18 Redwing came over early morning >S fast and low and that was about it for the day.
Common gulls on the park this morning gave a record count for this autumn of 48.
BS

Fieldfare Invasion

Victoria Hall looming above the chimney pots.

Black Dyke mill chimney SSE of the garage

Overnight sub zero temperatures brought a morning of frozen puddles, iced over cars, clear blue skies and masses of Fieldfare.
Walking to work the skies were empty other than a few flocks of Woodpigeons heading >S but by 0745 Fieldfares started rocketing through all >NW and >N. The small flocks made up of up to 30 birds came through in a way I havent experienced in previous autumns by all flying very fast and low, some skimming the rooftops and the majority below building level following the old station valley and over the Dailie fields towards Mountain, all were coming from the east. Camera at the ready I hoped for the normal high slow moving flock but this didnt happen and even at mid day birds were skimming through with the same urgency. On the walk back to work after lunch 8 Fieldfare skimmed right over my head at the side of the Conservative club giving me amazing close views but no time to even take the camera out of my pocket.
An early phone call to alert DCB found he was getting nothing but whilst still on the phone he started to pick them up and after that was inundated with them, Ive yet to see his final count.
BS

Nobbut a few Wagtails

Clear skies and black clouds

Bright blue skies today with black clouds rolling in bringing showers p.m. Temperature taken a dive today with some snow forecast on high ground which usually means us. 3 small groups of Alba Wagtails over >S first thing this morning, 2 groups over Chapel Lane, a 3 and a 5 and 1 group over the High St of 6.
5 Mallard flew over the garage but these were probably birds that had roosted on Station Rd pond and a Heron came from the same area.
A bit of cold weather now should liven things up a bit and get those duck and swan reports flooding in.
Talking to a lady today who was going to see if Ogden would be interested in taking a pair of Mute Swans on, if they did this would be a tick for Qby unless anyone has had them previously.
BS

Queensbury Today

A strong W>5-6 increasing and bringing rain by late afternoon quietened the skies over Queensbury today although the morning started off well then dropped off by 0900hrs.
The main movers today were Redwings all >S and high looking very much like fresh birds in. Also on the same flight path were Woodpigeons but only in small numbers with none of the large flocks that we like to see. Strangely a fresh wave of Meadow Pipits came over in 2 groups of 15 and 11 all >S, these being the first Mipits over for 2 weeks.
A great sighting by NK today with a Shag over Ogden, and a Plover sighting past Soil Hill, which was also briefly scoped by DJS from Hunter Hill, which could possibly have been another Grey coming in from the same direction as yesterdays birds though Nigel is tending to sway towards Goldie, maybe to be on the safe side. See reports on Queensburybirder and Calderbirds.

Todays birds :-
73 Redwing..................................>S
41 Woodpigeon...........................>S
26 Meadow Pipit........................>S
BS

A cold Soil Hill

Life on the hill, DJS and Dishfish.

You,ve heard of Simons Seat, this is Brians Seat.

Sun rays over Mixenden reservoir

Soil Hill, 1500-1700hrs. Icy cold W>4 Blue skies becoming hazy for distant viewing.
All quiet to start with the expected skiens of Pinkies not materializing and very little else in the sky.
Scanning round I picked up 4 fast flapping birds coming from the SE over Yeadon airport towards me and my first thought was pigeons. As they got over Thornton I could see they were Grey Plovers in full winter plumage so as they got within 1/4 ml of the hill I took the bins off them and lifted the camera only to find they had disappeared from sight. Several minutes scanning failed to relocate them so I can only assume either I lost them below the skyline or they dropped down to the NK pond. Had they continued on I should have picked them up going over the Nab unless they went down at TMR?
A Kestrel was calling and arguing with a crow throughout the watch over the west bank and several gulls were heading to roost, small gulls down through the coll and LBBs towards Eccup.
Nice to chat with DJS on the hill for an hour and Dishfish turned up with camera at the ready.
BS

Fly Flatts/Hunter Hill

                                        Fly Flatts, still as a mill pond

A good number of Red Grouse on the moor

First stop was Fly Flatts after a promising red ball sunrise and mist in the valleys. The sky was near cloudless in dead calm conditions with a heavy frost on the ground. Although Starlings and Woodpigeons were on the move it soon became apparent that things were moving over the hill to my east.
Luckily as I was at the far north of the water I picked up 5 skeins of Pink Footed Geese just disappearing >SE behind the Nab. They were well to the east of me and not visible to the naked eye.
A quick call to alert DCB found he had them much closer there and got some pics, the call also confirmed that things were busy at the east of the hill.
A quick dash back to the car and down the road to Hunter Hill proved a good move although according to DCB I had missed another 3 skiens in the process.
Hunter Hill was a much better option with more distant geese and a busy selection of moving traffic. By 1030hrs things had quietened down considerably though Fieldfare were starting to come over.

Fly Flatts :-
190 Starling...............................................>NW
96 Woodpigeon.........................................>S
c150 P.F.Geese.........................................>SE
Present :-
4 Twite
18 Red Grouse
Just 4 BH Gulls on water.

Hunter Hill :-
32 P.F. geese...............................>SE 30 and 2
370 Starling................................>NW
5 Brambling................................>SE
57 Fieldfare.................................>NW 4 Fieldfare.....>SW
11 Redwing..................................>NE
15 Chaffinch.................................>SE
12 Siskin.......................................>S
2 Raven.........................................>W
1 Sparrowhawk............................>S
Present :-
sev blogging mipits

The good news, I found my flask top which I thought Id left at Fly Flatts weeks ago and there it was at Hunter Hill,
the coffee had gone cold but at least DJS and Jen hadnt drunk it.
BS

Queensbury today

Good numbers of gulls over last light to roost >E

What looked like an ideal moving day today turned out to be a damp squid, or it did over Queensbury at least.
Not much on at the garage this a.m. so spent most of the morning in the car park cutting trees back etc with some sky gazing thrown in.
Woodpigeons were moving >S first light but soon fizzled out. I expected big Fieldfare numbers but this didnt materialize although conditions were good and Redwings were moving well even through the showers all >N and >NE.
A tight flock of Siskins powered through >SW and a single Kestrel went over very high and >S.
This evening good numbers of gulls came over >E on route to roost with the majority being LBBs. Strange how ,as always, the big gulls come over first followed by the Commons and Black Headed.
Get ready for mega reports from Fly Flatts in the morning ( sez he hopefully ).
BS

Fieldfare starting to show

A cold >N wind today making me think I was probably better off working than stood on an isolated watchpoint taking the full force of the weather. Then I heard of DJSs Hen Harrier past Hunter Hill and Fieldfares piling over Oxenhope and that soon made me change my mind.
3 Fieldfare came out of roost from the trees down Station Rd this a.m. along with 12 Redwing and all moved off >SW.  Otherwise the skies were quiet although there seems to have been a slight fall of Dunnocks with several more about that the norm.
Shelf Moor tonight had 2 Fieldfare in with 6 Mistle Thrush dropping in to roost by the old bacon factory and a flock of 15 Chaffinch came over heading for the golf course, probably again locals going to roost..
Lets hope the invasion of the Fieldfares happens this weekend and the weather is kind enough to let us see it.
BS

Queensbury Today

A quieter day on the movement scene today although the sky looked good being 100% cloud cover which is usually good moving conditions.
A report via DJS yesterday of 4 Whoopers over Ogden at mid day sounds good although NK checked the area out today and got second prize of a drake Pochard which if it remains till the weekend, which is highly unlikely, will be another site tick for me. Ogden really has excelled itself this year. See Queensburybirder blog for full report plus a close encounter with a hedge trimming Buzzard.
For myself I had to make do with a few Mipits over along with a handful of Chaffinch.
BS

Wagtails and Finches

Another bright clear day with the mid day sunshine feeling quite warm.
Wagtails and finches were the order of the day today with 8 Alba Wags over >W early a.m. which was a suprise as its getting late in the season for them.
Otherwise it was a mixture of Chaffinch, Goldfinch Greenfinch and Linnet though only in small dribs and drabs moving >SW.
No winter thrushes today and yet again no Pinkies over, if they don,t show soon my neck will be permanently stiff, people round here must wonder why I always walk with my head facing skyward.
A quick dash to Shelf Moor tonight found 2 flocks of very mobile Lapwing, c50 and c80 flying around over the fields and on my return journey just after dark Lapwing were dropping in to roost in the cross roads circus field.
BS

Song Thrush on the move

Clear skies and contrails

House Sparrow at the feeders

Clear blue skies from the word go this morning with a steady flow of Meadow Pipits >S although only in ones and twos.
Song Thrushes were the prominent mover this morning with 3 groups of 5 , 3 and 2 along with a small number of Redwings all >SE.
The rugby field held 41 Common Gull this morning which is a record count for this season so far and a customer from Wilsden had a single Swallow over his garden just before mid day.
Good to hear that Whooper Swans are starting to make an appearance in the area so keep an eye on those reservoirs and maybe we,ll manage a Bewick or two.
BS

Jackdaws on mass

Jackdaws heading for the roost

Up to 200 Jackdaws pass over twice daily.

A clear day now that the weekend is over but from what I could see from work there was very little movement.
A few Redwings were about but these were not fresh in birds and probably been in a few days.
Jackdaw numbers have risen to approx 200 racing over >S in a morning and back >N early evening heading for the roosts at Wilsden and Hewenden. Seems like the majority of Redwing are here now and we have missed the big arrival due to fog but another week or so and the Fieldfares will be piling in.
Unfortunately DJS didnt relocate the Sainsbury Bramblings but its worth keeping an eye out down there from now as the trees are in peak condition and it will get you some brownie points if you keep asking your better half if she wants to go shopping at Sainsburys.
Foxhill park this early a.m. held 32 Common Gull and 18 BH Gull.
BS