Downtown birding

Halifax Parish Church

Thrushes and Blackbirds were fighting over berries

Thick fog this p.m. so the Soil Hill excursion had to be aborted. Instead headed down Halifax to check out the roosts around the Parish church, Sainsburys and Wickes which proved to be an interesting area. It was just after 1500hrs so the light was rapidly starting to fade and birds seemed to be feeding well before the long cold night.
The most active area was the hedges and rowans down between Wickes and Sainsburys where I counted 15 Blackbirds, 9 Mistle Thrush and 2 Song Thrush along with several Robins and Dunnocks. The Blackbirds were going through holes in the hedge to roost deep inside the bushes whilst the thrushes were settling down in the large evergreen tree up the side of Sainsburys wall.
The trees around the church held up to 11 Magpies whilst the steeple itself was used by feral pigeons and Jackdaws.
Sainsburys trees were quiet apart from a few Blackbirds but the trees behind the filling station in the old goods yard held a flock of c 20 Chaffinch but were very mobile so I was unable to see if any Brambling were amongst them. This area is obviously where the Brambling that Ive had in Sainsburys in the past have come from.
A small flock of 6 Siskin were in the large Willow tree in Matalans car park along with a few Blue tits.
5 Pied Wagtails were at the bottom end of the Woolshops but no sign of the usual roost starting.
Large numbers of Jackdaws were settling on wires at the top of Southowram Bank and several small gulls were noisily feeding in the leisure centre car park.
No Waxwings about which was either due to the late hour or the fact that I had my camera with me.
Amazing how so many birds are about in a busy area and people are dashing around christmas shopping without noticing them.
This will go down as a recommended area to watch, especially in the spring when the Warblers turn up.
BS

A frozen Ogden

Inquisitive BH gull

3 Remaining water holes

Med Gull in with these

A freezing cold morning with blue skies and sunshine until 0945 when dense fog crept in.
The water was near completely frozen apart from 3 water holes, each being surrounded with Mallards and small gulls.
A record count of Mallard with 243 along with 72 Common gulls and 41 Black Headed plus the Med gull which was well out on the ice giving scope views only.
Strangely the Dipper pond was clear but no sign of the bird.
A single Heron flew over >NE otherwise it was just down to the usual woodland sp.
BS

Let it snow, let it snow,let it snow!

Christmas card material. Foxhill Park

Sunset over Foxhill

A murky foggy morning on Sourheads

Heavy overnight snow left another good covering on top of yesterdays ice, and below zero temperatures stopped any chance of thawing throughout the day. Just dropped one of the daughters off in Halifax where shes going for a meal, and she came out of her house and waded through the snow in short skirt, low top and high heeled shoes? She looked at me gone out when I asked her where her coat was,I must be getting old.
Halifax shopping today found 27 Waxwings in a tree outside the bus station opposite the RSPCA, of course it was the one time Id forgot my camera but I suppose this species has been photographed to death this and previous years. Thats not to say if they,re about tomorrow I won,t snap them.
Have,nt decided on the venue yet for tomorrow morning with the weather conditions as they are, its a bit awkward in the snow with 3 small dogs on tow and the trouble is they know when its Sunday so I can,t sneak out without them. Whatever happens, Ill be out somewhere and will be giving Soil Hill some stick late p.m.
BS

The frozen village

Keeping warm

Here we go again

A wintery Chapel Lane

A few days mild then back in at the deep end with heavy snow yesterday and sub zero temperatures throughout today. To add to that heavy snow is forecast for the weekend.
Resident birds are again desperately flying around garden to garden looking for food and harder to find, water. Several gardens around here have feeders up and bread thrown out but very few people think to put out water during freezing conditions. I suppose thats because its much harder to keep up to when its freezing. I can put warm water out up here only to see it freeze over within 15 mins.
Down by the garage today several corvids were huddled up to chimneys keeping warm but the Magpies didnt seem affected by the cold in the least.
We,ll have to wait and see what the weekend has to throw at us now.
BS

Chaos at Queensbury traffic lights

Never argue with something bigger than you.

Cavalry arrive but not needed

Lucky driver escaped with minor injuries

This was the scene at queensbury traffic lights this morning. The wagon had to swing wide to turn left and the Clio was going up the inside of him and got dragged round the corner. Lucky or what!

A wet start till 0915 then heavy snow quickly covering and going on till lunch time. Struggled on icy roads to Illingworth Morrisons but when I went over to Heaton snow was none existant.
Looks like the poor birds are in for another hard time.
BS

Lunchtime birding session

Queensbury Parish Church and graveyard

Black Headed gulls after scraps ,Queensbury school.

A second hand report today about possible Waxwings being seen in Queensbury graveyard inspired me to quickly check it out on my way back to work from lunch.
As expected, no sign of Waxwings but a suprise as to how lively the bird life was there.
The trees by the Broomfield St entrance were full of noise Starlings along with Magpies and Corvids whilst in the graveyard I counted
7 Robins
2 Wrens
3 Dunnocks
5 Blackbirds
1 Mistle Thrush
and a single Jay which flew off over Sourheads.
Several BH gulls were around the school playground cleaning up after the school kids lunch break.
Not bad for a 10 minute scout around and it put me in good stead for an afternoons work.

Good to see Phil Cunningham in the new Yorkshire Birding mag for helping to id an eastern Olivaceous Warbler at Flamborough this summer, glad we dont get stuff like that around here, Id hate to be the one to put the call out and 520+ birders turning on my say so!
A breed of their own these east coast birders.
BS

A grey Queensbury day

Looking east from Foxhill into the sunshine towards Otley

A dark dreary day at Queensbury today staying dark till after 0800hrs then remaining dull and drizzly with fog after dark.
The village was alive with feeding birds at mid day with massive flocks of Starlings around plus Common and Black Headed gulls. House Sparrows were tucking in to a table full of pasta and rice with constant glances over their shoulder watching for the local Sparrowhawk with keeps swooping through.
A customer reported of a small wader type bird seen on a couple of occasions when walking his dog on the track from Ned Hill below Soil Hill. He says its usually up the boggy track leading up to the hill in the reeds and describes it as wader type with long bill and brown speckled body and it only flys a few yards then drops down again. Could be Common Snipe but when flushed they,re usually up and away, could be Jack Snipe with that flight pattern, worth a check out anyway.
BS

More pics from yesterday

Wigeon, yesterdays star performer.

The Wigeon looked settled but had moved on today

Soil Hill view of Withins Gap

A day of grey skies with occasional sunny intervals with temperatures dropping as the day went on and down below freezing after dark.
In contrast to yesterday the skies appeared empty with no sign of yesterdays massive big gull move and going by todays Ogden report things there were also quiet. I expected the Wigeon to stay around a couple of days but Ogden was obviously just a stopping off point before it continued its journey probably to the east. The last birds I expected to see yesterday were Pink Footed Geese which I thought by now all the movement was over. Just shows how unpredictable birding is and how it can alter desperately from one day to the next. I suppose thats one of the main things that keeps us all interested, not knowing whats around the corner.
BS

Big gulls on the move

A finished area of Soil Hill which looks good

West to Withins from Soil Hill

Mystery ducks over Calderdale from Ned Hill this a.m.
were Mallard.

Soil Hill p.m. Murky and grey with slight rain . Light >E 2 1500hrs-1600hrs till last light

Herring gulls continually moving over >W along with LBBs and 2 GBBs. 34 Herrings counted in the hour which was good till I heard of NCDs count of 90+ at Mt Tabor.
A single Peregrine came over very high >E and continued till out of sight over Yeadon airport.
2 Skylark and a single Meadow Pipit were the only birds on the ground.
18 Fieldfare and 7 Redwing flew over >NE.
Just spoke to NCD and established that the Ogden and Mt Tabor Med gulls are definately different birds.
BS

Back to Autumn vis mig

Pink Footed Geese over Soil Hill

A cracking male Wigeon

Ogden 0745-1ooohrs Very ice, grey skies, some drizzle.

Who said local birding gets boring? This morning was like an autumn vis mig day with Wigeon on the water as well as Med gull, Pintails flying overhead which came so fast all I got on a photo was 3 blurs and some tree branches, and to round it off when I was back at the car at Ned Hill firstly a flock of unidentified ducks east over Calderdale and 2 Skiens of PF Geese which went low over Soil Hill. All this and only 5 minutes from home. Thought the morning started bad when I was flat on my back on the ice along Ogden Lane, thank goodness for rucksacks, but after that it was all sunshine and roses.

4 Pintail.....................................>E
c90 PF Geese...........................>E
12 duck sp. .............................>E will check photos later
1 2nd winter Med gull. scoping job as on ice in the middle of res.
1m Widgeon
+ usual sp
grey duck still present and the pale duck with the Wigeon whistle is about.
BS

Winter Thrushes on the move

Handy things,aerials

A safe place to eat

A bright clear day with rising temperatures until late p.m. when thick fog came down making me panic for tomorrow morning but by 1900hrs the night sky was clear and the ground freezing.
A real thrush movement day with flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing over the garage all >S. At one point it looked like an autumn vis mig morning but these birds were probably feeding parties on the move with the milder weather. Perhaps some of these thrushes were the ones Ian got at Shibden today? see Calderbirds for his report.
Other than that several LBBs were moving over >NW and like the thrushes this all took place early a.m.
A quick check by Sainsburys at Halifax this afternoon whilst shopping found nothing of the Waxwings there the other day, again a Calderbirds report.
Hopefully the fog will stay away for morning and the Med gull is waiting to greet me at Ogden.
BS

The big thaw

The strong westerly continued to blow throughout the day and temperatures in the garage were up to 6 deg bringing a rapid thaw.
By the end of the day Foxhill Park was back to green grass although there was plenty flooded areas as the photo above shows.
All I need now is some Warburtons bread to attract my very own Med Gull.
By todays reports it sounds as if there are at least 3 Med gulls in the area with NKs poss second summer, NCDs adult and now another bird for NCD showing either 1 leg or an injured leg.
The Med gull is a bird near unheard of years ago, or just not recognized, but now we seem to get more reports each year. Is this due to more of this species or are we just genned up more nowadays.
When I started birding in the early sixties many sub species were unheard of, never mind gulls from distant shores, in those days if you got a Chiffchaff that was what it was, no question of Sibes or Ibes which made a birders life much less complicated.
The same with gull watching on the then many local tips, no scopes, just a pair of bins that were so heavy you could only hold them up for a few minutes at a time before your arms started dropping off.
No computers, no mobile phones, no pages, no transport other than the bus, no scope and very limited bird books, however did we manage...... Happy days and lots of good memories.
BS