Queensbury Today

Magpie guarding its territory

Sun going down over Foxhill

A brighter day with a few scattered showers but very calm.
Worked late so apart from a dog walk up Foxhill very little time for observations.
LBB gulls were again moving over >N this evening with 2 Black Headed amongst them.
Strangely no Swifts about tonight whilst 4 Swallows powered through >S
A Wren was singing in the Grimston field which is unusual.
A report at work today from the warden at Goit Stock, Harden saying a poor show of Cuckoo this year with birds passing through on 3 dates but no staying on birds which is unusual for this site.
BS

Queensbury old station

Dailie fields from Yews Green.

A quick look at Queensbury station this evening produced :-

2pr Bullfinch
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Gt Spotted Woodpecker
1 Little Owl
6 Willow Warblers
1 Chiffchaff
2 Whitethroat
4 Grey Partridge
15 Linnet
3 LBB gulls.....>N
Several Swifts
BS

Queensbury Today

Troubled Skies

A good morning then some very heavy showers p.m. with again an odd rumble of thunder in the distance.

Swifts seem to love evenings like this, warm and wet, which brings out the flies. Swifts are at the moment outnumbering Swallows with several feeders and some large groups moving through the area.
LBB gulls continue to drift over >N and >NE but only in ones and twos whilst a flock of c15 Linnets feed on weeds in the rugby field.
All riviting stuff but give me a chance, it is June and once this month is out things will liven up, honest.
BS

Stormy Skies over Queensbury

A breezy showery day till mid afternoon then sunny into the evening with storm clouds rolling over bringing an odd rumble of thunder.
The dark skies brought a good number of Swifts moving through all >NE and several LBB gulls headed in the same direction.
Two Pied Wagtails and 1 juv were in Foxhill Park at lunchtime along with hoards of young Starlings and House Sparrows.
BS

A photographic tour of Fly Flatts

NW corner

SE corner

South shore

SE pools and spit

The Birds, Dunlin

Ringed Plover

Sanderling with Ringed Plover

Common Sandpiper

Redshank doing a Basil Fawlty

Bar Tailed Godwit

Roll on Autumn
BS.

Fly Flatts pm visit

Lessers going through

Plenty Mipits food carrying

The ponds, north end

The NW estuary!

Fly Flatts 1630-1800hrs Heavy rain then brightening.

Checked out the north end ponds first which produced even more Redshank and a few Common Sandpipers, otherwise that end of the reservoir was reasonably quiet apart from plenty Swifts and LBB gulls moving through. The fields mid way along the reservoir held approx 50 young Canadas plus the 215 adults counted this morning, looks like they,ve had a good year so far.
A bigger count of Dunlin and Redshank from this morning with the ponds included but again no sign of Ringed Plover, even this mornings bird was missing, looks like they,ve moved on.
215 Canadas + c50 young
18 Redshank
16 Dunlin
7 LBB gulls >N
9 Common Sandpiper
1 Oystercatcher
Loadsa Swift
+ usual sp.
No Ringed Plovers.
BS

Fly Flatts

1 of 12 Redshank

Several LBBs on the move

200+ Swifts moving through

1 of 3 Oystercatchers

More Dunlin in. 1 of 15

Fly Flatts 0730-1000hrs. Cloudy, early drizzle, strong ENE>6.
Near perfect conditions this morning at Fly although scoping proved difficult with the strong wind in your face but the overnight rain and strong wind livened the job up with water, sky and shoreline full of birds.
Several new in Redshank and Dunlin were showing but after extensive scoping at both end of the reservoir only 1 Ringed Plover was found so they were very well hidden or moved on.
Canadas were onmass but the PF goose from Ogden wasnt amongst them, whilst in the sky LBBs moved through >N and a good 200+ Swifts fed over the water all slowly moving into the wind >NE.

215 Canadas + several young
11 Common Sandpipers
12 Redshank
15 Dunlin
1 Ringed Plover
3 Oystercatchers
1 juv Pied Wagtail
2 Golden Plovers
200 + Swifts...............>NE
18 LBB Gulls................>N
+ usual sp. no Twite
BS

From big owl to Little owl

Shelf Moor
Late afternoon flying visit.
Little Owl showing well on posts and spending a lot of time down in the grass , possibly feeding young.
Swifts were coming over in good numbers all >NE and Swallows were feeding low over the fields.
several Linnets were on the wires and flying into the grse bushes in the gorse field. LBBs were moving >NW.

1 Little Owl
28 Swift >NE
11 LBB gull >NW
9 Linnet
Several Swallows.
BS

Quick Owl visit

A red hot day today, being selfish I hope it doesnt last, I hate hot weather and its poor for birding.
A busy evening dashing round tonight so briefly checked on the Tawny to see if it was out of the box at 2030hrs on my way past but it must have slept in and was in the same position as the last visit.
Swifts were out feeding in good numbers tonight over Foxhill which is always a good sight to see unless you start trying to photograph them.
BS

Queensbury Station

The railway bridge over Brow Lane

A quick look on passing this evening around the station near to the old bridge produced a haven for Warblers with Willow Warblers singing from ever bush and a Whitethroat and female Blackcap down by the stream. A single Garden Warbler was in a dense Blackberry bush. In our younger days we could watch Yellowhammer, Redstart , Sedge Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat in this area.
BS

Tawny Owl at last

A thoughtful local birder, after seeing on my blog that Tawny Owl was a bit of a bogey bird for me, kindly e mailed me to say they were breeding in a box in his garden if I would like to see them. I called there this evening and within 2 minutes of pulling up in the car I was amazingly staring face to face with a beautiful Tawny Owl. What a beautiful bird these are and this was one of the best views Ive had for a long time.
Years ago I knew every tree at Ogden where they roosted and bred and the birds were always on show along with young but numbers are well down now , mainly since all the woodland has been opened to the public.
Many, many thanks to the birder concerned whose name and location cannot be published for obvious reasons.