Graveyard Birding

                 Queensbury Parish Church, the old graveyard

                                        Clock tower

                    Overgrown but good habitat.

                                  Eck, 5 minutes to get back to work.

A scorcher of a day with cloudless blue skies and wall to wall sunshine.
A quick visit to Queensbury churchyard to check out the bird situation at lunchtime with 4 m Blackbirds and 5 BH gulls around the present graveyard whilst the old graveyard held at least 3 m Blackbirds, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Robins and a Wren. Several noisy Jackdaws were on the tower and 2 Collared Doves were calling in the trees.
A report today from customer Peter Sykes of a Cuckoo in Denholme Clough.
Five Goldfinch were on the garden feeders again this morning.
BS

Black Dyke Mills Chimney and Raggalds flood

                                       3 LBBs on the flood tonight

                                  Black dyke mills chimney

                                DJS and NK trying out the new Queensbury raptor watchpoint

                                       I can see Fairburn Ings from here.

                                    Come on Nigel , Ive got Marsh Harrier at Blacktoft

                                       Oops, nearly lost the sandwiches there.

A cloudy muggy day with the sun not breaking through till late afternoon.

Checked on Sourheads at lunchtime for warblers and just managed 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Wrens and a Robin whilst a Little Owl was down near the bottom of the Cat Steps.
Got distracted watching 2 workmen on the mill chimney, rather them than me, by the time I,d got up there it would be time to come back down for dinner.

Three LBBs on the flood tonight along with 4m and 1f Mallard, 3 Lapwings and 2 Pied Wagtails.
Without any heavy rain the water will last about another 2 weeks.
BS

Dinner time Dailies Dash.

                           All the gorse bushes killed off

                                    Looking down on the station

                                    East to Yeadon airport

                                East to the Otley mast

                                  Strange creatures down the station

                                                   Swifts galore
Hot sunshine, clear blue skies NE>3

A quick lunch time dash to the Dailie fields to check out the annual Linnet flock only to find that all the areas of Gorse that they have nested in for at least the last 45 yrs have been destroyed . Every gorse bush is brown and dead looking like they have all been poisoned for some reason, hence not a Linnet to be found.
The Hawthorns planted on the hillside have grown well holding several Willow Warblers and at least 1 Whitethroat although impossible to get onto in the dense greenery.
A feeding party of Swifts of around 80 birds were slowly heading >SW whilst 7 LBB gulls drifted slowly high and >N.
The old allotments at the top of the Dailies which make a good habitat of part mature trees and thick undergrowth is to be auctioned on Thursday for a building plot, another one bites the dust.
BS

Queensbury today

              Thought this newly fledged House Sparrow in the garden was a Chaffinch with
             broad white wing bars and white outer tail feathers.

                                      All taken through glass

Plenty activity on the garden feeders with plenty young House Sparrows as well as 4 Goldfinch, 1 Woodpigeon  and a wasted visit from the local Sparrowhawk.
Sky wise , several Swifts drifted >NE at midday and a steady flow of LBB gulls all slowly headed >NW.
Up to 30 BH gulls were around Tesco, Gt Horton this evening.
A flying visit to the Raggalds Flood midday found 2m 1f Mallard, 2 Lapwing, 2 Pied Wagtail, 4 Linnets on the wire fence and the usual Swallows.
BS

Soil Hill

                                           Skylarks in full song

                                         Meadow pipits busy

                                                Whitethroat not wanting to play

                                                 Plenty Linnets

                                 A now uncommon hill sighting, Kestrel

                                                        mobbed by Swallows

An early evening visit to Soil Hill in very warm conditions with a slight NW>3.

Nothing on the summits but lively below with Meadow Pipits and Linnets carrying both food and nest material whilst at least 3 Reed Buntings were calling from deep in the reed beds.
Two Whitethroats were flitting about very lively and showed no interest in having their photo taken and Swifts and Swallows were overhead whilst a passing kestrel got heavily mobbed by the latter.

Raggalds flood this evening held the same as this mornings report + 2 Woodpigs and 1 Stock Dove.
BS

Ogden

LBB gulls over >N

                                       

                            Common woodland stuff,  Wren

                                               m Chaffinch

                                   Robin supplying breakfast

                                           Sparrowhawk

                                  Sparrowhawk over the moon

                                                 Stretching its legs

                                       3  Cormorant distant, high and >SW

Ogden.  Bright blue skies, sunny , cool NW>4  0700-1000hrs
With the annual mountain bike race taking over Fly Flatts I thought Id catch up on Warblers at Ogden only to find a few singing Willow Warblers hidden in the leaves plus the usual Robins, Wrens Chaffinches etc so
it was back to what I like best, skywatching.
From the watchpoint by passerine alley things started to move after 0900hrs with a steady flow of LBB gulls all >N along with several Swifts.
Three Cormorant went over in the distance very high and >N before turning to head >SW whilst a Sparrowhawk put in a brief appearance .
Still no Common Terns through and only a single sighting at this location last year?

Raggalds flood just had the 2 Lapwing, 2 Pied Wags and a pair of Mallard plus Swallows.
BS

Leeshaw Reservoir.

                                 Plenty LBBs making a nuisance of themselves.

                  The ever watchful Little Owl

        Very distant Cuckoo across the water

Leeshaw reservoir  1530-1700hrs.  Cloudy after some sunshine, NW >5.
Highlight of the day was a Cuckoo across the far side of the reservoir dropping from the wall to the field to feed with a Whinchat and a Meadow Pipit alongside it throughout. When the Cuckoo dropped into the field the 2 birds followed then back onto the wall together.
Otherwise it was just the usual sp with several LBB gulls watching for chicks and eggs and being heavily mobbed with Lapwings and Curlew.
4 Oystercatchers
2 Redshank
1 Little Owl
1 Cuckoo
1 Whinchat
Sev Mipits, geese , Lapwings and Curlew.

Raggalds Flood 1715hrs
2 Lapwing
1 Pied Wagtail
1pr Mallard
1 Stock Dove
Sev Swallows.
BS