The best laid plans !!!!! Ogden.

                                           Grey Wagtail by the overflow.

                                     6 Herring gulls on the water.

With dense fog on the tops this morning I decided to head south to Elland Gravel Pits to see if the Shovelers were still present and check out the warblers . Last year, believe it or not, I had 1 Chiffchaff and 1 Willow Warbler and no other warblers throughout the year. Thats the price you pay for being an upland birder.
                                          A queue of traffic started the job off getting through the lights at Queensbury, then a queue for Shelf roundabout and finally a complete hold up from Coley church as far as the eye could see. I don,t know if the queue went right to Hipperholme or it was road works but after moving 20 yds in 15 minutes I swung round and headed back to queue at Queensbury lights.
                                              I,d now been on the road nearly 45 minutes and was back in Queensbury so with the neck throbbing and dogs moaning I stopped at Ogden and walked once around the water.
                                             The icy cold wind was still blowing and visibility was hazy but bird able with just 6 Herring gulls on the water and the usual Mallards.
Nothing in the sluice gate area and just 1 Grey Wagtail by the overflow. Passerines were quiet with a few Coal and Great Tits plus the usual Robins, Wrens and Dunnocks but no warblers present. Even passerine alley was bird less other than a few Blue Tits.
                                             Good to bump into Nick Small, Country File director , and have a few words, Nick kindly keeps me informed of unusual comings and goings at Ogden.
                                             Back home by 0945 hrs to find Queensbury still in the fog.
BS

Upland walk in search of Ring Ouzel.

Late afternoon with temperatures up slightly and some sun showing but very hazy skies on an E>4. With no chance of sky watching in the conditions and boats on the water I harnessed up the dogs and went up on the tops in search of Ring Ouzel which unfortunately never materialized .
                                                             Starting off at Sentry Hill I walked along Thornton Moor Road past the plantation below the reservoir  which we planted and watered around 30 years ago as small saplings and have now grown to mature trees. We had to carry buckets of water from the beck and struggle over the rough ground to keep the plants wet until they got established but looking at them now it was all worthwhile. When I reached Black Edge Lane I doubled back on past the lagoons and climbed Delph Hill up to the Sacrifice Stones on top of the Nab. Normally a great 360 deg view from up there but not today in the haze but luckily there was no sacrifices going on.
                                                            Birding was as you,d expect on an upland walk with good numbers of Curlew, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Mipits etc along with 7 Wheatear but no Ouzels or Black Reds.
Around 200 gulls on the reservoir plus Canadas, Greylags and Tufteds.
Back at Sentry Hill I was going to get some photos of gulls coming in to the water but low clouds started moving in from the east so that snookered that idea.
                                                                 A  great shout today from Angela and Gary finding a pair of Shoveler on the lagoon at Elland Gravel Pits, a rare species for the area. I don,t think any were recorded in Calderdale last year and I just had one pair on Leeshaw 30/3/18. Well spotted you two and thanks for the call. The birds were still there at 1518 hrs, AC.
BS

Leeshaw Reservoir a.m.

                                   At least 7 Redshank present

                                        A count of 15 Oystercatchers.

Leeshaw   0800 - 1015 hrs.  Light E>3 ,early drizzle but keeping below the fog line.
                                                      As always Leeshaw was a hive of activity with plenty to watch throughout though nothing special and very little on the water. Surprisingly no hirundines through but the cold and damp was,nt very inviting for them.
                                                        A female Merlin screamed through filling the sky with Lapwing, Snipe, Oystercatcher and Redshank.

7 Redshank
15 Oystercatchers
c150 Lapwing
8 Snipe
1f Merlin
4 LBB gull
2 Common gull
sev BH gull
+ usual geese etc,
BS

Fly Flatts p.m. non productive easterlies.

     A new arrival of Redshank with 9 present.

                                      Across on the east banking.

                          Curlew on the waters edge , east bank

                           1st winter herring gull ,argentatus

An afternoon shopping in Brighouse in warm sunshine then back to Fly Flatts in a freezing E>4. The sky was 80% clear blue but remaining empty in the cold wind.
                                                       The only thing the easterly had provided was a fresh fall of Redshank since this morning with 9 present along the west and east bank whilst 14 sub adult Herring gulls were on the water briefly before moving off >NE.
                                                           Only 1 male Wheatear showing out of this mornings 11 and no sign of the Stonechats. Another brief sighting of the 2 Grey Partridge whilst 3 Buzzard were up in the distance to the west and north but soon drifted out of view.
BS

Fly Flatts ,Saturday morn.

A foggy start to the morning with an icy cold NE>4 which soon dropped slightly and the fog cleared leaving a bright and sunny day though still that icy feeling.
                                                     First bird seen driving up there was a Short Eared Owl which loomed up out of the fog sat on a roadside fence post flying off as soon as I saw it.
A few big gulls on the water was unusual with 3 Herring, 4 LBB and 4 Common along with 3 Greylags and the usual Canadas and Mallards.
                                                     Down by the feeding station another wave of Wheatear had come in overnight with  birds scattered along the bottom of the west bank plus the pair of Stonechat.
A good scan of the shoreline just produced 2 Redshank and the usual Lapwings.
More filming was just starting as I left but the Yeti had stayed at home.
                                                      A nice find by C.K. of a female Black Redstart at Oxenhope this morning in the usual hot spot area.
BS

Fly Flatts p.m. Too windy, too cold, too high.

  At least the windsurfers enjoyed the strong SE wind

                                                          Full speed ahead

 I thought my job was cold walking by the water.
These hardy sailors swim in it.

1500 hrs with the cold SE>5 still blowing stopping any chance of movement in the cold temperatures at this altitude.
This mornings wave of Wheatear had moved on leaving just 1 male by the boatyard. A Heron was down by the lagoon on frog hunt along with a single Redshank whilst 4 noisy Ravens flew over the north end of the water.
                                   An early finish due to it being so quiet but managed around 50 Fieldfare and c 100 Starling in the Nolstar field and 5 Linnet along with a Redshank in the Skylark field.
                                       Light north easterlies for tomorrow and about the same temperatures so see how that performs, it can only get better.
BS

Fly Flatts a.m. Wheatears moving in

                                          Curlew on the west bank

                                     More Wheatear moving in

                                                              Female

                                                Male by the boat yard

Another morning of icy cold winds with a SE>5 at 2 degrees but bright skies.
                                                           Nothing moving in the sky due to the cold winds and just the usual on the water.
Down by the feeding station the pair of Stonechat were active along with 5 Wheatear and 4 more Wheatear by the boat yard looking like an overnight fall. This was confirmed by HC with a phone call reporting a minimum of 16 all together in a field on Trough Lane, Oxenhope. Howard said that all looked quiet but then as the sun broke through the birds started appearing.
                                                        A scan around the shorelines produced 2 Oystercatcher 2 Redshank and a single Snipe with no signs of early Common Sandpiper although my earliest up there has been 16th April, closely followed by Ringed Plover and then Dunlin in early May.
BS

A gruesome afternoon at Fly Flatts.

Fly Flatts 1445 hrs in gruesome weather with a howling E>6 increasing to near gale E>7 at 33 m.p.h. on the west bank with a temperature of 3 degrees but feeling much colder with the chill factor. The sky was darkening throughout making it nearly too dark to see across the water by the end of the watch and way too dark to attempt photos. By 1530 hrs down came the rain.
                                                            The only movement sky wise was 19 Herring gulls >NE with a few Mipits braving the wind. Two Grey Partridge ran across the track and a Snipe flushed from the reed bed.
Down at the feeding station the Wheatears had either moved through or sheltering on the moor whilst a single Mistle Thrush was present, perhaps the bird I found a few days back as not a common bird in that area.
            The 3 Barnacles were up in the top fields before flying down onto the water, one of which is still paired up with a Canada.
BS

Leeshaw reservoir

                                        Displaying Redshank  1 of 5

              Oystercatchers keeping out of the east wind

                                   Plenty Curlew present

                                     Only 2 Lesser Black Backed

                                                 Redshank

                                   A count of 24 Oystercatchers

With thick fog on the tops it was down to Leeshaw reservoir in hazy sunshine on an icy 2 degree E>4
                                                                Nothing special showing but ,as always at this location, plenty to watch throughout. A count of 24 Oystercatchers was good with possibly more around the fields whilst 5 Redshank were pairing up.
Only 2 LBB gulls along with several Black Headeds and Commons whilst the water just held Greylags, Canadas, Mallards and a single Moorhen.

24 Oystercatchers
5 Redshank
7 Curlew
17 Stock Doves
1 Moorhen
1 Heron
plus the usual Lapwings, Geese etc.
The large gatherings of Starling seem to have moved on now.
BS

Fly Flatts. No Yeti this p.m., probably the south westerly

        A new batch of Wheatear, mainly females.

  Coming in over the water after a snowstorm .

                                       Males below the west bank

A heavy snow/hailstorm was just finishing as I arrived at Fly Flatts late afternoon leaving 50% cloud cover with blue sky and sunshine although there were a few low scud clouds which the birds kept disappearing into. The wind had turned back to the dreaded SW but was very light.
Large black precipitation clouds were well to the south of me looking like Halifax was getting a real hammering and Queensbury got a heavy snow and hail shower as I got home.
                                                              It was interesting to see Wheatears arriving after the heavy shower all coming across the water from the >SE and landing on the water side of the west bank. The 2 males and single female were still near the feeding station whilst 5 new in females remained on the cobbles near the water but very mobile.
                                                           A few LBB gulls headed >NE whilst 3 Raven and 2 Buzzards were in the air. The two Redshank were over on the peninsular.
BS