2021 Birds of Fly Flatts. phase 3..Wildfowl.

I,ve recently published 2021 birds of Fly Flatts , Waders then Passerines and now its the turn of some of the special wildfowl that turned up at Fly Flatts earlier this year. Normally I would have done a phase 4, Gulls but with no shore this year gulls have been none existent  other than Fly overs but only the usual species. The only highlight, but not gulls, were 3 Common Tern which are very rare in my area over the last few years.

                                        Plenty Skeins of Pink Footed Geese over

Great Crested Grebe,    a rare visitor.

                                     Invasion of 58 Wigeon , 9th Oct.

                                             A record for this site.

                                     Plus a bonus of 2 female Pintail in with the Wigeon

                   Skeins of Whoopers over in the mist, 16th Oct.  3 skeins, 53 Swans.

                                                        All >SE

                                     Poor for Common Scoter this year with just these 2 male 

                                                          and a separate female.

                                        Very few visits from Tufteds

   Greylag not common here but a pair raised 4 goslings, plus one October morning

                                         I found 41 on the water.

                                        2 Barnacles early in the year then just 1 since.

                                               Not a bad site for Shelduck.

BS

December birding has never been easy!

 

Ogden to Withins             Looking across to Ringby Top.

                                                 South over Mixenden to Halifax.

                                          East to Soil Hill.

                                                  A slippery icy track.

                                                          Mixenden reservoir.

                                                  The long walk towards Withins.

Fly Flatts                                    Greylags high and >S

                                          The Leeshaw birds with white Greylags among them.

                                            Solitary Black Headed still at Fly Flatts.

                            Don,t know if this is a sickly bird or just a loner.

                                                 Flys ok but always around compound.

                  A distant but record shot of Fly Flatts Snow Bunting yesterday.

                                              Image courtesy of Steve Winteridge.

A milder day with a light W>3 at 4 degrees with full cloud and some light drizzle after a sprinkling of overnight snow.

                         Lots of walking today with very little return bird wise but good to be out all the same.

Spurred on by yesterdays report of a Snow Bunting up by the Fly Flatts wind turbines, thanks to Steve Winteridge, I set off first light walking the track from Ogden to Withins checking the track and golf course as I went. Conditions up there look perfect for Snow Bunting but not today with just a single Stonechat, Sparrowhawk and a few small gulls. 

                         Back down at the reservoir a Gt Spotted Woodpecker flew over the water whilst the reservoir held 3 Herring, 2 LBB and a few small gulls.

                           Mid afternoon I was up at Fly Flatts walking the length of the west bank, again with Snow Bunt in mind, but again another blank. This is the problem with Snow Buntings, they usually find you rather than you find them and its just down to luck if you come across one.

                          Kestrel, Raven and 2 Stonechat were present along with a single BH gull which has been hanging around the boatyard the last few times I have visited. It is very confiding but can fly and seems to be eating on the soft grass.

                         A small skein of 15 Greylags came over ,high and >S, these being some of the large flock I,ve had at Leeshaw with a few whites and partial whites among them.

BS

Ogden/Mixenden

MIXENDEN                             Grey Wagtail

                                         female Pied Wagtail

                                            Common gull

                                          Lesser Black Backed

                                              Black Headed

                                        Single Cormorant present

                                          7 Herring in with the BH gulls

OGDEN                              As good as it got, male Gt Spotted Wdpecker.

A bright clear morning but icy cold before sun up at -2 degrees on a light NW>3.

                               An early visit to Ogden to check the water and west bank with winter waterfowl, 

Siskin and Redpoll in mind, none of which materialized. Its looking like a poor year for Goldeneye so far with very few sightings locally.

                              A check of the west bank Pines and Alders failed to find anything other than the usual Tit species, Treecreepers etc plus a single Gt Spotted Woodpecker with no sign of Goldcrest. The water held a few small gulls only.

                         A mid afternoon visit to Mixenden provided a variety of gulls plus a Cormorant but here again, no Goldeneye. Interestingly all the Mixenden gulls left to roost in a >SW direction which means they were heading for Blackstone Edge or even one of the Manchester gull roosts rather than Thornton Moor.

BS

 

Foxhill a.m./ Fly Flatts p.m.

 

 Fly Flatts                     New security gates installed.

                                           Luckily the lagoon tree is still standing.

                                                        The jetty

                                   Hardy sheep in the top fields

                                            Solitary BH gull on the south bank

                                         The entrance track in

                                            Still a few drifts

                                                     Plenty Jackdaws around

A cold cloudy morning with a moderate N>4 and heavy rain showers midday. By mid afternoon the skies cleared leading to a bright sunset.

                                         With a borrowed car for a couple of days we caught up on shopping etc then a visit to Fly Flatts to check for gale damage around the boats and compound and to see if the track was passable for the sailors AGM this weekend.

                                        Still the remains of a few drifts down the track and under the walls but thawing well and no access problem. Everything shipshape around the compound after the gales up there, which must have been horrendous going by the debris along the south shore.

Plenty piles of shattered car window glass on the top road which is usual up there after snow. The local scumbags know that there will be abandoned cars in the snow so easy targets for them to trash.

                                               As expected, very quiet bird wise with just a few BH gulls plus a Sparrowhawk and Kestrel.

                                     A morning wander around Foxhill produced 41 Common gulls in the park plus a small flock of  28 post roost Redwing and 3 Fieldfare heading >NE.

BS