Back in action, Ogden.

 

                                Queensbury early morn

                                        A snowy Ogden

                              A very white faced female Tufted.

                                    Kingfisher down in the sluice gate

                                    Good turn up, drake Goldeneye.

                                    Gulls on ice

                                    Struggling for food

                                Icy patch on the water.

A brilliant sunrise but very soon blanked out leaving a cloudy day but milder at 3 degrees, though feeling much colder in the SW>4. The steady thaw continues but making very slow progress.

         Good to be back out at last after 8 days caged up although going is still tough with the snow and ice lingering on. Had to take the Keelham route to Ogden, not daring to tackle Ned Hill, but Ogden Lane was clear with the car park snow covered and very icy but managed to get in and park up.

             A nice surprise to get a drake Goldeneye on the water which is somewhat of a rare wildfowl in this area now with me only having 2 sightings last winter, with one female on Fly Flatts last March and 2 females on Leeshaw in October and no sighting of a drake.

      Along with the Goldeneye was 2 female Tufted, one of which had me thinking Scaup with its excessive white face until its tuft lifted in the wind.

     A few small gulls were on the ice and water but only one Herring briefly before it left >SW.

Very few small passerines around although I did'nt check the west bank with the annual Christmas Tree dumping going on. The feeders held the usual Great, Coal and Blue Tits plus Blackbirds, Dunnocks and Robin, whilst the Kingfisher was down in the sluice gate area not seeming to bother about the icy cold water.

A call today from birder Richard reporting the Red Necked Grebe from Leeshaw is now on Ponden Reservoir, presuming its the same bird.

  Not looking brilliant for tomorrow with a cloudy drizzly day and fog by midday on a light westerly.

BS

Start of a steady thaw,

 

                                Common gulls struggling in Foxhill Park.

With the temperature up to 3 degrees on a light SW>2 a steady thaw began today but not making any impression as yet. Cloudy most of the day and some light drizzle late p.m.

     Hopefully some of the dumped cars will move tomorrow with people back to work, the limited few that do work, and schools re-opening, though the pavements around the schools up here are deep in snow and nowhere for parents to park to drop their kids off. Bradford council has done absolutely nothing in the way of snow clearing on the pavements and side roads.

     A shopping trip to Clayton this afternoon was like the dodgems going around parked cars and drivers not wanting to give way.

     Just the usual dog walks over Foxhill today with less birds about other than Common gulls wondering where all the grass has gone. A bit easier on the feeders today without the water freezing over, and just the usual species present, with no sign of the Coal Tits or Goldcrests from yesterday.

     A cloudy day tomorrow with a moderate sou'westerly and temps reaching 4 degrees with early fog, which is rolling in up here in the gods as I am typing this.

BS

Like being on lockdown.

 

                                  Foxhill, no football today.

                                Foxhill school weather vane.  Light WSW.

                                Several Robins up in song.

Another non descript day weather-wise with very little melting other than some of the snow on tree branches that were directly in the sun. Bright clear skies but clouding late afternoon with a risk of snow.

     Getting very monotonous now walking around Foxhill 3 times a day after 6 non birding days, though just a light uplift today with 2 very active Goldcrest in a conifer tree behind my garage, as well as at least 6 Robins present along with a good count of Blackbirds. 

      Usual species in the garden, less the Coal Tits, today and just a few small gulls over. Amazingly no Pinks in the clear blue skies so looking like a rerun of last year when I had a very poor count of returning birds due to them using the coastal route rather than inland.

    Thanks to a report from birder Simon Jennings telling how desperate birds are getting in this weather with a Grey Wagtail eating bird seed for the third day running in his Thornton garden.

     A more cloudy day tomorrow bringing the temperature up to 2 degrees so hopefully the start of the thaw. At least the days are getting slightly longer for when I can get out and about again.

BS

The waiting game.

 

                                    Few Common gulls high over Foxhill

                                    Foxhill Park

                                    Frozen trees

                                    Looking over Thornton to Otley Chevin.

Temperatures never rising above 0 degrees though a glorious day with clear blue skies and sunshine causing the very slightest of thaws. What a shame to have to miss all these beautiful birding days.

      Once out of Queensbury, p.m., the main roads were clear but heavy traffic with parked and abandoned cars cutting several areas down to a single lane. All the side roads in the village are still a narrow single track with several unpassable.

     A few dog walks around Foxhill failed to produce any sky movement other than a few Common gulls >NE plus the usual park species whilst the busy garden feeders held up to 6 Blue Tit and 3 Coal Tit a well as 5 Blackbird and the usual House Sparrows etc. A Heron headed >W, probably looking for unfrozen water.

      I'll have to sit the weekend out with local parks and Ogden being unsure for access, and they will be crowded with all the snow lovers, but hopefully, come Monday, things should start to get back to normal, although it will be a good while before I can get back upon the tops.

     Another bright sunny day tomorrow but temperatures still around zero.

 BS

    

     

Bird of the year 2024. Wood Sandpiper. Fly Flatts.

 

                                    A reminder of spring, Fly Flatts

                                    My bird of the year, 2024

                                    Wood Sandpiper  11/5/2024

                                    Staying 2 days by the south shore.

A lovely bright sunny and clear day but temperatures only reaching zero for a short period midday before dropping back to minus figures. Again, nothing in the way of a thaw and none in sight until Monday.

    Birding still on hold for the 5th day today with all my upland venues well snowbound and the lower sights cluttered with parked and abandoned cars making parking impossible.

   Just a few gulls in the clear blue skies with no signs of Swans or Geese which should be on the move now. The nearest I got to geese today was when I checked through the RNLI lifeboat live webcams with around 100 Brent geese on the shore at Wells in Norfolk.

    The garden feeders were very busy again with now 2 Coal Tits present after the peanuts, but otherwise just the usuals. I keep scanning through the House Sparrows for Tree Sparrow but after over 50 years of doing this I'm beginning to lose hope.

     Another day of the same tomorrow and giving excellent visibility, which is not much use if you can't get anywhere. Lynda says we're going to need a new living room carpet if it does'nt thaw soon , with me pacing up and down on it.

BS

Getting boring now

 

                                    Nice sunrise over Queensbury.

                                    Foxhill Park

                                Rare to my garden, Coal Tit

                                    Plenty Blue Tits

                                    House Sparrows 

                                        and Starlings

                                    Around 6 Blackbirds

A bright clear sunrise with a decent morning followed by a cloudy afternoon. A very light NE>2 with temperatures only reaching minus 1 so still no thaw.

       Again, no birding with frozen snow on the road though I did get the car out with a struggle midday for a trip to Sainsburys Halifax where the main roads were clear but littered with parked and abandoned cars due to all the side roads being snowed up. Looking like it will be the weekend or after before I'm back in action with no sign of any thaw until Monday when the temperature rises to 6 degrees, and even then, without some heavy rain, its going to be a long job. I will probably get back to Fly Flatts and Leeshaw just in time to catch the spring migration!

     Busy garden feeders today with a surprise visit from a Coal Tit, a rarity for my garden.

Much the same, weather-wise for tomorrow but on a light westerly and temperatures hitting a high of  zero degrees.

BS