Queensbury, / Ogden, wind and rain.

                                A short lived sunrise from work this morning

                                                Lighting up the Dyke chimney

                                            Wild and wet Ogden last light

                                  2 large flocks of Black Headed gulls.

A wet and windy day with a strong W>6 and heavy rain showers throughout with the afternoon bringing some sun but still the showers.
Nothing seen to be moving today but got 2 nice flocks of 30+ Fieldfares coming out of the trees down Station Rd heading >S, 1 this morning from roost and the other mid afternoon.
Blue sky and sun when I was gulping my tea down so a quick spurt to Ogden to check the water after a few Whoopers have been reported today around the area.
I was surprised how quick the light goes now as when I was leaving home a red sunset was visible but 3 minutes later as I reached a photographic vantage point over Soil Hill it was gone.
As I got to Ogden ,less than 5 minutes later, the light was quickly fading and to make it worse the heavens opened dropping down a heavy shower.
Nothing on the water other than the usual Mallards but interesting to see 2 large flocks of 100+ Black Headed gulls reeling over the water then away >NE to roost. Never seen that many gulls at Ogden before.
By now it was 1805 and near enough dark so back to the car disappointed but satisfied that I,d done my job and checked the water plus the dogs got a change of venue for their evening walk.
Hopefully a better day tomorrow then bad Friday so its possible Thrushes, Pinkies or Woodpigeons will take the advantage of the window and move, we shall see.
BS

Queensbury, a quieter day.

                                     DCB        HC   Myself BS.
              The 1999 vis mig team re united on watch during the
           mega Fieldfare move Saturday pm. 19/10/13. Photo courtesy David Barker,
      yes ,I know he,s on the photo but thats modern technology for you.

A dark morning on the top of this hill in Queensbury with very heavy rain showers until early afternoon when it brightened up with even a touch of sunshine.
A few Fieldfare were still moving through >S, some of the flocks having Redwings mixed in with them , but this did,nt materialize until mid morning and fizzled out before midday.
DCB at Oxenhope reported a few moving Crossbills and DJS reported skeins of Pinkies over the Manchester area but none reached us, or not that I saw.
Pinkie movement should intensify around now and Thursday looks like the best day this week so keep those eyes to the skies.
BS

Queensbury, another Fieldfare day

                                           Pics from Ogden Sunday morn

                                                  First light

                                                    The top watch point

                                            Fieldfare passing the garage today.

Another big Fieldfare day for Queensbury today with large flocks coming over from first light until 1000hrs when the heavy rain came and the fog rolled in.
By 1400hrs the fog lifted and the rain stopped and still the Fieldfares were coming over but in smaller groups now tapering off to a few stragglers before drying up at around 1500hrs.
The first birds this morning were all heading >S which later changed to >SW and >W.
A few Woodpigeons moved >S around first light but no more than around 50.
The Fieldfares were hard to estimate with casual observations to and at work but I would saw over 500 seen and many more missed.
Fieldfare flocks are near impossible to photograph to give a true scale as if you take the whole flock at a distance they are just specks and if you zoom in to get a better view you cut out most of the group.

A good report today of a Buzzard over south Queensbury mid afternoon.
BS

Oxenhope, p.m. visit

                                         Fieldfares still moving through

           Bright Common gulls standing out in the dark background

      The dark rain cloud to the right of the rainbow moved right across Bradford
     Baildon Keighley and on into the dales.

                                          Gull crossing the rainbow

                                        Clouds approaching Windy Corner

Oxenhope, windy corner - 1500-1700hrs. Slight SW>4 Rain showers all around but missed me, for a change.
Fieldfare were still passing through all >W but in much smaller groups than yesterday afternoon, the largest flock being 100 and several small groups of a dozen or less.
Lapwings and Starlings were the only other movers with no continuation of this mornings Pinkie movement.
Unlike yesterday no Fieldfares came down in the wood or on the moor last light.
Good to get male Goosanders back on the water.

c500 Fieldfare................................>W
26 Lapwing....................................>NW
48 Starling.....................................>NW
Present.
22f 2m Goosander
1 Kestrel
+ usual gulls etc.
BS

Pinkies for Soil Hill

           The second skein of Pinkies >NW over Mixenden

                                   First skein with the Oxenhope team below.

                                          North of Soil Hill

                                                  Jackdaws on the move

                                           Mega Fieldfare move over Halifax >W

A strange morning with mist over Fly Flatts, then second choice Leeshaw road blocked for roadworks so back to Ogden which had restricted access due to the filming of DCI Banks digging a body up out of the wood.
Finally settled above the top car park which gives a good vantage point and Fieldfares were piling over possibly just to the south of Halifax.
Jackdaws were heading >W and several squadrons of Starlings moved >NW .
The first real move of Woodpigeons took place all >W but only small groups.
Moved from Ogden before the rush started and spent the last 30 mins at the Ned Hill watchpoint where things had quietened down but as I was on the phone to DCB at Oxenhope, HC picked up skeins of Pink Footed geese far out to the east but heading >NW in our general direction.
After a gruelling dash up to the top of the hill I picked up the first skein to the north of me heading over the Oxenhope watch point and shortly afterwards another skein >NW over Mixenden res but these were soon lost in the clouds.
On the way back down the west slope of Soil Hill I had an added bonus when I flushed a Jack Snipe 10 yds away from me which dropped back down about another 20 yds on.
A bad start to the morning but all worked out well in the end.
Thanks to HC/ DCB for the tip off.

c 1000 Fieldfare..................................>W
c 150 Jackdaw..................................>W
93 Woodpigeons...............................>W
c140 Starling.....................................>NW
195 Pink Footed Geese.....................>NW   2 skeins  105 and 90 ish.
15 Chaffinch......................................>W
2 Redwing.........................................>W

1 Blogging Jack Snipe
BS

The Big One, Fieldfares

                               Skies full of Fieldfare heading towards Ogden

                                  Unbelievable numbers all >W

                                           Several Snipe moving through >W

         

        Up to 500 down last light in trees and on the moor feeding on bilberries

                                  Hungry after a long journey.

                                   Over the reservoir wall

           The Oxenhope team  . Note the mega tri pod for the bleak conditions

                           DCB                                            HC

Oxenhope watch point 1500-1700hrs
Set off for the reservoir late afternoon and bumped into DCB/HC still at the watch point from when the fog lifted late morning although they had been out from first light watching from below the cloud base.
I never made the reservoir as Fieldfares were coming over >W in amazing flocks of up to 300 at a time and clocked up to 3000 in the 2 hours I was there. Some were distant and high whilst others dropped down into the wood briefly before moving off again to the west.
As the light began to fade the Fieldfares were coming low over the moor and dropping down into the plantation and edges of the moor feeding on rowan berries and bilberries, possible roosting there?
Lapwings and Snipe were also moving >W.
Dave had sheets full of numbers from todays count and when reckoned up will be well into the teens of thousands if not more.
Note DCB with his tin of Pineapple which ended up full of hungry flies whilst he was counting.
Nice to spend a couple of hours in the company of 2 such dedicated vis miggers.
CK also appeared and went to check the reservoir making me feel better that I had,nt missed anything special on the water.
BS

Queensbury fogged off but brightness from Leeshaw.

                                      4 Images  Courtesy Mick Whitelock.

                                  Carrion Crow mobbing Buzzard

   Amazing photos from Leeshaw Reservoir   17/10/13

A day of dense fog today at Queensbury from before first light until after dark without clearing.
Luckily for me, just I was panicking what to put on the blog, an e mail from Mick Whitelock ( Haworth)
telling me of his visit to Leeshaw reservoir yesterday at mid day along with these stonking photos.
Mick got the usual Cormorants, geese etc as well as 3 Curlew and 2 Buzzards passing through.
Well done with the pics Mick and thanks for sending them on.
Hope this fog clears for the weekend, its playing havoc with the vis mig.
HC had to move down from Oxenhope this morning to get below the cloud base at Wilsden where the last I heard he was getting good numbers of Fieldfare through >W. Thanks for the texts Howard.
BS

Queensbury, Bright skies, less birds.

                   A bright sunrise, Chapel Lane on the way to work

               Through the chimneys to Black Dyke from work

                                        Bombers moon this evening

                                             Foxhill Common gulls

A bright start followed by blue skies and sunshine throughout the day, a real contrast to yesterdays fog and rain but not birding weather.
Between 0800-0900hrs a scattering of Meadow Pipits came over in migrating mode >S along with 4 flocks of Fieldfare also >S but by their flight pattern these were birds already in and moving around feeding areas.
Expected some Pinkies over today but despite plenty sky watching none appeared and no messages of any moving across the region.
A good forecast for the weekend with plenty grey skies and showers to get the birds moving, unless of course you,re not a birder then its a lousy forecast but then you probably would,nt be looking at this blog.
BS