Ogden/Back Lane

     Looking west from Back Lane, Ogden

                   Looking north

                                       Hundreds of Swallows about

                                     A calm Ogden

                                     Raggalds Flood topped up for now

                                    Mallards and Canadas enjoying the water

Did,nt get free until 1800hrs tonight but at least the days fog had finally lifted so it was a quick look at Ogden and up on the moor hoping for Ring Ouzel and Cuckoo but these 2 species were,nt to be.
The water was quiet other than the usual Mallards and a few Black Headed gulls so an Oystercatcher over the water high and >N was a bonus.
Once on the moor the black clouds came over and down came the rain so little was seen up there.

Raggalds Flood was well topped up and holding 8 male Mallards  and 4 Canadas as well as 11 Woodpigeons and several corvids.

Ogden/Back Lane

11 LBB gulls  >NW
2 Herring gulls >W
1 Oystercatcher >N
2f Wheatear
Plenty Chaffinch around plantation
6 Linnet
3 Siskin over from Back Lane to Giants Tooth area.
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
Several Swallows, Swifts and House Martins
BS

Raggalds Flood, pm visit

             Raggalds Flood, all that rain and 2 puddles

                                   2 of 4 Canada geese present

                 A good feeding ground for Woodpigeon

                                     At least the fog has gone

A day of heavy to torrential rain and thick fog up here in Queensbury but at 1900hrs a miracle happened, the fog lifted and by 1930hrs the skies brightened.
This was what I,d been waiting for so it was up to Raggalds Flood to check the amount of water and the bird situation. What a disappointment to find after all that rain there were only 2 small areas of water but enough to attract a few suspects with 4 Canada geese, 8 Woodpigeons, 2 Stock doves, 1f Wheatear and several corvids. A couple of Swallows flew over and a distant LBB gull heading >N up the Aire valley.
A bit more water needed yet but I,ve been warned to knock off the rain dance by Bradshaw John today so I.ll just have to hope we get the usual Bank holiday weather.
Hope you all have a good and bird filled weekend.
BS

Heavy rain but not enough of it.

A cool NE>4 and heavy to torrential rain started the day then a mixture of short lived bright periods followed by drizzle and low cloud with banks of scud moving over early evening.
The air was filled with the noise of hungry Starlings throughout the day squabbling on the football pitches in Foxhill park inviting a few fly pasts of the local Sparrowhawk but never saw anything taken.
A single Whitethroat was singing at dinner time from bushes in the Grimston field which seems to be an annual event but nothing ever seems to come of it.
The heavy rain hardly touched the surface of the Raggalds Flood today with just 2 Pied Wagtails and plenty corvids present.
Nice to meet DW ,( the finder of Grey Partridge off Old Guy Rd ), at the garage today, I,m sure our paths will cross, out in the field at some point.
BS

Queensbury Today

Foxhill park is alive at the moment with up to 150 juv and adult Starlings feeding in the grass but unfortunately several casualty's  with 3 rings of feathers seen today from Sparrowhawk kills and strangely 4 dead Starlings from the nest fully grown but un feathered in the middle of the park as if they had been snatched from the nest then dropped?
House Sparrows have bred in good numbers with several now out and calling to be fed.
Non breeding LBB gulls have started moving over each evening now all >E in the direction of Eccup reservoir and the odd sighting of a Common gull >NW over the village this morning.
Raggalds Flood is now bone dry and grassed over with 1 f Wheatear and the usual Woodpigeons and corvids present this lunch time.

                                       May 2013   Red Kite over Ogden

                      May 2013  Dunlin and Redshank, Raggalds Flood

                     May 2013, record shot of Yellow Wagtail, Raggalds Flood.

BS

Roper Lane, Old Guy Rd

        Looking over the Causeway Foot col from Roper Lane

                     Over Roper Lane down Calder Valley
                   Saddleworth Moor on the horizon.

              Ovenden Moor wind farm

Distant silhouetted Skylark dropping from the sky
  with landing gear down.

An evening walk through fields between Old Guy Rd and Roper Lane found a surprising number of Skylarks with 9 birds up singing and holding territory. This area was once a hotspot for breeding Skylark until a massive decline due to houses being built in their breeding fields despite protests and reports of an endangered species so hopefully after many years they are starting to re establish themselves.
A solitary Wheatear was in the area along with several Linnets and Meadow Pipits and strangely a Great Tit which seemed out of place in the middle of mowing fields.
Old Guy Rd was quiet with cricket practice, can,t complain about that because they do need it, and the lower fields had the magic mushroom pickers searching for their evening booster, which seems strange to me , when I was their age I needed something to slow me down, not boost me up.
BS

Another Ogden Common Sandpiper report

To coincide with Bradshaw Johns report from last week of a Common Sandpiper at Ogden a customer at the garage today reported a small wader at Ogden yesterday bobbin at the side of the water and noisy when it flew. He then identified it as a Common Sand from a picture I showed him. Not a common bird at Ogden and very poor so far at Fly Flatts possibly due to the high water level.
Here are a few pics of previous year Fly Flatts birds with young :-

       Usually plenty Common Sandpipers at Fly Flatts when the waters down

                                                      Very fast fliers

                                       New to the world

      Cold for the neck at Fly Flatts till the feathers come

                    Grey Wagtail loaded up with grub

                                   Hungry chick waiting

                                        Thats better

                     Off to find some more

Another day of hot stuff but a nice cool E>4 this evening and promise of a top up for Raggalds Flood in the next few days.
BS

Shibden Head, pm visit

                               Plenty juv Starlings out and about now

                           Looking down Shibden Valley towards Stump Cross

             Across to the ski slope. Scout Hall bottom left in trees,
         known as the house with a thousand windows.

                  Ringby Quarry on the tops

                             Green Lane Jackdaw wall

         Shibdens last Indian settlement ?

                                        Across to Green Lane quarry

                               Young inquisitive rabbit

No chance of birding this a.m. and just time for a dog walk this evening to Shibden Head.
Only managed as far as Hanging Royd barn as 4 scramble bikes were flying about lower down and spooking the horses which were galloping about in all directions so not fancying a hoof mark on the head or a squashed dog I decided to retreat for the third time this weekend with druggies, gunners and bikers.
Managed to pick out a few birds in the valley trees below me but not easy now in full green cover.

Gt Spotted Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Garden Warbler
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Willow Warblers
Chiffchaff
+ usual sp.
BS

Ned Hill watchpoint

             Mixenden Reservoir from Ned Hill

      Ned Hill track >N. Soil Hill western slope on right

                                Ned Hill track >S

            Across a hazy Causeway Foot Col to Withins

With Lynda not having a good day and oodalls of jobs to do, birding was down to a 15 minute dog walk along the Ned Hill track this evening.
Previous years the track has been alive with Linnets, Goldfinch, Whitethroat and Meadow Pipits but not tonight, the area was near void of birds with just 2 Linnet, 4 Meadow Pipit and several jackdaws along with 2 Curlews circling the hill.
Plenty Swallows and Swifts were moving through the col >N but only 3 LBB gulls >NW.
As I was coming away a fellow came dashing along the track to me asking if I had a gun. Apparently he was walking by a field lower down when a Woodpigeon about 20 yds from him was shot dead but he never saw where the shot had come from.
BS