A Successful Twitch

A blustery cool morning today, a tad cold but no FOG and no RAIN yippee.

I walked across the fields to Ogden Water and around the circuit.

No cafe open today so I was a slim Jim for a few hours.

Good to chat with NK doing the rounds hereabouts.

A Calderdale WhatsApp message from DJS pinged on my phone as I was going around the water, reporting a Shelduck and  Great Black-backed Gull on Mixenden Reservoir -  a very welcome change for Mixenden which had been poor for months.

My birding walk was a really dismal affair with not much seen at Ogden and even less seen on a very windy Soil Hill on my return leg.

After my Caviar and Smoked Salmon Fricassee lunch, I was contemplating driving over to Mixenden Reservoir for the 'specials' when a confirmation ping on my phone  (from DJS via NK - thanks both) of the 'specials' still in situ galvanised me into action!

The drive over was a success with both the Great Black-backed Gull and Shelduck seen along the NE side.

Just as I was leaving a dog walker appeared walking along the banking at the north end towards the Gulls so I guess they would have been flushed by the dog.

The Shelduck had already flown onto the west side of the water.

Two 'ticks' - not bad, not bad at all.

Birds:

Bradshaw - Ogden Water - Soil Hill.

2 Singing Mistle Thrush.

9 Stock Dove.

4 Robin.

Coal Tit.

Chaffinch.

1 Kestrel.

Goldfinch.

House Sparrow.

2 Dunnock.

Blackbird.

Herring Gull.

c20 Small Gulls - Ogden.

c20 Common Gulls - Bradshaw Fields.

and a few others species.

Mixenden Reservoir.

1 Tufted Duck.

1 Great Black-backed Gull.

1 Shelduck.

c5 Herring Gull.

c100 Small Gulls.

Mixenden:-

Mixenden Gulls.

Cromwell Bottom Ski Lake - WET

Heavy persistent rain and thick mist in Bradshaw this morning.

Having not got very far yesterday because of the weather (and just 2 Starling seen in the tree outside my house) I decided to drive down to Brighouse to check out the Cromwell Bottom ski-lake.

It was persisting it down here as well.

I was very unfortunate today, I use my baseball type cap, Velcro fastened over my P950 camera to keep it dry and it normally works - but today disaster struck , the heavy rain found a way in and my camera has now stopped working!!

I have a warranty with the camera but the water ingress will have broken warranty "rule 509 "no doubt so the camera is kyboshed I guess.

A poor do all round with not a lot seen today.

No Goldeneye Ducks on the water but when I'm viewing through the railings I can only see a small section of the lake - so they are probably here.

I did get a 'tick' though while I was looking at the Teal on the Lagoon a solitary Redpoll landed in a nearby tree but soon vamoosed.

(Stop Press:).

I've warmed my camera on a towel on the radiator and...

Its come back on again.. fingers crossed....

Birds:-

1 Redpoll.

3 Teal.

1 Redwing.

Blackbirds.

Mallard.

Herring Gull.

Common Gull.

Lesser Black-baked Gull.

Black Headed Gull.

Coot.

Moorhen.

Cormorant.

Coal, Long Tailed, Great and Blue Tit.

Bradshaw - Ogden Water - Bradshaw

12:00 - 15:45.

I had my usual birding walk today, along the fields to Ogden Water, 2 circuits and back via the fields.

Some brightness with the wind increasing as the afternoon progressed - dry.

Birds at Ogden taking some finding these days!!

Birds:-

3 Buzzard.

Kestrel.

Coal Tit.

c35 Small Gulls.

2 Herring Gull.

7 Long Tailed Tit.

5 Wren.

6 Robin.

Raven.

2 Chaffinch.

2 Goldcrest.

2 Treecreeper.

Pheasant.

15 Goldfinch.

2 Siskin.

Ogden Water poor again.

Cromwell Bottom NR (Monday)

With very poor visibility in Bradshaw and a lunch date at The Golden Hind chippy in Brighouse, I thought I would take the opportunity for a quick-ish look at the Cromwell Bottom Ski-Lake through the railings and bushes before grub up - not the best of views.

It was a lot less murky down here and with not a lot of birding time I guess I did not do the ski lake justice really.

I also had a quick scan of the lagoon where It was good to see 17 Teal - a yearly tick 

There were many Gulls spread about on the ski lake and I did not eyeball anything out of the ordinary -  I'm not bad with Adult plumage Gulls but "Gulls aint my thang", so who knows.

Birds:-

Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull.

2 Moorhen.

3 Coot.

10 Tufted Duck.

5 Goldeneye (2 Males).

2 Heron.

13 Cormorant.

17 Teal.

1 Redhead Goosander.

1 Mute Swan.

Nuthatch.

Teal on the very dark Lagoon.

Photos messed with a bit to try and improve them!!

Cromwell Bottom NR (1st Winter Caspian Gull)

It was a grotty morning  in Bradshaw with fog and drizzle, fed up with waiting for it to clear I drove down to check out Cromwell Bottom NR where I knew the weather would be a lot clearer.

I parked near the fishing ponds and headed off.

A quick look at the river for my target bird, Little Grebe, paid dividends with a Little Grebe diving early on, in the river opposite the canal and river trust small stone building.

Further along there were a couple of Siskin in the trees.

I had a look at the lake through the railings and trees before looking at the lagoon and then walking along the side of the river.

A Calderdale Birders WhatsApp from JB stopped me in my tracks with a report of a 1st Winter Caspian Gull on the ski-lake.

I texted JB to find out that he was scoping the lake from below Casa, so I legged it back to the car and parked opposite Casa.

JB had the bird in his scope - it was about as distant as possible - perched on a post at the far end of the reservoir.

Caspian Gull  is a Calderdale first for me and I personally would not have been able to ID it.

I did get a 'photo' but at the distance it is pretty rubbish.

The bird left the post soon after though.

Birds:-

1st Winter Caspian Gull.

Little Grebe.

2 Siskin.

Mute Swan.

Heron.

3 Male Goldeneye.

Herring Gull, Common Gull, Black Headed Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Tufted Duck.

Coot, Moorhen. Goosander. Cormorant.

Something to brighten your day or possibly not:-

The teacher says to Johnny: Johnny I want you to the word exaggerate in a short paragraph..

Johnny: Ok Miss:

My mate Billy was telling me that he had some tummy problem.

I asked him what he'd   had for breakfast and he told me that he had had Bacon and Eggs.

I said you tummy problem might have been caused by those exaggerate.

Caspian Gull Above.