It was a glorious sunny morning with a deceptively cold easterly
breeze.
Sue dropped me at a busy Ogden (30 cars -
before 10am!) on her way to see her dad this morning.
The Walk:
I headed off up Back Lane, across to Ogden
and did a leisurely circuit of the water. I left via path behind the reservoir
house and went across open ground to pass the Club House and along the stream. At the
end I went along the track, past the maintenance buildings, for a few hundred
yds before coming back to the buildings.
A right turn took me along the track to
rise up through Brockholes and along Rocks Road. I took a left turn down Union
Lane before emerging onto Keighley Road.
It was the usual jaunt home via Cow Hill
Gate Lane, Ingham Lane and Bradshaw Park.
Birds:
Back Lane held 3 Pheasants, 10 Woodpigeon
and a Curlew was calling far off over Thornton Moor.
Ogden Water 9:45
With the recent Whooper Swan sightings I
was hoping .... but no dice.
According to my mediocre gull ID skills, the usual birds were here today.
10 Canada
Goose, c100 small Gulls, 2 LBBG.
A BHG trying to impersonate a Med
Gull.
2 Grey Wagtails and a Drake Goldeneye.
Ogden Golf Course Area.
2 Meadow Pipit - at last Meadow Pipit -
things are on the up.
Curlew calling from Hunter Hill area.
Hoping for Wheatear but no luck.
Hoping for Wheatear but no luck.
Brockholes Area.
3 Grey Wagtail near the start of Rocks
Road.
Cow Hill Gate Road.
Skylark singing high up at the junction of
Ingham Lane.
Bradshaw Park 12:25
Mistle Thrush and a solitary Rook.
Signs of spring
The metal measuring device now nearly submerged.
Nice Grey Wag.
ReplyDeleteYes like the Grey Wag shots John
ReplyDeleteThe gull on the float looks more like a second winter coming into 3rd calender year Herring Gull than anything else John. The pale grey is coming through on the wings but the very white head and chest are throwing me a bit but it might be the bright sunshine bleaching the markings out. It's certainly a big chested bird unlike Common Gull or B H Gull and too pale for an immature L B b Gull - I think !!
ReplyDeleteHi Dave, I thought it looked "different" when I checked the photo, later. The tip of tne bill and it's paleness resembled a Caspian Gull looking at my Collins bird book - but I'm going off into cloud cuckoo land there no doubt.
ReplyDeleteSome pics of it in flight might have helped, but it did not leave the podium.
Gulls are my nightmare bird!!
John
Hi John - they are most birders nightmare so it's not just you !Just keep working at it - even the 'experts' have to let some birds go.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments it's reassuring to know I'm not struggling alone! (Just struggling more than most).
ReplyDeleteJohn