Ogden to Bradshaw - Influx of Finches

A really dark afternoon and it looked like it would pelt down, but somehow it remained dry.

Horrible light underneath the trees along the Ogden circuit as I scanned the tree tops.

A big influx of Finches greeted me here this afternoon and I did two very slow circuits to see if I could nab 'owt special.

On the 1st pass along the west side path, many Chaffinch were feeding on the deck,  under trees, just after the 1st corner.

Try as I might I tried to turn one of them into a B..Brambling but failed.

After my eyes had turned googly I moved along before losing the will to live.

A bit further along another 'batch' of Chaffinch flew past landing in the trees and then quickly moving along, also among the Chaffinch were Siskin but they landed high and immediately moved off.

On my 2nd pass the West and North West was again the place to be with more goodies.

There were a few Chaffinch still in situ but a few Goldcrest appeared as well.

A bit further along a good sized Long Tailed Tit flock twittered through and these birds were accompanied by more Goldcrest.

'Half Way Around' the circuit on the north end it was great to see Siskin and Lesser(?) Redpoll feeding high in trees.

The light here was so awful that I could not ID the birds through the bins and had to resort to firing a load of light into the camera to get any colour.

I did get some photos but they are poor alas.

Eventually I headed off home, going up the Ned Hill Grunt.

I had a short walk along Ned Hill Track but it was very breezy and then I walked along Soil Hill Main Track to the quarry and back, Here again the wind was very strong.

Home was via Percy Rd and Taylor Lane - an interesting afternoon at Ogden made a pleasant change.

Home in the near dark at 16:30 ish.

It goes to show that when Birding you need some luck - with one of my circuits having very few Chaffinch and the other no Siskin or Redpoll!

2 Jay flew over Burdock Way this a.m.

Birds:-

Ogden Water:

Kestrel.

Raven and 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker (all heard none seen).

200 + Chaffinch.

10 + Goldcrest.

30 + Long Tailed Tit.

30 + Redpoll / Siskin mixed flock.

(Redpoll is a long awaited years tick).

Usual Gull species as far as I could tell.

Ogden to Home:

Buzzard and Kestrel over Ned Hill Track.

2 Pheasant running along Soil Hill Track.

Kestrel over Taylor Lane.

With apologies for the photos!

Buzzard.

Kestrel (I think).