A nice day for a long walk

A bit of sky watching this morning with 7 Swallow, a Buzzard and a distant Sparrowhawk seen.

This afternoon I had a long hike starting at Ogden, down past the golf club and along the maintenance track to turn left over rough ground. A bit of off road-ing and I found another track that runs through a kissing gate, high above the golf course.

Back at Ogden Water I did a circuit of it before a really enjoyable coffee and a sit down in the visitors centre cafe.

Home was via Syke Lane, Crabtree Hall Farm tracks and the local fields.

Birds:-

Not great alas, given my "bootage" today.

2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 4 Linnet.

Usual Gulls on Ogden Water.

(A Mink reported by the bread lobbers area and a Merlin seen - Merlin ... up to the top of the Withens track to the road and after turning right at the road there is a sub-station ... somewhere here - seen twice).

Ogden to home : Coal Tit, Chiffchaff, Goldfinch , Stock Dove and a few others.

Last night's Blue Moon

Buzzards above.

3 Poor photos below of Sparrowhawk ?? over the house a.m.

Soil Hill in the far distance

Local Fields a.m. / Bradshaw - Soil Hill - Ogden p.m.

Another Cold / Hot day - wet early on, sunny this afternoon.

I had a short walk this morning while Abi was getting her act together.

I managed to escape from home to walk over Soil Hill and down to Ogden while the ladies did their thing.

I had a look at the north slope venturing down 20 yds or so before realising that I'll have to remove it from my flight path - it is very, very overgrown and the incline is too tough for me negotiate these days.

It was good to chat with Geoff the farmer along Ogden Lane.

Just one circuit of the water before the family taxi arrived with the straight jacket just as I was finishing my coffee and choc biscuit in the visitor centre.

Birds:-

Local Fields a.m.

2  Starling and 7 Mistle Thrush in a conifer before moving to a 'very berried' Mountain Ash (3 Mistle Thrush over the house at 7.30 this evening).

2 Swallow. 4 Meadow Pipit.

Chiffchaff, Wren, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and House Sparrow all heard.

Little Owl.

Bradshaw to Soil Hill:

7 Swallow along Bradshaw Lane and a few low over the Syke Lane fields with a couple over the house later.

15 Common Gull, 3 Stock Dove.

c30 Goldfinch flock.

4 Meadow Pipit (6 bobbing birds near home later - probably Meadow Pipit).

A couple of Lesser Black-backed Gull over Soil Hill.

3 Buzzard sightings from Soil Hill (not sure how many birds though).

One of the Buzzards? was on the wall by the standing stones but not for long. Very long wings see poor photo.

35 Canada Geese in the Shay Fields.

Gulls in the fields beyond Denholme velvets.

3 Moorhen on NK pond.

Nothing seen in the 20yds I ventured down the north slope with my Mr Magoo head on.

Ogden:

Not a lot.

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

A Great Crested Grebe was way out in the middle.

Garden:

Buzzard, 5 Swallow.

A possible  Raptor species (not a Sparrowhawk, Kestrel or Buzzard anyway) was very, very high.

Flying mostly south, meandering off line a bit, but intent on getting somewhere  was out of camera range.

Saltaire / Holdworth / Local Fields

This morning we enjoyed an exercise walk from Hirst Wood Car Park through the woods and along the canal and river.

A T-Cake and coffee in Roberts Park café was a welcome break before continuing on along the canal to the car.

Mid-afternoon I had a birding walk from home through the fields to Holdsworth and back and after tea I did my usual one hour stint up the local fields.

The weather started cool, warmed up a bit , them it was quite cold late evening up the local fields.

A lot of local effort looking for something tasty, left me feeling hungry!

I've definitely picked the wrong hobby.

Some great migrating bird sighting reported (in various Calderdale areas) on the birding grapevine today.

Birds:-

Not a lot!

Saltaire:

2 Cormorant, 2 Mute Swan (one with ring number 270).

Kingfisher (seen by Sue, while I was sleep walking).

5 Heron (Inc. 1 Juv).

Canada Geese, Black Headed Gull.

Garden(a.m):

Kestrel, Buzzard, Black Headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Holdsworth Walk:

Coal Tit, Great Tit, 15 Common Gull on Sidhill roof.

A few Swallow.

Local:

Deads-ville!

A few Swallows some low over the fields.

A few Meadow Pipit.

A flock of c12 birds, bobbing along high, were probably Goldfinch.

Local Sunday p.m.

Another day and just another walk up the local fields this evening.

Life seems to be getting in the way of my birding time at the moment.

Birds:-

A few Meadow Pipit and a few Linnet - both very distant.

1 Smart looking Common Gull.

1 Stock Dove.

2 Mistle Thrush on wires with 2 other smaller birds that are far too distant to be 

identified. (they are obviously Megas).

The obligatory Little Owl, but 2 others were heard south west of me.

(My Little Owl has started to flush earlier from it's garden post ,now, and it's

found a new haven in a tree out of sight).

Another mediocre blog I'm afraid but if you tend to read this late in the evening .....

.... perhaps you can miss out on that sleeping pill for once!

Bradshaw Fields

Friday Evening:-

Little Owl, 3 Stock Dove, 5 Canada Geese.

5 Greylag Geese made a welcome change.

No sign of my Redstart from earlier in the week. 

I've now decided that the bird was a Black Redstart due to it's

location on the wall and the contrast between the red in it's tail and the grey in it's back.

I've had both species of Redstart in this vicinity in previous years. 

Saturday Evening:-

Late on and it was cold this evening.

5 Canada Geese, 5 Greylag Geese, 1 Little Owl.

1 Meadow Pipit.

1 Mistle Thrush.

1 Robin.

1 Stock Dove.

A Raptor was very, very distant seen south of the garden mid-afternoon.

Filey Late August Holiday

We took Abi and her dad to Filey for a few days this week.

The weather was kind with no day time rain and a bit of sunshine.

The journey on Monday took nearly 3 hours, a real dog bag of a 

trip with the M1/A1 junction a mess and parts of the A64 stop start.

I was hoping Rishi would have pulled a North Yorkshire Motorway out of his attaché  case by now. The A64 is past its sell by date.

Tuesday we caught the bus to Scarborough ( from the 1st stop after Filey bus station ) and even this early on the bus had 15 or so people standing. 

4 more got on here and the bus stopped a few more times, to let a few more on, eventually , though, the driver decided the bus was full.

He did have the courtesy to stop at all the subsequent stops to explain to the many waiting that he did not have any room.

I have never been on a bus so full, even fuller than bus journeys in the late 1960's when lots of workers caught the teatime bus from Halifax to Queensbury.

I got a seat though (on the steps to upstairs).

Scarborough was packed, also , we had a good time before getting the bus back to the brigg caravan site after 7p.m. (This bus was fine).

I manged a look at the Harbour where just One! Turnstone was in lots of mud -  A couple of Guillemots on the sea, Gannets distant. 

Wednesday was MY free birding morning and I spent it on Filey Brigg.

The tide was on the way out with the brigg peninsular partly walkable.

Lots going on but the light was truly awful.

c20 Knott were nice to see together.

Common and Sandwich Tern for definite I was unable to ID other Terns with any confidence.

Redshank and a good few Turnstone here also.

A large white bird at the far end of the brigg looked cormorant sized and too bulky for an Egret species? It is probably Guillemot, although it looks to have too much white under the chin for Guillemot?

A Tern species, which is probably a Common Tern, had 'long legs' and a pronounced white

strip on the leading edge of the wing?

Also seen were a Heron, Fulmar , Eider Duck plus the usual species for here.

Late evening I had a short walk up to the brigg pond but nothing much was here. 

A short glance off the cliff top revealed 3 Shags on the water.

On Thursday and Friday I squeezed in a bit of birding.

3 Dolphin and a seal were seen.

A change of scenery on Friday as I had a look in the bushes near the massive Brigg public car park.

My Merlin app reported hearing Pied Flycatcher on two different occasions - but I never located either alas.

The App also reported a Yellow Wagtail and a Yellow Legged Gull, the latter certainly here.

Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler with many, many Goldfinch here also and the Brigg  had the usual Linnets.

Swifts were still in evidence.

The journey back was nearly 3 hours also.

I guess people are having the same idea as us-  trying to avoid the bank holiday week-end traffic by going early!

Birds (or some of 'em).

Linnet, Wren, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Stonechat.

Herring Gull, Yellow Legged Gull, Black Headed Gull, 1 Common Gull.

Great Black-backed Gull.

Knott, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Turnstone, Redshank.

Heron, Cormorant, Shag , Kittiwake.

Eider Duck, Fulmar, Sand Martin, Swallow, Swift.

Kestrel, 

A couple of Red Kites on the journeys(s)

1.

A few Shaky (quite distant) videos taken from the top of

Filey Brigg.

Very distant Knot on Filey Brigg Rocks.

Gannets have found a Froffies equivalent café! (Above)

Lots! of birds on Filey Brigg Rocks (Below).

Scarborough - Above.

Filey - Below.

10.

20.

Common Tern ? with pronounced wing strip,

Guillemot?

30.

40.

45.