WEST YORKSHIRE BIRDING

BRIAN SUMNER.
WELCOME TO ( WEST YORKSHIRE BIRDING )
KEEPING BIRDING LOCAL.

BLOG UPDATED DAILY AROUND 2000 hrs.

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NOTE !!
No sightings of Roe Deer, Fox, Hare or Badger will be mentioned on this blog throughout the year and links will be removed from other blogs giving the whereabouts of these mammals due to the rising influx of poaching, long dogging and lamping by sick individuals.
BS




Monday, March 18, 2024

A busy Fly Flatts.

 

                                    1 of 6 Ringed Plover




                                    4 of 6 Ringed Plover


                                Good count of Greylag
                                Unusual at this site 2f 1m Goosander
                                    Single Pied Wagtail

                                    1 of 2 Grey Wagtail

Early morn and after leaving blue sky and sunshine at Queensbury I managed to find the only mist and rain cloud in West Yorkshire, which was up at Fly Flatts. Luckily it soon moved over leaving full cloud cover but good visibility on a cool SW>3 at 4 degrees.
     A much livelier morning than yesterday with the air filled with calling Curlew, Lapwing, Redshank, Oystercatcher and geese making it sound very spring like. 
     The water held a good count of 16 Greylags, new in from yesterday, along with the usual Canadas and Mallards whilst 2f and 1m Goosander left early doors after an overnight roost, not a common wildfowl for this fish-less water.
    Waders were pleasing with 4 Ringed Plover on the east bank and another 2 on the west bank, the 2 on the west bank being flushed by YW, both spiralling upward, very high and away >N.  Oystercatchers are down to 4 now along with 4 Redshank, 2 Curlew and a mass of Lapwing.
     Small passerines included 1 m Stonechat, 5 Reed Bunting, 1 Pied Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail and swarms of Meadow Pipits.  A pleasing morning.
     A quick dash around the 4 Oxenhope reservoirs late afternoon , just to check the state of play, found them all in the same mode with nothing much on each of the waters and all without shore.
      A showery morning forecast for tomorrow with a stronger westerly.
BS  

Sunday, March 17, 2024

What a difference a day made, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    2 of 8 Oystercatchers

A world of difference this morning at Fly Flatts, both weather wise and bird wise. The early morning weather was better than expected with the overnight fog clearing by 0600 hrs so a decent start with clear visibility, other than a low cloud base over the tops of the turbines.
A light SW>3 with dark clouds and damping in the air at 6 degrees. By 0945 hrs the fog and heavy horizontal drizzle was piling across from the west so game over, though fortunately it was near tackling up time anyway.
       Much quieter on the bird scene this morning with just the usual 3 Redshank, 3 Ringed Plover, 8 Oystercatchers, 4 Curlew and the squabbling Lapwings.
Nothing on the water other than 2 Greylag plus the Canadas and 4 Mallard. The pair of Tufted had gone but not surprisingly with canoes and rescue boat exercises on the water yesterday afternoon.
    The water at Mixenden and Cold Edge Dams were void of Whoopers as I passed.
Possibly a half decent morning tomorrow showing cloudy with some sun on a light sou'westerly.
BS
        

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Blue sky at Fly Flatts !!! Whoopers on Cold Edge Dams.

 

                                    1 of 5 Oystercatchers.


                                    1 pr Greylag ready to breed


                                    2 of 8 Curlew
                                    1 pr Tufted
                                        1 of 4 Redshank
                            Redshank, non breeding or 1st winter.



                            Mega distant Red Kite in the cloud

                                    Leadbeater dam. min of 45 Whoopers.
                                Taken from Cold Edge Rd.



A stonking mornings watch in unusual weather. Very strange at Fly Flatts to look up and see the sky and even sunshine, takes some getting used to although it won't last. A cool SE>3 at 4 degrees with 50% cloud and sunshine.
      Things were very lively throughout with a good show of waders with now 4 Ringed Plover, 2m 1f and a first winter. The males were chasing the female around and squabbling with each other though keeping at scope-able distance on the east bank . Redshanks are now up to 4 birds with 2 settling on the moor whilst 5 Oystercatchers were present.
  Up to 8 Curlew are now in the area along with around 40 breeding pair of Lapwing but no Golden Plover as yet. The water held a pair of Tufted duck, new in from yesterday, along with a breeding pair of Greylags and around 200 Canadas.
   The area is now buzzing with Meadow Pipits around the water and several parachuting over the Flat Moor and top fields.
     A raptor, over a mile out over the west moor was being mobbed by Lapwings and I nearly dismissed it as a Buzzard until I scoped it to find a Red Kite. I took the above photos at 300mm aiming where it was but unable to see it through the view finder and not expecting any results but surprisingly I got 2 record shots of the bird. This just shows how every bird should be checked, and not dismissed as a probable common species.
    On the way home I checked Cold Edge Dams from the top road to get a count of at least 45 Whooper Swans and probably more as some disappeared below the east bank being spooked by dog walkers.
    Nothing in the way of Wheatear as yet but last year I got my first back at Fly Flatts on the 17th March so now imminent.
    After one half day break in the weather, tomorrow is showing back to rain with a light >S turning >SW .
BS

Friday, March 15, 2024

And how she blew, Fly Flatts.

 

                        Mostly drake Mallards now, Females sitting eggs.
                                        2 Ringed Plovers showing.

                                Whooper swan in from the NE
                                Out of range and in the drizzle


                                Up on the north bank.
                                Rare visit from Black Headed gulls

Very wild and very wet at Fly Flatts this morning with a strong SW turning WSW >6 gusting 7 at 
33 to 35 mph. Reasonable visibility but continuous showers of heavy horizontal drizzle and some torrential downpours with occasional mist banks moving through at 6 degrees.
     The usual waders were present but keeping their heads down with 2 Ringed Plover, 3 Redshank, 6 Oystercatchers plus Lapwings and Curlew. The water was very rough with Canadas and Mallards braving the waves, the Mallards being mostly drakes now with the females in the fields or moor sitting eggs, whilst 2 Black Headed gulls turned up on the water which is not a regular occurrence here.
      During one particularly heavy drizzle shower a single Whooper Swan came in from the NE and landed on the water way over in the NW corner before going onto the banking with the Canadas but remaining far in the distance and out of camera range. Way too wet and windy to walk the west bank to get closer so settled for a few record shots.
     Could be in with a chance tomorrow with a dry morning forecast on a very light south to south east so as long as the fog does'nt raise its ugly head it could be half decent.
BS
   

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Meadow Pipits galore, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Back to 3 Ringed Plover

                                Overnight fall of Meadow Pipits.

                                    2 Redshank just arrived
                                Plenty noisy Canadas paired up

                                    Well it looks like spring !

Another clear morning at Fly Flatts. Still windy but less than yesterday with a SSW>4 gusting 5 with full cloud and light rain showers at 6 degrees.
     Waders improving slightly now despite the lack of shore, as water still plummets out of the overflow and looking unlikely to be shoreline showing for any spring migrants.
    A pair of Redshank were new in whilst the Ringed Plovers were back up to 3, along with 4 Oystercatchers, around 40 Lapwing and 4 Curlew.
   Meadow Pipits have done their usual springtime act with 2 yesterday and back en masse today with Mipits everwhere, in the compound, along the banking and on the moor. 
     Several Lapwings are now settling on the Flat Moor but being heavily harassed by crows. Hopefully it will encourage Golden Plover which has become a rarity around this site.
     Back to a strong sou'wester tomorrow and more rain, see what I mean about the shoreline !
BS