Cold Edge

Buzzard

Common Gull - adult and 1cy

1 of 6 Rooks

Dunnock

Also:  Fieldfare 65 east

Cold Edge

 A couple of hours up there mid/late afternoon though not a lot to report.

114 Canada Geese and 48 Greylags seemed settled in the fields with 8 Stock Doves.

The dams were devoid of birds except for a single Canada Goose with 2 Red Grouse nearby and 

2 Stonechat were on the moor fence line just below the lower dam.

1 Kestrel, 1 Greenfinch, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Rook, 16 Blackbirds, 30+ Starlings.

B h Gulls, Common Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls gradually moving through on a roost flight.

Just seen Pete's photos of his recent Tree Sparrow - what a good bird for up there.

Cold Edge

Starling still in juvenile plumage

Pheasant: 2 females (with Canada Goose) - white crescent below eye; barred tail

Cold Edge

Fieldfare

Reed Bunting pair

Cold Edge

Tree Sparrow

Cold Edge

5 of 33 Greylag Geese, with Canadas

Tufted Duck male. The dark eye ages it as 1cy

There is no tuft at the nape, but the structure of head and bill exclude Scaup:

- forehead is rounded, leading to highest point of crown being at its centre, (Scaup has steep forehead, and highest point of crown in front of its centre);

- culmen of bill is smoothly concave, (culmen of Scaup is almost straight, and bill is deeper and wider);

- bill is shorter: 2/3 of bill to nape interval, (Scaup 3/4).

Scaup breed in Iceland and Scandinavia, and I think we get an early autumn passage of 1cy birds. My first young Scaup was shown to me at Ogden by Phil Cunningham in September over 30 years ago, and I have  seen (and blogged) a number in early autumn in recent years. Young 1cy Tufted and Scaup have identical plumage so it is likely some young Scaup are missed.

Ogden

This morning in search of BS and JJL's recent Brambling. Eventually managed two with a small number of maybe 12 Chaffinch all well hidden in the dense shrubs beside the path. They all eventually took flight with the Brambling showing there white rumps as they went.

Thrushes and Woodpigeons were on the move high over the plantation, all heading towards Thornton Moor. Difficult to count when they are on the move like that though I managed guesstimates ...Fieldfare 11 groups total c580. Redwings 6 groups est c230, Woodpigeons 8 groups est c320.

Green Woodpecker yaffle in the woodland with a noisy Nuthatch.

1 Kestrel, 2 Raven and 2 Jays elsewhere.

The previous day a Barn Owl was out and about mid afternoon, but distant.

Cold Edge

Herring Gull 2 adults

1 of 15 Blackbirds

Kestrel female. I cannot make out the right side of the bird's face. Has it lost an eye? Could it hunt without binocular vision?

Also:  Fieldfare 50

Blackstone Edge

Mipit in the fog!

Soil Hill

Not a site for the faint-hearted which had been excavated in fairly recent times. Lots of rough stoney ground with emergent weeds and shallow pools along with areas of rank vegetation. A site to be negotiated with care but I gave it a go on the summit yesterday. The drizzle was coming sideways from the west with a gusty wind so zig-zagged across from the west side with the wind behind me. I might as well not have bothered...1 Red-legged Partridge was the only bird i could find on the top.

Undeterred I gave it a go this morning with JJL of a same mind - two eyes and ears are better than one!  

We trawled the summit with several worthwhile rewards. See JJL's list on his blog.

bradshawbirds.blogspot.com

Never know what might turn up here though DJB has excelled on this site as others have done over the years.