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.

Ogden Water

An interesting mid afternoon circuit of the reservoir favouring the west bank for starters in the shelter from the gusting wind. The water levels slightly up from our walk around there last week.

Around 25 B H Gulls were on a spit along with 2 Common Gulls when a 'white winged' gull dropped out of the sky landing alongside them. An adult Mediterranean Gull, always a pleasure to see. It stayed with the group for several minutes bathing and preening so we were afforded reasonably close views with not a sign of any black feathers on the wing tip, a black smudgy mask just above and behind the eye and blood red legs and bill. A classic winter adult. No camera !!! After a while it flew off towards another group of gulls on the east side but we failed to locate again.

Also present - 3 Lapwings, 3 Teal, 5 Tufted Duck and c60 Mallard along with 2 Herring Gulls and 2 L B -b Gulls. A limited number of passerines - 1 Goldcrest, 4 Blue Tits, 1 Great Tit, 2 Chaffinch and a small flock of Redwings dropped into the plantation.

Beacon Hill

Common Gull. The white-tipped primaries age it as adult. The outer primary, P10, and possibly also P9, have not yet fully regrown after moult. When moult is complete, 4 or 5 white tipped primaries are visible beyond the tertials.

1cy Carrion Crow. Very tame: photo was taken only about 7 metres from the bird.

Canada Goose 24 feeding

Beacon Hill

Continental Blackbird

Also:  Jay 1 west

Cold Edge

Stonechat pair

Herring Gull adult. The bird has 3 white-tipped primaries beyond the tertials: a fully grown wing has 4. The head and neck have moulted into winter plumage: there are dark streaks on the neck, and dark markings on the head - especially around the eye - making the eye stand out.