Green Sandpiper/House Sparrow

2pm>4pm Turned up to Ringstone and Had a Green sandpiper on the East Shore straight away very nice after looking at it for 10 mins turned round to see a House Sparrow on the feeding station, 2 new Ringstone species for the year in one day Fantastic and in the afternoon.

99 Species this year so far

Friday morning Duck Day

Got to reservoir at 08:00 not much about .

Then 4 Shelduck flew in followed by 4 Teal and then 4 Goosander

also 18 Mallard and 1 Tufted

Got a phone call of Dave S to say their was 2 Red Breasted Mergansers at Ogden with 3 Wigeon

So a good Duck day

Busy Morning

Got to Ringstone at 08:30 Bright and Sunny with a few showers.

Pair of little Owl in Fields

31 Mallard on the reservoir

with 8 Snipe.

also Mixture of Common and Black Headed Gulls

6 Lapwing

2 Golden Plover over

1 Gt Crested Grebe

Feeding Station very busy with Goldfinches Greenfinches chaffinches 5 Linnets Blue Tits Gt Tits and Reed Bunting also usual Dunnocks and Robin .

Flock off 15 Long Tail Tits in the farm Yard next to feeding station with 1 Chiffchaff

On the pile of Rubble in North Field 2 Wheatear

2 Stonechat 2 Skylark

Good Numbers of Meadow Pipits moving .

1 Kestrel over Reservoir

1 Turkey{ don't think i can include cliffords new pet Turkey in species count}

4 Blackbirds in the Paddock

Nice Morning

Gt Northern Diver leaves at 7:15am

Photo courtesy of John Beaumont

Reports of Diver Leaving at 07:15 this morning . Great while it lasted

Upto 33 Mallards on Reservoir Last Night

Today

1 Gt Crested Grebe

16 Mallard

2 Chiffchaff

60+Goldfinch in and around site

Gt Northern Diver at Ringstone edge

The Day Started with a trip up to whiteholme reservoir to see if the 8 Bar tail Godwits where still about . As I drove through the sheeting rain the higher up the moor i drove the foggier it got. When i got to Whiteholme it was fog bound you couldn't see 10 feet. 2 Minutes later i was on my way to Ringstone edge. The rain was bouncing down so i parked the car at the feeding station so it wasn't coming in through the windows and was surprised with the number of birds

Nearly 70 a mixture of the normal Greenfinch and Goldfinch but today i had 26 chaffinch 7 Blue tits plus the usual Robins and Dunnocks. I looked across the reservoir to the hide and saw a few Snipe on the shore and thought about going down but the weather was appalling . I drove to the East bank and saw a wet Wheatear hoping around the shore . I Thought i must get a shot of that for the blog as there hasn't been many this Autumn at Ringstone. I then drove down to the paddock and had a quick look. The rain had stopped so i thought id go down to the hide .

I opened the windows to the hide and got the 2 Snipe near the West pool, a few Gulls were messing around by the East Tower making a noise, i ignored them but they kept on so i got my scope on them and there not 20 foot from where i had sat taking shots of Wheatear was a Diver . It Dove straight away . God a Diver , i phoned John B straight away and just said "Diver ringstone now could be Gt Northern" "Im on the way" the phone went dead. I rang Dave S and said Diver Species ringstone now, he was talking me through ID on Red Throated and i was saying no its got huge bill ,neck collar, big bird . I got a few shots from a distance and then locked the hide and ran back to the car . As i drove back to the East tower and parked up i couldn't locate it. John Turned up jumped out and there it was right over the West side. Gt Northern he said straight away "makes the reservoir look small". As the morning went on Dave S turned up then Tim and Dave T, Dave P from Huddersfield . The bird showed well, as the rain stopped and the reservoir calmed down to a Mill Pond. Everybody went and then John Watson turned up ,i had phoned him early and he came up in his dinner time. The Diver moved closer to the east shore and i told him i was going to get a better shot. I Slowly raised my camera and took a few shots from over the wall, the bird had seen me but didn't seem to be bothered then to my surprise it raised it head and puffed up it Throat and let out the most magical Call. Still not moving it did it again and again i took a few more shots and retreated. My Phone was ringing , it was John W from across the other side of the res " Did you hear that, Fantastic" he said. I will never forget it. Good old Ringstone.

Ringed Plover

1 Ringed Plover on shore was there yesterday aswell

very little else.

33 Goldfinch at feeding station

Good Day

Got to ringstone at 7:30 and spent most of the morning there, not anything special about but quite a few species

ON RESERVOIR

1 Cormorant

4 Mallards

1Teal

16 Lapwing

23 BH Gull

2 Common Gull

1 Lbb Gull

123 Canada Geese

1 Grey Lag Goose

2 Snipe

1 Grey Heron

1 Gt Crested Grebe

5 Pied Wagtails

8 Swallows

6 House Martins

on Feeders

1 Gt Tit

2 Blue Tits

8 Greenfinch

5 Goldfinch

1 Wren

3 Dunnock

3 Robins

1 Blackbird

3 Chaffinch

2 Willow Warblers

Around Reservoir

C24 Meadow Pipits

6 Linnets

4 Reed Bunting

4 Stonechat

2 Skylark

1 Mistle Thrush

1 Song Thrush

1 Kestrel

1 Little Owl

Carrion Crows

Magpies

2 Stock Doves

1 wood pigeon

1 jay

38 Species.

Lesser Whitethroat at ringstone

Got a call from John B to say he had heard Lesser Whitethroat in bushes near feeding station, i was at whiteholme where their was a distinct lack of birds. 10 Minutes later i was at ringstone and got a few record shots as it flew out of bushes and sat on fence. 4 Willow Warblers where harassing it for a time , it flew back over into Hawthorns and we couldnt pick it up again.

3 Raverns where spotted high over the M62 as we where watching them one called from behind us high up and flew straight over the reservoir. 1 Whinchat 4 stonechats and a song thrush down by the paddock. 1 Teal 6 Mallards 120 Canada Geese and 1 Gt Crested Grebe with 1 Lesser Black Backed Gull 15 BH Gulls and 14 Lapwing on the Reservoir.

A Great Morning

Whinchat

Whinchat on west wall this afternoon, 1 Teal , 31 Lapwing, 6 Mallards

1LBB Gull 24 BH Gulls

2 Snipe on West Pool

Also Reed Buntings, Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Gt Tit, Blue Tit

House Martins and Swallows