Dodging the fog Leeshaw Reservoir

 

                                    Last nights sunset sky.

                                    23 Oystercatchers present

                                    Good count of Herring gulls

                                    As well as Lesser Black Backed

                                  Herring below rock with deformed bill, possible Caspian

                            Herring to left of rock , Yellow Legged.

                                    2 Redshank showing

                                1 of 4 Curlew

                                    SW spit

                                Single Pink Footed goose

With dense fog banks around this morning to the east and west of me I took a gamble on Leeshaw reservoir which paid off with clear blue sky and sunshine on a W>4 gusting 5 at 7 degrees. Full cloud by 0930 hrs but remaining clear.

     Gulls were back this morning with around 40 Herring and 10 LBB but very flighty in the wind and eventually heading off >W. A small group landed on the far north shore briefly just giving me time to pick out a very bright headed gull with a deformed bill. the bright white head, dark eye and snouty look made it a good contender for Caspian, possibly the same deformed bill Caspian I had over Fly Flatts in October but will have to check my photos. It was very distant and in the heat shimmer so photo no good for any plumage details.

    Right next to it, to the left of the rock was a 2 CY Herring gull with pale yellow legs but they all blasted off before I could get anything else on it. Very few small gull present and all the usual gull fields empty looking like the gulling season if coming to an end. Most of the Common gulls have now left Foxhill Park and the Raggalds football pitches.

    No waders as yet other than 2 Redshank and the usual Curlews, Lapwings and Oystercatchers and only the geese and Mallard on the water with the mandarin duck moved on. The single, long staying, Pink Footed goose was in with the Greylags and seems like it has made Leeshaw its new home.

    Looks like a bright but cold day tomorrow with a light WSW wind starting off at 4 degrees.

BS 

     

    

Fly Flatts

 

Redshank         Ringed Plover                                                         

                                Redshank on slipway

                                    Ringed Plover        Redshank

                                    Usual Oystercatchers

                            Record shot. 3 female Goldeneye

                                Well out of range and in heat shimmer.

Luckily the overnight fog had lifted by 0600 hrs leaving a bright, clear morning at Fly Flatts with cloudless skies and sunshine at 5 degrees on a very light NNE>2.

    Good news that the Ringed Plover has shown up after an few days absence, taking it that it is the same bird, which I suspect as its using just the same areas as normal. Three Redshank were present along with the 2 Oystercatchers, Lapwings and Curlews whilst a surprise to find 3 female Goldeneye on the water but keeping well over in the NW corner and badly distorted in the heat shimmer. This is the best count of Goldeneye I have ever had on this unusual site for them. I seem to get just a single female for a short stop off  each year with two previous sightings this year, one 29th Jan and one 16th March.

     A Red Legged Partridge was in the top field whilst 2 Pied Wagtails and several Mipits were around the compound area. The dyke at the side of the lagoon was alive with noise frogs and clumps of frog spawn.

   Looking like a cloudy, foggy morning tomorrow on a moderate westerly at 7 degrees then brightening midday.

BS

Triple surprise at Leeshaw Reservoir

 

                                            Good start to the visit, Red Kite

                                Site first, Mandarin duck

                                    Nice bit of shore

                                    2 Pink Footed Geese.

A real miserable morning with thick fog on the tops and mist drizzle at Leeshaw followed by heavy rain. Full dark clouds on a light NNE>2 at 7 degrees.

   It all happened in the first few minutes of arrival with 3 pleasant surprises. Firstly, as I parked up a Red Kite appeared overhead so a quick panic to get the lens on the camera for a few very poor photos in the dark conditions with no time to get the camera reset. Next pleasing surprise was to meet Mick Cunningham, also viewing the Kite, who we communicate to each other near daily but I have,nt seen mick in around 30 years but he has now move back to his old stomping grounds of West Yorkshire.

     The third surprise was that Mick had just finished taking a video of a drake Mandarin, a first at this site for me as I watched it in with the Mallards.

     After that it went a bit downhill with nothing else unusual and not a gull of any description for some reason, the usual gull fields and Leeming were also empty. Still at least 21 Oystercatchers present along with 3 Redshank, 4 Curlew and the usual Lapwings.

     A Heron was on the far bank and 2 Pink Footed geese flew from the water to the fields.

A report from Oakworth birder AK with a Wheatear up on the Nab above Fly Flatts.

    A brighter day tomorrow but drop in temperature starting off at 4 degrees with cloudy sunshine and a very light NNE turning west by midday. Its fog dependent for the morning session.

BS

Leeshaw Reservoir

 

                                    Plenty Herring and LBB gull

                                        Several noisy Lapwing

                                    2 Redshank present

Dense fog on the tops this morning but Leeshaw was below the cloud base starting off hazy but soon clearing to part blue sky and sunshine on a light SE>3 and a warm 9 degrees.

     Gulls were the feature this morning with a good count of around 50 Herring and over 40 LBB as well as Common and Black Headed gull.  Still chance of an Iceland but getting slimmer all the time.

    Still at least 18 Oystercatchers present as well as 2 Redshank and just 2 Curlew with a lower count of Lapwings as the fields where several were protecting territory and sitting has just been used for muck spreading so several seemed to have moved on.

    A single Pied Wagtail and Grey Wagtail were in the overflow along with a few Mipits but otherwise down to the geese and usual species.

     Not good for tomorrow with a capful of fog and mist ( which I can see now waiting in the wings to the east over the Aire Valley), along with a chance of rain on a stronger NNE starting off at 6 degrees.

BS

    

Back to the overcoat, Fly Flatts

 

                                    Down to 1 pair of Oystercatchers

                                The Leeshaw spotted Greylag keeps turning up.

Back to the top coat at Fly Flatts this morning with an icy cold SE >4 although the temperature was reading 6 degrees. Full cloud apart from a few short spells of sunshine breaking through.

    With the cold wind back, the skies were empty, other than a few Lapwings struggling to keep the Crows away whilst 2 Raven were over the Nab. No new Waders in as yet with just the 2 Oystercatchers, and the Ringed Plover still on the missing list.

    A scope of all the broken walls in the top fields failed to find an early Wheatear with just 2 Pied Wagtail, 3 Reed Bunting and several Mipits whilst 2 Lesser Black Backed gulls were on the water with the usual geese and Mallard.

   As I set off driving back up the track from the boatyard a Snipe flushed from the dyke and straight across the front of the car. This is another species in decline at this site with very few sightings, whereas a few years ago they were a common sight.

    An extended dog walk p.m. across the fields to the Old Guy Road cricket pitch to check for Linnet or Wheatear produced neither but grass cutting on the pitch did'nt help matters, although Linnets don't usually arrive back at this site or Fly Flatts until the end of the month, just after the Wheatears begin to arrive. A Wheatear was reported at Shelf Moor  this afternoon, T.Mc.

    A chance of rain tomorrow and early fog on a light SE wind but temperatures starting off at 9 degrees. Early morning visibility given as very poor.

BS