Leeshaw Reservoir

 

                                    A good count of gulls

                                    Sky full of gulls

                                        Pinkie in the middle

A misty start to the morning at Leeshaw with dark full cloud on a light SW>3 at 4 degrees.

      An amazing number of gulls present this morning with excess of 300 Black Headed, c30 Common,

53 Herring and 2 LBB, all scoped through but no Caspian, Yellow Legged or Med gulls found. Hopefully this will be the time for Iceland after missing out last year. 

    I would have thought that the single, long staying , Pink Footed goose would have moved yesterday with the big blast off but it was still in with the Greylags this morning. Possibly an older, non breeding bird not fancying the long flight north.

     Other than the gull spectacular it was down to the normal expected species with plenty to see but nothing outstanding apart from the Dipper in the beck and a small flock of 9 Fieldfare overhead. The Red Necked Grebe has,nt arrived back at this site as yet so possibly still on Lower Laithe but no time to check this morning by the time I,d scoped through all the gulls.

      A misty start expected in the morning then a brighter day than today on a light SW but temp down to zero early morn.

BS

    

Big Pinkie movement day, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Ice by the jetty

                                            The Nab

                                                    Frozen slipway.

A brilliant morning at Fly Flatts weather wise with wall to wall sunshine and blue cloudless skies on a light SSW>2 at 4 degrees. Most of the snow gone now but the fringes ot the reservoir still frozen.

        Despite the good weather, birding was very quiet with just the usual Red Grouse, 2 Raven, Reed Bunting, 1 Herring gull, plus a couple of Mipits and 6 Mistle Thrush. That was until 0930 hrs when it all kicked off with a big move of Pink Footed Geese which I luckily picked up when scoping the sky for Buzzard.

   The geese were well to the SW of me all heading >W and looking to be over the Stoodley Pike region and well out of my 200mm lens range. The move continued between 0930 and 1000 hrs with 4 skeins of  roughly guesstimated at 150, 100, 80 and 200 totalling c530 geese.

   For some strange reason I have lost Whatsapp when mobile and can only send and receive messages when at home with the internet. After trying everything and following whatsapp instructions still no joy so if anyone whatsapps me and gets no response you know why, likewise, if I message anyone whilst out and about I will have to use normal text messaging.

     A cloudy cold morning tomorrow with a threat of fog on a light sou'westerly.

BS.

Redcar Tarn, Keighley.

 

                                    Redcar Tarn, early morn. Part frozen

                                    Plenty gulls to search through

                                    Lots of Herrings

                                        Only 2 LBB

                                    Drake Wigeon

                                    Drake Pintail.

A foggy start at Queensbury with Redcar Tarn misty with drizzle but soon clearing to full cloud with hazy sunshine on a light W>3 at 6 degrees.

   As always at this site the place was heaving with birds, its amazing how this small stretch of water attracts so many birds and species, it must be the amount of  feeding that goes on continuously up there.

      Gull wise, there were in excess of 300 Black Headed on the water and in surrounding fields, along with c 45 Herring, 8 Common and 2 Lesser Black Backed. A good search through failed to find a Yellow Legged Herring or Med gull though many gulls were in distant fields and the light was very silhouetted.

     Large counts of all the usual Tufted, Mallard, Canada, Greylag, Coot and Moorhen along with the long staying drake Pintail and Wigeon.

    A walk on Tarn Lane to the Brambling hot spot trees produced a few Chaffinch but no Brambling present.

   An amazing venue to visit but a nightmare drive there early morning with works traffic, temporary traffic lights and schools, taking 1 hour to do the 11 miles there and 30 minutes coming back. 

   A report from BV today saying that the Red Necked Grebe is now on Lower Laithe so possibly making its way back to Leeshaw.

    Looking good for tomorrow with wall to wall sunshine on a light sou'westerly at 7 degrees before the temperature plummets for the weekend.

BS 

Ice, Mist and Steamed up bins, Ogden

 

                                Icy track and Christmas trees

                                Treacherous along the prom.

                                    Mist and drizzle

                                    Getting easier for the birds.

Dense fog on the tops this morning with Ogden misty with heavy drizzle throughout, on a light W>2 at a muggy 6 degrees.

     Very hard work this morning with the snow either deep and sloppy, or washed off, exposing the ice below. Only a short walk and check the water and feeders as too difficult for the dogs to manage plus a lot of salt about so had to give their paws a good wash when I got home as its very toxic to dogs.

       No sign of the Goldeneye and Tufteds this morning, though scanning the water was difficult in the mist and drizzle, plus the higher temperature was constantly steaming up the bins.

    A good count of gulls on the water but far out in the centre with several Herring and LBBs among the small gulls. Usual species on the feeders but no sign of Nuthatch for the second day running. Kingfisher, Dipper and Grey Wagtail down in the sluice gate.

     A single Cormorant flew low over the water but continued>N whilst 2 Canada geese headed high and >E.

    More fog for morning on a light westerly at 8 degrees with a brighter afternoon.

BS

  

    

Back in action, Ogden.

 

                                Queensbury early morn

                                        A snowy Ogden

                              A very white faced female Tufted.

                                    Kingfisher down in the sluice gate

                                    Good turn up, drake Goldeneye.

                                    Gulls on ice

                                    Struggling for food

                                Icy patch on the water.

A brilliant sunrise but very soon blanked out leaving a cloudy day but milder at 3 degrees, though feeling much colder in the SW>4. The steady thaw continues but making very slow progress.

         Good to be back out at last after 8 days caged up although going is still tough with the snow and ice lingering on. Had to take the Keelham route to Ogden, not daring to tackle Ned Hill, but Ogden Lane was clear with the car park snow covered and very icy but managed to get in and park up.

             A nice surprise to get a drake Goldeneye on the water which is somewhat of a rare wildfowl in this area now with me only having 2 sightings last winter, with one female on Fly Flatts last March and 2 females on Leeshaw in October and no sighting of a drake.

      Along with the Goldeneye was 2 female Tufted, one of which had me thinking Scaup with its excessive white face until its tuft lifted in the wind.

     A few small gulls were on the ice and water but only one Herring briefly before it left >SW.

Very few small passerines around although I did'nt check the west bank with the annual Christmas Tree dumping going on. The feeders held the usual Great, Coal and Blue Tits plus Blackbirds, Dunnocks and Robin, whilst the Kingfisher was down in the sluice gate area not seeming to bother about the icy cold water.

A call today from birder Richard reporting the Red Necked Grebe from Leeshaw is now on Ponden Reservoir, presuming its the same bird.

  Not looking brilliant for tomorrow with a cloudy drizzly day and fog by midday on a light westerly.

BS

Start of a steady thaw,

 

                                Common gulls struggling in Foxhill Park.

With the temperature up to 3 degrees on a light SW>2 a steady thaw began today but not making any impression as yet. Cloudy most of the day and some light drizzle late p.m.

     Hopefully some of the dumped cars will move tomorrow with people back to work, the limited few that do work, and schools re-opening, though the pavements around the schools up here are deep in snow and nowhere for parents to park to drop their kids off. Bradford council has done absolutely nothing in the way of snow clearing on the pavements and side roads.

     A shopping trip to Clayton this afternoon was like the dodgems going around parked cars and drivers not wanting to give way.

     Just the usual dog walks over Foxhill today with less birds about other than Common gulls wondering where all the grass has gone. A bit easier on the feeders today without the water freezing over, and just the usual species present, with no sign of the Coal Tits or Goldcrests from yesterday.

     A cloudy day tomorrow with a moderate sou'westerly and temps reaching 4 degrees with early fog, which is rolling in up here in the gods as I am typing this.

BS

Like being on lockdown.

 

                                  Foxhill, no football today.

                                Foxhill school weather vane.  Light WSW.

                                Several Robins up in song.

Another non descript day weather-wise with very little melting other than some of the snow on tree branches that were directly in the sun. Bright clear skies but clouding late afternoon with a risk of snow.

     Getting very monotonous now walking around Foxhill 3 times a day after 6 non birding days, though just a light uplift today with 2 very active Goldcrest in a conifer tree behind my garage, as well as at least 6 Robins present along with a good count of Blackbirds. 

      Usual species in the garden, less the Coal Tits, today and just a few small gulls over. Amazingly no Pinks in the clear blue skies so looking like a rerun of last year when I had a very poor count of returning birds due to them using the coastal route rather than inland.

    Thanks to a report from birder Simon Jennings telling how desperate birds are getting in this weather with a Grey Wagtail eating bird seed for the third day running in his Thornton garden.

     A more cloudy day tomorrow bringing the temperature up to 2 degrees so hopefully the start of the thaw. At least the days are getting slightly longer for when I can get out and about again.

BS