I've had better mornings. Fly Flatts.

 

                                    An icy drive down to the water

                                    A short lived bright start

                                        Rough water.

With no sign of fog I headed for Fly Flatts where there was a strong WSW>5 and light rain at 2 degrees but good visibility. By 0900 hrs the sky turned black and the mist started rolling in from the west. Suddenly the rain turned to snow with a heavy blizzard cutting out visibility. A quick tackle up and headed out of there whilst I still could. Getting back up the track was a bit of a struggle but luckily I ploughed through without having to use the bag of salt I have in the car.

    As far as I got, before the deluge started, was a dog walk around the compound where 5 Oystercatchers were at the far end of the west bank, probably the same 2 adults and 3 juv that bred here last year and were the last to leave, but no sign of Curlew as yet and didn't get chance to check the Ringed Plover area.

    A good look at the Nolstar fields on the way back just produced a few Common and Black Headed gulls.

   A snow/ice warning out for tonight until early morn and then a bright sunny day but very cold on a light NW at minus 1 degree.

BS

Harold Park

 

                                    No snow at Harold Park

                                Crocus a month earlier than Queensbury.

                                    27 Tufted Duck

                                        23 Herring gull

                                    2 LBB gull

                                    2 ad 2 juv Mute Swan

                                    1 Cormorant

                                    Single Little Grebe

Another covering of snow this morning and fog on the tops so it was down to civilization at Harold Park. The weather here was at a mild 4 degrees with full cloud on a light SW>2 making it very pleasant and not a flake of snow in sight.

    As always, a good show of birds at this site on the water though nothing special apart from a single Little Grebe. A good show of 23 Herring gulls as well as around 50 Black Headed and 2 Lesser Black Backed. Tufted duck numbers were up with 27, along with 2 adult and 2 juvenile Mute Swans, 48 Canada geese and a single Cormorant, plus Mallard, Coot and Moorhen.

    Nothing on the top pond other than a few Black Headed gulls whilst the trees held Chaffinch, Goldfinch and Long Tailed Tits as well as the usual species.

     The snow is thawing well at the moment but plenty packed ice where the snow is being washed off the surface.

     A forecast for tomorrow of mixed cloudy sunshine with some sleet and rain on a moderate westerly at 3 degrees.

BS

Below the snow line. Wibsey Park.

 

                                    Sunshine and snow, Queensbury

                                    Bright and clear, Wibsey park

                                    The duck feeder

                                    Around 80 Black Headed gull

                                    1 of 4 Herring gull

                                    Several with summer hoods now.

                                    36 Tufted duck

                                    Lake 30% froze

My planned trip to Fly Flatts this morning was soon abandoned with the road from the Withins to the reservoir, and the entrance track probably snowed over and frozen, which was a shame because this was the first morning for some time with no fog.

   Still plenty snow in Queensbury but the bulk of the roads now clear. I put Ogden as a no go being weekend and the combination of snow and sunshine making a recipe for a mad exodus there so settled for a gull check at Wibsey Park. Just a sprinkling of snow on the grass in the park with wall to wall sunshine on a light W>2 at 1 degree.

   A good count of around 80 Black Headed and 4 Herring gull, all carefully checked through for a Med or the Bradford Iceland gull but nothing untoward.

    The water was just 30% frozen, which made it easier for checking the gulls, whilst 36 Tufted duck were on the water as well as 2 Mute Swan, 28 Canada and 12 Greylag geese along with the usual park lake species.

   The trees were busy with Long Tailed Tits, Goldfinch, Wood Pigeon and Collared Doves.

Back to normal tomorrow, weather wise, with a risk of overnight snow tonight then a foggy cloudy morning with chance of rain and snow throughout the day on a light SW at 1 degree.

  BS

    

Down came the snow, job stopped.

 

                                    Not a good start to the morning

                                    Foxhill

                                    Walking time.

                                NKs white winged Crow from his report yesterday.

                        A pair of jet black Crows bred in Foxhill last year

                        with their 2 offspring both showing white wingbars.

                                    The 4 have been around the park ever since.

A good covering of frozen snow this morning with a heavy overnight freeze on a moderate NE>3 at 

minus 1 degrees. The snow came down heavier as the morning went on stopping most of the side roads and leaving the main roads  passable with caution. Still thick fog hanging on.

   Spent the day keeping the garden feeders and water clear as well as dog walking plus an extra job of picking the granddaughter up when they closed the school and walking her  to Horton Bank Top to meet her Mum. Unfortunately, no council gritters out today due to bad weather.!!!

   Typically its giving a bright sunny day for tomorrow at minus 3 on a light westerly. This was the day I was expecting to check out Fly Flatts but no chance of getting up there with the standing ice and snow.

BS

Below the fog, Ogden. Goosander day.

 

                                    3m 3f Goosander present

                                    Very flighty doing circuits of the water

                                    Very few gulls.

Avoiding the fog on the tops this morning I dropped down to Ogden which was clear with full cloud on a light NE>3 at 3 degrees remaining dry. The hilltop fog cleared by late morning.

     A much improved morning on the water with 3 male and 3 female Goosander present. The birds were very flighty doing circuits over the water but always landing back on the water each time. A small count of  Common and Black Headed were present along with 3 Herring gull and a single Cormorant. Hopefully an Iceland gull will visit one of these days with the Bradford bird still being present in the same location as well as the Leeds bird. The last Iceland gull I had at Ogden was January 2022, a 2CY bird showing on and off for 4 days.

    Just the usual common woodland species along the west bank with 4 Mistle Thrush in the Lodge house garden as well as a Kestrel nearby.

     A bit of an unsure forecast for tomorrow with a snow warning out for Yorkshire predicting possible heavy overnight snow from this evening until midday tomorrow on a moderate NE at 0 degrees. It looks like a wait and see job.

BS