Five reservoir check

                  First light at Lower Laithe

       White horses across a full Leeshaw

                 Few geese returning to Leeshaw

               Small gulls on the choppy water

    Tried to make this into a Med gull but just
                    late moulting its hood

               Sun struggling to show

                             Here comes the rain again

                                  Small gulls at Leeshaw

                                 As good as it got at Leeming.

An atrocious morning with a near gale force W > 7 decreasing W > 5 and torrential rain turning to heavy showers of rain, sleet and snow. A complete drenching making me feel like I had swam the reservoirs instead of checking them.
Expected at least a Goldeneye on one of the 5 checked but all were the same with nothing special dropped in.
The sixth location checked was Raggalds Flood and despite overnight torrential rain the field is almost dry, thank you farmer!.

Lower Laithe  0730 hrs
6 Mallard
1 Cormorant
2 Canadas
Sev small gulls

Leeshaw  0745hrs
10 Greylag
3 Canadas
2 Cormorants
7 Meadow Pipits
9 Redwing
Sev small gulls
15 Mallard
1 Kestrel
1 Heron

Leeming 0900 hrs
19 Mallard
Few small gulls
1 Heron

Fly Flatts 0930hrs.  Weather unbirdable, low cloud and horizontal sleet
5 Canadas
3 Mallard
Sev calling Red Grouse

Ogden  0945 hrs Checked from prom only.
13 Canadas
sev small gulls
3 LBB gulls
usual Mallards
BS