Herring coming in to land
Yellow Legged Herring on the right.
Same adult YL as yesterday probably
Lapwings moving up the shoreline
4 Oystercatcher in the distant sw corner
2 sleeping Snipe in the background
Herring gull
Another Herring in to land
More BH gulls arriving
Crammed shoreline
Oxenhope reservoir 1545-1715 hrs W>5 Light drizzle clearing. Grey skies . Visibility Otley Chevin.
Amazing how Black Headed gulls have just returned this week with a count of 6 last weekend and around 400 today as I left and still piling in.
As more shoreline appears more birds come and fill it with gulls cramped together in one area.
With gulls and waders all along the shoreline and in the pools its resembles being out on an estuary.
The Yellow Legged Herring gull was again present but a careful scope through the rest of the gulls failed to turn up any other exoticas .
c245 Black Headed gulls doubling in numbers by the time I left, at least 400
c 300 LBB gulls
14 Herring gulls
1 YL Herring gull
2 Common gull
3 Redshank
1 Little Ringed Plover
2 Snipe
4 Oystercatchers
3 Common Sandpiper
c 100 Lapwing
1 Curlew
Plenty Swallows and Swifts
2 Kestrels
+ usual Mallard, Greylag, Canada, Mipits etc.
BS