With a shout from HC this afternoon reporting the Whimbrel amazingly still present at Leeshaw plus 2 Shelduck on the water I decided on a late afternoon visit to try for the Shelduck.
On arrival a strong SW>5 was blowing with rain showers closing in heavier and more frequent as the watch went on. Unfortunately the Shelduck had moved on unless they were tucked away in the west corner out of sight. Black Headed, Herring and Lesser Black Backed gulls were present around the water plus the usual Oystercatchers and Common Sandpipers whilst a Cuckoo called throughout but remained out of sight.
The Whimbrel was in the same area as yesterday but unfortunately further away towards the back of the field ,so combined with this plus poor light and rain, decent photos were out of the question. The bird seems well settled there feeding well alongside Curlew ,where at one point 7 were present.
Good to bump into 2 old soldiers from B.O.G. there, Keith Moir and Rod Proctor who had both turned up to see the Whimbrel, so we had a good chat about birding years gone by. Interesting to hear from Keith that Yellow Legged Herring gulls are beginning to show now and he has already had 2 at Redcar Tarn along with Shoveler duck.
BS