With all the upland sites snow bound and Fly Flatts inaccessible due to snow and ice I drove across to Leeshaw reservoir at 1500 hrs in the hope of getting below the snow line.
On arrival the reservoir area was amazingly 1 field below the snow mark, that is, the reservoir banking, the track and 1 row of fields around the perimeter of the reservoir were clear of snow whilst the second row of fields and above were under snow. As I left home the snow was coming down with flakes the size of half crowns, if you remember them you,re not as young as you thought you were, but luckily the snow clouds had moved over Leeshaw leaving clear skies but a temperature of 2 deg with a wind chill factor knocking it down to 1 deg on an icy cold W>5.
1530 hrs and by now the light was fading fast but the light skies gave me a bit more time but not for Big Bertha.
With about 50 small gulls already on the shoreline and 9 LBBs along with 4 Cormorant things were livening up with firstly Mallards coming in from the fields to roost building up to around 30 Mallards and a distant female Wigeon mixed in with them though this was a scoping job.
Black Headed and Common gulls were now piling in at last light firstly dropping onto the water then making their way onto the far shoreline . The big gulls came in last with 38 LBB s and 7 Herrings, none of which I could turn into a Caspian but good to see so many gulls together.
As I was tackling up the whole shebang of gulls lifted up and headed up to Oxenhope reservoir to join the massive roost there which can get build up to a five figure count over the winter. As I was driving home gulls were piling over Long Causeway from the east heading for the reservoir in near darkness.
A cold but interesting hours birding.
BS