Another decent morning at Leeshaw Reservoir with 50% cloud cover, a light NW>3 at 3 degrees with good visibility.
Just as I arrived and was gearing up a large raptor was high and to the east of me which I suspected as a Buzzard until I grabbed the bins to find a Red Kite. That left me with about 20 seconds to grab the camera, fix the settings and get a few record shots even though the bird was directly opposite the sun angle. Red Kite is a new species for me at this location making 99 species at Leeshaw. I wonder what the 100th bird will be.?
A walk down to the beck just in time to see a Dipper heading down stream flat out like a rat up a ginnel whilst a Heron flushed lower down the beck.
Plenty Fieldfare and Redwing about whilst the water held around 200 small gulls, 6 Herring gulls ,
1 male Tufted along with 8 male and 2 female Goosander which dropped in from the east, probably from the Oxenhope roost.
The usual mass of Woodpigeons were around and a group of 17 Stock doves landed in a nearby field.
Late afternoon at Fly Flatts was icy cold with a moderate WNW> 5 at 2 degrees and 60% cloud cover. Unbelievable how this venue has lost it since the autumn with so many birds around at neighbouring locations with todays visit going down in the history books with the only sighting after 1 hour being a single Carrion Crow. I can,t blame it on disturbance as even the skies remain empty.
BS