plus a few Redwing.
A cold, wet and windy morning at Leeshaw with a W>6 gusting near gale 7 and heavy drizzle showers at 3 degrees.
Around 60 Fieldfare, 100 Starling and 9 Redwing were in the stubble field whilst the water held a low number of small gulls along with 1 Cormorant and a single male Goosander.
The strong westerlies did the trick bringing in 2 very early Oystercatchers way across the water in the field with gulls before moving onto the wall. My first Oyks at this site last year were on the 18th Feb.
Late afternoon the forecast was for rain by 1600 hrs and wind increasing so a trip to Redcar Tarn was planned but after getting side tracked before I set off the rain decided to come in early as well as the strengthening wind so where now.
I dare,nt do Ogden as I had accumulated quite a bit of photographic gear in the car, and not all mine, so I wasnt going to let the car out of my sight so ended up at Ned Hill track to walk the dogs and watch over the Causeway Foot Col.
The wind was near gale force W>7 at 33 m.p.h. with some heavy drizzle showers which didnt bother the gulls coming through. By the end of the watch I,d had several Herring and LBBs >SW and 2 GBBs >NE as well as a Raven and plenty corvids.
Its looking like the strong winds are to continue until the middle of next week, possible reaching storm force by late afternoon tomorrow for a while, so we,d better get used to them, at least it keeps the fog away.
Leeshaw reservoir
1m Goosander
1 Cormorant
c60 Fieldfare
c 100 Starling
9 Redwing
c 50 small gulls
2 Herring gull
2 Oystercatchers.............1st back.
Causeway Foot Col
2 GBB gull................>NE
14 Herring gull.........>SW
6 LBB gull...............>SW
1 Raven
+ usual Corvids
BS