Fly Flatts started off clear but murky this morning on a W>4 at 5 degrees with some drizzle but by 0930 hours the fog had rolled in and put the lights out. Prior to that the only birds present were 2 Carrion Crow and 3 Red Grouse. With mud up to the eyeballs and excavations now started in the reservoir basin its time to give Fly Flatts a bit of a break unless we get some good frosty weather.
Late afternoon at Leeshaw was dull but clear at 6 degrees on a light W>3 with wall to wall gulls, several on and around the water but many in the large stubble field including Herrings and LBBs. One gull, pictured, stood out as a very white Herring type making me suspect Caspian or Yellow Legged. Unfortunately it never moved out of the grass so I could,nt get the length of its leg,tibia, or the bulging hind body.It has the snouty shaped head but the eye which looked black shows a hint of an iris when zoomed in which I believe rules out Caspian.
I,ll have to look in further with tertials etc when I,ve got the blog out but I,m initially thinking on the lines of 1st winter Yellow Legged Herring gull or 1st winter GBB, there goes my neck in that noose again.
Otherwise just 1 female Goosander on the water.
All todays distant photos were courtesy of the maiden launch of Big Bertha 3.
Sigma 150-600. Well they don,t put pockets i shrouds!!!
BS