Perfect conditions this morning at Fly Flatts, for me but obviously not for the birds, with
clear blue skies, sunshine and a light NW>3 at minus 1 degree then up to 4 degrees by the end of the watch with 3/4 of the reservoir frozen over.
With the ground frozen solid we managed to walk the full length of the west bank only to find it void of birds, even in the sky, with just 31 Mallard on the unfrozen area of water but otherwise not a bird throughout.
Back at the car I set up the tripod ready for fly overs, which never appeared, but as I turned to lift one dog into the car there was an enormous crash as one of the other dogs walked through the tripod legs and the lead pulled the job lot over onto the concrete boat launching pad. The last time this happened it cost me £600 to have the camera repaired but this time its worse. The camera was ok but Big Bertha, the 600 mm lens, broke her back. The metal casting and auto focus unit were broken in half making it terminal. Thats 2 Big Berthas now thats gone to the big photo studio in the sky.
Late p.m. and over the shock armed with the Canon 300 mm and 2 converters in my pocket for a dummy run in hopes of substituting the Sigma 600 mm.
Glorious sunshine at home but part way to Fly Flatts I could see the whole area blanked out with a massive fog bank all along the western ridge so a quick divert to Leeshaw reservoir where the fog was passing through and soon cleared to leave it poor light but decent visibility.
Much livelier with birds here with Herring gulls passing through >W and a good number of small gulls on the water. Around 70 Fieldfare were in the field and then the pleasing call of 2 Curlew very high and >W over the water but the auto focus on the 300 mm with 1.4 converter was too slow to get them before they disappeared into the cloud. Thats the second report today of moving Curlew which proves that NKs ears were not deceiving him yesterday when he thought he heard one over at Ogden but dismissed it due to the early date.
Just before I left there was a deafening noise of geese as 7 Canadas and
248 Greylags came over low from one of the hidden fields and landed on the water. The Pink Footed goose that I had picked out a few weeks ago was still among them.
Leeshaw reservoir
248 Greylag
7 Canada
1 Pink Footed goose
2 Cormorant
c 70 Fieldfare
12 Herring gull >W
sev small gulls.
BS