A very wet day throughout with heavy sleet, rain and snow this morning turning to heavy snow midday and then heavy rain all afternoon with fog on the tops due to the wind dropping to a light SE>3 then SW>2 at 2 degrees lifting to 4 degrees.
With 8 Whoopers turning up at Mixenden on the 27th Feb last year and a report from Keighley Moor Reservoir of an amazing 55 Whoopers over >NW coming out of the Aire valley I thought Id better check a few local waters just in case.
Thanks to James Longbottom for the report. James watches Keighley Moor Reservoir alongside IH and passes reports to me of anything special. Several times birds passing over Leeshaw have also be seen shortly afterwards over Keighley Moor, the last one being a Marsh Harrier that I got over Leeshaw which was then picked up by Ian at Keighley Moor.
Photo copyright 2020 and courtesy of James Longbottom.
Lower Laithe failed to produce anything other than 2 Oystercatchers with nothing on the water as usual, I dont know why I bother here although it has turned up a few specials over the years.
Meanwhile back at Leeshaw the same sort of species as yesterday but on a lower scale with only 2 Curlew and no Goldies though the weather was grim throughout with heavy rain sleet and snow. The 15 Oyks were present and 4 Mistle Thrush in the stubble field along with Lapwings and a few geese.
Gulls were the bird of the morning with 29 Herrings on the water of various ages along with Commons and Black Headed.
Heavy snow settling over the early afternoon left Lynda panicking that we would nt get back home from Sainsburys but by the time we had finished it had turned to rain with Queensbury shrouded in thick fog.
With shopping sided and flask filled it was off looking for Whoopers again with first a check of Ogden which was in the mist but visibility over the water enough to see that there were no swans there.
When I arrived at Mixenden it was bouncing down and continued throughout the visit but with my waterproofs still dripping from this morning it didnt really matter.
A very sloppy, muddy walk around the full perimeter of the water found 2 pair of Goldeneye and 12 Mallard out on the water with a single Moorhen skulking under the west bank trees.
Several Common and Black Headeds were on the east bank before taking to the water along with 2 very smart looking Herring gulls, adults in summer plumage.
The highlight here was as I was getting my wet gear off back at the car a small flock of about 20 birds dropped into the Alders by the roundabout with about 15 Goldfinch and at least 5 Siskin. The birds were hard to pick out in the centre of the thick tree with rain too heavy for pointing up with the camera plus the nearby school was losing and a nurd in a dripping wet suit and camera in hand would have probably have got me arrested.
Back home next job to dry out the camera and bins ready to get them soaked again tomorrow and by this time the rain had stopped so a dry dog walk around Foxhill but still in dense fog.
Leeshaw
15 Oystercatchers
29 Herring gull
4 Mistle Thrush
+ usual species
Mixenden
2 pr Goldeneye
2 Herring gull
1 Moorhen
c 15 Goldfinch
5 Siskin
BS