A very wet Leeshaw reservoir this morning with a calm SE>2 bringing drizzle and rain showers with mist on the tops at 9 degrees.
Very few small gulls today and no Herrings or LBBs so it was down to the geese to keep the interest going. Peering through the mist over the water one of the Greylags looked smaller until a scope revealed it as being a Pink Footed goose which stuck with the Greylags throughout, eventually flying across to a field with Canadas and Greylags but just out of sight.
Otherwise, just a single female Goosander and Cormorant on the water.
By 100 hrs the fog rolled in.
Late afternoon and another check on Mixenden in horrendous conditions with heavy to torrential rain showers and drizzle throughout.
On arrival things looked grim with empty waters and no gulls present and the rain now coming down in stair rods. As I was walking along the west bank a voice called me from over the wall and there stood a very wet and despondent DJS. Dave was in the same mind as me with the conditions being good for a reservoir special but today it never happened. We went our separate ways and after a full circular of the water, plus bringing some away in my boots, I came away with very little of note and no sign of yesterdays Goldeneye or Tufted.
A last light dog walk over Foxhill produced a flock of 43 Fieldfare >NW very low and struggling into the now increased wind. Its impossible to say at this time of year if these were movers or just birds heading to a roost.
Leeshaw
1 Pink Footed Goose
57 Greylag
43 Canada
1f Goosander
1 Cormorant
c 100 small gulls
+ usual sp.
Mixenden
1f Goosander
1f Mallard
5 BH gull
1 1st winter Herring gull
1 Sparrowhawk
Large flock of Starlings building up.
BS