As expected today the fog hung over the tops with no wind to move it on. Leeshaw was below the cloud base so clear with a light SE>2 at 3 degrees.
The bad news was, a birder! / photographer! climbed over the wall into the reservoir grounds and set his tackle up on the banking near the water, hence the passing gulls were reluctant to come down on the water so flew straight through.
As he was there for the duration I came away with a few Black Headeds as well as Canadas and Greylags so a morning wasted.
Mid afternoon and still in thick fog I dropped down to Mixenden reservoir hoping it would be clear but as we had been down to Sainsburys where it was still murky, I knew I was on a sticky wicket.
The wind, or lack of it, was now from the west but struggling to reach the Beaufort Scale of W>2 with the fog hanging over the water cutting visibility to about 1/3 of the way across the reservoir.
I could just make out several wildfowl images on the water which looked good so I settled down at the bottom of the south bank and waited in hope of them coming my way.
Slowly they came into view in the bins but hardly visible to the naked eye so I was able to pick out 2 female and 2 male Goldeneye, one of the males being a cracking adult whilst the other was a male in eclipse with lots of white starting to show on it.
Struggling to scan through the other group of ducks a bit further out I eventually got 14 Mallard, which is unusual for this site, plus the smaller duck I had seen was a female Teal.
A walk on the east bank found very few small gulls and 3 first year Herrings on the water but again out in the fog.
Tomorrows forecast for a moderate westerly and rain should get rid of this horrible stagnant weather and get something moving again.
Mixenden
2m 2f Goldeneye
14 Mallard
1 Teal
3 1st winter Herrings.
few small gulls.
flock of around 10 Goldfinch in the roadside pines.
BS