A strange day weather wise with constantly changing conditions with one minute fog and the next blue sky with these conditions continuing throughout the day.
I left Queensbury in dense fog this morning to find blue skies and sunshine at Leeshaw on a very light E>2 at 4 degrees. Unfortunately this only lasted 1 hour before the fog rolled in.
A single drake Tufted was on the water with the Mallards whilst 15 Mipits were grounded and blogging in the field and tree. Otherwise just the normal run of the mill species.
Shopping in Halifax this afternoon found it very misty and murky but back at Queensbury the sun shone in a blue sky.
The plan was to head for the vantage point of Soil Hill to sky watch from above the fog but by the time I,d got geared up the fog had rolled in with very little visibility.
This is where my lucky break came in as I decided to go to Mixenden reservoir and put up with the misty conditions which turned out to be a good move,
As I climbed the banking I heard a very noisy Whooper Swan bugling from the centre of the water and could just see its image in the mist. As I got part way on the west bank it was across near the gulls but I knew it was ready for leaving as it called loudly and did the neck cranking movements. It stayed around 10 minutes before lifting off and heading over the plantation >W.
Also present were 2 female Tufted and a single female Goldeneye plus a few big gulls in with the Commons and Black Headeds.
More light easterlies and rain for tomorrow so sounds like the fog continues!
Leeshaw
15 Mipits
1m Tufted
2 Mistle Thrush
1 Wren
2 Greylag
1 Canada
1 LBB
+ usual sp.
Mixenden
1 ad Whooper
2f Tufted
1f Goldeneye
3 1st winter Herrings
2 ad Herring
1 1st winter LBB
4 ad LBB
sev BH and Common gulls
BS