An uneventful last day but there,s always next year.

 

LEESHAW                       1 of 8 Goosander

                                                Field full of geese

                                             Fieldfare moving >NE throughout the day.

                                               1 of 2 Cormorant

                                                  Herrings passing through

                                                  Herring

  RINGBY TOP                                        Very vocal Common gull

                                         1st winter Herring

                                       Lesser Black Backed

                                        1 of 2 cronking Ravens.

Fog on the tops again but the weather at Leeshaw in the morning was glorious with blue skies and wall to wall sunshine at -1 degree on a light W>3. Again no sign of a thaw with the snow now frozen over and very icy.

                    Much livelier this morning though the gull fields were still deserted due to the frozen ground. This did,nt seem to bother the geese with a big count of Greylags and Canadas in the big field, all carefully checked through for White Fronted or Brent.

                  A move of Fieldfare was apparent with a flock over >NE in the morning plus a flock over the house midday and 3 flocks over Ringby mid afternoon whilst a single Mistle Thrush and a Mipit were still in the area.

                   A single Dipper was mobile down in the beck whilst Herring gulls moved through >W as well as a low count of Commons and Black Headeds on the water.

                 The Goosanders are now up to 4 pairs on the water along with the usual Mallards.

                  Mid afternoon and the last check of the year on Ringby Top hoping to go out on a high with a Bunt or Lark but met Ian up there where we both agreed we,ll leave it till next year!

              A continuation of a Fieldfare move with 3 small groups over >NE as well as a few passing gulls but again none in the fields. A couple of  Raven flew past as well as 2 Stock Dove but no sign of Mipits today.

                   Strange weather up there this afternoon with very hazy skies which kept clearing to blue sky and sunshine before clouding over again but always keeping visibility. The wind had turned to a very light NW>2 bringing some very damp air like a very fine drizzle.

Leeshaw

1 Mipit

1 Mistle Thrush

4 pr Goosander

21 Fieldfare

157 Geylag goose

72 Canada goose

2 Cormorant

1 Dipper

11 Herring gull >W

+ usual sp.

Ringby Top

1 LBB.....................>S

3 Herring...............>N

9 Commons

12 Black Headeds

36 Fieldfare...........>NE

2 Raven

2 Stock Dove

+ usual sp.

BS                                          WISHING EVERYONE A SAFE AND BIRD FILLED NEW YEAR.

                                                                      

Leeshaw/ Ringby Top

 

                                          Red sky sunrise over Queensbury

                                              Leeshaw Reservoir

                                                        Icy tracks

                                                 2 pr Goosander present

RINGBY TOP                        Kestrel mobbed by Jackdaws.

                                                                 Adult male

                    Low bank of fog over the west ridge, Fly Flatts.

Another bright and icy day with temperatures not rising above 2 degrees with no signs of a thaw.

Fly Flatts remains inaccessible due to the icy entrance track and Leeshaw is accessible with caution.

Clear bright skies at Leeshaw this morning at -1 degree on a cold W>3 with some sunshine.

                                              With frozen fields gulls were near non existent with just a handful of Black Headeds on the water along with 2 pair of Goosander and 2 Cormorant.

                                              The big field held a good count of Greylags plus a few Canadas whilst a single Mistle Thrush and 2 Lapwing were moving around the area.

With the water level now down in the brook 2 Dippers were present moving up and down stream but never settling.

                     Mid afternoon at Ringby Top was bright with a light westerly but again only a few passing gulls with none in the frozen fields. It was interesting to see how the Rooks and Crows dealt with the frozen field by firstly brushing the snow away with their heads and then laying on the cleared patch with their wings half open to thaw a small area where they then could peck at the softened soil.

                    A few Mipits and a single female Stonechat was the height of small passerines whilst the highlight in the sky was a male Kestrel getting mobbed with Jackdaws.

                    Good to meet Ian and Gail up there checking out their local patch and who are trying to beat me to a Snow Bunting. Ian reported a Peregrine up there a couple of days back, an uncommon visitor for that site.

Leeshaw

137 Greylag

12 Canada

2 pr Goosander

2 Cormorant

2 Dipper

1 Mistle Thrush

2 Lapwing

+ usual sp.

Ringby Top

1 Kestrel

10 Mipits

1 f  Stonechat

3 LBB gull

2 Common gull

8 BH gull

+ usual corvids 

BS

Birding in the snow. Ringby Top.

 

 RINGBY                          A snowy scene on the tops.                                     

                                                  1 of 2 Raven

                                      Across the valley to Fly Flatts

                                                  Mipits in the snow

                                                    An icy track

                                                  Mipit against sun angle

                                      A welcome guest unless you keep chickens

                                       Lucky it was me and not the farmer.

QUEENSBURY                       Grounded this morning.

                                                  Fleet Lane

                                             Fleet Kennels

                                        Looking towards the dales

                                          Brighouse Denholme Road

                                           New Park Road.

Heavy overnight snow stopped the job this morning with the roads unfit to travel on until Queensbury Council got the donkey and cart harnessed up and got round with some grit.

                                                 Mid afternoon and Sainsburys shopping done it was a trip to Ringby Top after deciding that looking for white gulls in white fields was not a good idea,

                                                Bright and pleasant conditions on the top with a cold NW>4 and blue skies with sunshine at 2 degrees.

Lots of corvids today, mainly Jackdaws  along with 2 very noisy Raven over the Lapwing field but no Lapwing today.

                       A small group of Meadow Pipits were around the Snow Bunt field not seeming to have a problem with the snow whilst a Wren and Blackbird were also present there.

Very few gulls with just a handful of small gulls and 4 Herring gulls which headed through >SW but otherwise the skies were quiet with no signs of Pinkies on the move.

                       A single male Stonechat showed itself briefly by the quarry but was flushed with a passing tractor.

Ringby Top

1 Wren

1 m Stonechat

15 Mipits

8 Herring gulls

few Small gulls

2 Raven

1 Blackbird

1 Fox

BS