An atrocious day with thick fog and drizzle throughout on a light W>3 at 3 degrees. The only good point being that there has been a steady thaw all day with the snow lowering nicely. Other than dog walking it was a real stay at home day, especially being Sunday and not even considering Ogden, which left me climbing the walls so Lynda got me on cleaning duties to get me out of her hair.
Looking on to February when we may get a bit of our serious birding back, though don,t hold your breath, Ive put together some of the specials that turned up around my area in February in the last 2 years. Hopefully we,ll get to see some of them this year :-
Good numbers of Goldeneye for Mixenden
Goldcrest flocks at Ogden
Curlews returning to the moors
Pink Footed geese on their way back >N to their breeding grounds.
Pink Footed in with Greylags at Leeshaw.
hooper swans for Cold Edge Dams
Taken from the top road.
Good numbers of Siskin at Ogden
Whoopers for Mixenden.
Stonechats braving the conditions at Fly Flatts
Short Eared Owls , Fly Flatts 2019. Only 2 migrant birds seen in 2020.
1 of 2 Barnacles always about at Fly Flatts or Cold Edge.
Ogden Kingfishers failed breeding last 2 years.
Oystercatchers back at Leeshaw.
Fieldfares starting to group ready for heading >N
Iceland gull (left) Redcar Tarn
Caspian Gull,(centre) Redcar Tarn.
Caspian.
Caspian ,(left) 1st winter. Same bird as above pics.
Redcar Tarn, long staying Iceland gull
Curlews arriving at Leeshaw.
Waxwings at Keighley 2020. No sightings this winter so far.
LBB, BHG and same Caspian.
No Siskins at Ogden so far this winter
Usually Redpolls mixed in with them.
Resident Barnie at Fly Flatts.
Hang on in there, better things to come.
Boris assures us there is light at the end of the tunnel but my old pessimistic garage boss from many years ago used to say " If tha see,s light at end ot tunnel it,ll nobbut be a train coming"
