Some heavy snow showers at Ogden but below the dense fog clouds on the tops. A light W>3 at 2 degrees made for a good morning with very few public there until I was leaving when they were starting to pile in.
Around 50 small gulls on the water and Mallards up to around 70 + now but nothing special in amongst them and no big gulls present.
Mid way through the watch 2 male Goosanders dropped onto the water staying near the top end.
A circuit of the water found nothing in the way of small passerines in the waterside trees with the only activity being around the lodge house where the usual Gt Spotted Woodpecker was on the fat balls as well as 4 Long Tailed Tits and the usual Tits, Chaffinch etc.
A single Jay was near the info centre whilst a Grey Wagtail flew from the duck corner.
A text from Keighley Moor birder Andrew Oakworth reporting Pink Footed Geese moving >W over Leeshaw reservoir sent me heading for Ringby Top, an ideal vantage point with a 360 degrees view. The weather was bright with a bitterly cold W>4 at 1 degree causing low cloud and mist around the horizons.
Plenty Common gulls in the sheep field along with the corvids but no big gulls on the deck. After the usual Snow Bunting/ Shorelark check I settled down in the top field scanning a full 360 degrees for anything moving.
Around 150 mixed LBB and Herring gulls were heading >SW way across the valley, probably heading to a roost in the Manchester area.
At 1415 hrs I finally picked up a single skein of 65 Pinks well to the south of Halifax heading >W but disappearing in and out of the low cloud. A bit of frantic scanning re located them below the sky line but standing out against the white snow hills of Saddleworth Moor before disappearing over the western ridge and into Lancashire.
There must have been a bit of a move on a broad front with my skein well to the south and Andrews skein well to the north. Thanks for the alert Andrew.
Ogden
Gt Spotted Woodpecker
2 m Goosander
1 Grey Wagtail
4 Lt Tits
1 Jay
+ usual sp.
Ringby Top
1 Skein Pink Footed Geese.....65 >W
c 150 Big gulls.........>SW
+ usual sp.
BS