LEESHAW Plenty Curlews this season
Early rain at Leeshaw with thick fog higher up the valley blanking Fly Flatts out. A lighter wind today blowing W>4 at 6 degrees with full cloud cover but improving throughout the day.
Big gulls are slowly dwindling now with just 16 Herring present today along with 4 LBBs and the usual small gulls. Otherwise it was down to the usual species.
As I was tackling up, a Calderbirds group message from DJS reporting an Avocet at Mixenden reservoir made me move a little quicker which is not easy through the bottleneck roads of Oxenhope.
With limited time left and 3 dogs onboard I couldnt get down to the reservoir so parking up at the top of Whitegate I scoped down on the reservoir , which is about 1 mile away, but with directions as to the birds whereabouts by phone from Dave I managed to watch it in the scope as it gave some great flying displays over the water before settling down in among the gulls out on the reservoir.
Late afternoon , after burning round Sainsburys with smoking trolley wheels, I headed back to Mixenden where the bird was still present but keeping a great distance away and hardly flying other than a few bunny hops on the water.
Good to see the cavalry up there on the banking completing the afternoon with a good bird and good company. The new Calderbirds Group is proving a real asset getting the message out to all members instantly. Well done to all members for their participation and well done to DJS once again for his power of observations. A quick scan around the water could have easily missed this bird in amongst the gulls. After Daves Iceland gull and Avocet we now await his hat trick.
BS