A very damp and windy morning at Leeshaw with light rain throughout on a moderate SSW>5 and full cloud at 8 degrees.
Nothing in the air this morning other than the resident Jackdaws plus a few Starlings >NW and the usual gulls. Around 150 small gulls on the shore along with 17 LBBs and 4 adult Herring plus the usual Canadas, Greylags and Mallards on the water.
A group of small passerines were near the twin trees comprising of Reed Bunting, Mipit, Dunnock and Robin. with 2 Pied Wagtails in the overflow.
As I set off to drive home a Jack Snipe flew over the wall on my right, across the front of the car and dropped over the wall on my left either into the field, or conduit, or down onto the shore out of sight. I jumped out of the car but was unable to re locate it.
I text BV who said he would go up there p.m. although Jack Snipe is not a bird that you can locate unless you flush them and as the fields and reservoir grounds are private the search would be very limited.
With low expectancy of a second sighting I returned up there mid p.m.to find BV had been there a couple of hours with no signs. After a check through all the gulls we stood on the track watching the sky and water for any sign of bird life, of which there was very little, plus the usual banter of days gone by, when suddenly the Jack Snipe launched up, from where I saw it land in the morning,
flew right over our heads and dropped back into the same spot as it appeared from this morning.
No time to even think about the camera as we both stood gob smacked at such a close encounter with such an amazing bird. Brian and myself have watched Leeshaw since time began and this is the first Jack Snipe we,ve ever recorded at this site. That really was a chance in a million to see the bird again for a second sighting, there really is a birding god after all.
Leeshaw Reservoir
1 Jack Snipe
1 Kestrel
5 Reed Bunting
4 Meadow Pipit
2 Pied Wagtail
1 Robin
1 Dunnock
c 150 small gulls
4 ad Herring gull
17 LBB gull
+ usual sp.
BS