A bright morning with 30% cloud and blue skies with sunshine on a cold N>3 at 5 degrees.
After a cracking few days at Leeshaw reservoir with birds galore and several specials I decided to break the good run and get back to Fly Flatts, bad move.
Conditions were good up there with excellent visibility but after a walk the full length of the west bank plus sky watching from 0800 - 1000 hrs I came away with an unbelievable
2 Lapwing and a single Woodpig >S plus 1 LBB gull and a Kestrel. The whole area was void of birds with nothing on the deck and just a few Mallard on the water.
Driving down Cold Edge Road on the way home I got a text from NK reporting a skein of Pinkies over south Queensbury heading >SW but a quick stop and scan failed to find them, thanks for the call Nigel.
Mid afternoon and a visit to the Cullingworth fields on gull watch which looked ideal on arrival with around 1000 gulls in one field and near to the road.
I stayed in the car so as not to spook them and after a couple of photos I started the task of searching through them for anything special.
Suddenly, after only being there 10 minutes the whole field full lifted up with some circling round but several leaving >W towards TMR. It was then I saw what had spooked them. A nugget Amazon delivery man had dropped a parcel off at the house across the road and on seeing all the gulls he crossed over and leaned over the wall to take a photo with his phone.
He looked a bit embarrassed when he saw what he had done, and even more embarrassed when he heard what I shouted at him.
Some of the gulls resettled and were joined by others but after being spooked they were very flighty, landing and lifting off every few minutes. They moved 2 fields up the road but every time a wagon or tractor went passed they were up again so I called it a do and came away.
A quick stop off at Ogden on the way back just found 4 Herrings and 9 LBBs on the water as well as the usual small gulls.
On arriving home I received a text from MP reporting a Great White Egret that had flown over Doe Park at 1436 hrs >SE which was just about the time I was driving through Denholme past the top of Doe Park, I really must get out of the habit of watching the road when I,m driving. Thanks for the text Mark.
At least tomorrow it can only get better.
BS