oddball hybrid female Mallard type. Light underwings
white belly patch like Wigeon, Mallard wing bars
Pochard type head. Very light chestnut bird.
A very miserable dark, damp and misty day up on the tops due to a rise in temperature.
Thick fog this morning then mist and drizzle turning to heavy rain p.m. on a light SW>3.
A planned morning visit to Fly Flatts had to be abandoned due to fog and the same this afternoon so ended up at Mixenden once again with hopes of finding one of the several Gt Northern Divers that are moving around inland waters at the moment.
A better count of gulls today with around 150 small gulls along with 12 Herring gull but strangely no LBBs. A single Cormorant was on the water briefly before heading off >SE whilst once again the gulls headed off to roost >SW with the Herrings away first followed by the small gulls leaving an empty reservoir by 1500 hrs.
A single very light chestnut hybrid Mallard type duck flushed from the SW corner heading off >N making me look twice. It showed a white under belly patch like Wigeon and very light underwings with Mallard wing bars but a very dark narrow head similar to Pochard or Pintail.
Thats the trouble when its quiet, you start trying to make something out of nothing. Another rise in temperature tomorrow to 11 degrees which could spell more fog up here in the gods.
BS