A very cloudy morning at Leeshaw with a rise in temperature at 4 degrees but feeling much colder in the light W>3. Late afternoon at Oxenhope was about the same weather and still an icy wind over the water with drizzle and mist approaching as I was leaving.
Leeshaw was just gulls today apart from 9 Stock Dove in the gull field. Around 300 small gulls were present and 11 Herring, all easier to scope through today being more settled than of late, both in the field and on the water. Still no new year Med gull and the Iceland has failed to show at this site so far. A word from KM about the Iceland gull, after seeing my flight shots from Ogden, confirming that this bird was not the 2nd w Iceland that he had at Redcar Tarn as his bird was well oiled on its underside so we have, or had, two 2nd winters in the area.
A well overdue check on Oxenhope reservoir mid afternoon produced 2 pair of Goldeneye and 5 female Goosanders present with gull numbers slowly increasing though I left whilst the gulls were still pouring in to roost.
A last count found c150 Herring gull, 4 LBB gull, c100 Common gull and c300 BH gull. Too windy and rough water to check through the Black Headed for Med gull but no appearance of Iceland gull among the Herrings.
BS