A real grim morning at Leeshaw reservoir with dark skies and heavy rain, sleet and snow showers on a biting W>4 at 3 degrees. The sun was behind areas of thin cloud giving off a terrible photographic light
with everything in silhouette and the water reflecting bright silver making it near impossible to pick out the gulls.
Around 300 gulls were present , mainly sticking to distant fields and the birds on the water were very difficult to sort through given the distance, the reflection on the water and steaming up wet bins and scope.
Other than the gulls, 18 Mallard and a single female Goosander were on the water whilst a pair of Pied Wagtail and 3 Meadow Pipits were on the banking.
Mid afternoon and the worst of the showers passed over, I headed , once again ,for Mixenden which held around 150 small gulls, 2 Herrings and 2 Cormorants . A scan through the gulls found nothing special and none of yesterdays outstanding gulls so it was beginning to have the makings of a double dip day.
With everything now depending on fly overs or woodland birds I set off to circuit the reservoir, for the 8th time this year, but this time perseverance paid off as I got into the west bank trees when a small bird flitting in the tops of the very dark Alders caught my eye. A scan through the bins identified it as a Redpoll but a closer scan reveled a count of 22, remaining very quiet and well camouflaged in the darkness. As I wound the camera wide open to try get some half decent shots the flock was joined by another group out of the plantation making a total of 35 Redpoll in just the one tree. I got some very sub standard shots and then left them busily feeding ready to face another cold wet night .
So a close call today but saved in the nick of time by a flock of Redpoll, not a common bird to this area and possibly the first I,ve had at this location.
BS